Understanding.

Accepting.

Forgive.

Remember what you went through. It was an experience.

Remember the lessons learned. Don’t repeat them.

And most importantly, remember to never get too comfortable ever again.

If you asked me about a month ago how my life was, I would have told you that I’m very happy with my life. I would have said I’m not wanting for anything, that I have everything I wanted. I have a job I love, I hang out with great friends, I spend free time boardgaming, my relationship with my family was good and my personal life was, well, good.

Then recently it hit me, as I’m turning 26, I am only 4 years away from the big three-oh. I don’t know why people think its a huge milestone in a young person’s life but apparently it is.

So looking back at my older posts, I apparently wrote nothing last year (too busy with life?) but the previous two years, I’ve had significant things happened in my life, such as in getting into (and out) of a relationship and getting more independent. Interestingly I was also in Melaka during my 24th birthday. Heh!

So now that I’m turning 26…

I could look at it this way : I am a 26 year old with a job that is the lowest rung of the ladder, a single lady without even an inkling of a stable relationship in my life, still living with my parents and have no property to speak of, or even proper savings for that matter.

Or I could look at it this way : that besides all the (negative stuff) above and tho sometimes I feels like its “me alone against the world”. I am living and breathing every day and good friends who will travel to Melaka with me. Whatever it is, I know I can fall back on my family.

Two sides of a coin. Two ways to look at things ey? (Such a typical libra, is what my Aree would say).

So yea, Happy Birthday to me :)

p/s: Besides Nani who thought my birthday was on 24th Sept, my parents in KL and my sister in UK was the first few people who actually called me at midnight to wish me. See what I meant in option 2? <3

“I’m usually reluctant to meet ppl from my past because I feel that I’m different now and
I’m not sure how they would feel about that.”

My mind apparently likes to go on overdrive after hours so I tweeted this last night. We all change in a certain extent when time passes. we are not the person we were last week, a month ago, 6 months ago, 1 year ago, 5 years ago. Experiences & time taught us things that will effect our thinking and, ultimately, actions. Also not only mentally but perhaps physically as well.

“Different” might be good for me. But is it good to everyone else? Or vice versa. Example: if I were a partying girl before and decided to make a change and cut down on that lifestyle, my “kaki” would think that the change was “not good” for them because it means they are missing out another person in their clique.

Or say your meeting an old friend: You recently changed your physical look (fatter/thinner/darker/fairer/haircut/style) and the last time you met this friend was 2 years ago, would she/he not remember you as how you were before? Would he/she be surprised to see you now? Would that surprise be positive or negative?

I guess we are usually more concerned especially about what the opposite sex thinks of us ( don’t lie guys, I know you feel the same too). But i think this applies to everyone. Like @karenique said on twitter, “general public are not accustomed to change. and when we stop living their version of us, it’s bad.”

Is this an indication of low self esteem? I don’t really think so. I personally like to think we all have our little “fears” and “doubts” every once in a while. This is one of mine. Which is why I don’t like reunions.

Now back to my original paragraph, what do i do? My “coping mechanism” would be to avoid it. When some people (please note that this does not apply to everyone) asks to meet up, I find it hard to set down a date and time. I have inconsistent working hours so I don’t really know when I leave the office everyday (which is TRUE btw) but sometimes I will just say that I’m “busy” and leave it at that. I’m sorry but that’s just how I deal.

So when the past catches up on you, how do you respond?

P/s: to that old friend who asked me out recently, we’ll meet sometime next week, ok?

- Go ahead, text him first, he might be checking his phone, waiting for you.

- Stare into the eyes of the person you like and memorize the color.

- Turn on your ipod and run as far as you can.

- Say hi to a stranger, you never know what they’ll become to you.

- Have a mental health day – you know you need it.

- Don’t go on Facebook/Twitter for a day and see what you can accomplish.

- Give money to a charity, your good karma will come around eventually.

- Sneak out, you might get caught, but it’ll be 100% worth it.

- Tell that one person that you like them, what’s the worst that can happen? he doesn’t like you back? then he doesn’t deserve you anyways, right?

- Treat yourself to something indulgent, you deserve it.

- Smile at a stranger, it could make their day.

- Wink, it’s sexy and makes you feel confident, after all, you are pretty hot ;)

- Go for somebody who is totally wrong for you, they may not be totally wrong after all.

- Stand up for yourself, because if you don’t, who will.

Moral of the story is: It’s 2011, start living your dream life that you’ve always wanted, after all.

Something rather inspirational I read somewhere and decided to paste it here. I know many are out enjoying their Valentine’s Day with their loved ones (be it their significant other or their happy single friends). So in the spirit of spreading love, here’s my favourite medley from Moulin Rouge. Enjoy and have a great night!

Yep, its that year end post again. Reflections on 2010 and hopes and dreams for 2011.

2010 was truly a life changing year for me. It was the year that I met countless of people. It was the year I changed jobs. It was the year I did less of some things and more of others. It was a good year.

The Year of Tweetups

This year, it was the year that I went for a lot, and I do mean A LOT of tweetups. The problem for me about tweetups is having to remember whose face is connected to which twitter handle.

I must admit that until now I’m confused who some my twitter friends are (unless they put their faces on their display). Tip : That’s why I don’t address people often by name and why I make sure people like Khir, Khairul or Rara is somewhere nearby so I can ask who is who. LOL!

So I guess for the new year, one of the things I have got to do is learn to remember people’s name more.

The Year of New Jobs.

Its actually funny how I decided to change jobs. I wasn’t looking for a new job, no. I just happened to come across someone’s RT of an RT of an RT about this person looking for someone to do social media. And I thought, hmm, why not? Best part is, the interview had to be at lunch time smack dab in the middle of KL – in KLCC. So I had to take an LRT frm Bangsar to KLCC and back within my lunch break.

So to cut a long story short, I quit my job doing programming and designing (something I spent 4 years of my life obtaining a BSc Hons degree for) to do social media. As I like to tell people, how else would you get paid to Facebook or Tweet? (Of course that was before I found out the amount of planning BEFORE and the number of reports AFTER. LOL)

The Year of Discovery

I discovered that time really does heal things. Though it might take years, but it does heal. I also discovered that without my “posse” of Pam and Aree, I went out less :( That led to more at home time and more time to dabble in projects (particularly baking).  Also I am now lazy to “doll up” and go clubbing for some reason which then leads to less drinking. I suspect it has to do with lack of “kaki”. I actually wouldn’t mind a night of fun every once in a while instead of cooped up at home and work.

It was also the year of lots and lots of road trips! I finally went to Cameron and Bukit Tinggi. I also went up to Genting (meh). Also road trips to Penang, Melaka, Johor Bharu and even Singapore! I was supposed to write a post about my trip to Singapore and Universal Studios but..er….hehe.

Resolution of 2011 : Try to visit as many states in Semenanjung so that I can complete all the states in Malaysia.

The Year of Less and More

This was the year that ironically though I’m working with bloggers, I myself as a blogger has deteriorated due to lack of time. Which leads to less blogging and lower hits (boo!). Also towards the end of the year I’ve felt the need to be more private – hence two different twitter accounts and a private Facebook acc.

So yea, more blogging this year I hope?

Anyway, here are the Top Blogposts of 2010

1. Malaysian Twitter Users put Rais Yatim on Trending topics #yorais (link) – This is actually quite funny. A bunch of Twitter-ers (namely bongkersz) started this yorais hashtag in retaliation to what he said about Malaysians shouldn’t be immersing themselves in Facebook and Twitter
2. The Body Shop Malaysia 2010 Sale + price list (link) – It was the big sale for TBS and I managed to get a pricelist (and spent a bomb)
3. Google Analytics Master Class (GAMC) Kuala Lumpur + Slides (link)– Google SEA organized a FREE class to teach us all about Google Analytics. I wrote a post about it and provided download links
4. Full List of Academy Awards (Oscars) 2010 Winners and Nominees (link) – I guess this really needs no explanation :)
5. Craft Brews Brewhouse and Restaurant Party (link) – Craft Brews invited us bloggers to sample their food and even gave us a mini brewery kit for us to try it out ourselves. Good food and good beer!
6. Digi and Maxis iPhone 4 Comparison Chart (link) – I did an table of comparison between the plans and the pros and cons for both. I think many people found it useful.
7. Artist Lineup for Arthur’s Day 2010 in Kuala Lumpur (link) – This was the list of all the awesome artists that came to KL! I was there that night but didn’t stay for long.
8. Accident on Cheras-Kajang Highway (BHP Incident) (link) – This was a really sad story about how, due to red tape, help was not able to be given to someone in need.
9. Twitter on ‘Men Carrying Handbags’ (link) – I did a quick survey on twitter asking friends what they thought about Men carrying handbags. I posted some of their reactions. What do you think?
10. Mencari Tetek Janda? (link) – Do you read the Google Adwords advertising when you’re visiting websites or checking gmail? Here’s a funny one.

There you go, round up of 2010. Hope everyone parties safe tonight!

Happy New Year 2011!!

Semalam terbaca kat twitter yang Oh!Media Network – team/pemilik disebalik Oh! Artis, Oh! Cun, Oh! Tweet, Oh! Tidak & Scukz – membangunkan satu lagi website. Siapa yg tak kenal dengan website Oh! Artis yg penuh dengan gossip2 artis berserta gambar-gambar yang didapati dari pelbagai sources demi mengkukuhkan lagi gossip2 tersebut.

Kini muncul pula website bertajuk Oh! Islam yang menurut page ‘Kami’ = “Allah SWT telah menggerakkan hati kami untuk membangunkan web berunsur ilmiah seperti ini….Semoga kewujudan website ini memberi manfaat dan syafaat kepada semua yang membacanya.”

Tapi, timbul satu persoalan yang telah ditanya kepada Khai, pemilik di sebalik Oh! Tweet melalui twitter. Sila tekan “Click to show spoiler” utk membaca perbincangan tersebut.

Click here to show spoiler

Tak lama lepas tu, Khai pon menge-tweet yg dia telah menulis satu post utk menerangkan jawapan kepada persoalan kami dalam blognya – “Bermulanya satu anjakkan paradigma Oh Islam”

Summary: Khai menerangkan bahawa dia telah mendapat “nur” utk bangunkan Oh!Islam dan terdapat dua sebab kenapa Oh! Artis (OA) tak ditutup:

1. Team disebalik OA, hosting yg disponsor & client pengiklanan yg ramai

2. OA di katakan web gossip yg tak berunsurkan fitnah kerana artikel OA berkualiti + ada gambar sbb bukti.

Khai juga berkata bahawa article OA akan lebih berisi dan istiqamah & tiada lagi gambar artis berbikini.

So, apa pendapat awak?

Komen: Sebenarnya, rasa agak dissapointed dengan komen2 pembaca Khai di mana soalan yang simple, curious dan honest dikatakan “menjatuhkan”, “kondem tapi tak pandai buat”, “susah nak tgk melayu tak dengki melayu”.

Khai sendiri pon tak cakap mcm tu, malah memberi explaination dengan baik dan clear dan aku accept je penerangan dia.

Yang ko org plak, sibuk cakap memacam. lol! kelakar la weh!

Merdeka is here. Call me cynical and non patriotic, but the only thing I like about it is that its a public holiday. And this year its on a monday, which makes it better.

So why don’t I get into all the Merdeka hype? My post back in 2007 explains it :

About this merdeka thingy, dont you think its rather overrated? no actually overrated is not the word. Its more like ‘pretentious’.

I mean, ok you love your country yea? So at the end of august – Merdeka week – you stick a hundred flags on your car, put a huge flag on your hood (of the car), hang a flag in your front gate (if you stay in a house) or outside your window (if u stay in a flat), you go down to the dataran merdeka and scream and shout and wave the little flags, you sing along to songs like “Tanggal 31″ and “Jalur Gemilang” when it plays on the radio and TV and you do all sorts of patriotic things.

Then, 2-3 days later, everything goes back to normal. Then all sorts of complaints/talks come out:

* In the jam – “why cant they build better roads/highways/tolls/tunnels”
* When fuel/toll/commodities prices go up – “why the govnt only want to take our money?”
* While reading political scandals in the paper – “oh so and so is mmg like that..did you know that he/she *gossip gossip* “
* More examples which I dont even hv to mention

What happened to the “I love malaysia”? What happen to the “im proud to be malaysian”? What happened to the “negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku” – my country, the place where I would willingly spill my blood i.e. strive for, fight for.

What really happens during the other 51 weeks in the year?

Anyway, Happy birthday Malaysia (tho its actually supposed to be 16 Sept)

Yasmin Ahmad is the critically-acclaimed multi-award winning film director, writer and scriptwriter from Malaysia and is also the executive creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur. Her television commercials and films are well-known in Malaysia for their humour, heart and love that crosses cross-cultural barriers, in particular her ads for Petronas, the national oil and gas company.

Her movies, Rabun, Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin, Muallaf & Talentime have won multiple awards internationally. Unfortunately due to our censorship board, some of them are not aired here in Malaysia. Even if they are, they are heavily cut :/

She was admitted to Damansara Specialist Center on Thursday (23 July 2009) and was in a critical condition after surgery for a brain haemorrhage. And today (26 July) she passed away just a few hours ago.

I was following her blog at yasminthestoryteller.blogspot.com before she moved to a second blog here. Her movies are all entertaining, heartwarming and inspiring. The last time I saw Yasmin Ahmad was at an Event for Talentime. She looked so happy then.

Malaysia has lost one of its most creative and inspiring minds. Yasmin, may you rest in peace. :’(

Source :
• It was on TV3′s Nightline (credit to lightyoruichi)
• Bernama : http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=428052

Do u guys know what ‘Twenty Questions’ is? Its a kind of guessing game where one player is chosen to be the answerer. That person chooses a subject but does not reveal this to the others. The other players have to guess the thing by asking Yes/No questions. But, I’m not writing a post about the game.

Personally I think I ask too many questions. Especially if I meet someone different from me. Different background and mentality. Or maybe different “group” or clique. Or race (vroom vroom) or type.

It really makes me curious why does a person think a certain way. Why does he/she act differently from others? Why does he/she does this. Why doesn’t he/she do this? I tend to challenge and quarrel debate with people on subjects that interest me (which by the way does NOT include politics or religion).

To the point that I tend to be people think I am rude, arrogant, obnoxious and annoying. The fact that I seldom like to lose a debate and don’t know how to back off gracefully doesn’t help. Usually I just end with a “fine” and then silence – yes, i know that is not considered as “exiting gracefully”.

And funny thing is, I don’t do it to everyone I meet, just the few. Well, honestly I think it makes as very interesting conversation.

Just yet another random rambling at 2am..

Ah, this lack of sleep is taking a toll on me. How long as it been now? Definatly more than 24 hrs. Why you ask? It has been a long day. Suffice to say, circumstances was against me today.

This persistant flu is bugging me. The sneezing comes once a while – mostly mornings but now even my ear is slightly blocked due to my blocked nose. I wonder why is that.

My mom made one of my favourite meals today. Ikan Pari Bakar (bakar-ed over the stove in a pan that is). Just when I needed comfort food the most – not like I can taste it properly due to the aforementioned flu.

Time for me to eat, the food’s all nicely heated up. My first proper meal of the day. I had breakfast around 9.30am and no other solid food in between – cups and cups of nescafe doesn’t count for ‘food’ right?

Ah, will take some meds after this and drift off to drug-induced sleep.

Bliss.. (the medicinal kind)