Nice to see you again

It’s a small world after all. So cliched yet so true.

See, I was on FB just surfing people’s pages away when I saw a photo of someone I recognised. It was my husband’s friend, Maui (name spelt wrongly but pronounced this way) whom I was introduced to back in 2005. He’s now married to his then girfriend and they now have a beautiful daughter.

But that’s not all. When I wanted to write on his wall, I saw a familiar name. “Hmm… could it be?” I said to myself as I clicked the profile and looked under friends’ list. Sah. Tak syak lagi. It’s L1nda, Ady’s little sister. Who’s Ady? That’s a long story. I’m sure I blogged about him a long time ago but I’m too lazy to dig. Well, enough for you to know that we hit it off from the word go until things got a little complicated. I’m afraid I was partly responsible for that. But I was young and inexperienced then

Anywho, it turns out that L1nda was Maui’s old schoolmate… or something. He used to lepak with my husband… who knew eh?

So, I left a message with L1nda, just to catch up. I’m kinda chicken about leaving the brother a note, though. It’s weird you know. It shouldn’t be because it has been so long. The last I heard from him was before I met my husband and I’d been with my husband for five years now. But it’s still awkward.

Not that my husband would be uncool about it. Oh, he’d be fine with it because we’re tight like that *lol*

It’d be nice to hear from them again. Because I really enjoyed the friendship while it lasted. Yeah, it would be nice….

Preparing for my big night

If there’s one thing I hate doing, it is learning a new song.

It’s ironic because I love to sing. Since I started working, I have entered several singing contests for those in the media industry. It’s one of those things that I happen to be good at. I’ve won a few times. Maybe not the top prize but first and second runner-ups.

So, anyway, I’m learning a new song right now in preparation for a singing competition happening next Friday. It’s organised by Organisation X, based in Shah Alam, in conjunction with its media appreciation night.

I was excited when my colleague called me two Fridays ago telling me that a cool RM3k awaits the first-place winner. However, my excitement died the following Monday when I saw the T&C of the contest. True, prizes for the top three singers include cash + hampers + F&B vouchers. BUT(there is a big but here) the cash goes to the sports club of whichever media organisation the winner comes from, hence why contestants are supposed to provide the name and contact number of the sport’s club president. WTF????

I’m all for singing for charity but I wouldn’t exactly call my company’s sports club a “charity”. I doubt that the sports club is “needy”. I’m very concerned about where that money will actually go.

So, I’d be an idiot to enter the contest and win, right? Really, why should I even bother?

Heh… I speak as if I’m absolutely sure that I’m going to win. I don’t even know whether I’ll make it pass the prelims *lol*. Well, you have to be in it to win it, right?

Whatever it is, it does not make sense to me that they’d actually insist on that condition. It seems that no one I told this understands it either.

Another discouraging factor is the fact that the singers are supposed to find their own minus one. I can tell you from experience that it is difficult to find minus one songs. You have to pay a lot of money to get  composers to make you a minus one version of your favourite songs ( I call them “lagu cari makan”). When I called the organiser to ask if karaoke cds are also accepted, the person on the other line said that they accept only minus one because they don’t want people to be looking at the words. “We want to make it like a real singing contest”. Apa, dia ingat ni rancangan Jangan Lupa Liriks ke?

So, feeling rather dissatisfied, I consulted my friend who happens to work for the Organisation X. Unfortunately, she is not involved in the committee. She told me that the committee comprise maybe 4 people who had conveniently left everyone else in the department out of this project. So my friend only knew the details of the contest from me.

I told my friend that if they stick to this silly T&Cs, they’re not going to have enough people even for a preliminary round (which was suppose to happen right now as I type this). And true enough, my friend YM-ed me saying that the prelim has been postponed to Tuesday. I later got a call from the liaison officer confirming it.

I really had half the mind to just blow the contest - despite the fact that the lifestyle editor personally came to speak to me to ask if I was competing. If I don’t show up at the prelim, what’re they going to do about it, right?

But my friend who works with Organisation X persuaded me to. And I’m doing in a large part FOR her. She said that she’ll have a word with the committee about their terms and conditions. She said that the committee listened to what she had to say and indicated that they will make some changes to it.

I hope they’ll let the winners keep the cash. Who couldn’t use an extra RM1k or RM3k? After all, it is a CONTEST and if you want to entice people to take part in a contest, you’ve gotta dangle the carrot. I’m sorry, but in this day and age and times of hardship, gift hampers ain’t just won’t do!

So, I guess the postponement is good news for me. At least it gives me more time to practice my song, Ayat-Ayat Cinta by Rossa.  I’m proud of myself for being able to learn this song from scratch in a matter of two days. I mean, I had never heard of the song until last Monday when my friend suggested it to me when I asked if she has any CDs with minus one.

I started learning the song when I was at the gym yesterday evening. I had the song on repeat. When I came home, I practised the song without looking at the words. I messed up a couple of times and had to make up my own words (and this is what I’ll do on stage if I have to!) But come Sunday, I’m positive that I would have learned the song by heart. By Tuesday, I would have perfected my song and showmanship as well *lol*

Wish me luck!

P/S: I was able to sing the full lyrics without looking at the words. Six times. Yay!)

Sorry, no free advertising here, unless I like the product!

For some strange reason, I have been getting a lot of response for this blog entry on mineral makeup. I suppose mineral makeup is the latest rage in the cosmetics industry.

Anyway, last night or early this morning, someone left me a comment promoting a local brand for mineral makeup. Initially, I approved the comment. But then something made me change my mind.

The comment was long but informative. But it was also clear that the guy (it was a man) was selling the product. I don’t mean to be unsupportive of his business. I think it’s great that there is a Malaysian-made mineral makeup brand out there. I just don’t like the idea of my blog being used to endorse products which I haven’t used or worse don’t believe in.

So, dude, if you’re reading this… sorry but no offence.

Actually, a friend had introduced me to this same brand. She became a member of the brand on Facebook. But as I told her, I think the product is pricey compared to EM even in Malaysian currency. I can get a lot more products from EM for just a little bit more cash.

Having said that, I shouldn’t write something which I haven’t tried (although the price tag has put me) off. There is no harm in ordering the free sample and giving it a try, right?

When I have done that, I’ll be sure to blog about the product.

Organised chaos

It’s past midnight and I should really go to bed but I feel obliged to blog. I feel kinda guilty that my last blog entry was more than a week ago. Of course I don’t HAVE to blog but I’m thinking, it’s kind of ironic that although I have been doing so well with “getting organised”, I DON’T have 30 minutes to blog.

So, yeah, I’ve been diligently using Remember The Milk to jot down my to-do list. It has kept me pretty much on top of my workload. Sure, I still have close to a dozen of pending stories but at least I’m ahead of schedule. For instance, I have completed two stories scheduled for July. That’s a big deal for someone who could never stockpile her stories before. Just the knowledge of having a stockpile makes me calmer and so determined to keep up the good work.

I don’t know how long I can keep this up, though. Just one reaction story can throw off my to-do list in an instant. But when that happens, I guest I’m just gonna have to grin and bear it and then hop on the bandwagon again. It’s just the nature of the job. So, I can’t complain (too much).

I may not been able to blog a lot but I HAVE managed to finish reading an ebook titled Time Management for Creative People. It’s full of useful advice and tips on how to be more organised if your job requires lots of creativity.

A lot of people believe that being organised messes with the creative process. Author Marc Maguinness argues that a disorganised mind actually interrupts the flow of creativity. It makes sense when you think about it. It is hard to be creative when you’re always worried that you are forgetting something important, like a deadline or that you need to prepare for that all-important meeting.

I like the ebook so much that I’ve already emailed the ebook to my work neighbour RP. Maybe I’ll forward the mail to my other colleagues too. If you need a copy, just let me know, k?

So that’s one item I have crossed off my list.

Speaking of my list, it says here that I’m suposed to blog about Paolo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello (TWOP) which I managed to finish in two weeks. TWO WEEKS! That’s a record for me.

How did I do it? Well, I read the book whenever I had a toilet break, lunch break and whenever I manage to find time.

Overall, the book has been a joy to read. I found it a bit confusing and long-winded at first but really hard to put down once I became more familiar with the characters in the book. For those who have never read this book and don’t have the patience for long-winded novels, you will be delighted to know that TWOP is potentially one of those breezy books which you can either read in one sitting or bit by bit because of the narrative format it was written.

The book is a long interview transcript of the people who “knew Athena (aka the Witch of Portobello) or hardly at all” by an unnamed author/interviewer. There are no actual chapters to this book, which makes it easier for slow readers like me to finish it. I could choose to stop after one “account” of Athena or continue reading until I was tired.

I have to warn you that it is easy to lose the plot especailly when Athena or Edda (her friend and fellow “witch” is “talking” because they can get a bit philosophical. You’ll be thinking, what the heck are they going on about? Mother? Vortex? Hera? Goddess? But stick to it and you won’t be sorry that you did. I didn’t see the ending coming (literally) at all because partly you have been lulled and led to believe that Athena hadn’t been truthful about certain elements in her life.

Anyway, I’m currently back to reading The Pact - a love story and teenage suicide pact tale all in one. I can’t wait until I get to the high court drama part of the book. Right now, I’m forced to read “flashbacks” and steamy scenes which I think are irrelevant. But I guess I’m still too early in the book to know that for sure.

Oklah. Time for bed. BTW, I’m going to Penang again this weekend for work. What are the odds of that happening, huh? Third time in two months? Hmmm…. At least, hopefully I can catch up on some reading and blogging there. Let’s hope the hotel has free broadband…hah… I wish….

P/S: I just got my July copy of Self and there is an article which says that a little bit of mess — your desk, you’re to-do list — is good for your career. Interesting….Will update on that soon.

Not as we

Eight months ago, a House fan posed a question on Yahoo! Ask about the title of the Alanis Morissette’s song which appeared in the second half of an episode she saw the night before. Today, I was googling for the same answer!

Anyway, it’s called Not As We, a break up song about how someone has to refer to himself or herself as I and not We now that he or she is single.

I heard it last night during the scene when House contemplated suicide by plunging a pocket knife into an electrical socket because he wanted to know if there was “an afterlife”. A patient who swore that the 97 seconds that his heart stopped was the best 97 seconds of his life had got him curious. In the end, he decided to do it but had half the mind to page one of his new interns to come to the rescue before doing it. So typical of House!

Apparently, the song had been played during another scene in House before. Something to do with Catherine saying goodbye to House. I think I remember that episode and scene but I don’t recall the song at all.

Anyway, it’s a really beautiful song. Definitely one for my iPod.

Closed door

There are many songs in my iPod that I don’t even know I have. So, once in a while, when I’m sick of listening to Jason Castro *lol* it’s nice to find long forgotten songs in my iPod. One such pleasant surprise is Izzy Mohamed’s Closed Door.

It’s a demo song of an aspiring Malaysian singer/songwriter known as Izzy. I’m not sure how it ended up in my iPod. It must have come from my sister-in-law’s song list. Anyway, I think it’s quite good - for a demo. Her voice and the melody are haunting. I liked the solo guitar intro for Closed Door a lot but am not too thrilled with the guitar strumming as she sings.

Anywho, I googled her and found her myspace page. I’m listening to her other songs as I’m writing this.

I think this girl has talent. I love her voice and her words. Quite mature and not (so) cheesy. I don’t know if she plays the lead guitar for her songs — I’m guessing she does — but whoever is has some killer plucking/strumming skills!

I was thrilled to know that she has a Malay song called Pelangi. Once again, I love the melody and the singing but the words are kinda cheesy and a bit cliched (maybe she’s more comfortable expressing herself in English? That’s usually the case). But I was generally digging the song — even her weird pronunciation of the word kapan(Indonesian for when) which sounds like kapal (ship) (because the line goes… “kapan lagi”.. so it sounds like she’s saying “kapallagi”) — UNTIL I heard the word “berubah” (to change) which she sung in an English accent (you know… with the R stressed in the way the word American should be pronounced?)

Cringe!!

I’m all for good English pronunciation in songs but there is no greater turn off than hearing someone sing a Malay song with an English accent….or an English song with a Malay accent for that matter. Anyway, that’s just me.

Do check her songs out. She’s got a public gig coming in July so you may want to go.

Anyway, I want to give Closed Door another spin. Later!

He blogs, she blogs a we blog. I blog.. balloopa she blogs

Yesterday, my second eldest sister told me that one of my brothers has a blog. It wasn’t too hard to find his blog because it’s the **** of our ********. Turns out he has been blogging for about a year now!

I’m so used to reading friends’ blogs and cousins blogs - but a sibling’s blogs? NEVER!

I have to admit, it feels a bit weird at first. It shouldn’t, but it is. But it’s not like it’s anything bad. I don’t think my brother purposely wants to keep his blog a secret (or did he??). I mean, the name of his blog is pretty easy to remember and find but it is something that I would have never thought to google.

Besides, it’s not like I told him (or anyone in my family) that I have a blog. My husband only knew that I have a blog after we were married. But I don’t think he bothers to read it and I’m more than happy that he doesn’t. I only blog about stuff that I’m comfortable sharing or something that I feel others can benefit from. Marriage troubles, work problems and related stuff are best keep offline.

Until I get the okay from him, I will keep his blog away from my blogroll. But he will know my blog url when he checks his blog next because I left him a message

The problem with keeping the link a secret is that I tend to forget about links I don’t see on my blogroll. But these days, I hardly have the time to look at non-secret links, so it doesn’t really make a difference. Thanks to my strict “only office stuff at work” Internet use rule, I get to tick chores off my to-do list but I’m VERY behind my blog reading *shaking head disapprovingly*. For example, I only managed to read Hansolo’s blog (since she moved to JB) yesterday. The same goes for many other blogs.

I’ve been over blog-searching or blog hopping a looooong time ago. I just don’t have the time. If I happen to bump into something I like, great. If not, that’s fine too.

Anyway, I bought Lucido-L’s Perm Hair Wax for “romantic” curls whatever that is. I’m loving it! It makes my curls shinier and piecey. Oh, look, there’s a special feature on how to style curly hair in Glamour US July edition…. Well, I’m off read my new Glamour (US) magazine. Later!

Remember the milk!

I don’t know if you can tell but this month, I’m OBSESSED with getting organised and accomplishing as many tasks as humanly possible in just 24 hours.

I did a lot of reading online on “being organised” and stumbled upon some nifty websites that makes your goal of being clutter-free all the more attainable.

So far, here are my favourites (in random order):

1. Remember The Milk

This Australian-based company ironically has a huge American following. Now, they have a (another) Malaysian fan too. I love this application because I can sync it with Gmail, which means that I can see my to-do list just next to my list of e-mails. By syncing Gmail and RTM, there is no way I can forget to check my to-do list. If I want, I can get reminders about my “chores” via IM or e-mail.

I’m very easy to please so what I love about RTM is how clean my to-do list looks like at a glance (print able version). I can just print this every week and be on top of my chores. Cool!

2. Wishful Thinking

I just found this website today and I’m loving it already. Why? Because I got to download a FREE ebook titled Time Management For Creative People. I’m just on the fifth page but I promise to blog about it once I’m done. I’m writing it down on my to-do book and RTM as we speak. There, done.

I don’t know if I have blogged about this but I did FB it some time back. I was lamenting about my list of 10 pending articles as a result of back to back assignments. Guess what? I’m down to 8 pending articles. Woohoo! By July (plus my new knowledge on how manage my time in my “creative” job better), I hope to see that list (not inclusive of new articles I’ve been assigned to write) will shrink further and further.

3. Kick The Clutter

Here’s a potentially interesting and useful website. I haven’t gone through it but I’m sure it’ll bring some kind of wisdom…

More on this website on another day.

It’s past midnight now, so time to get some sleep. I have a 10am appointment tomorrow in the heart of town with a chatterbox. God, this better be good!

Be calm my tummy!

9:25pm

Sitting down and having a conversation with a face reader who can also sense your biorhythm (see what it means in wikipedia) can be intimidating. It makes you want to run the opposite way.

The fact that I sat through an hour plus interview with said man, knowing full well of his “talent” makes me a very brave soul indeed.

As I was asking him questions and as he deliberated his answers (on his job not his ability to read my face), I couldn’t help but to think if he could read my mind too. Apparently, he couldn’t. Thank god for that!

But there was no hiding that I had some kind of gastrointestinal problem from him. When I asked him how he knew, he said that it was because he could sense the heat I was eminating. My body heat was telling him that I was as heaty as a durian lover post durian feast (okay, so he didn’t say that. He just said that I was heaty). The way the skin pulls under my eyebags also gave my condition away. Then he asked me if I often have constipation. Hah, I wish!

Anyway, I told him that I have IBS and then he proceeded to ask me if I drink enough water or that I’m getting enough fiber. Then he gave me some tips. The next time I drink, I am to gulp and not sip. The motion of gulping is believed to help my sensitive guts function better.

So right after the interview, I went to Juice Works and ordered my Tummy Calmer. I remembered his tips and duely gulped my drink. Guess what - it kinda worked. I was having some stomach discomfort all throughout the interview and I hardly noticed how my stomach felt - the way normal people do (or rather don’t). Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe it was my Tummy Calmer - I’m not really sure. But it is a tip worth trying again.

Anyway, said man also shared with me information about his next exhibition based on his years of research about people’s personality traits based on the day they were born. He told me that I was born on a Saturday which made me a baby with a pair of eyes which were a topic of everyone’s conversation. I was also apparently a baby which developed very fast. I was very tight with money and I have a natural talent for music and dancing.

If he had met my parents years ago, he would have suggested that they encourage me to take Accounting and dancing lessons.

He said that I have a natural talent for numbers and for selling insurance or unit trust funds. I would do very well if I were to pursue such careers.

Interesting eh?

I have been interested in accountancy since I covered an assignment about an accountancy programme a month ago. I mean, why not? Every organisation needs an accountant and if I were one, I would probably be more up to date with my taxes. So who knows? *lol*

It’s a pity that I’m not going to write about his talent for reading faces, biorhythm or numerology(?). But he is a man with a talent for painting so my angle would be that and how young people can follow his footsteps.

I can assure you that his artistic pursuit is no less interesting than the conversation we had before we wrapped up the interview. Now, all I have to do is make sure that I do justice to this man. Pressure much?

(Window) shopping for a new phone

Time: 11:26am

I’m shopping for a new phone. Well, window shoping because it’s not like I can afford a new phone right now as the phones that I want normally cost no less than RM1000

Anyway, I have been looking at some Nokia models particularly N73 Music Edition. After my MusicExpress phone, I realised that I’m not really a Blackberry type of girl. I love Qwerty keyboards, large screens, surfing the Internet wirelessly from my phone and all that BUT if I can’t take nice, clear pictures in a jify ; record myself singing on a whim; camwhore in the toilet when no one’s looking or record an interview on my phone - I’m not going to be very happy with that phone.

I was more than happy to buy my old phone back - because it does all of the above - but my husband says that I should upgrade. I suppose he’s right. If I’m going to get a new phone, I might as well make it a really “new” one, in every sense of the word.

N73 boasts Carl Zeis camera lenses which means that it takes great videos too. The Music edition comes with 2gb inbox memory, perfect for my sms-hoarding habits! It has two cameras - front and back - which is great for camwhoring and it has dedicated music and camera buttons, so that’s brilliant.

So I think N73 is the phone that I will get as soon as I have some money to burn. The question is: when will that happen?