Happy Halloween?

It's the end of the month. I've seriously lost track of time. Working late nights and weekends seem to be the only schedule lately. My mind has been filled with nothing but work. Pathetic huh? i know this is bad but I've been under a whole lot of pressures lately. Coping with the new challenges, the higher expectations and a whole lot of responsibilities. Sometimes, you just wish that your bosses are merciful enough to give you some space to breathe though you can never escape those pressures from them. I guess I've been pushing myself too hard.

Is this really what I want to do in life? Can I really do this? I'm tired.

Yes, i'm feeling rather melancholic right now but i will be fine. I guess it's time for me to take some time off before i find myself worn-out. I need to be still. I need YOUR strength.

Well, that aside. The bright side? The belated dinners! ( i'm not complaining ;p )

The first dinner that made my week was the ultimate birthday dinner.
Thank you for taking the effort to cook! The awesome night filled with not only the complete 3 course dinner (appetizer, pasta and the mouthwatering mini steak!) but also with the jazz performance at alexis after that. Yes, I met jeff from 98 degree!
This was probably the best pressie that a 23 could ever ask for.
you know who you're (:

The second dinner? The halloween cum birthday dinner. Zul, thank you for bringing me to this unique place not only it was filled with a whole bunch of creepy "ghosts" but the place was also equip with a live band. i didn't know "pontianak-s" could sing and play the drum!

That basically sums up the past two weeks. Oh, it's halloween today. ( though i hardly care)

So, happy halloween?

The hot Atilia & the jazz band. Alexis

October Feast! (:

Yes, it's the time of the year again. Nope, it's not what you think. This is our version of "October Feast", things are pretty much similar except for the beer part which was replaced by Tony Roma's ice lemon tea (:

In case some of you didn't know, the 5 of us came about this " october feast" thing due to our birthdays which happen to fall in the same month! practically, a few days gap from each other. Looks like October is a great month to get "busy" :P

History of our october feast :

2006: Buffet, Equtorial Hotel
2007 : Chilis, 1 Utama
2008 : Tony Roma's, Cineleisure.

The "peeps" :

Soly ( the tai kor) : 2/10
John Tan. D : 4/10
Lionel Thien : 6/10
Rebecca Lee : 7/10
Grace Goh : 10/10

It was indeed fun celebrating together for 3 years now. Geez, time flies.

Anyway, this year lionel couldn't join us as he's been assigned to be in Germany for a month! man, that's so fun. I wish my company would send me to places like that too :(

So, lionel, this post is dedicated to you. Yup, you missed the fun and the best part of all, the awesome food! *drools* the ribs! HAHA!

The ribs!

The cheesy chicken. Yummy!

The ultimate steak!





Irresistible!

Introducing Mr. Smiley. The different flavour of sauces.


and the satisfied customers.

oh, how i love October!

p/s: Blessed 23 babe!* hugs*

23.

22+1. With a blink of the eye, 23 years have past me by. Without realizing, my life has sped past me just like a bullet train. Just like that. It seems like yesterday.

I''ve always wonder how it feels like to be 23. Does that mean i'm a little wiser now? Or perhaps a little mature? 23, you're neither here nor there. you're caught in the middle.

At 23, i'm contented and loved. Not that i wasn't loved for the other years but this year, it's extra special. I have to say you peeps, yes, you, have add frills to my years. Thank you for all the advance wishes. Probably you were more excited than I am! Nonetheless, i'm touched. Really. I was blessed to have eaten so many dinners and cakes this year! argh, now you know where i got those extra pounds.

Despite that, i'm more than blessed!

I'm thankful for those 23 years of joy, laughter, hurt, pain, and tears.

What I am today is by YOUR grace.

My life is surrounded with love, with people like you:-

THANK YOU sammie,sui po, ashley,siew li, wing kor,lai heng, evonne,winson,wawa,bee lee and San for the surprise birthday dinner at TGIF! Thank you for embarrassing me and making it unforgettable :P Nonetheless, this is the best birthday I ever had. i was flabbergasted and touched * teary eyes*. Thanks for making it real for me (:

Sammie, thank you for the posh wine and dine. yes, we had lotsa fun and yay! i'm old enough to drink! haha. i hope my mom doesn't read this :p

Oh, and the mastermind behind the surprise dinner along with the useful tips of being a rich tai tai : http://blessedsammie.blogspot.com/

Sui po, thank you for being you,the co-mastermind, cunningly tricked me into TGIF .I love the Topshop purse.

Jun ming, thank you for always being an awesome friend who never fails to remember my birthday. Thanks for the call from Melbourne.

Subang couzies, thank you for the home-cooked dinner and the yummy blueberry cheese cake!

dr. wong, thank you for the sms , all the way from across the pacific!

The sbgc church babes-yin, jen and peter’s other half: P, thank you for making me fat by dragging me along with your sinful indulgence of oreo mc flurry!

CF peeps, thanks for the wonderful singing! you guys sounded so pro over the phone! (:

Mei ying, thank you for the lovely card!

Daniel, thanks for bringing me to taste the scrumptious crepe cheese cake and for the lecture of me being 23 and still single! Rub it in: P

Denise & Tommy, for the Starbucks vouchers! i *heart* Starbucks!

weiaun, thank you for being a great friend who surprised me with funny lame comments, for the movie and sushi dinner at the Curve!

Edmunde, thank you for calling and for being as witty as you're. so, you really gonna buy me dinner on your birthday as my birthday gift?HAHA!

And for all those wishes, be it through facebook, sms or calls, THANK YOU! i'm touched in every way, well, just not the wrong way (:

Thank you for being a part of my life. I thank God for each and everyone of you. i love the love.

Now, who says you need a boyfriend to be happy? (:

-7.10.2008-

the wonderful peeps!

The two best babes in the whole wide world!

siew li!

The girl who claims that she's demure :P



The young at heart!

more pictures to come.......

Quote

(:

The half korean

To the 1/2 korean who was:-

- The CF president
- A "boss" (not forgetting, he had a HOT secretary. i just needed to mention that:P )
- The part-time bf

and who is : -
- A Maxis employee
- talented, a keyboardist.
- one of the eligible bachelor
- still sepet :P
- still staying in his cozy 'ghetto' with his bff. haha.
- A charmer ( credit to the improvement of your pick up line skill)
- A wonderful friend!

Blessed 24th birthday! (:
(oh, go choose a bag too! :P )



p.s. To the babe who's having the time of her life in California, blessed birthday to you too! (:

She's 6.

I was practically amused and amazed by my little 6 years old couzie today. Yes, she's 6 yet she cries when her mom got her a short hair cut which i think she still look gorgeous and she sings to "Low" by T-pain.

"She hit da floor, next time you know, shwaty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low"
How cool is that? No, i wasn't pulling your legs but yes, she sang to "low" and that's her favourite song for now. To add on to that, she owns a handphone with that ringtone! Gosh, at 6?! I guess they are growing up too fast. Perhaps, i'm growing old-ER?

I remembered back then at 6, i was still playing with dolls, "masak-masak" and my favourite song was probably barney's "i love you". Look, how kids nowadays evolved. They are learning things real fast. For all you know in years to come, probably there wouldn't be Humpty Dumpty anymore. Poor Mr. Humpty Dumpty would be replace by Mr. T-pain.

It's probably the 'kiasu' environment that we live in and the growing media.Poor kindergarden teachers nowadays, they must be tired of catching up with those kids' fast pace. Back then, teachers were probably tired of chasing monkeys like us who run around.
i love kids. i really do and my ultimate ambition besides being a rich 'tai tai' is to open a kindergarden. i guess there's a lot for me to learn from those little ones.

She's 6, my fave couzie <3

Want one?

Bags.You can never get enough of them. Can you?

What do you think about this bag? Saw this bag from a website posted in a blog and i immediately love it! Brown classy, just perfect to go with any outfit.

This bag is from handbagplanet.com. Never heard of them? That's because they are officially launching their site on the 15th of this month, which they are also giving out 24 bags within 24 hours with conjunction of their launch."High fashion handbags without the high price". Interesting huh? It's amazing to see how new brands launch their marketing gimmicks nowadays. No more traditional advertisement tools but by using the miracle of web version 2.0, you get someonelse to do the marketing for you.

Nonetheless, i'm trying to vie for this bag. Well, who knows? This could be a perfect gift for my coming 23rd! *hint* :P
so, why not log on to http://www.handbagplanet.com/ and grab one too! (:


p/s: blessed birthday soly! go choose a bag!(:

The baking attempt

I *heart* baking. Yes, i do. You would be surprised. The other girlie thing which i would like to do besides shopping is to bake! See, i ain't that shallow after all :P

Due to the heavy workload as I climb the corporate ladder in this rat race world, i hardly have the time to bake. Nonetheless, i still stand by to my ultimate ambition: to be a rich tai tai where i get to stay home and bake! don't we all have that ambition? :P
However, rare occasions made me make time to do so.

I wouldn't say I've baked mind-blowing cakes but I'm satisfied with what I've TRIED baking so far. Well, at least those who ate survived. :P

My previous baking portfolio: muffins/cupcakes, sponge cake, apple pie(mummy's scrumptious secret recipe *wink*)
And now, to add on to that I've attempted to bake my first chocolate cake!(by request)
Call me a freak but nope, i still do NOT fancy chocolates (:

Coming back to my experimental baking story, here are some pictures of the process:-



Anyways, here's the result from the hard work ( sweat + saliva) poured in as I attempt to bake a birthday cake this weekend for an old friend. The taste? priceless.

Ta da!

Rebecca's version of choco cake. It looks more like a brownie :P

To my surprise, the cake turned out fine. Mummy would seriously be proud of me. Thanks for lending me your precious oven (:

The white mouse.

( well, one thing wise about getting a doctor as your white mouse is you get to save up on medical fees for the post effect from consuming my food! haha. Looks like i've made the right choice in choosing the right white mouse to take up the challenge:P )

Blessed quarter century uncle! (:

I'm glad you liked it.

The wants.

Tiffany & Co. has been the world's premier jeweler and America's house of design since 1837. From Tiffany & Young, a stationery and fancy goods emporium to Tiffany & Co that introduced the engagement ring as we know it today. How inspiring!
Tiffany's diamond? marvelous! I would kill to own one :P sighs, all the wants.

This, i like

"But nowhere is a Tiffany diamond more beautiful or more treasured than in its place of honor, on the hand of a woman." - Tiffany & Co -

The pencil parable

Here's a parable worth sharing.
In the beginning, the Pencil Maker spoke to the pencil saying " There are 5 things you need to know before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and you'll become the best pencil you can be.

1. You'll be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand.
2. You'll experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but this is required if you are to become a better pencil.
3. You have the ability to correct any mistakes you might make.
4. The most important part of you will always be what's inside.
5. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You must always leave a clear, legible mark no matter how difficult the situation.

Now, replace the pencil with us.

1. We'll be able to do many great things but only if we allow ourself to be held in God's hand and allow other human beings to access us for the many gifts we are blessed with.
2. We'll eventually experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems. However, we need them to help us become a stronger person.
3. We'll be able to correct mistakes we've make or grow through them.
4. The most important part of us will always be what's on the inside.
5. On the surface we walk, we must leave our mark. No matter what, we must continue to serve HIM in everything.

Well, this parable definitely serve as a gentle reminder for me from time to time especially during the sharpening phrase. We are like pencils, created by the Maker for a unique and special purpose. We will become the best person we can be if only we allow HIM to work in us.

You were made to do great things! -Anon-
Yes, each one of you.

Singapore! (:

Here’s a little update on what I’ve been up to. As most of you know, I work on most weekends. (So stop whining if you think your job is bad enough! P) Anyway, the recent weekend I had the opportunity to finally take a break. Instead of hibernating at home, I’ve decided to pack my bags and take a short adventurous trip down to Singapore. (It was partially planned actually). I was supposed to go down for an interview but due to unforeseen circumstances I have to let it pass. :( However, that didn’t stop me from being excited about the trip.

The trip started off after work on Friday. 3 hours to kill in Pudu, (I don’t know what I would do without Mc.D!) 5 hours spent in the bus, reaching the immigration at some ungodly hour, 3.30am (For the first time, I' felt like a “pendatang asing”) and we finally reached Singapore at 4.00am!

Day 1.

Of Orchard Road, Bugis and Malls!

Agenda:

SHOP

SHOP

and

SHOP!

We really had a great time doing nothing except buying stuff and I thought I missed the sales! Gosh, everything seem so cheap! Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, MNG, CK… (I just wish I had MORE money but then again this is the time to put self-control into practice) : P I can’t deny that shopping is truly a good stress therapy and a costly one too. Talking about maximizing time, we, girls really did! We shopped from 10am to 12 am! ah, bliss. :D

The famous Bugis Street

Day 2.

Of sleep and food!

Singapore Chicken rice!

Japanese Ramen

Achieved during the weekend:

A working leather bag

A Topshop coat

A pair of shoe

Pretty bracelet from Diva

Pierre Cardin

Johnson & Johnson Lotion

and I managed to finish a book!

I really had an awesome time and I know I couldn’t make it without the two babes.Thank you for making the trip possible.

San, thank you for making this tiring trip awesome and of course for walking 14 hours non-stop with me!

Eve- (the Malaysian turned Singaporean babe), thank you for being my tour guide and for the wonderful hospitality.

No doubt, I fell in love with Singapore!

Feels like falling

Feels like Falling - Mei Chern

I fall asleep at night
Thinking you'd be there tomorrow
and I'll kiss you like I kissed you for the first time
When I wake I'll find you
Waiting by my driveway smiling
And singing songs that'll make me cry
Now so tell me tell me
Do you mean what you say
Cos I'm tired tired of the games we play
Baby baby do you know if this means goodbye

Here we go again
And it feels like falling
And I'm wondering where I stand
Before you go again
I'm gonna say it loud
I don't need you now

I don't need you now.

And with your life as such
Sometimes you don't even know
How a snow can make me smile so much
And then you turn around and say
That it will be okay
But your empty words
Are nothing to me nothing to me now
So tell me tell me
Do you mean what you say
Cos I'm tired tired of playing the games we play
Don't leave me now
Cos I just cant say goodbye

Here we go again
And it feels like falling
And I'm wondering where I stand
Before you go again
I'm gonna say it loud
I don't need you now
Here we go again and it feels like falling
And I'm wondering where i stand
Before you go again
I'm gonna say it loud
I don't need you now

I don't need you now.

I fall asleep at night
Thinking you'd be there tomorrow
And I'll love you like I loved you before.

I've been listening to this song over and over again. A song that I could relate to from the start. you, I don't need you now.

This is such a beautiful song written by Mei Chern, our very own local talent. I must say I'm proud of her.

http://www.myspace.com/meichern

We like spud!

If you're not a spud lover you'll become one after reading this post. I never really bother much about food as I'm basically not a food lover even though I'm constantly surrounded by people who are food freaks!. Anyway, I just read something pretty interesting from "The Economist" and I would like to share it with you since I'm a spud lover.

It's about this world's fourth-most-important food crop which provides more calories, using less land, grows quickly in wider range of climates than the other plants.The wonder food after maize,wheat and rice. It is, of course, non other than the potato!

You might be thinking why potato? Let me tell you something that most of us are unaware of or we easily overlooked of its influence on world history. We often take potato for granted but do you know that this humble yet changing tuber is intertwined with economic development, trade liberalisation and globalisation? Besides tasting yummy, this meek food not only provide a cheap source of calories but its value lies in its high yield and almost perfect balance. Potatoes can produce more energy per unit area per day!

Let's backtrack to some history of potato. ( Alright, I could see you yawning but bear with me cause it gets more interesting). Back then, potato was thought to be an aphrodisiac ( to cause leprosy or to be poisonous and to be fit only for animals ) but it slowly caught on as it merits in times of war and famine and a wonder-food for the poor. However, modern effort of understanding the genetic of potatoes showed that the spud could lead to more disease-resistant varieties. (* Propitious Esculent: The potato in world history by John Reader)


Spuds are known in the form of French fries, served alongside with Coca-Cola and burgers in this YouTuber generation and its now an icon of globalisation. See? The turnaround scepticism when spud first greeted us back then.

Mashed, boiled,fried and roast, a tuber, unlikely as it seems changed the world. Therefore, never underestimate the food that you are about to take. So, each time you take in potato, remember its value. People, start eating potatoes today! (:

The event.

Pictures speak a thousand words.






The event finally ended. It ended with a bang! Well, at least the bosses are smiling. It was indeed a bittersweet experience. After much long hours of hard work, waking up at 4am, working 26 hours on weekends, 13 hours of walking with heels ( the price of vanity :P ), bombing cars with postcards, carrying lots and lots of magazines and it was all worth while to see the smile on people's face, knowing that we've done something right. A job that puts a smile on people's face, catering to their needs and helping them to make informed decisions. Well, this is what I do. This is my job.

What's your Market Value-Time Ratio?

Do you want MORE? More out of everything- More out of your life, your career and even your bank account? ( I'm sure most of you would be nodding your head, agreeing with the last one. I wouldn't mind having MORE in my bank account though ;P ) Ironically, the more you realise something significantly and subtly 'more' is required of those who are succeed notably in life!
" Time is Money"- the famous dictum and that's what most successful corporate person would tell/ brainwash you. However, this is an observation during the 18th century by Benjamin Franklin, one of the most influential American founding fathers.

The issue of time management just struck me as I've been EXTREMELY busy, fully occupied with overflowing workload and several questions posted in an article by Rajen Devadason on pragmatic time management had me thinking for a bit. Did I mismanaged my time? Somehow, if you learn how to manage your time better than everyone else around you, the chances are you'll be on your way to your personal advancement. Your superiors will recognise the exceptional catch that you are and increase your pay. On the other hand, competitors will hear through professional grapevine that you are something preeminent and make an attractive bid for your services. It's a win-win situation either way.

Have you ever thought what are you worth in the job market? The recent CNBC article by CNBC executive producer Alex Crippen, entitled Warren Buffett's performance/Pay Ratio Gets Even Bigger pointed out that the world's most famous investor was astoundingly underpaid as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Can you believe this? Berkshire has the highest share price amongst all listed companies around the world! A share of Berkshire is more than US$130,000. I repeat, one share = US$ 130,000! ( gosh, not even in RM ). If he's underpaid, I guess I'm under, under below underpaid? ( Let's just hope my bosses don't read this) :P

According to Rajen, if we are paid money for the work we do and if time is indeed equivalent to money, then it makes sense for us to focus on enhancing our personal productivity. He believes that each of us should ratchet up our personal market value to time expended ratio. The market value-time ratio signifies how effective we have been in accumulating to create value.

His article got me thinking about the effectiveness if each of us raises our personal value, market value-time ratio in our job to what we're paid. Anyway, the focus should also be on raising personal capacity to make improvement toward your financial goals. This could be done by steadily raising your ability to get more done in less time! Frankly, I'm personally struggling with that.

If you're with me, here are two steps according to Brian Tracy on achieving the end.

1. Start immediately on Priority number ONE.
Stop indulging in procrastinating low value activities. This also contributes to the way you behave when you begin work. Prioritize and start doing! ( My bosses never seize to remind us to prioritize and dive straight into things so we can help them make most money over the long haul )

2. Create set time periods
Reserving your highest energy time slot for the high value activities such as calling clients.


I'm going to try to elevate my market value-time ratio ( RM, per unit time ( usually per hour) ) to increase effectiveness, to set stage to manage my cash flows patterns and saving habits. So, what about you?




( Acknowledgment: "What's your Market Value Time-Ratio" by Rajen Devadason )

Girls & Football

Ballack [sexy!]

GOAL! Germany- a 3-2 victory over Portugal! Way to go, Ballack. The heat of EURO 2008 has gotten many excited, adrenalines pumping, dominating brains, heavy eye bags and sleepless nights.
Its the season for the funny old game. Makan, tidur dan minum bola! In conjunction of that, I've decided to write a post to spice up the season. :p

Football, world's most popular sport. Frankly, I don't know much about football but I'm definitely a fan of Manchester United! Man Utd -my all time champion. (No offense. Liverpool fans. boy, I'm getting myself into trouble ;P ) Yes, I know I'm not even talking about EURO but who cares, its still football, right? haha. I would prefer EPL anytime. Ah, not forgetting Ronaldo, my boy (:

Nonetheless, football is definitely an interesting game to watch!
Watching a football match is like risking yourself to a higher chance of getting a Myocardial infarction. Your heart beats so fast, probably 10 times faster than usual especially when your team gets a penalty kick.

Girls and football? Sounds like the ultimate interest of ALL guys. If not, MOST guys.
What's a football anyway? Is football all about scoring and stopping goals? What's an offside? Foul play? Does all these even make sense to you, girls? It doesn't.At least for me. :P The football formula for girls = hot stuff! (: [ Note: This does not apply to ALL girls so thou shall not generalize]
Well, having said that, have you ever wonder what girls think about football?
I'm sure you are dying to know huh? Thus, I did a little research on my own.

So, here are some "she says" :
What do you think about football?

Girl 1: Sexy players? Well, I don't give a damn about football!

Girl 2 : Hot sweaty guys? Check out those biceps and triceps! :P

Girl 3: * Blank stares* huh? Foot what?

Girl 4 : 11 stupid guys chasing a ball? or is it 10? oh, who cares!

Girl 5 : It's the best game on earth!

Girl 6 : I like footballers. They are so handsome.


This is rather interesting, I must admit.
Credit should be given to a friend whom I was chatting with a few days back. He puts that captivating thought in my head when he randomly asked me what girls think about football and that got me thinking for a bit.

Cristiano Ronaldo [hot stuff! (: ]

Lampard [double hotness!]

Even Homer loves football!

For all of you men out there who don't think women know football, think again. We may not know as much but we do appreciate football!

So, who wants to give me a football lesson? :)

Cover girls

What catches your eyes when you first pick up a magazine? The colour? The boldness of the word? The catchy taglines? and what usually stays in your mind after flipping through the magazine? You tell me.

Well, I guess 80% of us will remember the cover right? see. what makes one stands out is the girl on the cover(: . Trust me. Time has change for the publishing company. This theory also applies to the educational publishing sector as well. Through my observation, guys DON'T read educational magazines. No offense. We have to put some gorgeous girl who looks like an Asian Jessica Alba to attract them to read what's inside!

( Guys, I'm just stating the fact.You would agree with me, won't you?:P )






I'm excited about this new project that I was called to do. It's another opportunity of a lifetime! I will not reveal for now but I will share with you the experiences once it's all good to go. So, stay suspense people and welcome the new cover girl!

What every good marketer knows

People, how would you define a good marketer? Someone who's good? Someone who can make you buy things that you don't even need in the first place?

Whatever your definitions are, let's see if I'm one! ;P

According to Seth Godin (one of my favourite author) , every good marketer knows:

1. Anticipated, personal and relevant advertising always does better than unsolicited junk. ( I'm totally with you, Seth. It's all about the personal touch. )
2. Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand. ( Yup, I know this one! That's why I'm doing it now. I promise them a whole lot of career information and they are getting it by reading GRADAsia! sorry, self brand promo )
3. Your best customers are worth far more than your average customers. ( Well, it's not easy to get your best customers. If you ever get them, keep them! )
   
4. Marketing begins before the product is created. (Hmm...tricky)
5. People are selfish, lazy and uninformed and impatient. Start with that and you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you find. (oh yeah. Definitely.)
6. People don't buy what they need. They buy what they want! (I don't need to know this cause I fall into this category!=( )
   
7. Good marketers tell a story. (I love stories! Yes, I do share stories all the time till people have to shut me up sometimes)
8. A product for everyone rarely reaches much of anyone. (That's why I'm championing a product which is very much niche that reaches to everyone)
9. You can't fool all the people, not even most of time. And people, once unfooled,talk about experience. (We can't fool all but we can fool some right? ;P)
10. Living and breathing an authentic story is the best way to survive in a conversation-rich world. (uh huh)
11. Advertising is just a symptom, a tactic. Marketing is far more than that. (Noted. Advertising is part of marketing huh.)
    
12. Marketing is not an emergency. It's planned, thoughtful exercise that started a long time ago and doesn't end until you're done. (oh, no 911?)
13. You market when you hire and when you fire. You market when you call tech support and you market every time you send a memo. ( cool.)
    
14. Most marketers create good enough and then quits. Greatest beats good enough every time.
    
15. Blogging makes you a better marketer because it teaches you humility in you writing. ( That's why I started a blog! ;P )

Well, I guess I'm a good marketer now since I know all of the above. (: