Friday 28 December 2012

The year that was suppose to end..


It's that time of the year, when you look back and regret  reevaluate your accomplishments over the year and look forward to new resolution in the coming year..

Can't break tradition, so I got to do it again.. 

2012 was a good, (dramaful) eventful year for me.. I may have not done everything I wanted to, but at least I did everything I planned to.. Looked back at the resolution/wish list earlier and I actually did complete everything in the list (except for the losing weight, but that's acceptable right? )

The much awaited end of the world, didn't happen though.. sigh.. big disappointment! :(

In a nut shell :

  - I traveled (less countries, but more cities this year)
  - I shopped (like nobody's business)
  - I learned (a lot! and some things the hard way!)
  - I ate (like a pig!)

  - I laughed & cried
  - I made some big decisions
  - I got promoted (with no moolah :p)

  and last but not least....
  - I encountered a beast ;)


Think that summarizes it. 

For some reason, I don't have a wish list for next year..  I don't know if that's part of growing up.. but for once, I feel like I have everything (and nothing).

I'm grateful for the people that I have in my life today. Near or far, thank you for keeping me alive (not literally).

My dearest Anya & Nemo Darling, thank you for everything! xoxo ;)


Lilo 








Friday 7 December 2012

How to be insulting?


I found this cool tweet link that teaches you how to be insulting? Not that I don't do that very well already, but one should always improve right? ;) Just thought these were pretty cool and insulting (duh!):

  • I wish your parents had never met. 
  •  Some people bring happiness wherever they go; you bring happiness whenever you go.  
  • You have an open mind, and a mouth to match. 
  •  Someday you'll go far, and I hope you stay there.  
  • I know you have to be somebody, but why do you have to be you? 
  • I don't know what makes you tick, but I hope it's a time bomb.  
  • You look like a professional blind date. 
  • I'm glad you're tall. It gives me more of you to dislike. 
  • I don't wanna be mean, but you need listerine, not a sip, not a swallow, but the whole friggin bottle.  
  • Roses are red violets are blue, God made me pretty, what the hell happen to you? 
  • Don't you have a terribly empty feeling - in your skull?  
  • Do you still love nature, despite what it did to you? 

Have a laugh, if you have any humour left in you! :D


Lilo

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Photogenic (not!)

The word photogenic suppose to mean, you look better in pictures than you are in reality right?

So I went to take a passport photo today. Upon collection, the guy looks at me and looks at my picture, and he does that twice. I raise my eyebrow at him..

He: you are very photogenic, you know that??

Me: ( I don't say anything, and give him a cut the crap, look! )

He: Hasn't anyone ever told you that?

Me: I really don't think so!

He: I take pictures everyday! I know it when I see one ok??

I take the picture from him, and stare at it..

OMFG, I can't be that ugly in reality can I?!!


Lilo



Thursday 22 November 2012


Good things only happens to good people.

True story.



Lilo


Tuesday 20 November 2012

The keys of trust

Situation: The cleaning lady that came in the morning accidentally locked the master bathroom from the inside. When checked with the husband on where he's kept the keys, he assured me it's in his desk drawer in the third room - which of course I couldn't locate when I went looking for it.

So now, the husband is rummaging through all the drawers in the house looking for the full set of our house keys. He's even taking out all the boxes from the store room with the mad hope that maybe the keys lost themselves somewhere in there.

Rewind to a few months ago..

Me: Where you keeping the house keys?

Him: In the last room lah, in the drawer

Me: Hmm, where? Cannot find..

Him: It's there lah.. [exasperated at all the questioning]

If there's one thing the girls and me know, men hate it when we make them feel like we don't trust them - in matters big or small. So to avoid an argument earlier, I kept quiet.

So that brings me here now, watching silently the hunt for the keys. In my mind, thoughts are racing, fighting to be vocalised - You should have given it to me to keep in the first place. How can you be so careless as to loose the house keys? What if it was the baby was accidentally locked into the room?

But I suppress all of them and say instead - Does the landlady have another set?

It turns out she did and she was kind enough to drop by last night with her set of keys for us to make a duplicate.

This time I'm keeping the keys.

Men complain all the time that women nag them but seriously, all you men out there should be thankful for all the times that you deserve to be nagged but we women spare you.

~Anya~

Friday 2 November 2012

Making sense



One of my colleague just bought a new headphone, its some canggih-fied headphone that cost RM1500. So a few of my other colleagues were all excited and discussing over it; and everyone giving their opinion on how freaking expensive it is and some thought he was crazy.. I wasn't interested in the conversation and was keeping to myself and was deep in other thoughts. But of course, they wont leave me alone and wanted my opinion. One of them asked me, "tell us, does it make sense to you?"

And I instantly replied/yelled "Some things don't have to make sense, if it makes you happy!"

I don't know where that came from. And all of them were taken by surprise. They all went "whoa!" and kept their mouths shut after that..

But seriously, that's true isn't it?



Lilo

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Wish List 2013


In case the world decides to crush all my hopes and not end this year..

Can I already make my wish list for next year?

I want:

1. Samsung Galaxy S3 or S4, whichever is the latest at that time
2. iPad Mini
3. new watch
4. new handbag(s)
5. new wardrobe
6. more shoes
7. new job
8. new bf
9. new mother
10. Please end next year?

Thank you very much.


Lilo

Thursday 18 October 2012


“It was one thing to make a mistake; it was another thing to keep making it. I knew what happened when you let yourself get close to someone, when you started to believe they loved you: you'd be disappointed. Depend on someone, and you might as well admit you're going to be crushed, because when you really needed them, they wouldn't be there. Either that, or you'd confide in them and you added to their problems. All you ever really had was yourself, and that sort of sucked if you were less than reliable.” - Jodi Picoult


Lilo





He died..

of all people, he died..

and his last words: "If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you are scared that its not the right thing. Even if you are scared it will cause problems. Even if you're scared that it will burn your life the ground. You say it. You say it loud"

Sigh.. I'll miss you..



Lilo

Monday 15 October 2012

It's official, its Nemo day!

To commemorate me*, the kind people at Google Inc. decided to pay tribute in the way they know best, ta da!




Disclaimer: Nemo is not dead. She just been 'busy' and of course 'lazy'.

1. She has a new job now

2. She has a boyfriend 
3. She has undergone 6 months of physiotherapy 
4. She joined a gym (where Lilo used to work out, albeit on special appearances basis and so far she's doing her proud by keeping the tradition alive)
5. She hasn't lost weight.. YET
6. She did the ultimate: 'relaxed' (although she thinks she tortured 'em to a straight row) the hair. It's nice except the very bit ends of the hair.
7. She had to bid farewell to her beloved BlackBerry and said hello to a new smartphone after months 
8. She has met the future 'in laws'
9. She played futsal for the first time in her xx years of being a Malaysian
10. She flew a kite (and its one of the simplest high one can get
11. And just like Lilo, she found her calling.... the Nasi Lemak! (thank god its cheaper than Lilo's calling albeit Nemo's body pays the heavier price,eeks.. )


*In case of litigation, this is just a joke. Google commemorates Winsor McCay Little Nemo (and yes, i have never heard of it, teehee)

Signed,
N.e.m.o

Thursday 11 October 2012

Question..

When a random guy in the office tells you, "You should do something about your sun tan/burn". Do you

A. Freak out and hide under the table!

B. Buy all the expensive whitening cream available cream available in the market

C. Give him two tight slaps

D. None of the above / don't give a fck!


Lilo

P/s: wish I did C, but going with D for now..


Wednesday 10 October 2012

Opening outlook every morning is like opening a box of smelly, rotten (made in china) chocolates! You never know what you're gonna get today..

And it's worse when you need to google translate to understand the shittiness!


Lilo



Wednesday 26 September 2012

Found my calling..

Have you ever had this moment, when you hear someone/something calling out your name, without actually calling your name?

So I had this moment at Dubai Airport the other day.. I was innocently walking around looking for coffee and wifi, when I heard something calling out my name without actually saying my name.. I ignored it at first.. But I kept hearing it loud.. When I turned around, I could only catch the word "Burberry" on my sight..

I toughened myself, tried to ignore the calling.. But after three back n forth walking around, I became weaker.. I had to go acknowledge the calling.. Cos it just didn't stop..

When I entered the shop, everything finally made sense.. I found my calling! There it was, the most beautiful thing ever, sitting there watching me from the shelf.. Giving me an evil grin! Aaargh!!

One look at it, I knew I'll never afford it.. But I couldn't walk out on it either.. After deliberating for a bit, I thought I should at least find out how much it was worth.. So I braced myself and took a step closer.. I just wanted to see the price and walk out immediately..

Before I could even touch it, I saw a small key chain on sale next to it.. That had a clearer price tag.. It said USD $300!!

I stopped right there.. Quickly turned around and walked away.. Before the actual cost of "my calling" can break my heart!

Bought my coffee and shed a little tear.. And flew back trying not to think about it :(

And failed miserably, of course!

Lilo









Tuesday 18 September 2012

Annoying Facebook status updates


1. Spamming your Facebook wall with cam-whoring pictures of yourself. Yes we all know what you look like. That's what profile pictures are for.

2. Spamming your Facebook wall with cam-whoring pictures of yourself and your gf/bf accompanied by vomit-inducing mushy captions. Worse still, if you break up and take us all on the torturous journey of your break up and emerge with even more cam-whoring pictures with your new gf/bf with similar annoying captions.

3. Posting how long you've been in a relationship with someone. Bravo! But obviously no one is as excited as the two of you that you've lasted this long. Why not just Whatsapp privately instead of posting your smugness publicly?

 
4. Updating your baby's/children's accomplishments and pictures of how they look like everyday. Yes, I know to you, they're the most beautiful/talented/wonderful person in the world and we would agree if only you didn't parade them on Facebook like a zoo creature.

5. Attention seeking/sympathy seeking posts
 
 
True story.
 
~Anya~

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Lemonades & Margaritas

They say: "When life gives you lemons; make a lemonade out of it"

It may have taken 30 years, but I think I have finally learned to make lemonade out of the lemons that life has given me..

All I need now is a pinch of salt and a little tequila.. And I'll be making pretty good margaritas soon! ;)


Lilo




Tuesday 14 August 2012

Dear God,

If you have forgotten, I'm freaking 30 years old. This is not the age to be worrying about pimples on my face! Seriously, that's so teenage issues.. Don't give them to me now.. You for one know that I can take on problems bigger than that. Pimples are just not up my alley. If you have to, give me something more challenging please?

Kthxbai!


Lilo





Thursday 9 August 2012

Just wondering..


Is one considered weak for not fighting back; or considered strong for being able to with stand fights?

Is one considered stupid for not answering a question; or considered smart for avoiding the question?

Does it make you a winner if you are competing with losers?

If it hurts to make someone happy; is it worth making them happy?


When doing the right thing doesn't feel right anymore; should one start doing the wrong thing?




Lilo

Tuesday 17 July 2012

This afternoon..

While I was buying bananas from a stall at the local pasar, I overheard this conversation from the stall next door..

boy: Makcik, beli kuih?
another boy: Ya..ada donut..ada karipap..
 mum: Itu bukan Makcik la...
boy: Habis?
mum: Itu Kakak
another boy: Bukan Aunty ke?
grandma: Bukan Makcik..bukan Aunty..bukan Kakak...itu Miss

I turn my head to see this family having this very serious discussion among themselves and the grandma staring at me with a toothless smile.

That entire conversation what about how to address me.

Face palm!

~Anya~

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Life lessons!

One of the big lessons I've learnt recently is to keep my bloody big mouth shut. All the time. No matter what.

I was going through a real sad phase, and I ended up sharing my problems with some people whom I considered to be my friends..

Although the phase hasn't over, I have given up being sad. But it turns out, these friends only like me when I'm sad.. It's like they need me to entertain their life with my sad stories.. They find my life to be very amusing, that annoys me! Like I belong to some kind of a museum..

Even tough the morons will not be reading this, just ffs, when I'm busy and I haven't had time for u, it means I'm having a life!! If I'm quiet and not entertaining you, it's because I'm sick of you! I'm not smiling to hide my sorrows, I'm smiling because I'm happy!

Get that, dumbos!


Lilo








Monday 9 July 2012

Confessions of a coffeeholic

I have a silly confession to make..

Have you noticed how when you drink coffee, the mugs are usually stained?

When I was growing up, I never used to drink coffee, cos I was afraid my internal organs would be stained too..

I really believed in it, and little part of me still does.. I'm just in the age now that, I tell myself, fck the stain, no one can see it anyway! ;)


Lilo



Wednesday 4 July 2012

Tots

I remember when we first started this blog..we were smack in the middle of our quarter-life crisis. The working world was a rude shock, compared to our comfy university life. Living with Indian parents again after being independent for 4 - 5 years, took some major getting used to. Only being able to meet a couple of times a month due to work and family commitments, we missed each other and this blog became an avenue to vent and to bond.

And now I can hardly believe almost 6 years has gone by. With it, our crisises has evolved and doesn't involve the bitch at the office or curfews by parents. These days, we're moaning about parents who think the world will end if we're not married by 30, once you're married they don't waste any time hinting about grandchildren, once the grandkid arrives they start talking about the next grandkid...and on and on it goes. I do wonder if it's just Indian parents or are all parents the same.

What's the rush actually? If I don't enjoy the here and now, I'll never be able to enjoy what comes next. Yes, I'm guilty of marrying and having a child before the age of 30 but I was happy even when I was single. So marriage and a baby wasn't the magic fairy dust that suddenly transformed me from a sad, miserable person into a happy and contented one. Sadly, our parents' generation don't see things this way. So for our generation, it's constantly the tug of war of how to keep both our parents and ourselves happy.

Our quarter-life crisis has passed and we're entering our 30's crisis (for lack of a better word) but together my dear Pinkscalers', we'll make it through. We will always have each other and this blog.

xoxo,
Anya



Monday 25 June 2012

Do not marry before 30!

A good read, credits to the author, copied from below link:
http://english.globalrencai.com/do-not-marry-before-age-30/

Businessweek last week reported that Chinese women are driving up enrollment at business schools across the United States. So much female Chinese talent is going global! I’m excited by the potential for Chinese women to rock our world. Unfortunately, there’s still this problem of a society which defines women by marital status.

Leftover women are the modern urban women most of whom have high education, high income, and high IQ. They are nice-looking, but they are relatively demanding in choosing spouses so that they haven’t found ideal partners for marriage. – China Ministry of Education, 2007

I got the career of my dreams, I got the man of my dreams, and I got the children of my dreams. I got married at age 38, which by governmental standards makes me a living miracle.

That’s my husband Dave and me on our wedding day. The fact is, in life there is a season for everything, and I got it all because I married late.

“Why aren’t you married yet?”

My parents were terrified that I’d end up a leftover woman. No matter how much I accomplished, our conversations revolved around “the big issue:”

Mom: Hi Joy! My friends in California mailed me some news clips about you.

Me: That’s nice.

Mom: But your father and I were talking. You’re not living with us anymore.

Me: I haven’t lived with you for 15 years.

Mom: … and you’re not living with a husband.

Me: Because I’m not married.

Mom: So, can you please explain to me again what you’re doing out there in CALIFORNIA?

Me: Mom! Did you read the news clips? I’m helping millions of people improve their lives.

Mom: But don’t you know that a woman’s job is to be a good wife and mother?

For our mothers and previous generations, it was OK to marry someone without really knowing him. Marriage mostly was for security and lineage. As a result, most of us have no role models finding and establishing a soul-mate relationship.

“Are your standards are too high?”

Do not slack off on your search for Mr. Right. This is the most important search of your life, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that the only thing at stake is your future.

Society tells us that since nobody’s perfect, we should lower our standards and settle for what we can get. We are to hurry and get married as insurance that we’ll never find anyone better. But marriage should be more than just an insurance plan. Nothing could be more depressing, or more insidious to our lives, than a society of loveless marriages and extramarital affairs. And as we lower our standards, we enforce this lovelessness on our children all over again.

This does not have to be you. Whom you marry is life’s most profound decision. The fact is, unless you’re planning to have 15 children, there is no good reason to get married before age 30.

In your 20s, have fun, learn and grow

Most people lead lives plagued by a constant undercurrent of stress and anxiety. You can gain a deep feeling that your life is on track if you learn how to access and connect with the joy within yourself.

If you don’t love yourself and commit to your own happiness, then you’ll constantly change yourself to make other people happy. Until you really know who you are and what you want with complete confidence, do not commit your life to someone else. You can do more for other people when you stay connected to your own dreams.

So, build a life all on your own, and don’t dump it anytime you have a new boyfriend. Good men won’t appreciate it, and bad men will just manipulate you into giving up more and more.

Finding your soul mate requires that you first commit to loving yourself enough to make choices that make you happy. To measure how well you’re doing in loving yourself, simply stop running, and quiet the noise long enough to ask “am I really happy?” If you avoid this question, you’ll never create a good life for yourself.

Being fulfilled as an independent woman is the basis for finding Mr. Right and having a successful life.

In your 20s, learn to become independent

At some point in your journey, you must separate yourself mentally, emotionally and spiritually from the influences around you. What does it mean to be “independent”? Implicit in the term are your parents, since they’re the “from whom” you are defining yourself. Your 20s are when you learn to see your parents as individuals and not just your parents. They learn to see you as an individual and not just as their child. This new relationship can allow you and them to establish an even closer of intimacy and friendship.

In your 20s, explore life’s possibilities

Soon, you’ll enter new long-term obligations, and those obligations will circumscribe your life forever. Now is the one time in your entire adult life that you’ll ever get to be a little selfish. Take advantage of this freedom. Explore the wide-open possibilities of your life, and experience everything you want to experience. Your 20s and 30s should be an exciting period of big dreams. Give yourself permission to spend a few years wandering about and figuring out what it is that interests you.

After all, your brain is still changing

Neuroscientists once thought the brain stops after puberty, but they now have found that the part of your brain that comes up with long-range strategy, that answers the question “Who am I and what do I want to do with my life,” actually keeps changing into your 20s and 30s.

That means that you are a different person now in your 20s than you will be in your 30s – and so is your boyfriend. Couples who marry early thus burden their lives with serious extra hurdles. Nobody enters a marriage thinking, “Someday we’ll hate each other,” but that’s precisely the experience of most of China’s born-post-1980 generation. This generation’s divorce rate already is 57%, and the oldest members are only 30!

When you’re 20 and the long-term-thinking area of your brain is still evolving, you look for “Mr. Right Now.” When you’re 30, you’re better equipped to find a “Mr. Right” for ever.

Why do you want to get married?

Why do you want to get married? Because your friends are getting married? Because society has bamboozled you to think you should be married by now? These reasons have nothing to do with the man you’re marrying, and they bode for an unhappy future, a future where you’ll be only half alive. Without room in this relationship for the essential you, you will be lonely forever. And so will he.

So, forget about the fantasy of marriage and let’s get real.

Love is not enough

Love is only the starting point for a successful marriage. That’s because marriage is nothing like dating. Marriage is like a very mundane small business in which you are co-partners and co-employees. This actually can be really really nice, if you hitch yourself to the right partner. For the company to succeed, you and he must agree on the direction of your company and the values by which it will run. You must believe in each other completely and trust in each other’s good judgment. You must figure out how your company will make money and how to spend it. You must identify what tasks must be done and who will do what. Unlike in any other small business, however, you both must commit to being co-owners and co-employees in this company for the rest of your days on Earth.

Take a headhunting approach to finding Mr. Right

Don’t marry the first guy you date. How could you know it’s love when you have nothing to compare it to? Take a headhunting approach to finding your soul mate. For any given search assignment, my firm reviews hundreds of candidates. Once, to find the CFO of a Fortune 500 company, we spoke with over 1,000 people! If you worked as a headhunter in my firm, and I assigned you a search, and you limited your entire universe of candidates to just two or three, I’d fire you.

Do not slack off on your search for Mr. Right. This is the most important search of your life, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that the only thing at stake is your future.

When you kick off a new search, Step One is defining your ideal candidate. Do not lower your standards, but do make sure your standards are sound. Ask a guy what he’s looking for in a woman and he’ll say two things: good-looking and nice. Ask a woman what she’s looking for in a guy and she’ll say two hundred things:

• Rich but generous

• Knows how to treat a woman well

• Knows how to order a bottle of wine in a restaurant, and what to do when the wine comes to the table

• Wears Italian suits but is not gay

… and on and on. Ladies, please. If you were my client, I’d make you sort these qualities into two columns: “Must Have” and “Nice to Have.” Your “Must Have” column should include only those things that are truly important, like “makes me a better person when I am with him,” “makes my heart sing,” “shares my values,” “wants what I want in life.” and “financially stable.” Move everything else over to your “Nice to Have” column.

Next step in your search is to identify, interview and evaluate a multitude of candidates. Falling in and out of love with different people is important to helping you better understand what you don’t want in a relationship as well as what you do want. Aren’t you curious about men? This is your only chance in life to have a range of romantic and sexual experiences, so get out there and have some fun.

Don’t put him in charge of deciding your fate

Sometimes a woman doesn’t even bother to conduct a search. This is the one who tries to force every guy she dates onto the marriage track. Who asks him: “Where do I stand?” Where is this going?” “Do you want to have kids?” By doing this, she’s telling him the relationship is entirely his to dictate. This behavior is really dangerous because she’s completely passive in the decision to marry. This behavior also is demeaning to her, and off-putting to him. She comes across as desperate. A man wants you to be with him because you choose to be, not because you need to be.

Don’t deploy The Ultimatum

After a certain amount of time without a marriage proposal, this woman may start to plot The Ultimatum. It goes like this: “Hi honey. Propose to me within x time (such as three months), or I will leave you!”

I don’t believe in The Ultimatum. When you’re with your soul mate, it should be so completely obvious to you both that wild horses could not keep him from running after you and making absolutely certain that you are his forever. He will be grateful for every day that he has with you. And he will commit to spending the rest of his days caring for you and any children that you have together.

There are great men out there

It’s nonsense, the idea that if you wait to marry, there will be no good men left, particularly given the gender imbalance in China. Any woman who thinks there are no good men out there simply does not know how to relate to men. It’s called empathy. Men and women love differently, and if you learn how to love men the way they need to be loved, you’ll never be lonely. Perhaps I should write a headhunter’s guide to bagging the man of your dreams.

First become Ms. Right

How do you find yourself? Through your career! It’s through work that you discover your passions, and that you develop a greater understanding, love and respect for yourself. Spend your 20s working really really hard finding things you’re passionate about, as I did, and you can have an incredible career. And, ladies, nothing is quite as much fun as achieving.

Men respect women who make their own money, as one Wall Street man memorably reminded a beautiful young gold-digger. And a smashing job puts you in touch with the kind of man you couldn’t access if you were a dummy. The sexiest women are the achievers because they’re the most interesting and exciting.

… and that’s when the good men will appear

As I entered my 20s, I never had any trouble attracting men (Chinese women are very popular in America!), but the make-up of those men evolved over time. When I was in my 20s, I had boyfriends, but overall my love life was somewhat unsatisfying. Boys age 18 worshipped me, man-boys age 50 worshipped me more. Guys my own age seemed a little unfinished, like I was. Too often when someone asked me out, I’d think, “Thanks, but I think I’d rather curl up in my apartment with a good book and a glass of wine.”

As I grew into my 30s, as body parts sagged but spirit soared along with my career, something funny happened in my love life. I started attracting a narrower band of men, of much higher caliber. The man-boys disappeared and I was left with successful, self-assured real men. Dating became fun.

Married friends invited me over for dinner just to hear about my latest dating adventures. My first date with beloved Dave occurred on a Sunday night, while on the preceding Saturday night, I had another first date with another highly-eligible Dave. My friends thought I was the “bee’s knees” for having a “Saturday Dave” and a “Sunday Dave” both lined up in a single weekend.

Monday morning when they called for the after-action report, I informed them that going forward there would be only one Dave. My secretary, for years having juggled my busy work and social schedule, was surprised to hear that perhaps I’d even met my Every Day Dave.

It’s way better to be an older parent

Our love since has resulted in two baby girls, born when I was 39 and 41. On being an older parent, the world-renown parenting expert Dr. Vicki Panaccione eloquently sums up my own feelings :

Younger parents still have lots of life experiences to live, and can actually end up resenting the restrictions and responsibilities placed on them by virtue of having a child. Older parents tend to be more ready to settle down and focus their attention on the enjoyment of being parents and not feeling they are ‘missing out’ on other experiences. Their lives tend to be richer, and their experiences with each other, their children and life in general, have deeper meaning and appreciation.

Older parents tend to be more financially stable and secure in their careers, and have completed their education. This tends to mean less conflict regarding how to parcel out time, not having to juggle school, family and job. They also may be able to retire earlier, or be more flexible in their established work situation, affording them the opportunity to spend more time with their children.

Finally, older parents tend to be in more stable marriages, either because they have been together a long time, or have come together later in life with a clearer understanding of what they had been seeking in a life partner. They are more apt to have greater ability to communicate with each other, and have learned the importance of compromise and establishing agreement. In child rearing, this is particularly important. Stable relationships provide greater stability for children. And, relationships developing later in life tend to be more passionate…and passionate partners make better parents!

The rush to marry too young is what’s leftover from a previous era

All you educated, talented, passionate young sisters, for those of you going abroad and those of you staying home, YOU are China’s future. If you obey all the rules, you’ll miss all the fun. Do not ever let anyone make you feel you are less than a fully legitimate member of society simply because you are free. So, get out there and make all your dreams come true. You too can have it all. And then, ladies, through your shining example, show the rest of society how to really live.







Thursday 21 June 2012

21.06.2012

HaPpY BIrThDay N.e.M.o!!

Another year older, another year wiser and another year happier!

Just a short post to let you know the Pink Scalers' love you and though we can't physically be with you today, you're always in our hearts. *Virtual group hug*

Anyway we don't feel bad 'cause we know you're having a blast with Ixxxxx *wink*.

And yes, true to tradition we owe you your gift. Last year was an exception! :)

xoxo,
Pink Scalers'

Monday 18 June 2012

My new husband!

Dear Tango,


I received the above notification from you few days back, I still haven't found out who my "husband" is. Kindly please enlighten me.

Thank you very much!


Lilo

Office humour

for all the days this Chinese ppl drive me crazy, I had to take revenge..

A: Hi, I'm Miss A from HR

Me: Hi

A: I need to ask you, do you have a employee ID?

Me: Err, yes, of course

A: You have a id?

Me: that's what I said

A: system says you don't have a id

Me: but I'm telling you, I do

A: are you staff of this company?

Me: I guess so

A: are you sure?

Me: I am not sure, but this company been paying my salary

A: but your name is not in the system

Me: then why are you asking me this?

A: I'm sorry, I'm just checking with you

Me: ok, check

A: did you come from a different company?

Me: of course I came from a different company

A: I don't understand

Me: I don't understand too

A: just now I check in the hq system, your name don't exist?

Me: how do you check something that doesn't exist?

A: can I ask you, are you really sure you have a id?

Me: I'm not sure now.

A: just now you said you got id

Me: then why you ask me?

A: it's ok, thank you


Lilo









Thursday 31 May 2012

The Good Life


I’ve been trying to find time to write but with everything that’s been going on, it was impossible to find a spare moment. Anyway, now finally, I have a few quiet minutes – work, husband and baby are not competing for my attention, I can sit down and blog.

So, biggest news – I’ve uprooted myself from KL and moved to Borneo (again!). Lots of people chuckle and tell me that Borneo will always have a hold on me – I left it 10 years ago only to go back to it now. Frankly, I think because I grew up in Borneo, I feel right back at home now. Yes, KL is awesome and my dear friends are there – but I’ve reached my limit for long distance relationship; 5 years apart and now with a baby is no walk in the park, ok!

We’ve got a lovely house here, no traffic jams, everything is within a 20-minute drive radius, crime rate is low, people are friendly in ways that only a small town can be and seafood is fresh! These days I do my marketing in the evenings at a stretch of stalls by the beach. So I get an awesome sunset and fresh produce at the same time – that’s gotta be the good life!

I know soon I’m gonna be missing KL and all its modern conveniences. Well, there’s Air Asia for that. For now, I’m happy, contented and at peace.


=)

Anya

Monday 28 May 2012

Demoticons!

As annoying as it is at times, when I receive an email in Chinese, or when I'm invited to a meeting that is conducted in Chinese.. I find it so hilarious when they attempt to speak or write (by write I mean, direct google translate) in English.. I either have a good laugh or will just let them stick to their Chinese..

So anyway, recently they updated our office internal messenger with some new features and now it comes in English.. I don't know where the fck they got these words from, but this are the only emoticon/smiley options available in the messenger:


  • Cachinnate
  • Snicker
  • Avarice
  • Nictitate
  • Grimace
  • Perplexed
  • Desponded
  • Snarl
  • Dement
  • Loathe
  • Griefful
  • SARS
  • Supercilious Look
  • Dally
Like seriously? How on earth am I suppose to react to any of these expressions??! Whatever happened to happy, sad, etc?

They should have added one more that says, "mind boggling".. That's what this is!


Lilo

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Smile!

Smiling has always been easier than explaining why you're sad.


Lilo

Saturday 19 May 2012

I got a call at 10am today, waking me up from my deep sleep..


My friend: Your mom coming back today!?!

Me: Hey, hi.. Yeah, they are coming back today..

Him: I'm not asking you, I'm telling you!!

Me: Err, thanks for informing me?

Him: What you gonna do?

Me: Err, what I gonna do??

Him: Tell laa, what you gonna do??

Me: Err, pick them up later?

Him: No, silly! I mean, your mom is coming back.. What have you decided? What you gonna do with your life la??

Me: Hey, why you making it sound like my mom coming back is a bad thing?

Him: Isn't it? It's your mom, ok!

Me: I'm quite excited actually..

Him: omg, seriously?! What's wrong with you??

Me: wtf now??

Him: don't you take anything seriously in life??

Me: F**k u!

Him: seriously, I don't know how you can be like this.. I think I'm more worried about your life than you are..

Me: You know what? Thanks for waking me up. Screw you!


Lilo






Friday 18 May 2012

Speculations!

A funny incident happened at work today.

I was at the lab doing some testing with four other guys..

There is this one particular equipment that releases very high radiation and it's believed, too much exposure to this would cause one to be unable to reproduce..

So I'm quietly sitting there staring at my laptop and Guy A tells me "Lilo, you should leave now; we are going to on that equipment"

Guy B interrupts, "it's ok, she can stay.. She doesn't want kids anyway.."

This is when I look up.. Guy A goes, "Wth, she loves kids.. She's totally having babies!"

And before I can open my mouth, Guy C, supposedly to my rescue, says "C'mon guys, it's between her and her husband!"

And Guy A & B both go "What husband?!"

Guy C innocently replies "she's married right?"

And Guy D give a huge laugh and says "hahahaha, what you talking bro? she's not the marriage type laa"

And I slap my forehead. Hard. Twice.


Lilo

Tuesday 15 May 2012

What a pain in the neck!

Exactly on 21st April, i had a sudden bruise like pain on the left side of my neck. The exact area would be somewhere between the back of my ears and neck.

At first i didn't thought much of it and continued my usual routine.
I tried to feel it but there wasn't a bulge nor a bruise on the pain area.

By Monday, i was in terrible pain by the time i got home from work. Driving back was torturous and i was left with lopsided shoulders and lost the ability to turn my head either side.

So anyway, i have been on physiotherapy over 9 sessions and 4 weeks so far and been sporting a neck collar (loaned from my sister who had vertigo 2 years back).

My condition has been properly diagnosed as Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) spasm and it inflamed due to that. I must say wearing the collar has resulted to a variety of interesting conversations from various walks of life.

Here are some of my favorites moments being in a collar:

1. How everyone exclaims like they are in pain when they see me in the collar and scrunching their faces

2. Random strangers strike up random conversations and start inquiring about my well-being, suggest helpful remedies/doctors/treatment procedures

3. Being able to work from home way more often *joy*

4. Being able to stretch out at my desk, pump my shoulders up and down and not worrying about how retard i look like

5. Getting visitors to my desk and receiving more goss in the process *yea, i'm a girl and i goss. so sue me*

6. Being chauffeured around  *glee*

7. Using neck collar as an excuse not to attend certain functions (convenient and totally valid ok!)

8. Receiving the attention of various students, physiotherapists and interns

9. Being free from house chores *double joy*

10. Coming up with different responses each time someone inquires why it happened. My current favorite answer these days: "oh, you know, I've been naughty :P". Sometimes that's all people wanna hear *shrug*

11. Being spotted by Russell Peters on his show (right!)


So i say, to all those lonely + depressed people out there, the only accessory you will need is a neck collar TM and you are well on your way to joy and attention like you've never received before.

*Disclaimer: Applies to cane, eye patch, arm cast, leg cast too

This entry wouldn't be complete if i don't list out the not-so favorite part about being in this condition:

1. Very low productivity - and when i mean low, i mean, low at work, low on Facebook (and yes, i haven't gotten around to uploading the albums i need to!)

2. Relying on speaker phone functionality (NEVER gonna take it for granted again)

3. Getting asked why it occurred like a zillion times daily

4. Not being able to find the right sleeping position without incurring more pain

5. Exposing my back and bra straps to random strangers for treatment *shy*

6. Not being able to go to the hair salon :(

There's a new meaning to pain in the neck as I've learnt it the hard way. One can hope however, that wearing the collar for 14 hours a day will result in an elegant long neck :P

p/s: friend of mine asking me 'how you main since you wearing this?'(. .!!)

Signing out,
N.e.m.o

Monday 14 May 2012

You know when you wish the ground will just swallow you up?

Ever since i was a little girl, each time i got sad or hurt, i used to wish i could hide somewhere alone where no one could find me. 
Back then, i used to run outside to the side of the house and sit by the drain. It was my hideout.


The house i used to live in then, was a huge old colonial bungalow in the army camp where my dad was posted. It had miles of lawn that separated our lot and house from the neighbor. So i had all the privacy i needed and the drains were dry and clean and their only function was to flow the rain water out. So nothing icky. Just lil Nemo, sitting cross legged on a clean cemented patio and tiny drain and miles of green to feast my eyes on.
Its funny how selective one's memory can be...
For some reason, each time im sad, it always makes me yearn for those days. Like i said before here, i hate growing up :P 

Anyway, here i am on a Monday night typing away in my room. Feeling like today, i just need my own company. Feel sad, a lil melancholic even. Reasons are not very important i think.

Just felt i needed to jot down what has been on going before my fish of a memory gets to them. 
So last past weeks been really weird for me. Been dreaming a lot. Strange dreams but i could relate each of them or at least fragments of them to my thoughts. As i know those are things that have been on my mind at some point or the other.

I don't know why the dreams been appearing often. 
But here are few possible reasons (or could it be a mix of all these?):

1. My bedside reading for the past month has been Chitra Divakaruni's Queen of Dreams (it is about dreams tellers & reading what the dream is trying to tell you)

2. I've resigned from my current organization about 3 weeks ago and soon to join a new place. Kept thinking if i was doing the right decision or vice versa. That and the tug-of-war between the 2 to choose my last date. (an added stress)

3. Doses of ibuprofen during the early weeks (3 weeks ago) due to my Sternocleidomastoid spasm that has left me on the neck collar for 3 weeks and resulted to 9 sessions of physio (and counting). Maybe taking those drugs the first 4 days of my pain resulted in dreams? *shrug*

4. Under went seem to never end couple's spat 2 weeks ago. Didn't like the feeling and the tears and the drama. 

5. Been feeling the baby blues ever since I've been seeing wayyyyyyy lot of babies around me. Screw the feminism and all that bra-burning fury, i wanna have my own too :P

Anyway, this is a start of a new week and things are a lot better than the past 3 weeks have been.

For starters, i got my last date sorted out, my buy out process almost sorted out, my bank stuff being processed for my property loan, my bf and i are all sweet and dandy again (and he is being really sweet these days), my neck is improving, my physio sessions cut down to once a week, I'm feeling more positive about the new move.

The only sad news is, Anya has now officially settled down in the East. So Lilo and i are missing her already..  But we are happy for her and her lil one and her hubby. 

Peace Out, 
N.e.m.o

Thursday 10 May 2012

All smiles..


Feels like I haven’t blogged in a long time. Nothing good has been happening to be blogged about anyway. 

But today, I actually drove all the way to work with a big smile plastered on my face for some reason. I think that fact alone, deserves a blog ;)

And after a very long time, I’m feeling really good (touch-wood!!). It perhaps has got something to do with my parents being away; but I think there’s more to it. The world seems to be taking an interesting spin on my life ;) 

The feeling was also elevated by the fact that, my ass hugging pants felt loose this morning, and the belt needed some extra fittings :) Ignore the fact that, I immediately rushed to the scale and found out; I haven’t lost a single pound!

I also actually managed to drive in the 80-90km/h range successfully throughout the whole journey. I never knew my car was capable of that. Like seriously. You don’t have to know that, it has got to do with the fact that I received three speeding tickets in the duration of a month since we relocated to the new office!!! Grrrr!!

And besides, I just went for a meni/pedi yest; and for once, I decided to go all bright.  And my orange-y toe nails are also contributing to the smile on my face :)

I am also excited and looking forward for the infamous Russell Peters’ show this Saturday with my girls ;) After spending a bomb on the tickets, it better be bloody worth it!


So yeah, have a great day ahead people! :)


Lilo