Goodbye

All good things come to an end. It's been approximately 6 years since I started blogging here. I've decided to move on, to greeener pastures. I will still be blogging, but you'll just have to find me.

Until then xx

Sawadeeka

Krabi (Thai: กระบี่) is a town (thesaban mueang) on the west coast of southern Thailand at the mouth of the Krabi River into the Andaman Sea. As of 2005 the town has a population of 24,986. The town is the capital of Krabi Province and Krabi district.



My long awaited break for 2009 has finally arrived. For the past few years since I started work, I had been ranting about going for a "beach" holiday. Strangely I was never a big fan of beach but just for the heck of it, I decided to go for it anyway...thanks to Air Asia "RM0" fare! :))

Krabi, here I come..............

A notable Monday.

Monday is finally over! It felt like such a loong day I had. It also felt like I did absolutely nothing. Silly, of course I did. Just that it sure feels like such a struggle to get through Mondays, especially since we had 2 public holidays on a Monday consecutively for the past 2 weeks.

I had a relatively well rested weekend notwthstanding the night ended late last night as it was AK's wedding. I remember quite clearly the day AK spilled the beans that he was getting married. Just about a year ago, coincidentally he was on MSN and I jokingly asked "So Tai Kor (though he is technically a couple of months younger than me), when getting married lar...?" to which he responded "Next year". That came as quite a surprise as he had always been hush hush about his other half. I had never met her prior to their wedding last night, although I was told they have been dating a few years now. Then, I remembered thinking to myself that it was still a long way to go before the wedding. And the wedding was last night! It's amazing how time flies, and everyone around me keeps saying that.. so I guess I'm not the only person feeling that way! At weddings, it never seem like it is ever possible to capture a picture with the couple. To me, it usually feels more like a reunion with old friends.



Picture with my ex-housemates (and a regular visitor) at the wedding.

Talk about an overdose of overwhelming (and HAPPY) news. This morning, a very good friend said she has news for me. She disclosed to me that -

1. she is getting married in March. So I asked whether it was this year or next. It was this year. [I was estatic when I heard this.] But that wasn't the NEWS.

2. she is pregnaaaant! (that explains the wedding inMarch). [I was overjoyed for her when I heard this. "Xiong hei lam mun" as they say "Double Happiness".]

3. she is expecting TWINS [I was speechless by then and overwhelmed.].

Congratulations babe, the bride and mother-to-be! They sure will be some fashionable kids! :)

Sleep mode...

Oh dear oh dear....

It’s been 3 weeks and I’ve still not recovered fully from the last attack of throat infection and cough since my last blog entry. After seeing 3 different doctors and consumed 2 doses of antibiotics, flu medication and 4 different types of cough medication (tasting from sour to bitter), my taste buds have completely gone into sleep mode! I simply can’t taste anything anymore. Blehh…

When I was in Penang over the Chinese New Year holidays, I decided to indulge in a cup of almond tea. A drink which is usually so strong tasting and smelling, some regard it to the “cockroach” drink (yes, a colleague of mine mentioned). I have no idea how he would even know how cockroaches taste like. I guess perhaps the smell of the drink induces one’s mind which is inter-linked to one’s taste buds, hence the taste of cockroach would seemingly surface upon the sniff of the aroma of the almond tea. Anyway, the point is, my taste buds had completely lost its ability to taste even that cockroach-like taste. In fact, it tasted more like a barley drink gone bad and murky..!

So, as you can probably guess, I certainly did not have such a good 3 weeks in so far as my food intake was concern. I have avoided spicy, oily, deep-fried, cold, strong tasting food, any of which would trigger and cause an outburst of flu, cough or sorethroat. Fingers crossed, I can only hope that I can soon recover my taste and smell senses….

Faith

Happy 2009! May we stride in success, whatever decisions we make and paths we take. :)

It's barely the first month into 2009, and I'm down with a flu, fever, sore throat and cough. Yup, you name it, I have 'em all. Hmmm, I wonder how I caught them.. I need to recover fast, as Chinese New Year is fast approaching...!

The in-flux of work since the year started has been pretty consistent. Though no new matters have yet to commence, the spill-over from last year's has kept me rather pre-occupied for the last 2 weeks. I reckon it will be a pretty interesting ride this year, in so far as my career progression is concerned. I'm turning 5 this year, as in, I'll be finishing my 4th year of practice in a couple of months.

Looking back, it's pretty amazing how time flies. I could never figure out how that term works. If time is a measure of my achievements over the past 4 years, best leave that for a topic of discussion for another day.

Most friends I've met or chatted online with have posed the same question.... "How was X'mas/ New Year celebration?" In a nutshell, I would say I had a blessed celebration. Blessed because the people who mattered most in my life were present, and I'm definitely looking forward to a harvestful 2009!

2008, though challenging for me has brought me to greater heights and self-discovery. More importantly, my faith was restored and renewed, in various aspects of my life.


"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

-Hebrews 11:1-

Year end

It's coming to the end of 2008. Looking back, how time flies...

Felt like only awhile ago that I was enjoying myself in Bangkok, and that was January this year.

During mid-year, I had the time of my life in London.

This year end, I'm sure I'll have a blessed celebration with my loved ones.

This year was truly enriching for me involving lots of soul searching. I've had a fair share of ups and downs, in the process I end up becoming a stronger person, mentally and character wise.

It's inexplicable how things turn out. There'll always be a reason why things happen the way they do. Best part is, you end up growing with experience and discovering what and who you truly are capable of being. And that is the most invaluable experience of all.

With great excitement as I move ahead in life, looking forward to an even more challenging 2009 and the ability to experience even greater moments which I'll remember for a long time to come.

Absolutely enjoyed Mamma Mia!

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels

To plan or not to plan... and how do you...?

I recently rewatched The Wedding Planner (can’t believe I actually bought the DVD which goes to show how much I love the movie), one of my old-time favourite romantic comedy which I absolutely loved. I maintain my view, it was such a brilliant make.

Filmed in 2001, this movie starred Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. It tells the story of a wedding planner who being the perfectionist and ambitious she is, in fact is just like any other girl hoping to seek true love, having been scarred by her ex-fiance who cheated on her.

Some of the memorable quotes from the movie -

“… those who can't do, teach? Those who can't wed, plan.”

“It's a good thing I didn't marry him. But most of the time I think... I just wasn't enough…... ”

“… what if what I think is great really is great... but it's not as great as something greater?"

Then of course, I’m currently hooked to the soundtrack “Plan on Forever” by Sue Ann Carwell & Mervyn Warren.

I have planned my life, to the last detail

With a story book romance to fill my daysB

ut the funny thing about answered prayer

Is they come to you in unexpected ways

How could I plan on forever?

When I never planned on you

Someone to fall for

To love for all eternity

Baby let's plan on forever

And watch all our dreams come true

You're what I live for

Who I can give for ever to

My destiny is you

Cause you danced with me, and the earth stood still

My heart can't quite believe how right this seems

When you're in my arms the truth of us

Is better than the best of all my dreams

How could I plan on forever?

When I never planned on u

Someone to fall for

To love for all eternity

Baby let's plan on forever

And watch all our dreams come true

You're what I live for

Who I can give forever to

My destiny is u

Sometimes the one you're right for is standing too close to see

But u saw the light and never gave up on me

Baby, let's plan on forever

And watch all our dreams come true

You're what I live for

Who I can give for ever to

Now I see

My destiny

Is you

Where then does my destiny lie?

Time out from work, time to blog.

Dear blog,

Gosh, it has been like what… a MONTH (where did it all go) since I last made an entry to my blog. My most hated 4 letters in the English dictionary, W-O-R-K, I suspect.

And I wouldn’t have been reminded if I hadn’t been perusing Leesh’s blog and realized I was probably the only unactive blogger (since all others had like a heading for “entry of the day” kinda thing). Still, he was kind enough to include me in his list of bloggers.

I must say, I am damn pai seh (shy).. especially since there are many who visits/ reads his blog and might just accidentally happen to click on “m3ngchoo’s journey”…. *gulp* and find that nothing has been posted. Hahaha, well, this is one of those lucky days when the blog gets updated.

I wish I am as diligent as Leesh and all the other bloggers whose websites I occasionally log on to kepoh (busy body me). As I hardly have the time to contribute to mine, it makes it so much easier and fun to read other’s blog.

Some of their writings really crack me up, and it’s good to share a light-hearted moment with yourself at least once a day, really makes up for the gloomy office environment. Don’t get me wrong, my colleagues are absolutely FUN (note the emphasis) people to be with, but after awhile, work really gets into your nerve and, it’s not so fun anymore, and the funny colleagues then become cranky… chain reaction, they call it. (Interestingly enough, I just noted, if one's FUNNY, that could denote that one is a FUN person.)

Sigh… and WOW, I’ve actually managed to blog almost a page now about what seem to be something on absolutely nothing… maybe there’s some hope of me becoming a more regular blogger…

The Sound of Music

This morning, I had the luxury of time to rewatch The Sound of Music, one of my all time favourites. And I still enjoyed it tremendously. It must be something about the movie. The singing. The happy sounds of children's laughter. As I watched it, I couldn't help but wonder what had become of those 7 Von Trapp children. Have they changed much? So off I went googling, and this was what I found.



The cast of Sound of Music reunited after 40 years (missing in picture is Christopher Plummer aka Captain Von Trapp)



Another group picture.
Behind: Lisa, Fredrich, Louisa & Kurt
Sitting: Brigitta, Marta & Gretl

A Gemini

Over time, I've come to wonder whether the description of our zodiacs has any truth to it?

A Gemini is described as -

Smart and witty.
Outgoing, very chatty.
Lively, energetic.
Adaptable but needs to express themselves.
Argumentative and outspoken.
Likes change.
Versatile.
Busy, sometimes nervous and tense.
May seem superficial or inconsistent. (Hmmm..)
Beautiful physically and mentally.

A picture speaks a thousand words..

They say “A picture speaks a thousand words”. Pictures help us to remember and reminisce the events that shape our lives of what it is today. Moments in life which needs to be captured so that we will never forget them. Most of them were left forgotten. Then there are those who have actually left or are no longer with you.

The Ear.

Argh. It's starting to frustrate me big time.

First a litle echo. Then a blockage. Followed by a series of imbalance. Now, it's the feeling of pressure perpetually building inside. If you're guessing what I'm referring to, it's my ear.

Gawd knows what's going on that tiney hole. I feel like I'm being punished, as if the work load is not bad enough. Ok, the work load is relatively not as bad as the ear condition. Even the two ENTs I visited couldn't detect the source of the problem with my ear.

I remember vaguely my first encounter in December 06. Then thinking it was just a minor thing, I brushed it aside and the discomfort disappeared within days.

Then came Sept 07. I was suppose to be on holiday and enjoying myself in Singapore, for gawd's sake. But no, it HAD to haunt me for 5 bloody days. The irony of it, by the time the bus arrived back in KL, any blockage/ imbalance went away and everything was back to normal.

We must have not parted well, or just maybe it missed me. In Jan 08, the imbalance returned. To make it all even better, I was in bloody Bangkok. The view from Vertigo was simply amazing. My friend joked about me being in the state of "vertigo" on top of the building Vertigo. Sigh, not funny at all. The days that followed were a nightmare. I'd get sudden waves and attacks of imbalanceness. After one month, it was goodbye. During the one month, not even the ENT's prescribed medicines could help relieve the pain I was going through.

I have since resorted to all sorts of remedies. Including more sleep, more water, exercise (am starting), less stress (those within my control) but the good imbalance-free days did not last. I swore it was a good 2 weeks that I could finally begin to hear everyone properly.

Alas, it has now made a comeback. I wonder how long it will last this time?

"She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her. His understanding and temper, though unlike her own, would have answered all her wishes. It was an union that must have been to the advantage of both; by her ease and liveliness, his mind might have been softened, his manners improved, and from his judgment, information, and knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater importance. But no such happy marriage could now teach the admiring multitude what connubial felicity really was."

Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen (17175-1817)

Worth reading.

Received a forwarded email from a friend, which is worth reading. On a lighter note, here's wishing a Happy Chinese New Year to everyone! Hope you'll have a good break and come back rejuvenated! More importantly, may you receive all the ang pows your heart desires. And by that I don't mean just the red packet for the content is what matters most! :-)

MENSTRUAL CYCLE- PLEASE PASS TO YOUR FEMALE FRIENDS

PASS THIS ON EVEN IF YOU DO NOT USE IT

Recently this past week, my cousin Nicole Dishuk (age 31...newly graduated
student with a doctoral degree about to start her new career as a
Doctor...) was flown into a nearby hospital, because she passed out.

They found a blood clot in her neck, and immediately took her by
helicopter to the ER to operate. by the time they removed the right half of her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain, the clot had spread to
her brain causing severe damage.

Since last Wednesday night, she was battling.. they induced her into a
coma to stop the blood flow, They operated 3 times.. Finally, they said
there was nothing left that they could do.. they found multiple clots in
the left side of her brain.. the swelling wouldn't stop, and she was on
life support..

She died at 4:30 yesterday. She leaves behind a husband, and a 2yr old
Brandon and a 4yr old Justin.. The CAUSE of DEATH - they found was a birth
control she was taking that allows you to only have your period 3 times a
year... They said it interrupts life's menstrual cycle, and although it is
FDA approved... shouldn't be - So to the women in my address book - I ask
you to boycott this product & deal with your period

once a month - so you can live the rest of the months that your life has
in store for you.

*Please send this to every woman you know - you may save someone's
life... Remember, you have a CYCLE for a reason!

Fyi.

The name of this new birth control pill is Lybrel. If you go to Lybrel.com
http://lybrel.com/ , you will find at least 26 pages of information
regarding this drug.

The second birth control pill is, Seasonique. If you go to the website of,
Seasonique.com http://seasonique .com/ , you will find 43 pages of
information regarding this drug.
The warnings and side effects regarding both pills are horrible. Please,
please forward this information to as many daughters AND sons, co-workers,
friends and relatives. Several lives have already been changed.

A relaxing weekend

Last weekend was rather awesome for me. I don’t think I’ve had such a relaxing weekend for a long while. On Saturday, I was invited to a BBQ party which ended late. It was good fun meeting new people every now and then. Reminded me of those care-free days in UK when work and deadlines were not the only things in mind.

So get this, I slept in on Sunday after a late Saturday night out. Woke up, and for the first time, I didn’t have to rush somewhere to run errands or to meet friends etc. It actually felt nice in a weird manner that I didn’t have to do anything much without feeling like my weekend was completely wasted.

Happily I laid by on my couch and off I went, catching up on the latest DVD which I had bought the weekend before. My first choice had to be Becoming Jane. My brothers’ collection of other action movies did not interest me whatsoever. So I find myself, swirled back into time……



In the winsome, heartfelt trifle Becoming Jane, the young Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway), a budding artist in a world where art by women isn't taken seriously, finds herself trapped by the very romance that has set her free. She meets Tom LeFroy (James McAvoy), a rascally lawyer, banished to the countryside by his scolding benefactor of an uncle, and after the usual gavottes, impish-insult flirtations, and peering through the leaves at skinny dipping hunks scene, she falls for him (not surprisingly)! In speculating how Jane Austen became the writer she was, the film views this man through her eyes and offers a not-bad thesis: “To understand love is to confront the agony of losing it.” All in all, it was a rather charming and enjoyable affair!












I was rather sceptical of the movie initially as I was never a big fan of English literature. Surprisingly enough, I actually enjoyed myself. The only reason why I had bought this movie was because of Anne Hathaway. I enjoyed her other movies, in particular Princess Diaries and Devil Wears Prada.

Later that night, I watched my all time favourite tv show. Beauty pageant. It is the time of the year again. In previous years, I'd monitor the pageant news as to who’s who, who’s the favourite amongst the media and what not. It was mid-Jan before I realised that Miss Chinese International Pageant 2008 will be taking place. I had a quite glance at the usual beauty pageant websites and skimped through the delegates’ profiles this year. I really thought KL should at least have made it to Top 10 but I guess I was wrong. After having watched last night’s pageant, I am convinced that these pageants are biased and rigged!

But I guess it’s no fault of the judges since they’re mostly HK celebrities and well known people in HK, surely and possibly even mandatory that they are required to ensure that Miss HK makes it to top 3 placing. It would have been alright if Miss HK satisfied at least 2 out of the 3Bs (in my humble opinion) – (i) beautiful, (ii) body, and/or (iii) brains. Needless to say, I didn’t think she deserved the title. You are of course entitled to your views. Maybe she’s smart, she did make it to Top 15 and even won a title at Miss Universe last year.

I’m happy that Oceane Zhu, Miss Paris won. She didn’t strike me initially as having the “winner” look but over the 2 hours of the pageant, slowly it began to sink in. She was definitely deserving of her title and most of all, she had that charm in her. Charisma and quick wit. Notwithstanding that she’s only 20, she’s was calm and put on her best show! She appears to be bubbly and had a cute personality. In one of the segments (where the delegates had to role play based on a short video clip), Oceane played the role of a friend who was being accused of “stealing” her good friend’s boyfriend and having been slapped by her friend, she was suppose to look pitiful and shocked, instead she actually barked at her friend rather angrily. I thought it was quite hilarious. She definitely scored points there!



Official profile.



Swimsuit



Crowning moment.



Group picture.

Dreams - overloaded with or lacking in meaning?

I woke up this morning and was shocked to find that my gums were bleeding. It wasn’t overflowing or anything, just a slight bleed. It was as though I had over-brushed my teeth or applied just a bit too much force. But I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet.

Later this morning, I had flashbacks of strange dreams that I had last night. In the dream, I was “visiting” my current law firm. Note the word “visiting”. It meant I was no longer with the firm. It was like I had left many years and when I was making my rounds in the firm. Some of the people I use to work with were no longer with the firm. The rooms that me and my colleagues use to sit in were long gone, some were made into storage rooms. The feeling was weird. That was dream no. 1.

In dream no. 2, I dreamt that a partner of the firm passed away. I still can’t quite recall the details of the dream but it was a rather sad one.

As I made my way to the office this morning, it got me thinking. Is the dream a message?

· A message from the unconscious or psyche or myself-to-myself?
· A message from God or a spiritual entity?
· A message from the future itself?

Or maybe IS this a sign that I’ve been with the firm way too long that even my dreams are associated with the firm and people from the firm?! I usually sleep like a baby and that means no dreams whatsoever. Fingers crossed, these kind of dreams don’t persist.

Bangkok, here I comeeee...

I finally visited Bangkok. In short, I had a great time, as can be seen in my picture collection on Facebook. Three folders containing most of the (nicer) pictures taken in Bangkok. I have posted the rest of the more candid shots here for story telling purposes.

So, here goes. It was a pretty last minute decision for me to crash the Banking & Property team in my firm for their trip to Bangkok. It was all well worth it, I don’t think I would have enjoyed myself as much but for the company of my dear friend/ colleagues. We departed on the early Saturday morning of 14 Jan with the entire team. There were 5 of us accompanied by 3 partners from our firm. As soon as we arrived in Bangkok, we headed straight to a seafood restaurant for lunch. There the customers were asked to pick their selection of seafood including the ingredients to be cooked with. In fact, you could even tell the chef how you would like the dishes to be cooked.

Later that night, we headed to a fancy Thai restaurant Baan Khanitha (listed in most of the Tour Books). It comes highly recommended, and not surprisingly it did meet up to our expectation (at least mine). In fact, me and my other colleagues who stayed on (after the others left back to KL on an earlier flight) visited Baan Khanitha for the second time. We had to try the other dishes! After dinner, we covered the Suan Lum Night Bazaar. For awhile, I felt like I was at the Penang Batu Ferringhi Night Market. Basically, the stalls all had the same things you’d find in Batu Ferringhi. Fake branded watches, earrings, souvenirs. You name it, they have it.

Come Sunday. We had an early breakfast and headed to one of the recommended local tailors to have ourselves measured to tailor-make some office shirts. We then headed to the main shopping area. As we strolled the streets of Bangkok, it kinda reminded me of Orchard Road in Singapore. Only the buildings in Bangkok were older. We didn’t shop much as we were waiting to shop in the less expensive night markets and flea markets. Rather unfortunate, we didn’t get to visit the infamous Chatuchak Market which only opens during the weekend. Half of our entourage left home for KL that night itself.

From then on, the 3 of us stayed for a couple of extra nights. We covered most of the tourist attractions in Bangkok including the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Keow/Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha), Patpong (the so-called red light district of Bangkok), ride on the not-to-be-missed Chao Phraya taxi cruise and not forgetting Vertigo, a bar perched on the 61st floor of Banyan Tree Hotel. The view from above was simply breathtaking and amazing (though it was a tad hazy that night).

No more spicy food for me, for awhile at least… Here are more pictures from Bangkok which speak for itself.


CY does not like boat rides.








At VERTIGO.




Siam Paragon, one of big shopping malls.




I really was trying to take a picture of myself. He just happened to be looking this way.




I had no part in contributing to the shopping bags.




Alrighty, one for the road.

Every beat of my heart.

So here we stand
Anchored in hope
Letting the rain wash away every fear
Stars in the sky
Twinkle and shine
I pray they won't disappear

'cause I don't know where your journey goes
or how long it will take to unfold

But as long as we keep this moment shining in the dark
I will be watching over every beat of your heart
I wish that time could be replayed
I'd keep you here with me everyday
They say that love is letting go
I hope that you find your way

'cause I don't know where your journey goes
or how long it will take to unfold
But as long as we keep this moment shining in the dark
I know you're watching over every beat of my heart

-Corrinne May-

Reality check.

They say life is short. A friend once joked "What else other than life is longer?"

When you're in moments of depression, you'd wish your pain would go away and wondered if life could ever be any longer. You celebrate your birthday and count the days you've lived. Have you ever wondered maybe it's counting down to the days you have left to live your life? The sad truth is life is indeed short. You often hear people say "live live to the fullest", "appreciate those around you" and that "life is fragile". How have we taken those words for granted. We simply do not realise that in a split second, anything can change your life. There will always be the "what ifs" and the regret for not doing what you had always thought about and wanted to do. No doubt, it's always easier for me to tell someone else what I think is right and is best for them and which they should do. I also came to realise, it's never that easy to actually "do" it when someone else asks me to do something which they think is best for me. Procrastination always has its ways. Either that or I'm just not as brave as I thought I am. As it is, I already have difficulty coming to terms during difficult moments and what more putting words and thoughts into action despite my mind telling me that I should be doing the right thing.

I received news on Sunday that a friend has passed on. She's no longer with us and is (hopefully) with God in his Kingdom and in his good care. I could not believe it. It was all too sudden. Questions (being the inquisitive lawyer I am) that popped to my head "HOW?" "WHEN?" "WHERE"..... There will be answers to those questions. The only question which will remain unanswered is "WHY?" Why her? Why now? Perhaps we'll never have the answers. The only consolation I can provide to her friends and even to myself is that she's in a better place and God will be providing her with his unconditional love. Although our times together were short, she has already left a great impression in me, and for that I'm thankful and honoured to be able to have known her as a wonderful friend. Our memories will always remain close to my heart.

The clock just struck 12am. It's yet another new day. Life goes on. Later today, I'll be bidding her farewell for the final time. To those fun times we had. When you turned over to me and made me laugh with your comment "Eh, you see that dress? Damn ah lian right?" That time when you were too shy to take the picture of the beautiful desserts displayed over the counter and sneakily slid your digital camera into my hand and although having snapped dozens of pictures, you're just not "feeling it". Thank you for uploading our fabulous pics. You were amazing and beautiful in those pictures and always will be.

It is only a matter of time before you are reunited with your family and loved ones. For now, rest in peace Shu Zanne.

Love.