Questions Hometown People Ask

I have been a non-permanent resident of my hometown since I finished my high school - since then I would only come home 3-4 times a year and stay for perhaps a week or so. 

 

During that short period visiting my dearest hometown, I am bound to meet some people - mostly my relatives, or my friends and my mom's friends. And strangely enough, their first question (or more like statement) they come up with is very similar, something along the line of:

- You've become fat! 

- You gained weight! 

- You are so 'big' now! 

- and so on and so on... 

Then after we pass the first round small talk of how I've become fatter each time they see me, here comes round two:

- Are you married? 

- Where's your boyfriend/husband?

- Why aren't you married yet? or why are you still single?

- Don't be so picky in choosing a spouse!

- When are you going to give your mom a grandkid? 

- Your poor mom is getting old, go get married soon!

And let's say I was married, then the questions cum statements will be something like these:

- How many kids you got? 

- If none: go give your mom a grandkid!

- If I got one: when are you having your second kid? 

- If I got two: when are you giving another baby sister/brother for your kids? 

- .... basically it's that kind of never ending question that we just die to not hear and yet we will always do... 

FYI, these questions are only getting more and more intense during holiday seasons. 

What I am still a little annoyed, is that why can't they start with something positive instead of criticizing? 

Like... Oh you've become prettier! - which I know I have compared to when my face was surrounded by mountains of baby fat. 

Or... if they are not capable of saying something positive, then say something neutral like: you looked so different from last time I saw you!

But anyway, words of my wise mom is that those people have nothing nice to say and some people are just jealous, so better leave it at that and not let it bother me much. 

Well, this is my experience as 4th generation of Chinese Indonesian family... Although I heard that my fellow Filipina/Indonesian/Malaysian friends have similar experience, I wonder if my Western counterparts also experience this? 

Sharing: Nat King Cole - Smile

One of my favorite songs. A good song to remind us that we can't give up, and that even though things may be tough now, and seems that there's nothing will get better, let's just smile through it and keep on trying...

2014.11.22

I had just finished watching 27 Dresses, and as the usual rom-com goes, it ends with a happy ending, a wedding in this case. 

When the star-crossed lovers kissed, I couldn't help mumbling (with a little smirk), this is why girls love this kind of movie. 

The kiss after all the dramas, our lovers are finally together, a happy ever after. 

Then it brought my thinking to me in maybe around 2006-2007. 

I had just recently started a new life in Singapore. I got few friends, mostly guys that I already knew in Jakarta. I got a new job in the biggest media company in this tiny island. I had funny colleagues whom I trusted. Roommates that I liked. Things were considerably good. 

And... I believed that a happy ending was awaiting for me. 

Where did that positive and somewhat stupidly naive girl go?

New Purses Done!

I've finished new sewing projects I had been working on for the past weeks, yay!

Yes, it was slow, but I find the outcome is satisfying.

I've uploaded the new listing in my Etsy shop, and I hope that I get good feedback for these products since I really love the whole creativity process. So here they are!

Rurouni Kenshin - Kyoto Inferno and The Legend Ends

Finally, the last movie of our beloved Battousai - Himura Kenshin is out in cinemas!

For the record, I loved, loved, loved Rurouni Kenshin manga, and the first movie in 2012 - Rurouni Kenshin - I totally loved it! Although I did (and still do) wish that the actress that plays Megumi would have been prettier - but I also admit that despite her not as pretty as I would expect of Megumi, she can 'act' Megumi. And the other complain was how soft Kaoru in the movie. But, despite all those, Rurouni Kenshin was an awesome movie!

When I first heard about the making of Kyoto Arc to a live action movie, I was extremely excited. Then when the news broke out about they've cast an actor for Aoshi Shinomori, it got me thinking how were they going to give backstory for Aoshi since they totally left him out in the first movie. Then there were more casting news coming - and all I can think of was, oh wow, they really go all out for these last two movies.

Then come September, I went to watch Kyoto Inferno with high expectation and I left with a slight disappointment which made me vow to myself to watch the finale movie with somewhat guarded expectation. Kyoto Inferno, although the core plot still followed the manga version, it has many 'adjustments' that left a bitter taste. I was tempted to write about it last month right after I watched it but decided on waiting for the final movie before finalizing what I feel about these movies.

So here we go... *please be cautious that there may be some spoilers. So read with cautions.


The Plot

I'm fully aware that it is impossible to make a movie (or two movies in this case) that is exactly like the manga since Kyoto Arc is a loooooong arc, so some plot sacrifices must be done. But what they did with Kyoto Arc was totally unexpected for me.

Instead of making it about Kyoto (as the name suggested), they made Makoto Shishio want to conquer the whole Japan, and there were more politics in the movies too.

What really pissed me off and literally made me think "what the heck!?" was the part where Soujiro kidnapped Kaoru. It was not in the mange and I don't understand why they made Kaoru such a damsel in distress. They did it in the first movie which was necessary to the plot but not in Kyoto Arc! It doesn't help that I think Emi Takei's Kaoru and Takeru Satoh's Kenshin has no romantic chemistry and more on brother-sister chemistry.

Reading the manga (or even in the anime) where Kenshin said goodbye to Kaoru before his leaving for Kyoto gives a sense that Kenshin indeed thinks of Kaoru as someone important and marks a turning point of their relationship. She is totally devastated when Kenshin leaves anyway (until Megumi gives some tough love lesson and she finally gets her senses back). But in the movie, Kaoru didn't seem care much not having Kenshin around, she is still up and about swinging her wooden sword in her dojo.

 Aoshi is one of the coolest characters in manga and yet the movie does not show him as a devoted captain to his loyal followers whom was killed by Kenshin (not directly by his hands though) and then he holds some grudge to kill Kenshin. The movie shows him as a swordsman blinded by his desire to be the mightiest swordsman who thinks that to achieve that, he must kill Kenshin - WTF!?!?

Lastly, why does Sanosuke show up in the screen always for some comic relief and portrayed like he is kinda dumb or slow?


The Characters

All characters were portrayed almost perfectly. Some of the actors/actresses that although I think, don't have the physical appearance as the manga portrays, they manage to embodied the manner and attitude of their characters nicely - especially Megumi, and Soujiro.

I do wish that they would have had more part for Saitou and Juppon Gatana. We only get glimpses of Juppon Gatana and they were supposedly important part of Kyoto Arc.

Costumes and Make Up

The movies are able to come up with costumes very similar to manga, and I really appreciate that. Especially Kenshin's red yukata and Sano's evil/bad character at his back.
Special mention goes to Shishio's bandage costumes and make up. Salute to make up/costume team!

Actions

The action in the movies deserves praises left and right. The sword combats are awesome and very beautifully choreographed. The team successfully translated anime's style of combats to live action wonderfully that leaves people watching in awe.

Overall

Kyoto Arc movies are still good movies and for those who love action movie, they are a must-watch!
The story is written in such a way that people who don't read the manga will not be confused and be able to follow the story smoothly while enjoying great actions.
Fans of its manga will be happy and satisfied with the live action movies, and maybe only some (including me) wish that it could have stayed true to the manga more.

All in all, I can still say that I like the final two movies of Rurouni Kenshin and I enjoyed watching them, although of course I got some disappointments here and there. But then again, the movies are made for enjoyment purpose, I should not take them too seriously, right?

Weekly Recap: Week 39 (29 Sep - 5 Oct 2014)

I don't have many things to say this week except that I've re-learned few things. I use the word 're-learn' as these are the things that I knew already, it's just that it sometimes takes something to happen in order for us to finally say, "Ah, so this is xx..."


One - Success can only be achieved when you pour all your focus and time to it, and how much you can focus and/or are willing to spend on it relies on how much you WANT it to happen.

Two - Life is short, and it can end when you least expect it - plus, do NOT depend too much on anyone, each of us is strong and capable in taking care of ourselves.
*This is coming after I heard the news that one of my uncles died earlier this week, and how his surviving wife wailed and wailed about 'following' him, sigh...

Three - Do NOT think too much of anything. If you can't figure out something after spending a lot of time thinking and thinking about it, whatever it is, it may not be worth figuring out anyway.
*I spent two freaking days thinking about how to sew one tricky wristlet before I finally realized I wasted too much time on it when I could just think about something else instead.

Four - This last thing is another reminder for me to start EATING RIGHT! I haven't lost my holiday weight (from my Japan trip) and it's been 3 months!! *cries*
The lunch at my ex-flatmates' house this afternoon didn't help either - the food was just irresistible...

Five - Stop thinking and start doing!

Weekly Recap: Week 38 (22 - 28 Sep 2014)

Another busy week!

I've been having hard time to focus. At work most of the time I'm sleepy and unmotivated. I have been having question, what do I want out of my life? what is the purpose of my life? why do I feel so aimless? why do others seem to know what they are doing while I am at lost?

Sigh...

I'm having early midlife crisis (again) I suppose.

Anyway, I just hope this phase soon passes and I finally find my purpose of life, though I'm positively pessimistic about it....


About this week, hmm... my friend (who is also the husband of my friend) got his appendicitis removed and his wife (who is also my colleague) had to spend 2 days with him in hospital and I was left to take care of her tasks. Then, my friend W asked me to join her to a seminar about MLM. I am always skeptical about MLM, but I have to admit it does have an interesting concept. W ended up joining it, and I did not.

Office Doodle: Sleepy Girl

Yesterday I was very very sleepy at the office and so I then got up off my chair to doodle with hopes that it could help me with the overwhelming sleepiness I had been feeling since morning.

I wasn't planning to draw a sleeping girl actually. I started with two curved lines which then eventually became the closed eyes of the girl. And on top of that, the sleeping girl is dreaming of travelling on an airplane...

Weekly Recap: Week 37 (15 - 21 Sep 2014)

Another busy week, and this time I didn't manage to follow almost half of the pre-scheduled task list. Sigh...

I skipped two piano practice sessions, as well as reviewing my Japanese Hiragana. But there's always a silver lining. I saw a question posted in Quora that somehow related to the situation I am in now. I will not dwell on the detail of it - what I can share is that the amount of effort we are willing to do is equivalent to how much we want it. When we procrastinate, or put things off, it only means that deep deep down, we don't really want it after all.

Seems simple, doesn't it?

Office life has been fun as usual. Although almost all of the team members had to work late on Thursday evening due to the planned go-live on Monday (today). I left office at around 11PM since I was too tired and hungry already while few others stayed until 3AM. Crazy huh?

On a more fun topic, my friend, SocialBee got me a free ticket to F1 Brunch Party at Marina Bay Sands and as the name suggested, it was held in the afternoon 1PM til 7PM, and yes it WAS a party, which means, dark dimmed room, with flashy lighting, and noisy music.
I wanted to go since I was expecting good music, but it didn't turn out as expected - as rarely it does... But then I had a great catch up time with SocialBee, so it was not for naught.

Oh, I'd like to start a new sub-topic here - Office Doodle!
There is this white board near my work area, and for the past few months, me and office mates often doodle on it on various theme. Usually it is me who draws the most on it, and now we are on our third blank white board, so I thought I should document it. And here goes the first Office Doodle:

This doodle is inspired by the Indonesian phrases we were teaching our fellow Filipino office mate, and the drawing of the guy is the cartoon-ish version of him.
The closest English translation would be: "What are you looking at?! Coz I'm handsome?!"
These phrases are usually used in joke-y manner among Indonesians, so no hard feelings there!

Weekly Recap: Week 36 (8 - 14 Sep 2014)

Another week has passed.

We soon reach September.. Then come October.. November.. And then.. December.. Time really flies, doesn't it?

Whew.. No time to be melancholic about it, every second counts!

This week I've been busy as usual. Managed to follow through most of the scheduled tasks, except for this morning's Hot Yoga class though. I wasn't able to get a good night sleep last night so I felt terribly cranky and tired, and I just couldn't get myself up on time.
 *probably it also has something to do with the fact that I don't really like the teacher, but that's another story for another day*

 I've also (re)started my lettuce-as-rice-substitute diet last Monday after months off of it and I gotta say I feel better by the end of the week. I definitely feel less guilty, less bloated and lighter. Although my colleagues did tease me a little about it but I also felt a little satisfaction when few of them then opted salad for lunch. Hee~

source:http://www.fitsugar.com

I tried Intro to Ashtanga class this week and I loved it! By the end of the class I was exhausted and the next day my arms were sore but it was a good kind of sore, you know what I mean?
Pilates class was also great. I think I'm getting stronger as well and I have another class on Monday that I really look forward to.

Anyway, I've finished another project this week and it will be up on my Etsy shop later today (once I take some product photos). So wait for it, guys ! :)

Weekly Recap: Week 35 (1 - 7 Sep 2014)

What a week!

I think I may be able to say that last week I was somewhat productive to the extend that I wanted to push myself to be.

I purposely spent a little time on Monday to seriously set one-week schedule, including my yoga classes and after office hour activities. And I'm somewhat proud to say that I managed to follow through it - though not 100% yet.

Nevertheless I couldn't say that my week was great either, I got a call from Harvey Norman telling me that there is a delay in the ThinkPad Yoga shipment for probably 4 weeks and they asked me to come to their store to arrange how to proceed with this new information. And this news was really upsetting. They sold me a product that doesn't match what's stated in the brochure which then I had to make a trip to their store to return it with them promising that the new shipment (in 1-2 weeks) would match the specification in the brochure, and then now I had to make another trip to their store to settle this matter.

I was officially pissed.

I quickly did my research and set my eyes on Microsoft Surface Pro 3, and after a quick calculation, I would have to top up almost 200 dollars. Of course I am not going to pay more money after that much of inconvenience they have caused. I was totally calm when I told the Harvey Norman guy that no, I refused to pay more than I already had. I did not smile at all and I look him straight in the eye that I wanted Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with its keyboard and I would not top-up anything for it. The guy said that he could only give me 40% discount for the keyboard and they are losing money already, but you know what, I told him no, this problem is caused by you, why would I pay more money for some mistake that you people did.

At last, my persistence was not for nothing, the guy went to see his manager and then when he came back he said alright, I would not need to top up, and they even are going to do delivery right to my doorstep. Although I appreciate their intention, but I would not hold my breath. I just take it as it is now and we shall see how it will turn out in the end, shall we?

On a brighter and a more fun note, after weeks, I finally managed to have a quick catch up with my gals - Social Bee and Sweety Cat! Although I'm now a little worried about Sweety Cat's office life - there is one lady in her office that seems to be picking on her in a very childish and so mean-girl way that in my opinion only works during high school years. Anyway, seeing how that lady is not smart enough to be bitchy in a grown up way, I think Sweety Cat would be fine as long as she can slap on a smile and be smarter in responding her childish bitchiness.

As for this week, again I've set up the schedule for the whole week and I'm planning to follow them through.

Wish me luck!

PS: I start to bring lunch from home again, I also hope this will last long, for my health sake :)

Weekly Recap: Week 33-34 (18 - 31 Aug 2014)

Last week I skipped the weekly recap since I couldn't recall much of that week other than spending too much time at the office and wasting away my weekend on my bed from exhaustion. Sigh...

This week is more interesting for sure...

Same as last week, I was still busy at work, but still, I decided that I don't want to sacrifice my yoga time and so I made sure that I'd leave office by latest 630 PM to catch 7 or 730 PM class.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro

Apart from that, there is Comex 2014 this week! The event I've been waiting for since I've planned to upgrade my crappy HP laptop to a sleek and powerful ultrabook. However, til Thursday afternoon, I still couldn't make up my mind on which laptop I should buy. At first, I set my mind to get a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro, but then after an extensive research, I found out that there is color gamut problem with it, in which the yellow color is not actually yellow on its screen. That settled it then, no way I'm getting it as I need color accuracy for my drawings.

Asus UX301LA

Then my interest moved to Asus UX301LA, but then the price kinda turned me off. And although I was sooo tempted to get it anyway, after talking to one of my close friends - whose opinion I know is always honest and always go for honesty over saying things that the other party wants to hear though it may not be true - he said it, the laptop is just to ridiculously overpriced at 2,798 SGD.
By Thursday evening, I still hadn't had any decision. I spent my time at the studio waiting for my yoga class by browsing Comex 2014 brochures. And then, lo and behold, my eyes were drawn to a Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga! I couldn't believe that I had missed that brochure!
In my opinion, ThinkPad series is built with more business and quality in mind compared to IdeaPad. And after reading numerous reviews on ThinkPad, I said to myself, this is it, this is my new laptop. Me, who fell in love in the first sight at what IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro can do, have now found its better peer. Although I have to admit that Yoga 2 Pro is definitely more attractive in appearance, I expect that ThinkPad has more build quality.

Anyway, I did go to Comex to get a ThinkPad Yoga, and I also got a deal for it. But the problem is, once I was home and checked the system, I noticed that the RAM is not as advertised in the brochure - I got 4 GB instead of 8 GB. I was dressed and ready to go until I then thought I better call them first. So I did, and they told me that I got the wrong model - this laptop I'm currently using is the older model. The new model - as advertised in the brochure - is only coming mid of September, and after few going back and forth, the guy finally said I could get the newer model at the same price (I paid 2.2k SGD instead of 2,399 SGD in the brochure), I would only need to return this laptop and wait for the shipment of new model in September.
I asked what's the difference between these 2 model, and he told me the newer one comes with 8 GB RAM and also better processor. And the IT person inside me just couldn't let this offer slip away. Two weeks is nothing if I can get a better spec!

Geeky story aside, there was an unpleasant shock on Friday during lunch with my colleagues at the nearby food court. Suddenly there was a cockroach flew in and landed on our table -_-
One of my colleagues managed to get rid of him, but the shock was still there and I kinda lost my appetite - and I wasn't the only one since the guy who I know would not ever not finish his meal stopped eating after few bites. Now I'm not sure I could eat at that food court again without thinking about that incident...
Luckily my Friday ended on high note. There was a company drink after work and we spent few hours drinking and eating on company's tab - which is of course always good!

Good: bought a new laptop, won in TypeRacer few times (fun times with colleagues), company drink, piano/keyboard practice
Bad: cockroach incident, a little hassle over the new laptop purchase, patience test at work - communication, communication, communication people!!

Weekly Recap: Week 32 (11 - 17 Aug 2014)

credit: http://syndikata-np.deviantart.com/art/Indonesia-Grunge-Flag-w-Coat-of-Arms-363258156

Before I get into my weekly recap, I'd like to greet my fellow Indonesians, a happy 69th independence day~! Never thought we have been free for colonization that long, huh?

Anyway, let us all hope for the best future for Indonesia. Although I have been a skeptic for I don't know how long, I really have a high expectation to our new elected President, Joko Widodo. If we can call what Indonesia has been having 'a disease' - the corruption, poverty, oil mafia, etc -, it has been a very long uncured 'disease', and it will be a long and tough road for the new President. Even now the attempt to block Jokowi's path to Presidency is still on going with his rival presidency candidate is challenging the Election Commission (known as KPU) at the Constitutional Court in regards of failed election due to systematic, massive and structured fraud happening across 33 provinces of Indonesia. The court decision is to be announced end of this coming week.
The news I've read about the witnesses testimonies from the has been very 'interesting', and please note I am being kind. I couldn't help laughing either cynically or exasperatedly every time a witness just fumbled or finally admitted that their recant of the so-called 'incidents' was from second or even third hand. The proof is not sufficient and the suit is weak from my point of view of a common citizen, and the on-going trials are more like a bad comedy or soap opera. What's baffling me the most is how the plaintiff side seems to be in totally strong denial mode, that they are blind to see how ridiculous they are!

All in all, I just hope there won't be any riot ensued. The life of Indonesian people need not anymore drama caused by political interests of some selfish and greedy elites.

Now, let's go back to the weekly recap.

Strangely, what I can remember about my week is how tired I felt after work.
I missed 2 yoga sessions, one due to over-time and the other one to the exhaustion. Has the workload finally taken a toll on me? I realize that I'm busier than before, I hardly can chat freely with my friends over GTalk anymore and my social life has been declining in alarming rate. When I'm not at work, I would be at my yoga studio, or my home. And at home, I would spend my time doing house chores, or looking for ideas for new projects for my Etsy shop.

But this past week, I could hardly leave my bed once I was home, and I unproductively wasted my time watching Korean dramas. I am now on to 3 different Korean dramas of different genres: It's Okay It's Love, Fated To Love You and Joseon Gunman. I like those dramas equally so far and I am impatient to finally get their final episodes.

Oh yes, I've ordered myself a new Yamaha keyboard and they are to be delivered next Saturday. I can't wait to start playing around with it. It has been literally decades since the last time I played any musical instrument, and I am excited to finally get myself playing tunes again!

Last but not least, let's end this recap on a good note, I had a fun dinner and dessert with my girlfriends who I have not seen for quite some time. I'm glad that they set up this girls night out, coz I was in dire need of some social life after such a bleak week.

My Etsy Shop New Listing!

I've finished 4 new projects and uploaded them to my Etsy shop. Do check them out!
They are all so lovely, and especially the boxy coral pink pouch which is just so kawaii!

very kawaii boxy pouch!

pencil case

pencil case or multi-functional pouch - zakka inspired

pencil case or multi-functional pouch - zakka inspired

Weekly Recap: Week 32 (3 - 10 Aug 2014)

One more week has just passed. I don't know why this week flew so fast...

Work has been busy, which is both good and bad at the same time. Luckily, I have good colleagues that surely help me to bear all those hectic days. On Friday, my manager told me in the meeting that I would be responsible for the project in Thailand along with my colleague. I'm a bit wary about this, honestly. But anyway, let's just do the best I can and hope that everything will run smoothly.

On my side-job, I've made few pouches this week which I'm planning to upload tomorrow as soon as I take some photos for my Etsy shops. I've been on creative mood lately, and my brain seems to not stop thinking about new projects! :)

But that is not without its consequences... I have been stepping away from my social life lately, which I'm fully aware that it's not good... I should really get in touch with my friends. As my friend used to say: friendships are like investments, you need to cultivate it in order for it to grow, otherwise, it will die and you are left with regrets and worst, loneliness... :(

Last but not least, I am enjoying Pilates and Mysore yoga more and more! And for my weekly exercise, I think I will go for 2 classes of hot yoga classes and 2 classes of regular yoga/pilates classes weekly. This way, my body will not be used to just one kind of yoga. thus it should improve my strength and stamina better. Wish me luck!

Reminder for next week: getting a ukelele, checking Japanese classes, getting in touch with friends.

Sharing: How Life Should Be Lived

wake up and enjoy the coffee (and view)! - Queenstown, NZ (April 2013)

Earlier this week, I stumbled upon a very nice question in Quora: What advice for a 70 or 80 year old person about the way life should be lived?
And the first answer - which means got the most upvotes (I was one of them) - hits all the correct notes and I would feel very guilty if I didn't share it here with the rest of the world. So here it is, guys, read them and try your best following it:  

1. Have a firm handshake.
2. Look people in the eye.
3. Sing in the shower.
4. Own a great stereo system.
5. If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.
6. Keep secrets.
7. Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday.
8. Always accept an outstretched hand.
9. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
10. Whistle.
11. Avoid sarcastic remarks.
12. Choose your life's mate carefully. From this one decision will come 90 per cent of all your happiness or misery.
13. Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.
14. Lend only those books you never care to see again.
15. Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.
16. When playing games with children, let them win.
17. Give people a second chance, but not a third.
18. Be romantic.
19. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
20. Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.
21. Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's there for our convenience, not the caller's.
22. Be a good loser.
23. Be a good winner.
24. Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.
25. When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
26. Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born.
27. Keep it simple.
28. Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
29. Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.
30. Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets
31. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
32. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
33. Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.
34. Take charge of your attitude. Don't let someone else choose it for you.
35. Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only stay a few minutes.
36. Begin each day with some of your favorite music.
37. Once in a while, take the scenic route.
38. Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, 'Someone who thinks you're terrific.'
39. Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.
40. Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m.
41. Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job.
42. Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.
43. Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.
44. Become someone's hero.
45. Marry only for love.
46. Count your blessings.
47. Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home.
48. Wave at the children on a school bus.
49. Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people.
50. Don't expect life to be fair.

My Etsy Shop is Officially Re-Opened!

After a hiatus that felt oh too long, I finally reopened my Etsy shop. And as addition to the print goods, I've added handmade sewing crafts in my listing.

pouches

clutches - wristlets

iPad pouches

Do visit my shop by clicking here!

Weekly Recap: Week 31 (27 Jul - 3 Aug 2014)

Ehmm, happy birthday to me~!

This week started with my birthday celebration with my 2 good girlfriends last Sunday and we went to a Korean restaurant in Plaza Singapura since I was craving for spicy beef soup (육개장). Then one of the girls shared something that happened to her recently that ended with her staying in a hotel for few days although she actually lives with her sister and mom. I can't share the full detail here, but I can say few other things:

• Love makes people do the most idiotic things
• Hope makes it difficult to move on
• The quality of a man is measured on how he handles crisis

I just hope with this incident, she could finally move on and just get rid of that parasite.

My second celebration was a lunch and coffee time with my other close girlfriend on Monday (it was a public holiday in Singapore). She wanted to try Lady M Confections in Marina Square and so we did!
We ordered 2 Lady M Iced Coffee (so not gonna order this again!), a slice of green tea mille crepes and checker board.

We had a great time catching up and I was surely glad to share story about my new flatmates and his not-so-gentleman behaviors.

My weekdays this week were also quite hectic. I got to help the business analyst fixing some reports since the other girl in charge was on vacation, and on my actual birthday itself, I spent it in the office.... kinda sad, huh? It would have been if I didn't get to celebrate it in advance with my dear girlfriend (luv ya gals! :*)

And then last but not least, my last dinner celebration was my dear friend who also shared her birth month with me. We had a great dinner, followed by (not so great) cake and coffee time. I wanted to take her to a pub with great life music, but I was too tired to stay up late so that we had to take a rain-check on that. Hopefully we can go some time next week.
The evening was spent with us catching up, and her sharing how her life lately has been quite gloomy and negative. She also wonders if this is the symptom of about-to-turn-30 since she remembers I was somewhat like that too...
Oh dear girl, and I turn out fine, don't I?

On Indonesian 2014 Election news, the loser is still sore and not accepting his lost. I wonder how long he intends to keep on doing this. It will only ruin his name and his possible chance for 2019 election. The people around him have shown how despicable and shallow they can be, especially with one of their lawyers bluntly said that there is possibility of riots if Constitutional Court deems them a loser (again). Oh come on guys, can you all move on already! Stop fighting for your personal gain and start thinking about the country and its people! 

New Resolution: Weekly Recap

Earlier this week, I went out with one of my girlfriends for a July birthday celebration - both of us are July babies. And my dear friend was reminiscing one Saturday when we both planned to watch Alice in Wonderland, but we wound up in a wrong cinema so that we had to rush for only in a mere 10 minutes or so, the movie would have started.

It was a very 'chaotic' day in a way for both of us and just to prove that I could be totally blur sometimes. Although we put some of the blame to the cinema chain... For most of its cinemas, the naming convention is the chain name + the area or mall it's located, which is simple enough to comprehend. But only for one cinema, the naming is totally different! It is GV Grand (GV is the abbreviation of the cinema chain) and the place or area or mall it's located is nowhere near "Grand"! As for me being blur as I could be that day, was thinking that the cinema was located in Marina Square mall............

So anyway, all in all, it should have been an incident that would not be easily forgotten, don't you think?
But I did forget, and I was literally shocked to realize that I would not have ever remembered that incident at all if only my friend didn't bring it up. Sigh... This sudden realization makes me think if I might have forgotten other memorable events that are actually worth remembering or shared with loved ones if only just for a laugh.

I have tried blogging or writing diaries some time earlier in my life, it never usually lasted as long as I would like it to be. But looking at how I might have forgotten oh so many worth remembering memories, I seriously think that I should start writing a journal or some sort. Aside from the fact that then later in the future I will be able to read my life adventure (no matter how exciting or dull it is), I know for sure that by writing about what happened, I will be forcing myself to re-live the events, thus it will be etched deeper in my memory - makes sense, doesn't it?

So here's to my new resolution, weekly recap!
And I say to myself, "good luck!" - coz who would know that the next thing I will forget is writing my weekly recap...

My Daily Core Exercise

 So I've been doing pole dancing for few months now, and although I can tell that I am improving, but it has been going on a very slow pace :(

I've never been a sporty girl. The last time I had like a weekly routine of physical exercise was when I was still in high school, then I did no exercise during my university time, and only went for occasional gym time with my friend when I started working. So I guess it explains how unfit I was physically, right?

When I started pole dancing, it was for fun. But as I go up to higher level, it is required to have more strength, especially upper body and core, which I hardly had any... 
Upper body strength is easier to gain. My main problem is the core muscle... 

And so for the past few weeks, aside from going to twice a week yoga (from Groupon deal), I've been doing some core exercise daily (except for one rest day each week).

Now I can feel that my core is somehow stronger than before, and how do I know? It's because now I can hold my upside down V much longer than before, yay!

Here is my set of core exercise...

First... elbow plank...
Few things to remember when doing elbow plank are, tuck ur tummy in, ensure the body is one straight line, shoulders not hunched, and the most important thing, keep breathing! slow and long breathe... ;)
*note: I used to use counts while holding this position, but now I use my breathes instead. One count is one slow inhale-exhale. Hold this pose for 15 slow breaths.

Followed by... old-fashioned crunches...
Do this for at least 15 times. Ensure that it's the abs that pull the body up and not the hands pushing the head up. Hands are only touching the back of the head lightly and to protect our neck, focus our sight to the ceiling. Exhale when going up, and inhale when going down.

Next is... side plank...
When doing right side plank, left feet is on top of right feet (and the other way around for left side plank). Both arms make one straight line, so that from the side, it looks like a crucifix. 
Same as elbow plank, use breaths as our count. Remember, slow inhale-exhale. Do this for 15 breaths.

And lastly, boat pose...
Ideally it's supposed to look like the sketch, but in reality, I still can't do it :p
So what I do is... bend my knees, but make sure my feet not touch each other. Back must be straight.
I try to straighten my legs few times and I can feel I'm getting stronger as I manage to hold my legs straight for few breaths. And when I'm feeling stronger, I will lean back (straight back!), legs going down closer to the floor (but not touching), then lift my body and legs up slowly, then repeat it.
Again, I count my breaths for this pose as well, and I usually go for 15 breaths.

Then, repeat again from elbow plank for total of 3 sets. And also when I'm feeling stronger, I will hold the pose for few more breaths/counts.
By the end of set three, I always sweat a lot. Dang, it's not easy to get that core muscles...
My target is that once I am stronger, I will add more variations, like elbow plank with one leg/arm up, etc.

On another topic, on my way home from pole class last Saturday, there were some people giving out daisies at Dhoby Ghaut MRT, and I got one!

It's so pretty~~!

Coat or Bathrobe?

I was watching this k-drama on my way commuting, and as much as I understand Korea fashion is quite fast forward, I still was stunned seeing a pink coat worn by one of the female leads. 

I believe that is a coat... but I couldn't help thinking that it also looks familiarly like a bathrobe... especially the collar, looks very fluffy and the material looks like a thick fleece, that reminds me of towel-y fabric of a bathrobe...

CSI Las Vegas: Time To Say Goodbye?

This morning I was watching the last episode of CSI Season 14 and I couldn't help thinking how I miss the original casts of CSI Las Vegas... Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, Greg Sanders, Al Robbins and last but not least Jim Brass.

They were the reason I fell in love with this series. I loved their chemistry: the close friendship of Nick and Warrick, and how these two always seemed to tease and "bully" Greg but they cared about him and helped him a lot during his transition from lab rat to field agent; the platonic and respectful relationship between Gil and Catherine; Gil's relationship with Jim and Al were also amusing to watch.

The least liked cast for me would be Sara... She was stubborn and on few occasions she can be disrespectful towards Catherine who was her senior. She was also ambitious and capable of being rouge and it was proven several times as well. Maybe this was also the reason I couldn't care much about her romantic relationship with Gil.

But... it was all in the past...

Now CSI is in its season 14. Gil and Catherine left. Warrick died. Sara left then came back. Laurence Fishbourne was cast to replace Gil but he couldn't fill his shoes. Ted Danson came in and though he's been doing quite a good job, something still feels lacking. And don't get me started with Elizabeth Shue... Sigh... I just couldn't bring myself to like her! If she was supposed to replace Catherine, it just doesn't work for me. She always comes off as an obnoxious lady that is trying too hard instead of cool and easy going. And the "new" Sara, maybe it's because she is much older now, but she just wears too much make up.

As for other casts: Hodges is still amusing, but it's wearing thin; and Morgan is just... too pretty to be a CSI? - Catherine was beautiful and sexy, but she had that charisma that Morgan just doesn't have...

And the cases... as much as I want to be interested and intrigued, I'm just not THAT interested and intrigued anymore.

The things that I loved about CSI aren't there anymore or just lacking in such obvious way. I mean, I cried when Warrick died, but I don't think I will cry if DB or Morgan dies... But I think I will still cry if Jim dies.

So anyway, this brings me to the question of the day: is it time to say goodbye to CSI? - I've had this attachment to the series that got me to love the original cast but is it still worth 40+ minutes of my time each week?

Officially Sherlock-ed!

I had been reluctant to watch the latest British version of Sherlock Holmes because I found that the actors playing Sherlock and John Watson were just not appealing enough for me. I've watched Martin Freeman in the first instalment of The Hobbit, and while he made a good young Bilbo Baggins, his name alone couldn't really pull me into watching the series right away. Then I saw the photos of Benedict Cumberbatch and to be honest, I didn't (and still don't) consider him good looking, I even thought that his face was odd-looking...

But my friends kept telling me how good the show is, so what I did was just copying the first season of Sherlock in my loyal company - my Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and for two weeks whenever I browsed my video folders, I always skipped through "Sherlock - Season 1" folder, and chose other folder instead - yeah, poor Sherlock!

Until one fine day, the folder finally caught my eyes, and I said to myself, "ok, fine, let's watch this." - and guess what? By the time I finished watching the first episode, I was officially hooked! I was intrigued to see more of Sherlock's keen observation and how his friendship with Watson would grow.

So far I'm up to end of season two, and I must say, the end of season two really made me want to watch season three right away.

* SPOILER ALERT *

Sherlock jumped to his death from St. Bart Hospital roof. From the glimpse of the dead body, it was Sherlock, but we all know that it could NOT be him.
And when Watson was leaving the cemetery, Sherlock was there too, watching him walking away from afar.

HOW DID HE DO IT?
We saw him jump from the roof, his face was bloody and his eyes were open and lifeless, how did he manage to stay alive???

Hmm, what a great cliffhanger, huh? ;)

PS: Now I even think that the odd-looking Benedict Cumberbatch is not so odd-looking after all. I still don't think he's handsome either, but he indeed has his own charm.

Happy Wedding Day, Johan & Yuli

Today marks a new beginning for one of my good friends - she is finally a bride and someone's wife! :)
I'm happy for you guys and I wish you two a blissful marriage, a great life together and of course, a truckload of adorable and cute children!

Day of Happiness!

What's better way to celebrate International Day of Happiness than listen to happy happy songs!

Let's happily celebrate the day of happiness and may happiness be with us always~~ :)

Veiled Blessings(?), Valentine and Volcano

I wouldn't have expected my first post of the year 2014 would be in March, but here I am... time just flies too fast these days, is it just me, or do you guys feel the same too? *wondering*

There have been few things happening that I feel worth to write about and yet I keep procrastinating until today I managed to push myself to set folding laptop table on my bed (and of course with my laptop on top of it), play first season of Perception on my WD TV Live, arrange my pillows all nice and comfy, and now I'm sitting down with my soft pillow on my back and typing the first entry of the year.


Veiled Blessings(?)

credit: The Veiled Virgin - Wikipedia

Early in January, I started to find a new job after a long hiatus, and after few interviews with recruitment agents, I got a call for a technical test, and it was followed up with a face-to-face interview with the company Managing Director. The interview was on a Thursday and it went well than expected. I actually attended the interview with no expectation, I answered all the questions honestly and truthfully without any reservation and at the end of the interview, the MD told me that she liked me. That was the first interview I ever went to where the interviewer honestly said that he/she liked me! I wasn't sure if I responded very well though, I remember I grinned and said that I liked her too *tuwat tuwawwwww... -_-* and she continued saying that she was taking a leap of faith and told me that I got the job though she got another 2 interviews to do. And we ended the interview with her promising to give me a callback on Monday morning.

True to what she said on Thursday, on Monday morning, her company's HR called me to offer me a job and I was to go down to their office to sign employment letter, and so I did.

I just set a record for myself, I had only looked for a job for less than 2 weeks and the first real interview (the ones with recruitment agents don't count) I had led to a job offer, and as the icing of the cake, my first ever interviewer that said she liked me and actually told me I got a job on the spot!

So I started my new job a month ago, and so far I can't say I really enjoy it :(
The job itself though similar to what I used to do, there are a lot of mess that I have to deal with and it can really bring my mood down tremendously on certain days. As for the people, I can honestly say that they are all nice people, and even the bosses are also nice and attentive, but it's like each of them has their own clique, and me being the new girl, I don't sense that they are open with the idea of welcoming adding a newcomer to their existing cliques.
Oh well, in the past few days, I feel like I'm starting to get used to the social life in office and the people start to talk to me more, so we'll just see how it goes.


Valentine

credit: SantaBanba.com

We, three single girls - Windy, Izzy and I - went for dinner to celebrate Valentine's day this year. Since it fell on a Friday, by the time we finished dinner, I was already tired *bleh.. stamina is bad, bad, bad...*

So after some persuading from both sweet gals, we all went to Fern and Kiwi, a bar at Clarke Quay, where they had a great live band playing and since it was Valentine's day, well you can expect a lot of love songs. But thank God as I am all for non-mushy songs, the chosen songs were pretty good.

But regardless the lack of mushy songs, I couldn't help sensing the Valentine aura from the couples in the bar and my mind went to a particular someone thousands miles away that I miss once in a while and every time it just really gets to me that there's that pang of sadness crept inside me. Sigh... I know very well that I should stop this one sided feelings I have for him that has been going on for too long, but I don't seem to be able to.

A friend said that one way to get over someone is by literally 'get over' someone else. Nice advice oh dear friend, unfortunately it doesn't work for me, but let this be another story for another day.


Volcano

credit: hilmi_dzi@twitter

Just a day before Valentine, a volcano in East Java erupted and for the next few days, the volcanic ashes rained down many parts of Java.
My hometown was few hundreds kilometers from the eruption site and yet my family could see how the surroundings looked a little more 'monochrome' due to the ashes. I heard few traffic incidents happened during the period since the street became too slippery and the car drivers or motor riders just couldn't maneuver the vehicle well enough.

A Facebook post of a friend that slipped on the ashes while walking outside her house got me worried and so I told my mom not to spend too much time outside and just stayed at home for the time being until the ashes finally stopped.

Few international airports in Java also closed down since the visibility was very low and it would have been extremely dangerous for the airplanes to fly in that condition.

A friend of mine and her husband were spending their Valentine weekend in the city of Semarang when the city was literally poured with volcanic ashes and they spent few days worrying if their flight was going to be cancelled. Fortunately the airport was opened on the next Monday (Feb 17) and they also managed to buy me bandeng (yay!).


Well that's a wrap folks!
I will come back soon with more things to say.

*I'm planning to merge this blog with my other blog, so please wait for it! :)