Tampon anyone?

Every once in awhile, I'll see this word challenge in the newspaper and attempt to be excellent. Sadly, often than naught, I end up being good.

Why don't you give it a try and see if you are good very good or excellent.

Nuffnang : Streetdance 2 in 3D

Remember how I joined a Nuffnang competition regarding the movie, OUR IDIOT BROTHER many Thursdays ago? Well, good news is that I cinched myself and Mr. C a pair of Gold tickets.  Bad news? Anticipated like crazy over the upcoming Gold Class experience only to get the dates mixed up with us both missing the whole thing altogether! Bummer right?

Well, fret not. Nuffnang Australia is back once again with yet another private, pre-release movie screening courtesy of Hoyts Distribution for their Melbourne and Sydney bloggers!

And guess what movie it is????

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STREETDANCE 2 in 3D!! 

And have I ever mentioned before how much I LOOOOOVE dance movies??!! Honey 1 & 2. Step up 1, 2 and 3. Footloose. Save the last dance. Stomp the yard. Coyote Ugly. You got Served. You name it, chances are, I've seen it, and if I haven't, I will! ;)

In a nutshell, Streetdance 2 is about a streetdancer Ash (Falk Hentshel) who goes all over Europe, rounding up the greatest streetdancers in a bid to beat the world's best dance crew. Add in his new found friend, Eddie (George Sampson) and gorgeous love interest, Eva (Sofia Boutella), a salsa dancer.... you have a must watch movie!!

It may sound predictable and a tad too mundane for some of you action/horror/thriller/twisty plot loving people but check out the trailer and tell me if the dance moves are AMAZING!! I watched the trailer and it sink the deal for me. I just have to watch this show. 

Excited now aren't you after watching the trailer? Even if you're not, admit it, the dance moves are pretty smooth and awesome. Streetdance 2 will be released in Australian theatres on 19th April 2012. Don't forget to catch the movie at your nearest Hoyts and check out their Xtremescreen, Director's Suite and the Bean Bag Cinema!

So, thank you (in advance) Nuffnang Australia and Hoyts Distribution for giving me, and Mr. C (my plus one... poor guy, not his kind of movie but for me and free tickets, he'll come along and enjoy it.. LOL) this wonderful opportunity to watch a FREE, dance movie at Hoyt's Director's Suite in Melbourne Central!

If I could be...

#1 A WRITER and pen my first novel... of course, a best seller that would open oh-so-many doors and lead to many more with raving reviews. I am alright if people don't recognised me off the streets but when they here my pen name, they'll know who I am. Now, how awesome that would be.

#2 A PHOTOGRAPHER and make a living out of capturing each and everyone's special occasion and moments may it be a wedding, a pregnancy, the birth of a firstborn, a family or just some random stranger of the street. Getting paid to capturing emotions and happy times whilst receiving praises for a job well done, now, how awesome that would be.

#3 A COOK/BAKER and make hoards and hoards of scrumptious and delectable dishes and desserts from the comforts of my own kitchen and who knows? Open my own shop. Now, how awesome that would be.

#4 A BLOGGER by profession and I get to stay home, go to events, get freebies to keep and/to  review, and all at my time and leisure. Now, how awesome that would be.

It is said that "A pessimist will see the difficulty in every opportunity and an Optimist will see an opportunity in every difficulty" and I find it true. Oh so very true. I may have come a long way from the super Eeyore me of two years ago but the fact that I seem to always think of the cons more than the pros, deluding myself that I am being pragmatic says a fair bit of my optimism, or lack of.

In actual fact, I can do any of the above if I put myself to it. All of us can but we tend to let the world's pressure cave us into decisions we feel we have to take 'cos we're 'responsible adults'. LOL. And if it is not the world, then it is family or friends with their strong and fixed opinions and comments on what one should do rather than what one could do.

So, the question that begs to be answered, as usual, is.. do I conform to what society and certain people think I should do or do I rebel and pursue what I think I would like to do? Follow my heart.. my dream? Then again, seeing how I have more than one dream, it is hard to focus solely on one and make it happen when I am thinking about the other dreams.

And up to this point of time, I still have yet to figure out what I am good at, really good at and what areas to pursue. Like I said, it appears that I am a Jack of all trades and master of none. If I knew what I would love to do, it'll make life decisions so much more easier.

In the later part of 2009, when I left my Audit job without another company's job offer, many said I was being impractical and irresponsible and yada yada yada. If you were not in my shoes, who were you then to judge or give your two cents worth? I knew that I was at a really unhealthy point in my life dwelling on really unhealthy thoughts and to save myself, I just had to get out, no matter the cost and consequences. Even then, I didn't just up and left.

I left my job AFTER my attempt to switch departments didn't materialised. If I couldn't do something other than audit in the same company, then, I had no choice but to leave. And in my heart of hearts, I trusted that God would give me a job; but whether I would like that job was a different question. 

True enough, in less than a month of unemployment, I was called in for an interview, given a job that was willing to let me start three months later in the new year and agreed to further increase my pay upon passing both required tests for the relevant role.

Then, I didn't trust God enough to give me a job that paid and that I'd love. Oh, I was of little faith. But now, I don't think it is too much to trust that God will give me a job that I would like, perhaps if asking to love my job is a little too much, and that the job will pay well. Needless to say, I am not expecting a CEO or MD position or the extremely ka-ching pay that comes with it. 

After all, God knows me best; He knows my innermost thoughts that perhaps, not even Mr. C knows. How can he when sometimes, I don't even know myself? And if God knows me well, then, he'd know what job will suit me the most and where I will thrive.

And that is what I prayed again last night. For Him to provide that job and preferably that I'd KNOW when the job opportunity does come. I am, of course, not expecting the job to just fall in my lap without lifting a single finger. For Him to do His part, I have to do my own too. Research, research, research and apply, apply and apply! 

So, to all other job hunters out there, all the best to you too! ;) 

Don't forget, we can be who we want to be and where we crave to be but are we willing to bear the cost and take the necessary measures to reach that desired place? Only you will know.

Make Natasha Yap our own Malaysian Youtube Star!

You must be wondering who on earth is Natasha Yap...

Wong Fu Productions ring a bell. Joseph Vincent and even the Jayeslee sisters but Natasha?

Who is that??! Siapa perempuan ini??

Well, I came across her own composition, "If you would" from Sarahktw's blog. Natasha's voice is clear, sweet and interestingly good for a Malaysian unless the person recording, Sue is doing an amazing job of enhancing Natasha's voice. LOL.

Check out the song and tell me what you think. The song's lyrics may be simple but it still is sweet and relatable. Looking at her, she actually reminds me of my friend, YC's girlfriend. LOL.

If you're not convinced of her potential, check out her rendition of The Band Perry's "If I die young". I hope to see more covers from her and who knows... she might appear on Ellen Degeneres show. After all, other Youtube stars such as Joseph Vincent have appeared on her show and won 10,000 dollars from the talent competition.

We're always so busy supporting people from other countries, paying bucket loads of cash for their songs and tickets to see them but we tend to forget that we have our very own local talent in need of our support.

In recent years, there's been a steady increase in talent such as stand up comedians Douglas Lim, Quah Jen Han and Phoon Chi Ho, wedding photographers & videographers and off late, interesting production of short clips and singing from independent individuals.

So, do your bit, check this girl out and if you like her singing... leave a comment to encourage her and spread the clip. ;)

Hope to hear more of her and from her! And kudos to Sue for the well done video clip for "If you would". I like how she zooms in and out, focuses on Natasha and parts of it, on the guitar etc.

Lent and fasting

I'll be out today bringing a friend I met back home in Malaysia who'd be visiting from Queensland around city. Definitely will help with my no FB and no milk tea diet. I'll just have Char Koay Teow or Ying Thai's yum Tom Yam Sai Sen and try out the coffee cafes!!!

Wheee.... Ok. I am making light of Lent but... it's serious stuff and I am serious about it.

I find it a struggle squelching my urge to post any good article's or blog post on FB! My sister whatasapped me saying I should fast from all social network including Plurk and Twitter since it's similar concept. Gosh. I'll try FB first for this first week and see how things goes. ;)

Taking the train into city soon.

Nuffnang : Our idiot brother

Well, everyone has at least one erm.. dysfunctional family member. Come on. Don't deny it. It could be the eccentric, grumpy dad who has heaps of embarrassing stories to tell or that anal mother who is forever getting on one's case and what about the hippy brother who is forever high on *cough* some kind of leaves or that slutty sister who likes to cut herself up.

Ok. That was a tad exaggeration (though some family probably has worst stories) and mind you, my family isn't like that though I admit, we do have our own moments and at times, it ain't pretty! ;p We definitely do drive each other crazy at times with our own quirks and antics.

My brother? Hmmm.. I think he has his annoying moments but idiotic? Can't think of any at this point of time. Well, at least none like Paul Rudd acting as 'Ned' in 'Our Idiot Brother'. Gosh. If my brother was ever that nuts, I'll have to pull his plug.

Oh well, so it's a good thing he isn't! ;p

Then again, Ned does seem to be childlike and mean well despite getting into one mishap after another. It sets him apart from the rest of his family though there seems to be a little twist at the end. From what I gather from the clip, it seems as if his oddity does somehow unite his sisters and help them be better them.

With the heartaches he cause, he also brings laughter. So, it isn't all that bad.

Nuffnang Australia is giving out 17 double passes for the Melbourne screening and another 17 doubles passes to the Sydney one. So, once again, crossing my fingers and toes in the hopes that I win myself and Mr. C a pair of tickets to watch this show.

For me, I just love watching movies and given the opportunity to watch for free is even more awesome! So, thanks in advance Nuffnang Melbourne! You guys are awesome for making this happen.

If you guys somehow don't get the chance to watch it, catch a copy of the DVD or Blu-Ray. The released date is 15 March 2012.

Friday Facebook Failure

I've been wanting to take a break from Facebook for the longest time ever. In 2011 when many were on hiatus from Facebook as part of their 'fasting' for Lent, I had thoughts of doing the same as well.

But that was it. Just thoughts and NO actions.

Off late, I know I've been FBing even more. Even my sister's intern noticed my increased activity. Perhaps it's a feeble attempt at trying to stay connected with friends back home and those all around the world. Funnily enough, I am doing most of the connecting part and not my friends.

FB does connect one to distant relatives and long lost friends, allowing one the option of blossoming and strengthening relationship. Besides knowing more about my family and friend's life through their updates and news feed, I also gain access to many Wedding related vendors especially photographers and videographers. Their work constantly inspires and amazes me. The creativity behind the photos and videos; the thought and effort put in, sometimes astounds me.

How does one come up with such amazing concepts and arrangements? Where does the idea and inspiration originate from? Which leads to me reflecting back on my very own wedding and what it lacked.

I forgot to give our 'Thank You' speech. My flowers were not as beautiful and as amazing as I expected it to be. Our tea ceremony was somewhat disorganised IMHO. I've mentioned a bit of my post wedding blues that I've yet to blogged about in details.

Crikey! You must be thinking... more whiny posts of what went wrong??! Lols. I'll solve your problem for you, just click the 'X' button at the top right corner and PROBLEM SOLVED! ;p Definitely a worthy post for the future, and perhaps, it'll be beneficial to future brides from repeating my mistakes or oversight. Bleh.

Anyways, back to Facebook. See, I've the attention span of a gnat and my ability to ramble and digress off topic never ceases to amaze me. I think FB surfing does not go well with my emotional wellbeing. Something riggered the emotional dam, it burst and I was overwhelmed leading my decision to go off FB for a week.

I wanted to start on Monday allowing me some time to slowly wean off FB. But I figured if I procrastinate, I might change my mind. So much for my bravado, today, I've clicked 'Facebook' like four times in total. After 5 minutes of quick surfing, I'd quickly close the browser.

Hence, this post and title; my plan to stay off FB for a week FAILED big time!

But I am not giving up. Perhaps, tomorrow, I'll log in two times. Then on Sunday, once. And who knows, from Monday till the following Monday, I'll actually be able to stay off FB!

NOTE: Found it ironic that The Star (a newspaper back in Malaysia) had several articles on Facebook addiction and how some really take the addiction to a whole new level with bosses facing problems when their workers waste time on FB during working hours just the day after I decided to take a break! How uncanny.

Despite that, today wasn't all bad. Mr. C was super sweet and let me sleep in today, absolving me from breakfast making duties. Lol. I tidied the rooms, made the bed for my aunt's impending arrival tomorrow, drove out to the Kmart in Stud Park Shopping Centre for a little walk and to test that my uncle's car was in tip top condition, which it seems to be!

Besides that, I just baked some Sugi aka Semolina cakes earlier in the evening. One for my neighbours, another for my younger uncle whom I'll visit this weekend and the last, for Mr. C and I and anyone else at home. Mr. C lend a hand and really loved using the blender to mix the ingredients, reminding me of myself when I was an eager child watching my mummy when she did her baking.

Guess that's all for tonight... now, for the email updates to our families back home.

Ps: Does it count as FBing if I 'like' links at blogs whereby the posts is connected back to FB and appears on my FB wall when I share the 'liked' article/post??

Thinking Thursday

Last night, I went to bed with tears sliding off the side of my eyes seeping into the pillow. This morning, to Mr. C's horror, I started tearing at the breakfast table. He asked what the matter was wrong with me. I think it's the pressure of finding a job. Any job. The right job. The job that will pay well and most importantly, I'll enjoy and excel in.

No easy feat, I tell you. Just reading job descriptions put me off job search. Oh well. That's the fun part of being an adult right? RESPONSIBILITIES and what not. I have to think of my future children and also my parents when they get older. It's going to cost a fair bit of money.

If not for money, I wouldn't be going back to work. If I had money, there's so much I want to do with it. Start a home for the elderly and the young... a cafe or an eatery with a stage for live performances; poem reading, monologue, basically for budding artistes to showcase their talent or just a platform to voice their thoughts. The list goes on. I am sure many of you have said dreams and plans to open your own business but currently hampered by the lack of capital.

Reality checks in, and boy does it suck big time!

Anyhow, Sal called and I chatted with Mun2, too. Felt better after. Perhaps, it'll get better from here on. Thanks God. I went to bed in tears and a prayer to God asking Him to help me make sense of sad me and to help me turn a sad day into a good day. And He helped.

Last week, was at EB Games and saw the above and the below. Let's just say, boys will always be boys. Even when they grow facial and body hairs, don on a suit and a tie to work, they'll always be a boy at heart, somehow.

And I think guys got it right somehow. Keep their life simple and they are pretty much easily contented and happy. I think, it's usually the missus that complicates their life. LOLs. Our landlord told Mr. C to make sure that I was okay with the house when we first moved in last year. He said that if I, the lady of the house was happy, then there will be no problem for the man. And it really is true.

Can't wait to go to Knox Shopping Centre later to trade in my Dance Central for The Black Eyed Peas Experience! Hopefully, I can still get it at the cheaper price. Otherwise, I'll have to forgo getting it today. ;(

Note : I think it is awesome how I can transfer songs from my Dance Central to Dance Central 2! And hence, allowing me to trade it in for The Black Eyed Peas Experience!

See, this is why I need to get a job. To be able to enjoy little pleasures in life such as this and my sweeties and chocolates, my sticky date puddings and oooh... accesories, clothes, bags, shoes and presents for people!!!

Poor Mr. C. Every time we go out, I see things I would LOVE to buy for people; friends and family. He'd rather I buy things for myself to make myself happy then always splurging on others especially if others might not always appreciate such gestures.

My sister says I need to love myself but I don't know how to. And to go back to the root of the question,"why don't I love myself?". I am not ugly and I admit, I am not stupid. But neither am I pretty hot nor super smart. Wonder if others go through such battles with self. I guess everyone does but a different kind from mine.

So, 2012... a journey of self discovery. Now, how to go about doing that?

2012 Pics #5 Up in the air

I can't wait to sit in a hot air balloon!

Nuffnang : Animal People

I love to read. From an early age, I'd read Enid Blyton's book one after another and eventually, I graduated to the Nancy Drew, the Jupiter Jones series and Sweet Valley High followed by Harlequin romances, John Grisham and what not.

In Melbourne, you'll see me going in the library and coming out with 20 over books much to Mr. C's fascination. He truly does find it interesting that I can actually finish reading a 300 - 500 pages book a day. If it is a page turner, you'll see me dying to finish the novel and in three hours or less, I'd be flipping to the last page. However, some books, each line can be a real drag and it feels like it will take forever just to reach the end of the book!

When Nuffnang Australia was giving an opportunity to read and review a book, I jump to the opportunity. And to my delight, I was one of the few bloggers who were given the privilege to do a Product Talk post courtesy of Nuffnang Australia.

This isn't exactly my typical kind of book to read which is good. Of late, I find myself looking for a change in my reading materials. Reading romance novels doesn't do much for my dwindling intellect.

To be honest, it took me awhile to get into the rhythm of Animal People by Charlotte Wood.

I read a couple of pages whilst I was in the midst busy packing for my trip back to Malaysia. The beginning was a bit slow for me, at first. But as you read on, you feel compelled to keep reading to see how it all ends.

This book tells the story of Stephen's ordinary journey in life on an ordinary day and how he intends to call it quits with his girlfriend. With that decision in hand, we are shown how miserable Stephen is with his life, which many of us can relate to, such as his poor relationship with his family and unfulfilled job satisfaction. If his life wasn't dismissal enough, his day goes from bad to worse.

As to how all this relates to the book title, 'Animal People', I shall leave it to you to grab a copy of the book to discover it for yourself. No one likes a spoiler. ;p

And for one lucky reader, here is a chance to win yourself a free copy of Charlotte Wood's Animal People courtesy of Nuffnang Australia. All you have to do is follow my blog and leave a comment telling me if you are an animal person and why you are. And if you are not, tell me why not.

It is that simple. So, what are you waiting for??!

Entries will close on 24th November 2011, 11pm Malaysian Time. This competition is open to residents in Australia and Malaysia only. Winners will be announced on this blog. Do make sure you leave an email I can contact you with in the event you win. :)

Nuffnang Blog Awards, Here I Come

Once again, Nuffnang Asia- Pacific Blog Awards 2011 is upon us. Basically, the Awards are a way to honour bloggers across the Asia- Pacific region. After nominations, voting and what not, the final end, the awards ceremony will be held in Malaysia , kind of like the Asia Pacific version of the Oscars!

And the night doesn't end there, there will be an after party at a secret location in KL! Oooh... intrigue much? Well, I am!

You get to nominate your favourite blogger or one you deemed has influenced you much!

The first Award Ceremony was held in Singapore about two years ago and based on the photos floating about cyberspace, one can only conclude that it is a 'MUST ATTEND' event. Well, at least ONCE a lifetime to walk the red carpet and brush shoulders with some famous people and about-to-be well known bloggers after the grand night.

I definitely regretted not making more effort then, in competitions and events organised by Nuffnang. But life's too short for regrets, right? So, here's my chance to try and see if I can attend this award!

Kenny Sia with Joanne Peh taken from Kenny Sia's blog.

The problem is, you can't buy tickets to this event like how you would go about purchasing tickets to the movies or to concerts. Just like everything else in the world whereby nothing comes easy, you'll have to earn a spot and there are only 500 spots available for both local Malaysian bloggers and foreign ones! Dang!

But fret not. There are ways to win invites to this event. One can either blog about ones journey with Nuffnang or one could simply just state the top 3 reasons why one MUST attend the Awards!

As I haven't actually been better acquainted with the Nuffnang blogging community much nor join in their events etc except winning a couple of free movie tickets and cashing out two cheques, I wouldn't say I've had much of a Nuffnang journey to talk about. Hence, I opt to state my top 3 reasons.

REASON #1

Hmmm... What would compel me to attend this event especially on the eve of my wedding??! Well, like I said, I've yet to know the blogging community in Nuffnang Malaysia in person. More or less, I have been following and reading their blogs, not religiously, but enough to know about them and what they let on in their blogs. Some of the bloggers do inspire me. Some with their wit, cutesieness and total human-ness.

If you really know me, I am an introverted talkative person. I am a pretty shy person (though most wouldn't believe it) and despite actually coming across FourFeetNine and her partner, TimothyTiah, I never had the guts to say 'hi' and ask for pictures with them.

So, it would be nice for a chance to meet them in person, take photos with them like a groupie would though I wouldn't call myself a hardcore fan and well, overcome this awkward shyness that overtakes me when I actually do happen across any of the well known bloggers or people I know, in general. ;p

Besides that, it'll be nice to meet some Melbourne bloggers and who knows, get to know them better back where we live, in Melbourne! :)

Beautiful blue cocktail dress

REASON #2

Guess where this prestigious event is to be held at??? None other than the Grand Ballroom of Putrajaya Marriott! Marriott is a well known hotel and I am sure the food served will be top notched and so will the ceremony awards be! And if you know me, I have this thing for hotels. My mum usually will proceed to inform me that hotels are not the cleanest nor most hygienic place which won't sway me one bit!

If the entertainment of what the night will ensue is not enough, what's more, I am sure you'll get to eye many good looking chaps decked out in their suits whilst the ladies dress to kill in cocktail dresses as dress code for the evening is 'Formal'.

Evening dresses by Vera Wang

Dressed up ladies...

Men in suits cut a dashing figure

REASON #3

I was on Nuffnang Malaysia for the past few years but now that I've moved permanently to Melbourne, it was only fitting to migrate account to Nuffnang Australia. Besides, I will be back in Malaysia for my wedding then and this would make an awesome wedding present! ;p

As a foreign blogger (which I assume I should qualify since I am under Nuffnang Australia), if I win, I would be entitled to one free invite, a 3D2N stay at Putrajaya Marriott (have I mentioned that I LOVE staying in hotels and haven't had much opportunity to do??!) and an invite to an exclusive after party! So, tell me, if it was you, wouldn't you want such an opportunity?

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I just realised after typing out this blog post that IF I win, I am only entitled ONE invite and not a pair! To go alone might not be as fun as having a friend, or most importantly, Mr. C! Now, I am torn. Let's just decide if I do win! Who knows, the organisers might be kind enough to give me a pair so that I can have a magnificent night before my wedding day! :)

No harm wishing and hoping eh.

Cupcakes and frosting

Ever since I came upon Penny's blog at jeroxie.com (she was Nuffnang Australia's September featured blogger) and her cupcake recipe, I've been dying to try my hand at it. Unfortunately, Miss Laziness and Miss Procrastination came for a very long visit.

FINALLY, Mr. Assertive, fed up with both Miss Laziness and Miss Procrastination, shooed them both out for the day and I got myself busy in the kitchen. :)

The recipe for WHITE VANILLA CUPCAKE WITH VANILLA FROSTING was taken from jeroxie.com and adapted at the end due to some unforeseen circumstances.

I was a little bit confused as her recipe said to separate the eggs but she didn't mentioned to mix which part in. So, after separating eggs to only realised that I have no idea which to use, I ended up dumping both in, wasting my effort to separate them in the very first place!

Everything else was pretty easy to follow except when it came to the frosting bit.

I bought DARK chocolate instead of WHITE chocolate as per her instructions. Not sure how it slipped my mind. Maybe it's because I tend to associate chocolate with brown colour? Lol. Anyways, I decided to use the dark chocolate I bought. As I was heating it in a pan to melt it, somehow, I burnt it. You could smell the burnt charcoal and even then, I wasn't 100% sure that the 'melted' chocolate was burnt at first.

But after stirring it, the texture was lumpy, dark and harden rendering it pretty much useless and not usable driving me into a 'I-am-such-a-failure' mode. Don't ask me why, I just did. I mean, when you look at the picture above seeing how instead of a nice, creamy, chocolatey texture, you see something similar to shit, wouldn't you be as annoyed with self as I was? Then again, maybe it's just weirdo me. ;p

So, here I was feeling sorry for myself and announcing it on Plurk when a light bulb appeared. Well, not an actual light bulb, silly you rather I had the idea to just improvise and use peanut butter as a substitute.

The cupcake looked pretty bare fresh out from the oven but after lining the top with my super yum but a tad too sweet peanut butter frosting and some decorations, I must say, the cupcakes actually looked good. Even good enough to sell IMHO!

Haven't tasted it yet though. Looks too yum and cute making me reluctant to take a bite! Sounds silly eh. Gave a box with three cupcakes to Mr. Landlord and his lady wife. Hope they like them! Going to give another box to my KuKu tomorrow though I am not sure what is his stand on cupcakes and cakes in general. Oh well, shall find out tomorrow.

Cute right?

The ending picture of how the cupcakes turned out in the end coupled with my Sugi cakes that turned out just right cheered me up tremendously.

Lesson learnt : Don't give up so fast and don't fret easily. Calm oneself and think of the alternatives and make use what one might have at hand. :) All is not lost when one just takes a moment to contemplate, plan and execute then to react in a negative way.

Half year review on self

I was supposed to post this in June but look, it's already October, leaving us with barely two months till the end of 2011. Then again, better late than never eh.

I just re-read my 2011 t0-do-list aka resolutions for the year and I am not impressed with where I currently am. It's been 10 months and I feel as if I haven't done much, seen much, accomplish much what more to say my 2011 to-do-list!

I seem to have this love hate relationship with lists. Making them but not keeping to them. Urgh!

All I can say is, I need to work on my procrastination and discipline issues. Once I conquer this two, I'll definitely be able to tackle any to do lists with ease.

Tell me what are your struggles with your self? It's really frustrating isn't it, having good intentions to do something with oneself, to better oneself but constantly failing to keep to them.

And good intentions are only just that when one doesn't do something about it.

Well, two more months left of 2011. There is still time to do what one set out to accomplish.

Freebies from Chellepie

Last week, much to my surprise, I saw the below on FB.

Chellepie Fashion Gallery 
(click on the link to go to the site and browse for something you might like!)

The Winner of this week Giveaway #3 is.... ♥ ♥ ♥

Esther Ng, Congratulations!! The winner will be able to get our gorgeous Classic Fitted Dress. Esther, if you're seeing this please contact us asap!

It is a nice feeling to win freebies, especially nice stuff!

Material is really good and dress is pweetyy!!

Makes me all warm and fuzzy that even a normal, average girl like me, can win. I used to get all pessimistic on how I never win prizes, eventually giving up joining anything. But last year, I saw on tivo on contests and how these few people interviewed won lots of prizes cause they persevered. They kept joining contests after contests. Not only did they win freebies, they also won cash prizes!

It encouraged me to try. I started joining competitions again. And it is true. If you join 10 or 20 or 30 competitions, you're bound to win something BUT if you don't try at all, you don't even stand a chance. 

Last year, I won movie tickets a couple of times in Australia and Malaysia, Jenny Sun's competition though my prize went missing somewhere in the post:( and even a gift pack from a blogger! This year, I won two free tickets to watch 'Bridesmaids' (when I was back in Malaysia in September), won this dress above, won two free tickets to watch the advance screening of 'Warrior', amongst other freebies that have slipped my mind. 

So my message is, persevere, join as many contests as you can get your hands on. I usually don't join those that require one to complete slogans 'cause I suck at those, then again, I join that occasionally to challenge myself. If you win something, good for you, if you don't, it is NOT then end of the world. 

Life goes on, as usual.https://www.facebook.com/absolutesecret

A healthier lifestyle

Mr. C and I bought a table tennis off ebay last week and it is worth it! On Saturday, we had a table tennis party with his colleagues and their partners together with a round of steamboat session! 

In all my life, I've hardly played this sport. 

The only time I did was in Standard 5. The story is a little bit funny. All I can remember now is that inter class competition was being held and an announcement was made that whoever who wanted to play should go to so and so hall. 

Strangely enough, I proceeded to that hall. 

Then, I have never played table tennis (aka ping pong) much less touched a bat. Up to this day, I have NO idea what compelled me to join but I just did. Nturally, I didn't make it far or past the first match! LOL.

Anyway, Mr. C and I have been feeling flabby and tired all the time. It is probably due to our horrendous food indulging coupled with our non existent exercise life. And this is said with us having only four months left to our special day! Hence, we have decided to try and adopt a healthier lifestyle by eating more fruits and veges together with regular exercises.

Suffice to say, I am happy that we went jogging yesterday and today. My stamina is abominable. I can only jog non-stopped for about 15 -30 seconds. Definitely must push myself harder and see some improvement by next week. 

After jogging, we headed home and fixed up the table tennis at our courtyard. Despite it being winter, after a few rounds of ping pong banter, we were warm enough that we had to take off our jackets! 

Yesterday, Mr. C taught me the basics. He showed me the right way to hold the bat. Next, he taught me how to 'hit' the ball the right way as I tend to return my shots 'gan cheong' ly with the ball hitting the my fingers holding the bat.

I tend to get super 'gan cheong' (excited) when I play and I'll try to hit the ball as fast as I can and in my haste, I'll do silly return hits. It is this 'just hit the ball over no matter what' mentality that I somehow adopted from young  whilst playing badminton with my dad who LOVED to smash the shuttle cock at us, kids that I need to unlearn.

Today, Mr. C says I've improved. I can now return his low and fast serve whilst giving my own fair share of good serves. I am faster at taking his shots and am able to at least bounce it back to his side. The tips he imparts reminds me of my noob badminton skills and 'tips' my friends used to give me - 'follow through!' 'Use your wrist, not your hand!' 'Always be on guard.'

In due time, I really hope to play better and more competitively! And it will be even more satisfying to wipe off Mr. C's occasional smirks when he tries to show off his 'skills' by smashing and screwballs!

A 30 day project

I got this idea from Pauline's blog, once again.

Read the tab on 30 day project and it lead me to the below. I think I shall give it ago. I gather I rather have structure and guide that helps me to narrow down on topics to blog about. Sounds stifling but then again, I am trying to break out of this mould I've placed myself in - in the box mould.

• Day 1-Myself
• Day 2-Favorite Food
• Day 3-Favorite Animal
• Day 4-Favorite Place
• Day 5-Best friend
• Day 6-Favorite Book
• Day 7-Favorite Movie
• Day 8-Favorite Animated Character
• Day 9-Favorite TV show
• Day 10-Favorite Candy
• Day 11-Biggest Impact Moment In My Life
• Day 12-Most Recent Accomplishment
• Day 13-Comic
• Day 14-Favorite Fairytale
• Day 15-Family Picture
• Day 16-Inspiration
• Day 17-Favorite Plant
• Day 18-Just A Doodle
• Day 19-Something New to Me
• Day 20-Something Orange
• Day 21-Something I Want
• Day 22-Something I Miss
• Day 23-Something I Need
• Day 24-First Crush
• Day 25-Scenery
• Day 26-Something I Don't Like
• Day 27-Someone I Love
• Day 28-Anything I'd Like
• Day 29-A Place I Want To Go
• Day 30-Something Good From This Project