The Business of Word-Play

I’ve always wanted my own little business.

But I didn’t know what kind of business it was going to be. Then a former friend suggested we sell jewelry. After discovering how easy it was to source for supplies, I started making a few pieces with the beads I had and had my sister take them to work to see if there was a future for me in jewelry making.

She came back with 3 of the 15 pieces I had passed to her to sell! Excited, I made more pieces of jewelry a few weeks later and had her try to sell them for me. It wasn’t so bad until I realized I had to replenish my stock of supplies. So I did and made a few more, and sold a few more things, all the while wondering if this friend was still interested in the joint-venture she initially suggested. I ended up doing this side business by myself.

Unfortunately after some time, I suffered from designer’s block! Had no idea what else to create, and eventually left my stash alone, thinking I’d come back to it when I’m next inspired. Well that didn’t happen for another year, during which time I was considering another kind of venture – bags. I came up with designs but never got around to actually putting a bag together, period! By now you’d notice that I’m a classic procrastinator. I’ll keep making plans to do things but they never pan out. It’s usually due to not feeling very creative, especially when you work nights and want to crash the moment you head home.

Sure, I tinkered with a few pieces – my first hobo bag made from an old skirt and my grandmother’s old sarung, and a makeup bag from a preppy pinstripe cotton fabric I purchased from the local fabric shop. I’ve also made fabric flowers, sewn a skirt and a top for my cousin’s wedding, plus a few other experiments, but I could never commit to just sticking to one thing.

So here I sit, bashing my keyboard, hoping for inspiration. They say that you should do what you love, and that is what will make a successful business venture. Well I don’t know if I’d want to have my own business for right now, I just don’t have the time to invest 100% of myself into doing anything long term. However, I do enjoy writing, telling stories, whining, screaming to the world about the world’s injustices! I love words and how stringing a whole bunch together allows you laugh, talk, shout, scream, say I-Love-You or even You Suck! to another human being.

Sure, as much as conversation is fun, it would be difficult to beautifully articulate your long standing infatuation for that senior in high school and how he makes you heart skip a beat every time you see him… by saying it to his face! I’d rather run for the nearest hill and stay there with the coyotes than express unrequited love verbally. That’s what letters are for! You pour your bleeding heart out on paper, and when you’re finally done, fold it put it in a perfumed envelope then kiss the seal as you hand it with trembling hands to a friend you hope will keep your identity a secret. And once the letter is passed on to your beloved, you wonder with excitement and bated breath if he knows you exist and who you are. No! You don’t want him to know that the girl who’s been silently stalking him around school at recess, ducking for cover every time he senses you’re watching, is the same you who’s said how much you love him in that bleeding letter. UNLESS… he feels the same way, then of course you’d want to run to him and say: “YES, it’s me! The one you’ve been waiting for and loved from afar for so long.”

Alas, he doesn’t know you ever existed but you’re ok with that. Content that you’ve said all you’ve wanted to say to him and hope that he’ll start looking for you, perhaps, with the desire to pour his bleeding heart out to you.

AHEM! So where were we?? Ah yes, the power of words, the written word especially. It has the power to incite hatred; move mountains with its passionate call to do what is right and just for the human cause; save endangered species; mend broken relationships; end bad ones…
It’s true I love to write and express my emotions and thoughts, good and bad. Maybe I should consider writing for a magazine or a paper. Make it my business to share a few laughs, food for thought or even nostalgia of the past with other readers. Or maybe, I could start my own version of Hallmark and create cards that say what its sender can’t in person.

I’m going to have to make time for that too, and now I’m wishing there was 30 hours in a day, ARRGGHH!!

At Ease with Myself...

It's taken a while, but I'm finally at peace with being myself.

Loosely translated, I am no longer obsessed with my weight, or how my arms jiggle when I wave goodbye, or that my thighs "kiss" when I sit down. :P

I've realized that should I continue to be unhappy, I will never be able to live my life, if I'm always worried about how I look or how people see me. I would guess that age plays an important factor where being at peace with one's self is concerned. It would be immature to still worry about the little things even as you sit and contemplate turning a ripe age of 35, for instance.

It takes a lot before you reach that stage of loving yourself as is, and the after-effects can be quite pleasantly surprising.

For one, I seem to be attracting younger men... which is funny, since I had no luck with men when I was in my 20s, only much older men. And now that I'm in my thirties, I've got guys looking like they've just graduated college, check me out or even flirt outwardly. I've got to be doing SOMETHING right if that's happening! LOL!

At the moment, the one right thing I am doing is taking care of myself. Yes, I got a personal trainer at the gym, and I've been spending more time at the gym lately than I have at home, in bed. The goal is to have buckets more energy so that I can better enjoy my holidays, especially where lots of walking and exploring are to be had. I also need to make sure that the ticker keeps on ticking and that I don't become a walking time bomb ever since my dad's heart attack. They say your risk is higher once you have one parent with the disease.

My singular goal is to be strong and healthy enough that I can last the distance on a daylong hike, or very close to it. If I end up looking like Jennifer Hudson after she went on Weight Watchers, well that's just a big fat plus. ;) But I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't matter if I lost two dress sizes, because it would be the icing on my oh-so-much-healthier cake. :)

But I'd be damned if I have to follow a strict diet to whittle down, because I still eat what I want, only a little less than even my previous usual helpings. And whatdyaknow... I'm still dropping kilos! :D

It's amazing what happens when you start loving and accepting yourself more... just the way you are.

The After Effects of the Red Tide's Visit to Malaysia

What an experience!
The chance of seeing Liverpool Football Club play a live match on its maiden visit to Malaysia was simply one that no fan could miss, and I surely didn’t!
Sure, watching Dirk Kuyt ply his trade like a workhorse on the pitch, and Jamie Carragher crack the whip look like ants on the pitch from where my family and I were sitting, but at least I can say I was at a Liverpool game!
And the Malaysian supporters – oh how I love them all – sure made the team feel like they were home, albeit with higher temperature readings on the thermometer and elevated humidity levels. One would be fooled into thinking one was actually at Anfield, minus the white faces and mostly smiling Asian ones with their hearts on their sleeves, swelling with love and pride for the team they support with a wild passion.
And the smile on Carra’s face was enough of a reason as to why I LOVE Liverpool Football Club. The mutual adoration, admiration and appreciation for the fans who love him, Stevie G (who was not in KL, sadly) and the rest of the team, shone like a beacon (if not , blared never more loudly than when sounds of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was heard sung among the Red faithful at every opportunity) all throughout their visit.
Now I know for SURE that a visit to ANFIELD is at the top of my bucket list.

The Red Tide Are Arriving...

In about three hours' time, the Red Tide aka Liverpool FC, will be touching down on Malaysian soil.

They've never been to KL as far as I can remember, and I CANNOT wait to see them in person, albeit about 100ft away, on July 14, when we get to watch them train for their friendly match against the Malaysian National team on July 16.

I'm ecstatic!! :D Have loved LFC since I was little and to finally get to see them in the same time zone, and on home turf is an absolute dream come true!!

More pics to come...

The Younger Boy, Older Girl syndrome

I need to get this off my chest!

I'm confused... NO, I'm perplexed, yes that's the word - perplexed, at current events surrounding the gym I go to, and one particular person that works there.

The story begins like this:
I signed up for personal training sessions with a trainer, and for 20 days, I spent 1 hour each time with my trainer, to improve on my fitness. In the beginning, this other trainer liked to visit whenever one of our sessions are on. He started off playing the professional, giving additional advice, and encouraging me.
Then he got comfortable enough with me to take jabs during my workouts, and slowly, but very subtly, he began flirting with me. Yes, it was flattering, and fun. I was always good at flirting, so the attention was welcomed.

Today, he touches me (innocently, of course) whenever he has a chance, and had even asked me out on an excursion.

I've enjoyed the attention so far, but now I'm a little unsure as to whether this is just harmless flirting all round or if there's more to it. Oh, did I mention that he claims to have a girlfriend?? Yes, according to him. So of course, I can't look more into this than what it really is, which is him being flirty/friendly... or all of the above.

As much as I enjoy the attention, I'm also a little old fashioned and prefer my men to be older. :D I have a good 12 years on this guy!! A whole decade and then some!

A cougar I am not!!

Our First New Angel

I'm a godmother.

My only married sibling gave birth to her first precious baby girl in March, and she will be three months this weekend.

I absolutely love her! Having her visit each weekend is the highlight of our home, and saying goodbye to her is the worse thing ever!

Here she is at just a month old.


And here, at three months plus.

If I Was a Fashion Victim... err... Fashionista!

I love to look at designer goods... but it's only because I can't afford them, boohoo!

Actually, if I diligently saved up a bit of my pay every month, I may be able to get one item annually. But by the time I can afford to buy what I love, it may go out of season and I'll have to aim for something else in season! What's a girl to do...

In honor of pretty things, here's my ode to all things pretty (and unattainable)!

1. An Hermes Scarf (courtesy of usa.hermes.com)


2. Jimmy Choo Lace Pumps - They're NOT made for walking!


3. The Kate Spade Owl Bag - So cute!


4. The Pucci Cancello Nylon Bag - so bright n colorful!


5. The Coach Legacy Alligator Pocket Bag - It's Effing hot!

So Much for promises...

I promised myself (and whomever is reading my blog!) that I would update daily, but I am so uninspired that it's difficult to spew anything here!Ah well...

At least I had a nice weekend.

I hadn't gone out in a while, and with my neck going spastic on me on Friday, I was afraid I almost couldn't go out with my girlfriends on Sunday for some RnR at KLCC. We had brunch (well, lunch really because we only met up at noon precisely) at Nando's followed by coffee and cake at Dome's.

It was surprisingly quiet when we got to Dome, as that is the vantage point to the park, and there weren't many people to watch - our primary reason for going to KLCC in the first place! Still, we got a table outside, where the smoking diners usually converged, but moved five minutes later thanks to some misbehaving brat who kept moving his around that it hit mine several times! Parents these days... they have no control over their bratty kids! Manners people, you're sorely lacking in them!

Anyways, conversation leaned towards an ex-friend we had in common who stabbed us all in the back, by telling tall tales that led to a huge misunderstanding that eventually saw the three of us get closer and her to lose three friends in the blink of an eye... great friends who had her welfare in mind but she never saw that... she was in such denial that she never admitted to her wrongdoings only that she regretted we found out! OMG!! Your loss, sister!

A bit of shopping and seven hours later, we parted ways and are hoping for one final catch up before the one of us has to go home to Australia, where she lives with her hubby and lil six-month-old bub.

I am SO looking forward to another one of these sundays... it's quite refreshing and certainly beats staying at home with EVERYONE wanting to rest up and not leaving the "nest"... too little privacy.

Let's Start Over...

I tried, I really did... to keep my blog constantly updated. Well, who reads it anyway, I figure!
But I know I must, at the very least, continue to instill interest in people who are ACTUALLY reading what I have to say, ME! I have to discipline myself.
And so starting today, and everyday after, I simply must regal my fans with my daily tales - be they work, travel or travelling to work stories.
Sounds exciting so far right? :D
Except today (or technically Tues Apr 5) nothing exciting actually happened on my way to the office, except that I had like RM11 in my wallet and I was stuck in that God-awful traffic that led to the Tropicana Golf and Country Club, from Aman Suria... so concerned was I that I probably did not have enough cash on me to pay for my cab fare, I prayed all through those dreadful 20 minutes until I finally reached work, and thank God, I had about a buck plus to spare!
It's almost time to leave for home, and I'll be saying a prayer again for the first bus that will get me to the train station, where the next scheduled bus awaits to leave for Sunway, and from there, the bus to Klang.
Yes, it takes me four buses to get home for a total of 2 and a half hours. But I have no complaints when they're all on schedule.
On a good day like one of those, I'll be smiling all the way home and thanking God for working nights.

It's Time to Cleanse... but will it work?

I've been considering going on a detox cleanse for a while. But I have not been sure about the multiple diet plans or recipes available that I should go on.

Then there's no. of days that I should go on this diet. First, there was the three-day plan... but now when I Google for info, apparently detox diets can go as long as 30 days! I doubt I can go THAT long! I might kill someone before I make it halfway even!!

So I've decided on the 3-day cleanse. Am in the midst of collecting recipes, which seem to be easy, as long as I do not include meat, dairy products and processed foods, I should be fine with creating my own.

Next, when do I actually do this? The weekend is the most obvious time for a 3-day cleanse. But I have a long week coming up and the last thing I want to do is be all Zen-like then!

I'm gonna have to find the right weekend to do this... and maybe the weekend of Mar 4-6 will work for me.

In the meantime, I need to look for more recipes!