Saying Goodbye...

It is that time of the year again. Time to say goodbye. Today is officially the last day of 2008. A few hours from now, the calendar will go back to the first day of the first month of a new year... 2009.

I guess, it is also time to reminisce on what 2008 has been for me... A time to look back on the highs and the lows of 2008.

January

What a way to start the new year by trading in the old car for a new one...

Perodua Viva, but in Pearl Jade...

Yes, I got myself a car... And with the car, I got myself into debt with the bank for 7 years. So, technically, you're not "rich" when you can afford a car... It just means, you can afford to owe the bank for a number of years. Whoopee!

February

Well, February was a rather quiet month except for Chinese New Year... Had a good time meeting up with family and friends, and picking up some ang pows (red packets) along the way. Now, THAT's what I call rich! Muahahaha....

March

The month my sister and my brother-in-law assumed position at Cosway, Queensbay Mall. It was also the month where I picked up my long-awaited digital camera, the Canon Ixus 860is. This decision was actually brought forward due to the fact that the camera will come VERY handy in the following month...

Not a good shot, but a shot nonetheless...

Capturing magical moments... Okay, gotta stop with the cheesy quotes...

April

Oh boy, was I excited about this month or what! My job review was up this month. It went pretty OK, except for a few comments which I felt was rather unfair, but oh well, just have to suck it in and improve, I guess... Not to fret, though, the best days of my entire year was about to come... The long awaited LIVE concert of Céline Dion, in not one but TWO cities... Shanghai, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

It was definitely an experience of a lifetime. Sure, I have seen her before in Las Vegas, but that was a different show altogether.

I practically flew all night to get to Céline, in Shanghai, that is...

Boating through Huangpu River

Sampling the famous Xiao Long Bao

The long-awaited concert. Lousy seats, though.

And then, of course, my once-in-a-lifetime chance of meeting Céline face-to-face. I even got a hug!

OK, I cropped the picture, but still, it's REAL!

May

This was a month that had both a union and a farewell. It was the month of Kevin and Sharon's wedding but also, it was the month we had to say "See ya!" to the Spoelmans for half the year.

Mr. & Mrs. Han

If you squint hard enough, you could actually see Rachel crying!

It was also the month of "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun"

June

Can't recall much of June... maybe because by the end of May, most of us were quite down... But I enjoyed spending time with my cousin sister and family as well as celebrated a couple of birthdays and hanging out with cute little boys...

Birthday celebration #1

Birthday celebration #2: Yes, that IS Suku... without the facial hair. Unbelievable? Believe it! =P

I told you they were cute...

Well, that's the first half of my 2008. Not sure if I'll have the time to write the second part of this post, but I'll give it a try...

December Mumblings...

Let's see... I haven't posted anything since November. Time to write something...

Well, I've been busy baking sugar cookies (some call it butter cookies... to-MAY-to, to-MAH-to) and brownie cupcakes and packing them into nice little plastic bags (yes, I am not environmentally friendly, apparently...) as Christmas goodies for my friends.

Other than that, I'm back to work since my holiday plans were somewhat dashed by last minute decisions. Oh well, life is like that.

Credit Cards: Boon Or Bane?

Ka-ching! I just made an online purchase a few minutes back for a DVD that a friend highlighted to me a day or two ago. Of course, it will cost me a bomb when the exchange rates hit, but the liberation of pressing that "confirm order" button is something to behold. I remember when I was younger, trying to buy something off the internet and having to beg ask my Mom for permission, which was usually turned down, it never felt quite right.

Now, I have a credit card to call my own. Frankly speaking, I hardly ever use it. I do not feel the need to owe first, pay later. I am really not into debt, to be honest. I just use the credit card to pay off my life insurance monthly premium, my lousy cable company bill, my internet bill and... ah, yes, petrol. I don't feel the need to be carrying lump sums of money to just pay for a full tank of gas or line up at the bill payment counter on a working day to pay off my bills.

But, of course, I need to be careful about spending too much on online transactions/purchases. It gets really easy with credit cards these days... Gotta think twice or three times before hitting that "confirm order" button.

Argh, the temptation!

I Wish...

I wish those days could come back once more
Why did those days ever have to go
'Cos I love them so...

Chimes Stevie Wonder, in his song, "I Wish"... After working 12-hour work days for the past 3 days, and looking at the national calendar, today is the last day of regular school - which means, the holidays start tomorrow! How I wish I was back in schooling days, looking forward to the year-end break which lasts about a month and a half.

I remember the late nights, the sleep ins, the watch-TV-all-day, the afternoon naps... It can get boring and monotonous within the first week of holiday, but it was still fun. I wish I could turn back time because I would love a month-long break right now. A break with nothing to worry about, loads of sleep and TV watching...

I wish....

Super Stressed!

I haven't had much time to update this blog, not that I have MUCH to write about, but I feel like ranting today. I have worked two 12-hour days in a row and I am expected to do more 12-hour days in the days to come. Why? Because my company is in a huge transition mode and the people most hit by that transition are the ones working in my department. We have to do all the leg work, hand work, head work... basically, ALL work.

I'm tired of DOS like windows, green alphabets and digits, Excel files, 10pm dinners... Yes, because of this overload of work, I have had to have my dinners around 10pm. I had to miss my High School Musical 3 appointment and I think I have more to miss out on because of work.

I personally feel I am not obligated to work past my working hours. I am only obligated to finish my work and finish well, I am a believer in that, but the workload will take days to finish because regular working hours just doesn't cut it.

Sigh... I look forward to better days, but now, I am stuck in the bleak. Bleh!

Stressed Out...

Let's see, where do I start? Well, the only proper update I can give is that I am totally stressed out. Absolutely and completely stressed out. In these hard times, people are stressed out because they are worried for their jobs and their income - that is perfectly normal. For me, I can say, for now, that my job is safe. However, due to a major shake-up, my company is bearing the brunt of all the workload.

People say, it's good that you have work to do, that means you still have a job. Right now, I have work to do, all right, but TOO much! Imagine doing 10 - 15 people's workload with only 5 employees in that department to handle it. That ought to drive ANYONE crazy!

I have never felt so stressed out before and for the first time this week, I have really struggled to drag myself out of bed to go to work, not knowing what news might hit us next and how it will impact what we are doing right now.

Frankly speaking, I am scared AND stressed. Not a good combination at all.

Sigh...

I Didn't Know That!

I learned something new today while listening to a new Christmas album. As I was researching for the lyrics of "O Holy Night" (because this singer's version was a bit different from the usual versions), I found out that this song was originally French!

Oui! It's called "Minuit Chrétiens / Cantique de Noël", a traditional French Christmas Carol. Wikipedia has a short article on it and the lyrics (with translation) is as follows.

Minuits, chrétiens / Cantique de Noël:

Minuit, chrétiens, c'est l'heure solennelle,

Où l'Homme-Dieu descendit jusqu'à nous

Pour effacer la tache originelle

Et de Son Père arrêter le courroux.

Le monde entier tressaille d'espérance

En cette nuit qui lui donne un Sauveur.

Peuple à genoux, attends ta délivrance.

Noël, Noël, voici le Rédempteur,

Noël, Noël, voici le Rédempteur!

De notre foi que la lumière ardente

Nous guide tous au berceau de l'Enfant,

Comme autrefois une étoile brillante

Y conduisit les chefs de l'Orient.

Le Roi des rois naît dans une humble crèche:

Puissants du jour, fiers de votre grandeur,

A votre orgueil, c'est de là que Dieu prêche.

Courbez vos fronts devant le Rédempteur.

Courbez vos fronts devant le Rédempteur.

Le Rédempteur a brisé toute entrave:

La terre est libre, et le ciel est ouvert.

Il voit un frère où n'était qu'un esclave,

L'amour unit ceux qu'enchaînait le fer.

Qui Lui dira notre reconnaissance,

C'est pour nous tous qu'Il naît, qu'Il souffre et meurt.

Peuple debout! Chante ta délivrance,

Noël, Noël, chantons le Rédempteur,

Noël, Noël, chantons le Rédempteur!

English Translation of Minuits, chrétiens / Cantique de Noël: (N.b. the English version of 'O Holy Night' is not a direct translation of the French.)

Midnight, Christians it's the solemn hour

When God as Man descended unto us

To erase the original stain (sin)

And end the wrath of His Father.

The entire world trembles with expectation

In this night that gives to us a Savior.

Fall on your knees, await your deliverance.

Noel, Noel, here is the Redeemer,

Noel, Noel, here is the Redeemer!

The redeemer has broken every shackle

The earth is free, and heaven is open.

He sees a brother where there was once only a slave

Those who had been chained together by iron, love now unites.

Who will tell Him of our gratitude

It is for every one of us that He was born, suffered and died.

Stand on your feet, sing of your deliverance.

Noel, Noel, sing of the Redeemer,

Noel, Noel, sing of the Redeemer!

Yes, I suspect the translation of the second verse is missing and I can't seem to find it anywhere, but it's beautiful in French anyways. Anyone care to translate?

If Only...

If only I could turn back time... Sigh...

I got my car back today, but it just doesn't feel the same anymore. I've done my car wrong, and nothing, not even a great fix-up, will make it new again. It will never be the same again...

I wish I could go back in time, and retrace my steps and do it all over again... I wish I could avoid the crash...

It was my fault... and now, I'm paying for it.

Sigh...

Have You Seen Stupid?

Just when you thought you were extra careful, extra cautious... stupidity happens.

Yes, a lapse of judgment has cost me massive heartache and also pocket-ache/bank account-ache, headache, etc...

As I was carefully backing out from my parking space yesterday, trying to avoid another car that was awkwardly parked close to me, I did not realize a beam/pole was right behind me (my sensor did not catch it either). And the expression, "You'll know when to stop when you hear a bang" really came to pass.

Bang!

Shattered..

Point of impact...

Broken...

Sigh... words cannot express how I feel right now. Things like this do happen to the best of us, as one friend tried to empathize with me, but it cannot take away this feeling of how stupid this incident really is. Firstly, it should not have happened. Period! Secondly, it's a stupid mistake that will now cost me more than I can earn back within a month. Thirdly... there is no thirdly... it's just stupid!

ARGH! *hits her head against the brick wall*

Birthday Recap - Part 2

Picking up where I left of... Ahh yes, Friday, my birthday itself. I didn't do much because I did not expect anything as there was nothing planned on that day except work and home group. Little did I know, a bunch of sneaky little home groupies decided to surprise me with a birthday cake. What a sweet bunch of sneaky home groupies. hehe...

Maiming the cake... Hai-yah!

I also received a nice little bundle of goodies from my dearest friend which contained delectable goodies and then some... *wink*

Goodies...

When I got home, a couple of red packets were waiting for me too, from within my family. Ka-ching!

Money, money, money...

On Saturday, I was treated to a very nice buffet lunch at E&O Hotel. We dined at Sarkies Corner. It was unusually packed that day, but nonetheless, the experience and the food was great. The company was great too. I had a wonderful time and am blessed that I got to experience "fine dining".

This way, please...

Japanese food... Yum!

Fresh from the grill...

Chocolate fountain! Yippee!

On Sunday, a little teddy bear was gifted into my hands. It was white and fluffy and it came with a beautiful name - Aurora. That was a nice gift from a dear friend.

Aurora - My new friend...

Then, I was whisked away by another friend for lunch at - Chili's! Yummy! I enjoyed my meal thoroughly and I even had two desserts to boot; one from Chili's and another from Big Apple Donuts. Talk about being well-fed. *burp*

Chili's...

A week later, I received another gift from another dear friend. Though belated, but I loved the gift nonetheless. It was simple yet useful.

Simple yet lovely gift...

All in all, I have to say that this year's celebration was way over what I could ever imagine. It was truly a great blessing from God and the people He put in my life. I am thankful for each one of them. My life is richer with them in it. I would not trade them for the world. Really.

Birthday Recap... Part 1

Now that I finally have enough time to sit down and write and upload the pictures from my camera to the computer, I can finally recap on a wonderful week of birthday celebrations I had.

It all started (unofficially) on Tuesday, 7th October, while hanging out at a friend's house for our Tuesday night weekly gathering. Someone will usually pick a movie or a channel to watch and on that day, I was given the controls to the remote to choose whatever I wanted to watch since it was my "birthday week". I chose to watch CSI:NY...

With great power comes great responsibility. Muahahaha...

Then came Wednesday. I was meeting up another friend to watch 'Eagle Eye' and by the time we got to the popcorn line, I was told that the movie was on her, along with popcorn, drinks and a hotdog dinner. It was a birthday treat for me from her. What a lovely surprise... After the movie, she bought me my White Chocolate Dream drink from Coffee Bean too. What an evening of fun and food. Yum!

Tickets! Get your tickets!

On the eve of my birthday, my extended family took me out for a nice dinner at TGIFriday's. It was my relative's birthday that day followed by my birthday the next day, so, sometimes we celebrate together. I had the New York Strip in Wild Mushroom Butter (if I remember that correctly) and a side of cheese mashed potatoes. The portion was OK but I was actually hoping for some greens. Not too much to ask for, right?

TGIFriday's

New York Strip with Wild Mushroom Butter and Mashed Potatoes, steak "done-ness" - medium well

Then, when we mentioned to the staff at TGIF's that it was our birthdays, we were given a couple of slices of chocolate cake and some celebratory songs. We had to stand on chairs for the cake, but, it was a pretty fun occasion.

Chocolate cake... Yum!

The cake was quite springy, I have to say, but it was still pretty good. We enjoyed ourselves there. But apparently, the celebrations did not stop there. Coming up next is Part 2 of the Birthday Recap post. Right now, I need to head to bed.

What A Week!

I officially turned a year older today... And all I can say is, "WOW!". Why? Because my birthday celebration wasn't just a day, it is pretty much the whole week! As I am typing this, I am still not done with the celebrations, and all these were not planned out by me. It is amazing! God is amazing! His people are amazing!

I'll write more when the celebrations end, but as for now, I am heading to dreamland as I will be having my first dining experience at the E&O hotel tomorrow. Can't wait!

Another Year...

It's gonna be another 1 year added to my age tally tomorrow... Not sure if I'm looking forward to it that much, but I guess, it means another year has gone by and I've survived it. I realized that the older I get, the less I'm expecting out of the "big day"... I used to want and like big parties or surprise parties, those are really nice, but I'm not expecting it as much. Either that or I'm in denial...

Anyhow, I have to get through today first to make it to tomorrow.

Holiday!

Yay! Two days off from work! Now, what should I do? What should I do? Ahh... yes! SLEEP!!!

Oh well, nothing to blog about as I have yet to upload a couple of pictures I took from this morning's wet and pretty wild day. I saw a very swollen river, a couple of motorboats (on land!!) waiting to get into the waist-deep waters, flooded roads at almost every corner I took. Talk about frantic situations.

I feel bad for the residents who have to endure these floods at every monsoon season. Sigh...

Wax On, Wax Off

That's what Mr. Miyagi said to Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid.

And so, that was what I did on an off day I had today - getting my car washed and its first polish & wax. It took me three hours to get it done. I almost wanted to give up because it was so tiring and my arms were basically flailing away due to over use.

Also, I realized that perfectionism and car washing do not go well together. It's as simple as that. Otherwise, it might take me a day to get the car really, really clean and really, really shiny.

I think I'll just go back to my regular RM10 car wash and vacuum services and consider getting someone else to do the waxing and polishing. I know it was not that easy but I did not expect it to be so tough.

For now, I am going to wax off and rest my arms.

Lelong*... Original Microsoft Software For Sale!

Yes, I am trying to sell off the software I just received a few days ago. I won it during one of those "So You Think You Can Spell" contests held by MixFM. I personally think I could spell. Either that or the other person was just a slightly not-so-good speller. He actually fumbled, and that was a no-no for that game. Rules, you know...

So, anyway, here I am, blessed (or in my words, stuck) with this RM2499 (retail price at that time) software that I have no use for, at least, not when my computer system is not up to it. Why use something your computer cannot support, right?

Anyone interested in purchasing this very original, authentic, unused, mint condition, licensed Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 software? Price is negotiable.

Am I even allowed to sell on blogger? Hmm...

Here are some pictures I took and the specs needed to run the software (fun!):

The front... very nicely packaged, I'd have to say!

One side of it...

The back, it tells you what programmes it carries...

The nitty-gritty! System Requirements...

System Requirements... continued...

System Requirements... the end!

*p.s. "Lelong" means "auction" in Malay

Céline Dion - Taking Chances Live in Shanghai

Day 2 in Shanghai started relatively late. We slept in because we had no plans for the day except to get to the Shanghai Stadium on time.

We woke up early for breakfast and then went back to bed shortly after. Too lazy, I guess.

Then, we decided to hunt for the famous Shanghai "Xiao Long Bao", which, to me, translates to "Little Dragon Bao". We had earlier asked some of the staff serving breakfast on where to find this elusive yet famous bao. They came to a conclusion that we had to go to a famous temple nearby to sample the bao. We weren't really keen on that.

So, we decided to try our luck by venturing out and asking the local taxi guy who was waiting at the hotel porch. He told us that the bao at the temple is not all that great. If we wanted something authentic, we would have to travel over one hour away. He said he could take us there and back for a fee. We haggled for a lower fee and clinched the deal. So, off we went to this 'shop' to sample the "Xiao Long Bao". Yum!

The entrance

'Xiao Long Bao' - the one on the right is with the normal meat filling, the one on the left is with meat & prawn filling

Close-up look

A burst of soup in each bite

After the 'Xiao Long Bao' adventure, we headed back to the heart of town, to the Shanghai Stadium to get ready for the concert.

Oh hey! Ikea!

The place was still rather empty when we got to the stadium. Some of the workers were already setting up posts at the different entrances, especially for special ticket pick-up counters.

Approaching the stadium!

The stadium itself...

We were pretty early, like a couple of hours early, maybe. So, we waited and waited. Then, the crowds slowly grew bit-by-bit. There were peddlers selling everything from glowsticks to binoculars to resized posters to CDs and much more. I settled for a pair of cheap binoculars. Again, I haggled like nobody's business. Got it for a steal... Or maybe they ended up "stealing" from me for a pair of binoculars that is not your really good, top class one. Either way, I still thought it was a great bargain!

The gates finally opened and we rushed in, well, actually, we didn't. We just walked to our designated stadium gate and saw them opening up a mini stall for merchandise. I got myself the tourbook for slightly cheaper than the regular US price. This did not involve any haggling, the price was already set relatively lower, RMB200. (Retail US price was around USD20 - 25). We were on the second floor (or was it third?), on the right side of the stadium. We were FAR away. (Far is an understatement here!)

Up and up we went!

See? Far, eh?

We chatted up with a couple of Malaysians (imagine that!) working in Shanghai. They were very nice. Then, the show started. Oh, forgot to mention the weather: FREEZING! Well, it wasn't very cold, but the strong winds didn't help us much since it was still spring time there. I could barely feel my fingers, but I held on to my camera, taking pictures and videos as the concert went along.

The screen was a big help...

She drove all night, all right... Yeah!

So far away...

Au revoir, ma cherie! Till we meet again in Kuala Lumpur, Malaisie!

The concert went on for about an hour and 15 minutes, and then, it was all over. Sigh... If it wasn't for the cold weather, I thought we were just getting started! After leaving the stadium, we tried out some meat-on-a-stick food by a roadside peddler. Interesting was the word. Mom and I ventured out to catch a taxi and we did not get one until about an hour later. Talk about a LONG day. We got back to the hotel around 11+pm, exhausted but a little bit happy, at least, for me.

And so, that was Day 2 in Shanghai.