I had the most wonderful time at home and such a shame my holiday ended so soon. To my dear superbabes out there, I had such a great time with you all...I am missing you girls la... Wish we could hang out gossiping and sipping teh tarik every night.
Don't have flowing ideas of what to write at the moment. I just simply want to share the pictures I've taken during my holiday. Friends, you can view, download, do whatever you want with the pictures from here -> PICTURES!
Till I have more interesting stories to share...tata for now.
These few months have been a mind-boggling, challenge-thinking and mind-opening time for me. I've been contemplating and walking back and forth to search for THE answer but to no avail, I still can't figure it out.
You must be wondering what the hell am i crapping about. Well my friends, I'm actually searching for some answer, hint and guidance... because right now I'm at a stage where I'M NOT REALLY HAPPY WITH WHAT I'M DOING NOW. I'M NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO DO IN MY LIFE AND WHAT I WANT TO BE. These silly thoughts has caused me headaches and sleepless nights. You might think that I'm one of those women who think too much. But i've tried not to think about it. I've tried to go with the flow with my daily life routine but im just not happy with it. The aura of misery and feeling unfulfilled keep hovering my mind. I go to work everyday and feel that this is not what i want to do/be. I feel so lost and dont have a clue how to rectify it.
I worked hard to be where I am now. I achieved a lot and I lost a lot too but I never regret my life journey. However, I feel that my life is not really how I want it to be.
Dont get me wrong, i'm not entirely unhappy with my life. There are some areas where I feel blissfully happy and content. I'm thankful for that. It helps keeping me going and motivated.
So I thought I post my thoughts here hoping in return I will get some wise honest advice from you readers. Please share your stories..shed some light. I'm desperately waiting for my lightbulb switch to be triggered.
My main questions are: ARE YOU LIVING THE LIFE YOU WANT? HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE?
Really appreciate your time for reading my post. Thank you fellas.
Yesterday was my first experience watching a concert in the UK and it was totally rock...totally! No words can describe how I feel - I totally enjoyed it and it was one of the best night I ever had. But of course, this is just a Justin's fan saying.
I went there with Alex since I dont have any friend here who share the same passion for Justin's music. Alex is not a big fan..in fact he's not a fan at all. He even said, 'I wouldnt even recognise Justin Timberlake if I see him on the street'. Oh come on...
Anyway, we went to The O2 in Greenwich (which was previously known as the Millenium Dome). It was a nice, clean modern looking building. Inside, there have the O2 Arena where Justin's concert was held and they also have a few bars, restaurants and a really huge Vue cinema. There are still a lot of construction work going inside and there are more shops yet to open in the near future. I guess, once all the construction finished, maybe then I can judge how happening the place is. But for now, all I can say is there is not much in there.
We started the day by lunching at Spurr Bar & Grill - an American Indian cuisine. I felt sick after eating, I wouldnt go there again. period. Afer that, we went to watch the preview of Evan Almighty in the Vue cinema which was inside The O2 as well. I wasnt so keen on Bruce Almighty, so I wasnt moved to watch Evan Almighty. But I got the movie tickets for free - I wouldnt say no to that..hehe. The verdict, it wasnt that bad afterall. Not amazing but worth the free tickets.
It wasnt 2 hours before the concert started, so we just wandered around the O2. At that time, the concert merchandise booth just opened, so I rushed there to get some souvenirs. Got a t-shirt for £25 and a key chain for £3. I know...such a rip off isnt it. But oh well, at least it's a limited edition thing..After that, we wandered around a bit more, went into this O2 Lounge..and then decided it's time to go in.
In front of the merchandise booth
The whole arena was packed with people but surprisingly no pushing or pulling. The event was organised, controlled, and the crowd was well behaved too. It's quite cool actually because the last time I went to concert in KL, the crowd was horrible and people keep pushing to get in...what a nightmare. Moving on from that, we went in and got our seats. See..we bought seating tickets because it's more convinient for Alex since he's not really into JT and this whole concert thing. If it was me, I would rather buy the standing ticket. But I'm thankful to have Alex to accompany me. He was such a sport last night! The view from our seat was ok I guess..couldnt complain much. It wasnt that far from stage but yet still quite far..if you know what I mean.
At the O2 Lounge..check out my t-shirt ;-)
The opening act was Fergie. I dont really like her songs but her powerful voice managed to impress me. The group of dancers who performed alongside her were good as well. Damn..I wish I could do those moves. It wasnt until about 8pm when Justin's performance starts. The whole arena (and me as well) went mad with screaming when they saw the sight of JT on the stage! Oh my god..I' actually saw JT live in front of me. I was so excited! He started the show with Futuresex Lovesound. He is definitely a world class performer, entertainer, everything. I was astonished with his skills - he danced amazingly, jumping up & down the stage and yet still maintained his stunning voice. He also showed his skills on guitar, keyboard and piano. JT is so great! What I love most about JT's performance was the mix of various music genres - hip hop, rap, rock, ballad and jazzy all mixed together and worked very well. Plus, the stage was well designed even though one of the prop they use, the 'curtain' (i dunno wat it's called) sometimes blocked my view to the stage. But overall, the use of lighting, the laser lights, the graphics and animation were very cleverly planned. The accompanying band was oh-so fantastic too! I wouldnt mind watching JT's performance every night!
I just cant find enough words to describe the performance last night..even if I can, it will take ages for me to explain it. So, to see the wonders yourself, I', sharing with you some of the videos I took last night. Please mind the quality of the videos. I was quite distant from the stage and was only using the good ol' digital camera so you might find some blurred images because the camera was trying hard to find its focus point. Poor camera, it worked hard for me last night.
This is some snippet of My Love..amazing dance moves I tell you:
The memory of last night's performance is still lingering in my mind. I spend most of my time at work today thinking about it...and yep, I was at work when I wrote this post. What a slacker..
About 3 weeks ago, me and my colleagues decided to play Robert Kiyosaki's Cash Flow 101 board game after work. As the title says, the board game is created by Robert Kiyosaki...you know, 'The rich dad, poor dad' dude. The aim of the game is basically to get out of the rat race as soon as possible and achieve the ultimate financial freedom or easier put as to become a millionaire. Forgive me, I'm not very good at expressing my thoughts and I might make this game sounds kinda boring..but trust me Monopoly is even more boring. If you are into investing and making money kinda thing, then I really recommend this game. It was really fun and educational too. It took me and my friends good 5 hours to finish it. In case you are wondering, I didnt win though. But heck, I did learn a lot from it.
Since after playing the game, I've become more eager to achieve my own definition of financial freedom. A simple silly board game and yet, it somehow inspired my financial mindset. It's almost like a wake up call. It hit me that my monthly pay cheque aint gonna make me rich. I have so many things that I want in life and I will need a hefty lot of money to fulfil all my needs and wants. So, I decided it's time to make a change.
From that moment onwards, every possible time I have, I read financial news, articles, whatever..whether from the Internet, books or newspapers. I have to say, amazing wealth of knowledge out there. I read just about anything; share dealing, property investment, financial planning, forex,etc. I also ordered investment books so I can read before bedtime. I even tried doing forex trading with this cool simulation software that allows you to trade with virtual money on real market data. I was really into this.
Let me tell you what I've learned. The biggest lesson I learned is that my knowledge in this area is really shallow. I have to humbly admit that. Before, I always thought I know a lot, but the more I learn, the more I realised that I dont know that much. It make me feel kinda low but hey, suck it up and learn from it.
So, now here I am..still far from my final destination, my own financial heaven. But at least I've started the journey. One step at a time.
The following are other things that I learned. Nothing technical just some thoughts: 1) There is no such thing as easy and quick money maker. If it sounds too good to be true, it usualy is too good to be true. 2) Dumping all your money in those common savings account wont make you rich. Make your money work harder for you. Invest it wisely. 3) Learn before you invest. Don't just simply take other people's word. 4) You dont need millions to start investing. It's ok to invest small. Compound interest and time will work its miracle. All you need is patience. 5) Make sure you have sufficient 'rainy days' fund before even thinking to risk your money. 6) Branded clothing and expensive gadgets doesnt define who I am and who you are as a person. Stop spending so much on it! 7) Money certainly wont buy me happiness but it is the tool to achieve happines ;-) 8) It's ok to discuss about personal financial especially with friends and family. Nothing to be ashamed of. The more you share, the more knowledge you get.
On the last note, my two friends, Azida and Ainul have passed their exam to become unit trust advisors (is that the right title?). I was so excited to know that because for me it means I can 'use' them as my learning tool. So girls, well done and hope you dont mind sharing your knowledge! I'm so proud of you ;-)
No monday blues feeling today...I woke up bright and cheerful. I'm all excited because in less than 4 days I'll be flying back to my home sweet home. Wuuhhhooooo Yeeeehhhooooo!
I cant wait to see my family. Cant wait to see my baby, Nuk. Cant wait to meet up with my darling friends. Cant wait to enjoy good Malaysian fusion food. Cant wait to breathe the warm humid polluted air ;-). Cant wait to drive my Kancil. Basically, I just cant wait to be home again.
By the way, did I mention that I'm coming home with that special someone *wink*. So, I have to make my visit this time extra special. So, my to-do/to-visit list is going to be a long one this time.These are some of it:
Drink air kelapa
Feast on durian and other local fruits
Banana leaf rice treat
Teh tarik, nasi kandar and roti telur at mamak
Nasi lemak for breakfast
Cendol in Taiping
Secret Recipe treat - cheesecake and soba
Yong Tau Foo
Steamboat
Treat at a seafood restaurant - havent decide where yet.
Visit to pasar malam
Visit KLCC and Petronas Tower bridge - Dilla, since u r working there, u know any easy way to get ticket for the bridge?
Meal in KL Tower revolving restaurant
Climb steps in that Batu Cave temple..what is it called?
Visit to Dataran Merdeka and places around it (e.g: Sultan Abdul Samad building, Jalan TAR, CM,etc.)
Mandatory visit to shopping complex - The Curve maybe
Visit to Low Yat plaza to hunt for bargains
Visit to Royal Town Kuala Kangsar
Visit to Taiping - reminisce my childhood memories
Visit to Gua Tempurung
Visit to Pangkor - enjoy beach, try jet skiing and snorkelling
Ride on LRT
Visit to Bangsar - meet up with friends and 'karaoke'ing, if time permits
That's all I can think of for now. Basically, the activities I planned are all around KL and Perak. Sounds boring, huh? I know. I'm so unadventureous. So, could you all please help me with ideas and suggestions. I'm seriously desperate for ideas! The thing is, I'm only coming home for 10 days...plus, my friends are all busy working and I dont know places that much. So, I'm pretty much stuck. So, keep the ideas/suggestions coming ok..
Anyway, that doesnt stop me from feeling excited jumping up and down ;-)
P/S: To my friends (you know who you are)...our gathering plan on Wednesday, 30th May in Bangsar is definitely on. Meet up at Delicious right? Have we make booking for karaoke?
I'm usually not that hype about American Idol. I think it's just another overly commercialised and exploited talent show. However this year, I saw a talent that I really really really truly love. Yo dawg, Blake Lewis is in da house and he is soooo HOT! Thank god he is in the final and I want him to win the crown this year. Seriously.. I mean seriously.. (say it ala Meredith Grey's style) Blake is oh-soooo-good and sexy!
I really like his quirkiness and boldness - it makes him stand out from the rest. He make any song he sang like his own and even added his own arrangement. How cool is that. Even though some of the arrangements didnt really work but hey, I have to give credit to him for trying. It's better to take risk than to play safe, like most other contestants.
In my opinion, Blake Lewis voice and singing style is like combination of Maroon 5 and 311 mixed with beat boxing. Added with his boyish cute looks and charm, I personally think that he will be a hit and his albums will sell like hot cakes.
I LOVE YOU BLAKE!
p/s: If I could pick a song for Blake to sing on the final show, I would choose Maroon 5 - The Way I Was ... It's my current fave song. Oh darling Blake, you'll make my heart melt if you sing this tune.
My colleague sent me this and thought I share it with you lot. Try it, the outcome is interesting.
Sigmund Freud's Priorities
Five things are happening in your house at the same time. In which sequence would you solve them? 1. The telephone is ringing! 2. The baby is crying! 3. Someone's knocking or calling you from the front door! 4. You hung the clothes out to dry and it is beginning to rain! 5. You left the tap on in the kitchen and the water is already overflowing!
In which sequence would you solve these problems? Write your sequence from 1 to 5 and then compare your answers HERE.
It's Friday afternoon and feeling rather sleepy. So I thought I write my 4 Meme..
4 Jobs I've Had: Engineer, Shopkeeper, Engineer..that's all..
4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over: The Replacements, Blood Diamond, Ghost, Sorority Boys
4 Places I have Lived: Taiping, Bainun's Hostel, KL, Plymouth
4 TV Shows I Would Love to Watch: Meow Mix House, Heroes, Finale of Invasion, Oprah
4 Places I have been on Vacation: Some parts of Japan, France, Spain, UK
4 Websites I Visit Daily: Moneysavingexpert.com forum, friends' blogs, news sites, my online bank accounts
4 of My Favorite Foods: Mum's cooking, cheese, miso soup, Walkers cheese & onion
4 Places I Would Rather Be: Home in Ipoh with family & Nuk by my side, my snuggly bed, nice sunny beach with clear blue water, lepak at mamak enjoying teh tarik and gossiping with my girl friends ;-)
4 Albums I Cannot Live Without Err...does family picture album count?
Do you ever feel like you are completely out of your depth in your life that you just can't handle it anymore.
Do you ever feel so frustrated with yourself because you are incapable of accomplishing something even though inside your mind you know you could do it.
Do you ever feel you worked so hard and always play fair, but you never get recognised.
Do you ever feel no matter how hard you practice, you are still far from being good at it.
Do you ever feel when you only made a small silly mistake but people just love to pick on it and remember it for life.
Do you ever feel the more you learn and achieve, the smaller you feel about yourself.
Do you ever feel challenges just keep coming to you that even when you receive something good, you see it as a sign of something bad waiting to happen. Do you ever feel no matter how hard you try, things just never seem to go your way and luck never seem to be on your side.
Do you ever feel you thought you are good at something, but later realised that you are actually just so crap at it. Do you ever feel you always try to find motivation and inspiration but they just never arrive.
Do you ever feel the pressure to impress, that you have to lie.
Do you ever feel when life is treating you unfair, it makes you think if there is at all any hope for fairness.
Do you ever feel life is so hard on you, it makes you wonder why you even bother trying. Do you ever feel when there is nothing else you can do but to hope and pray.
Hope is the built-in weapon we have to fight against 'shit'iness in life. Hope is what make us hold on to life, make us believe there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Hope is what made me wrote this.
I guess I have to make use of 'hope' and hold on to it. Just hold on. Hold on really tight.
Azida has posted hers, so now I'm posting mine. I put deep thoughts when creating this list you know.. Thinking about it, it's only 3 years away before I reach 30... *sigh* i'm getting older..arghh..
So, trying to be as realistic and authentic as possible, here is my '6 Things I Wish I Can Do Before I Reach 30':
1) I want to become richer..(who doesnt?) At near age 27, I think I've improved my skills on money management or at least I've become totally financially independent. So far the only debts I collected are student loan and car loan. So hopefully by 30, I've paid off my car loan, half way to finish off my student loan, have sufficient funds to buy a house I can call my own, increase my financial contribution to my family, earn more salary, give more to charity, step my foot into the investment world and above all, I wish to be a self-made money saving expert
(I want to be richer at heart as well ;-) )
2) I wish to have settled down ar at least be on the verge of settling down I think i'm ready for the 'partnership' life. I have found the person who has all these criterias -> a brainer, an honest lover, a sincere bestfriend, a trusted banker, an excellent housekeeper and have patience like a saint! Have I found Mr Right? Honestly, I dont know the answer. But one thing for sure - I'm happy! Do I think it's gonna work? I hope so. I know it's gonna be a bumpy journey ahead but we are going make it work.
3) I want to treat my family for a holiday I wish to have enough money to treat my family for a visit to the UK or for a holiday of a lifetime. I want to score super big brownie points with my mum and in return, I hope she loves me even more.
4) For once in my life, I really want to be fit and look sexy. I'm tired of being fat! I am the kind of person who dont eat anything for the whole month but still looks like a bloated pregnant cow. I guess I'm a naturally fat person and I blame my 2 copies of fat genes . After taking a hard look on myself and after watching too many Oprah, I now no longer yearn to be thin. I just want to be fit and look sexy.
So now, I've taken baby steps towards living healthier. Once I look sexy, I have this ambitious dream which I wish could come true--> I wish to spend one day..just one day in summer, sunbathing on a beautiful beach wearing a sexy bikini and not have to worry about hiding bulges and cellulites. I know it sounds silly..It's only a dream afterall...
(Look how fat I am compare to the pretty lady next to me)
5) Have a long break at home I want to take a long break(possibly a couple months) at home aka balik kampung. I want to relax and chill out with my family and I want to catch up with my fellow good friends. I've missed out soooo many things when I'm away and I hope to rekindle the relationship again, with my family and with my friends.
6) I want to visit these places: - Italy -> Ainul, remember our conversation about Rome..? - America-> A visit to New York and if possible, I want to attend the Oprah show! Azida, I wouldnt mind a visit to Trump Tower as well...so girls, lets plan a trip to US together..next year ok tak? or 2008? Jom make it happen.. - Fat Duck -> Voted as The Best Restaurant in the world. It's quite near where I live but dont have the chance to go yet..will have to check it out at some point
I've been tagged by Azida today..which means I have to list 6 weird things about myself and plus, this smartie girl also came up with this idea of another list - "6 Things You Wish You Can Do Before You Reach 30"..
Basically, the rule is (copy and paste from Farah): Each player of this game starts out by telling 6 weird things about themselves on their own blog, as well as state the rules clearly. At the end, you will need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list out their names. After you do that, leave them a comment on their blogs letting them know you tagged them.
So here I am, spending my Friday eve blogging..sad isnt it. In a way, I guess it does me good (so I say to comfort myself).. Save me some money from going out and gets the frontal lobe of my brain (which I think has been dormant for quite sometime) some exercise..
I have to tell you it's not easy to find weird things about myself. Because for me, if I found myself having or doing something different from others, I will call myself unique...not a weirdo. Come on, no one wants to be a weirdo..and besides, what is normal these days. Anyway, back to the point...in a quest to find weirdo things about myself, I browsed other ppl's blogs to get some inspiration and I also seek honest opinion from the one person who see the inner and outer side of me better than myself - Alex.
So, after long hard thought..Here are some of the 6 Weird, Freak, Abnormal Things about Me that I manage to discover so far. I'm spilling my own beans here, so please dont judge or look at me weird after this. Despite all these, I'm still a nice person inside, really:
1) Countless number of people have said this to me, "Eugh..Umi, you have freaky fingers" and some of them were really freaked out. I don't know how to explain it, but see the pictures below. Just because I have flexible fingers doesnt mean that I'm weird isnt it..isnt it? Anyway, moving on..
2) Alex told me this. I have this weird obsession with jackets and coats - jumpers, cardigans, summer jackets, winter coats..basically anything related to jackets and coats. I never see this habit as weird but I suppose that's because I never notice it. Only when he told me, I realised that everytime I go out clothes shopping, somehow I manage to get into an autopilot mode - I sort of automatically wander to the jackets section and try them on..every possible options available..The thing is, I don't even buy them and no, I dont have a wardrobe full of jackets..I just fancy looking at them and love trying them on..is that weird? You tell me..
3) I'm a fussy and a neat freak:
I have my own style of folding and arranging my clothes... I have my own system when it come to organising my kitchen cupboard and larder..someone messed with my system, I will definitely get ticked off and I tend to express it.
I don't hang my jacket/coat on coat hangers at public places... The thought of having my jacket touching some stranger's jackets are rather disgusting...Jackets are outer wear and ppl dont tend to wash them very often. So, I dont know if they ever wash their jackets or when were the last time they wash it..eugh.
4) I'm very particular with food and dining...especially when eating out. I sometimes cried or get really pissed off when my food and dining experience didnt turn out as how I want it to be.
5) Sometimes, when there is no one at home and I'm in my room alone, I'll play some songs on my pc, sing along with it and record it as well. I then listen to my singing again just to check how well I've done..Sometimes, depending on the song choice, I actually feel that my singing wasnt all that bad..but that's just the 'syok sendiri' part of myself talking...
6) I'm just not into babies and kids..I wont dare to say I hate them because I might have my own one day. But until right at this moment, I just dont have the soft spot for them...that's a polite way of wording it. Don't ask me why.. it's just the way I am. Maybe it's the annoying loud cries and all the kaffufle they cause that put me off.
So, basically that's it...all my beans spilled..eeeek, it's quite embarassing actually and I cant believe that it took me all night to come up with all these..oh well..nevermind..
Anyway, I'm exhausted now and the bed looks very inviting...
I'll continue with the other list in my next post..
Yesterday was my first experience watching a concert in the UK and it was totally rock...totally! No words can describe how I feel - I totally enjoyed it and it was one of the best night I ever had. But of course, this is just a Justin's fan saying.
* original post edited*
