blooms

Late Thursday evening, an unidentified number showed up on my mobile. I was about to get off work after a tiring day.

Despatch guy : Hello? Ini Cik Sarah? Sarah Lee?
Me : Er.. ya. Ader apa?
DG : Sini ader benda nak hantar kat you. You kat tingkat maner?
Me : You boleh hantar kat tingkat 11, dekat reception. Benda aper tuh?
DG : Saya hantar "bill ler" nih.
Me : Har?! Aper? Tak dengar lah sini..
DG : Hantar "bill ler"..
Me : Bill?? Bill aper tuh?!
DG : BUNGA!

My very first thought was "ohshit!ishouldn'thavepostedthatatall!ididn'tmeanit.iswear!itwasjustaspurofthemomentpost.iamverymuchokaynow.seriously,theflowers..."

day 1 : fresh blooms wrapped in lavendar

Who would've guessed that a bouquet of flowers would arrive at my office the very next day after I posted this?

At first I felt bad for even mentioning about the flowers. Thank you very much, whoever you are, if it was one of you who sincerely sent me those blooms to cheer me up. I've never had flowers sent up to the office, and with all the attention by my colleagues, I was feeling all flustered!

day 2 : 1 lily opening up, with a 2nd close behind

The very next day, my boss too received an anonymous bouquet of flowers! Imagine that, 3 post-Valentine's bouquets in a week to the department, 2 from unknown senders. This is the first time this has happened, what are the odds of that happening?

day 3 : they're smelling really good now

Anyways, I'm not complaining. They're really lovely, by the way, so I'm sharing them here with you :)

day 4 : i wonder if these are madonna lilies...

lilies of the field

I'm ok, not suicidal. Still very anxious but there's nothing else I can do about this than to pray and wait. Patiently.

Flowers can be really therapeutic. They don't last forever but their beauty amazes me. That God is so astoundingly creative when it comes to the countless flora and fauna that He has created and scattered all over the earth. No two are alike and there's just so many many different types of species out there for any single kind of plant or animal.

When I think about stuff like these, about how God in His infinite wisdom can take care of details for living creatures that only live for weeks, if not months, I am reminded again that He cares so much more about me.

a case of the blahs

This is strange. I've just had an inexplicable sudden bout of depression. Being a sanguine, I'm talking to as many people as I can, on every other topic but the reason why I'm feeling this way.

Well, maybe I do know why. One of the Monbusho scholars messaged me yesterday and told me that he's just received his letter. Another scholar stated confidently in my chatbox that he knows for sure that all of us will be going. I wish I was so certain of it too. But I can't, not until I get my letter.

The suspense is killing me. Results are supposedly out but I'm not getting anything! Please, someone, strangle me. When it does come, I think I'm going to faint, no matter what the result. If you don't hear from me in 24 hours, you know who to call.

Some other bouquet, which is still lovely, coz my colleague refused to share her V-day roses :p

Oh, and this morning my colleague received a dozen of post-Valentine's red roses. It shouldn't, but it made me even more depressed. Even though I got my share of attention and wishes, I wished I had a bouquet of flowers too. Right now, it would have made me feel a little bit better.

gchat me

I'm banned again. I mean, well, I've always been banned from using IM's but this time even iloveim.com can't even help me. As much as I think web messengers come in handy, even they can't provide this thing called discretion.

You see, iloveim.com's messenger pops up when a new message comes in. Everytime someone types a line, the window will automatically pop up. I can't do anything about that because of its limited features. The only good thing is it helps me get connected to the rest of the world.

The other day, the manager was using my phone and I forgot to switch off my monitor. Someone messaged me, and coincidentally it was Valentine's Day. I don't know if she actually read the 5 lines that my friend typed while on the phone, or if she even knows what IM's are, but I cannot risk it anymore.

I've heard of an acquaintance of a friend of another friend who got fired because they found records of his chat messages in which he complained about the company. They used that as evidence to fire him!

I have friends whose companies get them YM accounts so they can be connected to regional offices around the world. I also have friends who communicate with their tech-savvy clients with YM. I, on the other hand, work in a company where not only are IM's banned, but Internet access is limited to managerial staff and some privilege few who have to connect to the WWW for work purposes, like yours truly.

But I found another way to circumvent this. Google has just offered a chat client which is incorporated into Gmail. It's even more basic than most web messengers, but I ain't complaining. A austere tool is still a tool, and it's up to a person how to best take advantage of it.

So if you guys have a gmail account (if you don't have, I'll invite you ;)), please add me using myblogspotnickATgmailDOTcom. It's better than nothing.

IM = Instant Messenger
YM = Yahoo Messenger
WWW = World Wide Web

from the heart

While Valentine's Day is a good excuse to declare your love and spend some special time with your loved ones, I think it's overrated. Everyday can be Valentine. You should do all that and more on any other day.

Or maybe I see a lot of shops cashing in on the hype. Didn't like the fact that people have to spend so much for love. The bouquets of roses, teddy bears, perfumes and lacy lingerie. Some of these people looked like they bought it because everyone else is doing it.

On the other hand, I don't mind being lavished, heh! I've had some pretty good Valentine's in recent years.The most memorable gifts are those that come from the heart. Hand made gifts, fresh flowers in my favourite colours, letters which tell me how my smile has made their day.

Today, I received one such gift, it was penned with much sincerity and honesty. We've been friends for almost 10 years, and even though it wasn't hand delivered, the thoughts mattered more.

... Well, it was nice having one of those long chats wit you again... made me think long about things. fate? God's will? This Valentine is to thank God for caring and protecting you where I could not, blessing and loving you where I did not... :) Happy Valentine's Day!

To all you babes & hunks who sent me V-day wishes, thank you. It's nice to be thought of. If I haven't replied you back personally, here's some virtual *hugs*, nah!

beach bumming

Barbeque on the balcony
Chicken Wings, salmon sausages, buttered corn, potato salad in mayo, fresh vege
Not too much but filling enough.

Modified UNO game
Red for Jim Bean, green for truth, yellow for eating penalty
I got off scot free!

RISK for tradition
Allies & traitors, Dutch Lady choc milk
Unexpected ending, brown and yellow armies conquer all.

Breakfast wafting
Leftover food, homemade savoury pancake, apple juice, more buttered corn
Kidd's surgical manoeuvre stunned us all.

Morning service at Corus
Songs, Communion with bread & juice, devotion on the lost sheep, sharing & prayers
Simple but refreshingly edifying.

Fun at the beach
Sharks & red swimsuit, balitongs and kungfu stunts, swimming between the legs
Suntanned bodies for remembrance.

balinese it is

Remember the spa voucher I received for my birthday last year? I finally found the perfect time to pamper myself - last Friday during the CNY break. I didn't have to take leave, neither did I have to rush back to work the next day and best of all, everyone was away so the roads were a breeze to drive on.

Step into a world of luxurious pampering

When I first brought my mum there for a treat, I immediately fell in love with the Sembunyi Spa. The landscape, location, ambience, lighting, the whole works! Even without going for the spa, I was feeling all relaxed already just being there.

For my own treat, I brought a friend along to share the experience. What better way to bond than a lazy afternoon spent in the recluses of a spa sanctuary away from the madness of the city.

Spices for the body scrub, I think!

We started off with the gym which faced the tennis courts on one side and a man-made lake on the other. They had Balinese music on the whole time, but when the receptionist saw us going into the gym, she switched on the MTV assuming we'd work out better with hiphop music blaring in the background. Knowing that we could have that in any Fitness First centres, we promptly requested for Black Eyed Peas to shut up stop singing.

Ginger aromatherapy oil for blood circulation

After working out a sweat, I decided to jump into the pool while Shireen decided to open up her pores further in the sauna room. While we were busy enjoying the facilities, one of the masseuse came to tell us that our appointment for the massage was due.

Sipping ginger tea on a balmy afternoon

We were led to separate rooms for our pampering session. They have individual beds for those seeking privacy and bigger rooms with a more romantic setting for couples. Each room is dimly lit and lightly scented, almost instantaneously putting one in the right mood for love.

Lazing at the poolside after a good massage

This was the only place I didn't take pictures. I immersed myself in the whole experience, allowing the woman's strong hands to work her magic on my sore muscles. Well, they weren't really sore, but they definitely felt stressed, judging from the way she concentrated on certain areas of my shoulders and back.

Spa products you can buy and use at home

At the end of it I felt like jelly, soft and malleable. We were served with warm ginger tea and a dainty bowl of mango pudding with bits of pineapple in it. The ginger aromatherapy oil rubbed into the body Balinese style was just what I needed. I could still feel the heat from the massage.

Looking all fresh & rejuvenated

To complete the experience, we did a round of steam, jacuzzi and cold dip. The cold dip was so cold that I could have frozen myself into a popsicle. Shireen didn't even dare step inside the pool, but I forced my whole body and head inside the icy waters. My senses became numb, that was when I knew my pores had closed up.

One of the many floral decor at the Sembunyi Spa

It was a really luxurious experience, something I can only do once in a blue moon. Even though I had to top up a little from my own pocket, it was worth every sen. This place comes highly recommended and it's not surprising that it's touted as "Kuala Lumpur's Best Kept Secret".