random thoughts #2

:) Thanks for all your concerned messages. I'm fine, and I'm alive. Hehe...

Turns out that I was not just having muscle cramps, but something the doctor described as "stomach flu". Seems that there have been cases of food poisoning going around, and I must've caught some virus/bacteria/germs that caused my tummy to react that way.

Took half day off that day, had lots of porridge and soup. I think I've lost about 2kg from this! Oh dear, can't even fit properly into my jeans. Hope I'm well enough to eat more this weekend :D

Speaking of which, I'll be off for a training in PD (yes, in that rundown thingy which my company calls our training resort). Will be back tomorrow evening. Hope to reach in time so that I can go for the Jazz Fest! :D

My brother who's stationed in Singapore for a new assignment will be back tomorrow, but leaving again on Monday. Dad will be off for a leaders' retreat in Malacca after church. There's some canoeing challenge with the iB group this Saturday, but I'll have to miss it! :(

I'm on duty again this Sunday, with Ps Adam in the team! And with the training + jazz thingy slotted into the weekend, it's gonna be hard finding time to practice. Oh well, this is where His strength comes in. And I'm gonna need loads of it!

Have a great weekend, y'all :)

stabbed in the uterus

Urgh. I'm dying. This is horrible. I don't care, I'm gonna blog about this, without caring about grammar nor sense.

Today I wish being a grrl wasn't so difficult. So torturing. Childbirth better be easy if this is what I have to go through!

Driving to work felt like er, how shall I put this? It felt like I was stabbed with a knife, in the uterus. Now and then, the knife is twisted to an angle, slowly at a time. And a part of me dies with each twist. And all the while, I'm bleeding. To my death.

Whatever perkiness I had in the morning disappeared with the sharp pangs of pain. Could hardly concentrate on the road. The music felt so loud, everything seemed so surreal. I didn't care, I tried to take my mind off by singing to the music. Massaging my abdomen with my thumb. It felt a little better, but the knife is still there.

Can I just use the knife and take out my uterus? Spare me the pain of more pain.

zombified

I'm trying my best to look awake at work. Trying not to resort to coffee coz it ain't good for health. Plus, I'm so sensitive to caffeine that just 1 cup will keep me awake till the whole night!

Reason for my zombified being is my extra happening weekend. I played host to a missionary couple from the Philipppines. This elderly couple were down in town for a week's holiday.

I've never personally had foreigners as guests before (well, my family did, when I was much younger). Plus I've never met them, though I was supposed to have met the husband while my missions team were in Mindanao 2 years ago. Furthermore, I'm supposed to pair up with this guy who was in the team last year. I barely know him, and only actually talked to him for the first time the previous night.

We were having the Passion concert on Saturday, to coincide with the launch of our new young adults' service. Just after the concert, I found out from one of the pastors that the itinerary for the couple included Genting Highlands. If I had known earlier, I might have just skipped the concert. Coz after the concert, we went out for mamak and ate and drank until almost 2am.

Then I forgot that I was also sensitive to tea. My ice lemon tea kept me awake till about 5! I also conveniently forgot that I was supposed to be in church early for music practice. So there I was groggy and dazed, standing at the keyboard with barely 3 hours of sleep. It was a miracle that I pulled it off. The children seemed to be having fun at the worship session, so I guess it wasn't so bad. Heh!

Anyways, Jesse, the guy whom I've only talked to for about 5 minutes the night before, met up with me after service. We went to look for the couple and promptly drove them for lunch. Imagine 4 strangers in a car. Us trying our best to keep them entertained and them soaking in the new culture. Well, not 4 strangers exactly, coz the couple aren't strangers to each other! There I go, not being coherent on a Monday. :D

So off we went to KLCC. After downloading their pictures at the Fuji kiosk, we brought them upstairs for lunch. Madam Kwan's was packed, so we went opposite to Spring Garden. It wasn't exactly a place I'd bring people to. Firstly, it was quite upmarket and us two, being half-bananas, weren't really familiar with ordering Chinese dishes. But since it was getting late and we were hungry, we decided to give it a try. I have more experience ordering pastas and sushis, and at that moment I wished I'd pay more attention when my parents ordered their food!

Frankly speaking, the moment the waitress left with our orders, I'd already forgotten what I had ordered. Jesse conveniently left me with the task of getting something edible for our guests. I just remembered some chicken thingy cooked with herbs and sea cucumber and abalone, some mixed vegetable dish with lotus root, celery and black fungus, and some sizzling japanese tofu.

Thank goodness I managed to pull this one off too. They enjoyed the dishes and were stuffed halfway through even though it was only 3 dishes. Even though I didn't quite like what I myself ordered, but seeing them compliment the food was good enough!

Next stop - Genting Highlands. See, I think both of us have not driven up there before. But we've been there countless times. So trusting on our instincts, we managed to find our way up there in one piece. It was chilly and breezy. We decided to just walk around the theme park. If they were younger, they might have wanted to take the rides. So intead of being up in the rollercoaster screaming our lungs out, we just looked at the terrified faces of people waiting for their next round of adrenaline rush.

After awhile we realised we couldn't go further unless we paid for the tickets. While walking back to were we started, Jesse and I cracked our heads thinking what else to do in Genting. Kiddie/water/rollercoaster rides were out of the question. Neither would they want to go for Ripley's Believe It Or Not or the Motion Master. Then we thought maybe we could just drive them around and take in the cool air.

We bought them some Starbucks coffee and drove off into the clouds. Along the way we saw a signboard pointing to a mushroom farm. We thought, oh, perhaps this might interest them. What a disappointment, there was no farm in sight. Even if we did arrive a little after the closing time, the area around it did not bear signs of mushrooms, farming elements or people who look like they were mushroom farmers. All we saw was a little store selling among other local produce, packed mushrooms labelled "fresh".

Clearly Genting wasn't a place for senior citizens, but it was the closest to KL. With a packed schedule and Bangsar next on the itinerary, this would have to do. But they didn't really mind. I guess they just wanted to see a little of what our country had to offer.

Our last stop was the Bangsar Seafood Garden Restaurant. Another church member and his family played host this time and treated us to some really delicious seafood. If only we didn't feel so tired after all the driving around. I would have enjoyed my buttered prawns more! Our last stop was really durians for dessert. But seeing that the couple was also exhausted, we decided a walk around One Bangsar would be nice to end the day with.

All in all, it was an interesting experience. Us being such amateur tour guides, fumbling and learning at the same time. But if they did manage to have a good time, I guess it wasn't so bad after all. Running around on low batteries, I was pooped at the end of the day. Please remind me to sleep early tonight!

jazz fest 2005

Click here to find out more about the schedule. I wish I can go for all the shows and workshops!

freezing finga

Our elevators in the office building works by sensing heat from the fingers when touched. When you want to press the button to get you to a particular floor, it will only respond when body heat is felt. If you try using a pen, or any other inanimate object to do likewise, the respective buttons will not be lighted up.

My fingers were so cold from the aircond that there was no response from the buttons. I had to press a few times and even tried rubbing my other warmer parts of the finger to activate it. Really, my fingernails are this shade of purple!

my purple fingernails hexacoded at #C8ACD3

adventure on a whim

I seem to be trigger happy lately. There's more actually, but decided not to overload your browser with too much.

Supposed to be away in Perhentian island for a much needed beach holiday. But some from the group couldn't make it, and so they cancelledpostponed it. Didn't even tell me. I had the pleasure of finding it out from another person who wasn't initially in the group. Terrible!

Anyways, since I've already applied for leave, I decided to treat myself to a long weekend. Met up with Gerald & Bee Kee who were down in PJ. Apparently there aren't any Genki Sushis in Penang.

Fancy some raw seafood on sticky rice dipped in wasabi?

We ate to our heart's delight. I had soft shell crab (my favourite), and california roll (another fav!). I can eat those the whole day. I forgot to take pictures of those, but you can see them here. Jap food, I love. If you don't know what to treat me, you can bring me to Saisaki. Heard they have pretty good buffet there.

After lunch, they said goodbye and left straight for Penang. With a bag of groceries. They tell me that Dutch Lady low fat milk and Post cereals cost cheaper in Jusco here than the Tesco there. Talk about long distance shopping.

I went to pick up Ivanee, who willingly became my travel partner for the rest of the day. I told him we were going on a spontaneous trip to Putrajaya.

Too bad it was getting dark and the clouds were pregnant with, er, rain (for want of a better description). Managed to get this shot just as it started raining.

Overcast skies didn't succeed in dampening the smiley subject

We hung out at the Shangri-La Putrajaya, a really beautiful place if you know how to appreciate their style of simple elegance. Saw some coffee tables with printed squares in the lounge area, and promptly challenged each other to a game of chess.

Silver pieces mine, can win or not?

Since it was still raining, we decided to check out the hotel. I like their indoor garden, where a small stream and lush greenery separate the rows of rooms from each other. Sunlight shines through from the transparent roof to light the area and provide the ambience of having a garden at your doorstep.

As we sat at the lobby waiting for the rain to stop, I caught sight of their unique ceiling. Looks like they incorporated the Malaysian songket into the design. The lamp looked like some kind of flower. Too metallic for me to tell what type of flora it was.

Metal flower hanging from metal songket ceiling

It was a refreshing trip to Putrajaya, away from the hustle and bustle of KL City. Civilisation away from civilisation as we know it. I guess the rain symbolised the washing away of worries and anxieties. I felt really refreshed after that. I should do this more often!

Can't you see I look so rejuvenated? :D

starlight starbright

Begin.

Watched Starlight with x-CF friends. Chose White Chicks coz can just laugh and not care about anything in the world. Something I needed. So stressed at work. Another round of restructuring left me on the brink of sanity.

Tapau-ed food coz we had to be there early. Free ticket holders cannot be choosers mar. So brave through crazy KL jam to reach there early lor. After dinner, went to play games at Nokia booth. Took pictures at Kodak booth. Got freebies and pictures to bring home. Yipee.

Show started. Rain also started. Just as the fun started, we realised rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon. So faster walk back to car to get umbrellas. Came back, missed the first part, but still ok. Coz the rest funny enough to make up for missing bits.

Wayan brothers really good at this.

So good I dedicated 1 para to say that. Anyways, we huddled closely under the rain. So romantic, right? Watching movie outdoors under the rain. Good show somemore. After show ended, realised our butts wet. Doesnt matter, nobody will notice. It's too dark.

End.

the sleepover that wasn't

I know, this is even more delayed than John's post about the sleepover. But I've got more pictures, hence more editing. Heh!

Since John practically told the story in his blog, I shall complement his with more pictures. Kenneth's house was pretty cosy for a small gathering of ex-CFMMUers, whatwith the dim lighting and warm ambience.

John & I reached first, and made ourselves comfortable, trying to catch up with Kenneth who was having some appetizer of bread and melted cheese. Since I haven't seen him in ages, or so it seemed, I decided a photo with the host would be appropriate to remember the occasion by.

Sarah & Kenneth, bathed in lomantic light

There was so much food, we were expecting more people to join us. In fact, those who made it were quite busy themselves. Most of us came straight from church, music practice, meetings and whatnots. Still, it was a good time of feasting.

Too much food, I can't take it anymore

Besides stuffing ourselves silly with food like the famous "Klang porno fried chicken", we also had serious discussions on topics ranging from Kenneth's experience as a lecturer to the living extravagances of expatriates in the country.

Bob looking down, too serious a discussion between Kenneth & Colin

Kenneth made a good host, serving us with (canned) tomato soup for starters and (canned also) lychee drinks for dessert. Alvin came and joined us later, and helped finish up the food.

Even though we were stuffed, our stomachs still had space for dessert

We adjourned to the living room to watch the last half of "Unlocking the Da Vinci Code". The author of the famous Da Vinci book obviously was cashing in on the popularity to make even more money. He always claimed that his conclusions and theories had logical support.

In this case, three's a good company

And we had some more dessert in the form of durians brought by Bob. One thing's for sure, we're definitely Malaysians just because we're so game for anything that involves eating. Too bad we just sat there and allowed the fat to accumulate.

Catching each other on print

I hope the next time we meet, we'll be doing something more healthy! Anyways, the sleepover didn't materalise because the rest of us had to be up early for church the next day. So we said our goodbyes to Kenneth and drove off into the night.

of the little black dress and the paparazzi

pretty lamp :p

This one's here because Dee asked for it. And I've run out of blog fodder, so, something for the eyes and the weekend. :)

We had to help out in a dinner for one of our subsidiary companies last weekend. As usual, we were roped in to be usherettes. The theme for the night was "Retro", but just to be safe, we opted for black dresses. Malaysians have a knack of not dressing according to the theme. Instead of being corporate black, we dressed up in evening black :D

This was a better hotel than the one we did last year, but it was the same rowdy people we had to meet. No offence, but most of the staff were factory workers. It was as if they've never seen girls before in their entire life. Either that, or they were drunk.

After capturing our photos on their digicams, they would give each other high-fives. Then they would start laughing and snicker away, as if they've just achieved something great. Even when we were resting in between duties, they would follow us around. Now I know how celebrities feel. Paparazzi, even if they're just doing their jobs, can be annoying!

have you tried honesty?

Yes, I'm back. :)

Did I tell you we had 8 events in 2 weeks? In between that, I had to attend 2 interviews, one of which was for the Jap scholarship. Schedule was really tight, and I felt anxious asking my boss for a leave, seeing that that day we had 2 AGMs to handle. Whatmore, I had to ask her for a recommendation. Can you imagine the look on her face - she thought I was going to resign!

It can only be God's doing that I managed to do all that, while trying to convince her that I was just trying out for the scholarship, and even if I do get it, I will only leave next year. Things in the office have been really crazy lately, one staff away on maternity leave and another just tendered her resignation but left early to prepare for her wedding. So we're pretty short-handed at the moment. The last thing she'd want is for anyone else to be away.

I did something similar when I first started working here. 2 weeks into my employment, I was asked to attend a whole-day assessment with Shell. I'd already passed the earlier interview, this was the 2nd round. It was a chance of a lifetime, I didn't need to think twice. But since I was new, I couldn't just apply for a leave.

I prayed really really hard, as there was no way I wanted to create an excuse just to get her approval. I told God that if it was His will, it would happen anyway, and I would do my part by being honest. So there I went into my boss' room for the first time, telling her I wanted to take leave, to attend an interview, at another company!

She was speechless for awhile, and asked me why. I told her that this was the last stage, and I didn't want to let such an opportunity go to waste. To my utter delight, she approved. She must've thought I was a nut to even think of asking.

But anyways, I went for the interview, the toughest I've ever been to. But it was also the best, as we were all treated very nicely, even given a sumptious lunch in between. I managed to strike friendship with some of the participants as well.

As you know by now, I didn't get it. But I left with a strong impression of the company and its culture. I wish I'd gotten in, coz I missed the mark very marginally. But the thing that I'll never forget are the comments and praises made by the panel of interviewers. Their assessment of my strengths and weaknesses were pretty accurate, and they gave pointers on areas to improve. Not many companies do these during their interviews.

Honesty has, and always will, be the best policy. My friends think it preposterous to do anything like that. I've gone through 2 experiences which is considered by many to be suicide, career-wise. These aren't small incidents. I've had many sleepless nights thinking if it would be a right move.

Both times, I've committed the situation to God. Both times, I've prayed and told God that everything else is up to Him. After saying out what I want to say to my boss, I have no control of how things would turn out after that. I may not be fired or forced to resign, but may have an unfair assessment or biased treatment.

I also didn't get the job I wanted, but in the end, I think it was a step of faith. I learnt so much more in other areas. Things that I wouldn't have had the chance to learn in any other situations. I learnt to trust in God, even in seemingly absurd situations, for whatever reasons only He knows.

And oh, the interview yesterday went quite well. I was surprisingly calm throughout, despite not being 100% prepared. I was ushered in way earlier than my appointed time slot. I can't say I'll get selected, but whatever it is, it was a good experience. You know why? God was there throughout.