gifts for people

10.57am

ho ho ho merry christmas one and all.

so its post christmas. how was it? got good gifts this year? or not so great gifts? you know sometimes i do wonder,( which im sure you guys do too), if our friends and family put any kind of thought whatsoever, into buying gifts for people.

for me, i would sit and mull over who gets what and try to think about their character, what they have worn or said, fav colors etc, and then try to decide which gifts goes to  which person. is that the same for you or do you just buy for the sake of buying? sometimes i would also ask myself (before buying the item/s), would i use this item if i were my friend or family member receiving the gift. and then i have to also see if its for a guy or girl. old or young. theres alot to think about. alas, i think i may have just found a very simple solution, if you reckon you wont use that item/s, then listen to yourself, dont buy it as a gift for people. they probably wouldnt be using it either.

but if you cant decide or unsure, then you have 2 choices. buy it, give it and move on or dont buy and move on and look around for other things. i mentioned before, we all have choices more often then not. once you've decided with your answer, adhere to it and then move on. dont regret. coz what's done is done. unless you can undo it then fine.

so in future, think before you wrap a gift for your family or friends. sometimes its not all about how much the gift cost. its the thought that counts too. you should know what im trying to say.

ttfn

11.12am

thoughts for this festive season

11.53am

what is the meaning of christmas to you? is it about gifts? is it about being together with your loved ones? or both? well for whatever reason it may be, i hope you will spare a thought or two for those who cant afford any gifts for their families or to even put food on the table and have a small celebration of some kind. and also for those who dont have their loved ones around them on this special occasion. consider yourself lucky, to be surrounded by your family and friends and having a good meal around the table.

you know, each time when im out and about, i see families walking around the malls or out in the streets or just sitting at a foodcourt eating together. i ask myself -" are they really happy? or is this just a front? a show they have to put on in front of people." . i have some friends who are divorced or lost their spouses, telling me that sometimes when they go out, they see all these so called happy families around, they would feel the lonliness, perhaps bitterness or feeling of envy(or mixed emotions) because they dont have their other half or loved ones beside them. i know they cant help but feel like that. but i tell them, this is  what you see on the outside. you do not know what goes on behind closed doors. most of us put on a show when we go out . do you realize that? i guess not because its automatic, second nature that we dont even realize that we are doing what we are doing. from  the moment we step out of our house, we are already putting on the greatest performance ever. and most of us do not want to dirty our laundry in public now do we. therefore, we do this "show" for all to see.

now coming back to the spirit of christmas. i know there's alot of folks out there in the world who feels alone, unloved, unwanted, helpless, suffering etc but we just gotta have faith. i mean what can i say. fact is, dont expect a miracle although you can hope for one. life is and can be cruel. and you can keep on asking yourself, why me? why me? unfortunately nobody can answer that. i think that throughout in our lives, we are usually given choices. options. and its what we chose or decided that what lead us here, today, our current situation. generally speaking, we were not forced or coerced into our decision making. therefore whatever route we are walking on now, are based on the outcome of our decisions. dont you agree? try not to regret too much. because honestly, whats done is done. you cant undo time or go back in time to alter things.

so thats why i say, take this time to relfect on what you have done thruout the year and for 2013, well, try to do better and dont make the same mistakes that you've done in 2012. try to improve yourself, to better yourself. dont sweat the small stuff. look at the bigger picture. and take care of your well being, your health, your sanity.

god bless all of you and may 2013 be even better than 2012.

ttfn

12.32pm

multi level marketing??

10.29pm

hi all. thought i drop a blog before xmas. that's in like 2 days time. gosh, so fast. soon that too will pass.

anyways, recently, i met up with some of my old friends from the airlines, whom i've not seen in more then a decade. i thought they wanted to see me, to catch up or probably both. however, i kinda had a hunch that part of the reason of wanting to see me  was because they were keen to introduce me to some sort of a multi level marketing. some kinda power berry drink that can boost our immune system or gives us more energy etc.

and so we met up. laughed and chatted away and then they brought up the topic. telling me about their personal experiences, their friends experiences etc. i told them i was fine with opening up my mind and listening and then at the end, giving them my 2 cents worth. i felt as tho i had to keep on trying to make them understand that im totally uncomfortable with all of this. thing is, i hate to make people feel bad or im afraid that they wont want to be friends with me anymore (or for whatever reasons) if i told them my answer to their proposal was a no. just that "an invisible wall" will come up once i hear this kind of topic. to be honest with you, i really dont like it at all. it creeps the hell out of me.

have you ever been in this kind of situation before? not really knowing how to say no to your friends? then making you feel awful thereafter once you've told them that you cant do it or buy the item or whatever? i mean its not so bad if its strangers that you are talking to but why is it difficult when it comes to friends?

you know once upon a time, a colleague took me to one of this multi level marketing thingy. they were into mattresses that has some positive ions in it, i think. long story short, i was made to hear a short talk about this wonderful mattress and testimonials from people who slept on it. and then after the talk there were break out groups so you can ask questions if you have any and hopefully you will sign up with them and purchase the mattress. well, i was contemplating about it. to sign up i mean. but i told them that i would like to think about it before signing up and that i have to discuss it with my husband. hey, they were like asking for more than a thousand bucks for the mattress.

so i went home and discussed it with  my husband, who immediately shot it down. he said "no way. you are not going to sign up for this kinda bullshit."  bla bla bla....so alas when my colleague came round a few days later to get an answer from me, i told him that i was sorry but im not going for it. well he accepted my answer graciously and never bugged me again regarding this subject. thank god! and oh till today, we're still close friends. haha

so cut back to the present day, i got introduced to this so called super power drink by my friends. at the time when my friends were sharing with me about their own personal experiences after consuming this drink, what was running thru my head was - "oh please guys...im just not interested. why cant you see that? i feel so suffocated. where to run to? help!! somebody!! aarrgh...i do not want to hear another long lecture from my husband. spare me please! cant you see im just a contented housewife. i dont need no passive income. thanks for thinking of me guys...but i can take care of myself......" so many thoughts running thru my head..oh golly gosh gosh.

alas i reckon my friends knew that i wasnt interested in their scheme. the thing is i had to buy a box( that has 4 bottles in it) of this drink and consume it.(i could  pour it away if i dont want to drink it or give away, whatever) and this cost more than 500 bucks per month for a box. thats not cheap you know. people can live on that amount for a month feeding a small family, in the rural areas! so sinful to blow that kind of money on just a drink. and mind you times are bad around the world.

we all understood that its a very subjective matter. not everybody would fall for this or would quickly jump on board. im also sure they would know that there'll be folks who wouldnt mind trying this out and see if there's any difference after consuming the drink and there's folks who just dont want to get involved for whatever reasons. and thats why they should respect peoples decisions and not pester them further.

you know, if i had the means, meaning if i was super rich and could simply blow money away like that, i really wouldnt mind helping my friends out by buying the drinks from them. but reality is, im not rich at all. im just a housewife, for crying out loud. i dont mind helping people out, family or friends for that matter but within my means and my capability. my friends have to accept that.

so my dear friends or those who are reading this, all i can say is, if you are ever in the same boat, do your homework first. dont simply jump on board blindly. this could be a fly by night kinda thing you never know. lots of people around the world are being duped and scammed or conned. you dont want your hard earned money going down the drain when at the end of the day, you dont see any returns. or you just see a bit and after that, nada, zero, zilch. company has closed etc. anything can and could happen. think about it. there are no guarantees in life, well maybe except for taxes and death.

and lastly, if its too good to be true, then it probably is.

ttfn

11.24pm

p/s for the record, i still love my mates! they rock!

friendship is important to me

11.51pm

apologies for not writing. as i mentioned in my previous blog, i did say i'll be erratic with my blogs and that i'll be busy and i was. i am. i was clearing up my stuff, doing some spring cleaning, helping my parents out with the house chores, wrapping presents, meeting up with cousins for coffee and friends for dinners. yes, busy me.

this evening, i met up with some of my good friends, whom i've known for over a decade. we met when we were all working together in advertising and still kept in touch, even tho each went separate ways. i mean that's what friendship is all about isnt it? altho we hardly get to see each other, but we make it a point to at least meet up once a year especially during xmas time so that we can exchange gifts and to catch up on each others lives, gossip and have a laugh or two. theres just so much to talk about and not enough time. when you throw 5 women together, that is what will happen. best of times i must say.

so, guys if you are reading this, dont fret, we dont always talk about you ie our husbands or boyfriends. we gals have better things to talk about. hahahaha....trust me. tonite our main topic of discussion was about maids and pets!! yup..there you go :)

you know, in some of our friendships, you dont always have to meet up in order to be good friends. you see, i hardly get to see these friends of mine but whenever we do get a chance, its like as if we were never apart at all. and if we didnt have to go back home, we would have sat there all night at the restaurant and chatted away. now thats what i call a solid friendship. do you have these kind of friends? if so, you should cherrish them. coz its not everyday you will or can find such friends.

hey, im not talking about those fair weathered ones nor ones that come and go in your life or is there only in your good times not your bad. those you can keep in the closet and forget about them. for me, i take my friendship seriously because without them, i think i would just go mad.

there must be a reason as to why our friendship has lasted this long. its because we all can get along like a house on fire. even tho some are married and have kids and some are still single, but so what? we dont judge. we are on the same wavelength, the same page. thats the beauty our friendship. and then theres honesty too. we trust each other wholeheartedly. there's no ill feelings or jealously or envy between each other. we know where we stand in each others lives. and most importantly, respecting one another. thats the way it should be and will be, always.


ok its getting late here. im knackered.


ttfn

12.22am

whats the meaning of christmas for you

11.29am


hello hello my fellow friends. so whats going on with you? i trust that you guys are hanging in there till xmas time. oh have i already told you that i will be very erratic with my blogging session? i do apologize in advance. i'll be super busy helping my parents and prepping the house and food..lots to do!!

speaking of christmas time, you know, its a time for giving and sharing right? its not about how expensive your gifts are or how big. you dont have to boast about what you got  to your friends. you do not know what situation your friends are in, whether they are struggling financially or something unplesant going on in their family or at work, but  whatever. do have a heart for them. its not always about you. try to keep that in mind. thats why i always try to keep myself in check.

i saw on facebook recently where one of my friends posted a true story in america. it brought tears to my eyes. the video touched my heart. click this link to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfwvlgBR6xY

the short story is where santa claus went to an elementary school and he stopped by the 2nd grader class, bearing all kinds of gifts for the kids. each kid apparently wrote to santa what they'd wanted and santa granted their wish. everybody was just super estatic, coz they got what they've asked for. all but one lil girl. her wish - to see her daddy.  now her dad was based in iraq as a contractor trying to rebuild their much needed electrical infrastructure. and they havent seen each other in 2 years,  except for a short 2 week break that her dad got.

so anyways, the interviewer asked the lil girl

interviewer - do you know that what  you're asking is kinda tough?
girl- ya...but its also tough to go around the world in one night.. 
interviewer - thats true.

that lil girl misses her dad alot. so long story short, during that 2 week break in germany, the lil girl got to see her dad and spent quality time with him and  they both exchanged heart shaped key rings(dad carries hers and she has his). he  promised to give the key back to his lil girl when he sees her next.

then back to the classroom, the lil girl was looking around the room where all her friends were  opening their presents and looking very happy. cept her. she had nothing to open.  she walked up to santa, sat on his lap and told santa what she wanted for xmas. she said - for xmas i want my dad to come home. 

and thats when her wish began coming true. santa whipped out a heart shaped key ring, and slowly removed his red hat and the fake white beard  to reveal his true identity. she was very surprised and shouted - daddy!! and threw both her arms around his neck. imagine the scene ok. the lil girl was tearing. you could see her tears slowly trickling down the side of her face and dad used his finger to wipe away her tears. oh so very touching. if this doesnt melt your heart, i dont know what will.

this teaches us that material things dont matter to this girl but to see her dad. what does this story tell you? each of us have different ways of thinking. so you sit and think about it. do you realize that everyday we think of  what we want. its all about want want want. but do we ever stop and think about the less needy or those whose parents are away from them especially during the holidays or festive period. do you like being away from your loved ones? or does material possessions the only thing that makes you happy and contented with life?

every year my parents and brother ask me what i want for my birthday and xmas and to list them down. i told them i dont really want anything because i have everything. i told them - why dont instead of buying each other gifts why dont we all go on a family holiday. its the togetherness and the quality time spent with each other that matters to me. we dont have to go far, even just out of town for a couple of days. thats good enough for me. building memories. not getting material things. i mean yes, once upon a time, it was the stuff that mattered but no more. i have mellowed out. haha

all around the world folks are rushing to do their last minute shopping. but do we ever stop and spare a thought or two about those folks who have no where to rush to, living in huts out in the desert, no food, no rain, no clean water to drink, no clothes  etc. as david bowie said on the do they know its christmas live aid video - "...there are more starving folks on our planet than ever before, please give a thought for them this season, do whatever you can however small to help them live".

have a peaceful new year and think about how blessed you are right now and never take it for granted.


ttfn

12.22pm

nothing on my mind

5.26pm


in a couple of days time, my husband and i are heading back to our hometown for the holidays. so i dont think i will be blogging anytime soon. i promise if i have the time, i will definately write my blog.

at this point in time, i do not know how many people are actually reading my blogs. wonder if its worth the effort. hmm... but in any case, i'll continue to do so when i find anything interesting to talk about(or gripe!) ie good food to recommend to you, places to worth visiting, etc.. sounds fair right?

the reason why i dont blog daily is because nothing super exciting happens to me(not always). im a housewife. how exciting can that be?

anyway, i was out in orchard road today, meeting up with an old friend and boy oh boy there were loads of people around!! omg. if on weekdays its this bad, what more on weekends! last minute shoppers and tourists plus locals...  

weather wise, not great. it has been pouring almost everyday. eeks, i just heard a distant thunder. for those of you who are in singapore and reading this, dont forget your brollies! 

lets see what else. oh ya,my friend that i met up with for lunch (who happens to be a dj) told me that there'll be a beach party on new year's eve from 6pm to 6am!(if im not mistaken).it will be at siloso beach in sentosa. should be a blast.  he has asked me to come see him spin ( his set is at 2am-4am) but unfortunately, im usually not in the country on year ends so i would have to give it a miss. i would love to party on the beach(altho man made, but so what). he did say , that previous years, its always been super crowded and the party goers puking everywhere and not enough portable pottys/loos. hahahhaa...eeee, i can only imagine what goes on there. and he says its always hard to get cabs if you wanna go back when the party is over. i say, book a room at  the shangrila or at resorts world hotel at sentosa itself, then you dont have to bloody worry about going home or crawling back after heavy boozing and partying.

so xmas is getting closer. about 2 weeks time. have you guys bought your pressies yet? what will you be cooking up? what about new years? any plans then? well whatever your plans are, be it celebrating  with your family and/or friends, i wanna take this opportunity to wish you, you and you, a very merry christmas and a blessed new year! may 2013 be even better than 2012!!  god bless one and all!!

ttfn

5.49pm

take a risk in life

3.28pm


hello hello folks. its the weekend again. getting much closer to xmas. bet you guys cant wait for it. what will you be getting? have you been good thruout the year? yes yes i bet you have been an angel, right?

anyways, today i met up with an old friend whom i've not seen in a couple of years. such a great gal that one. long story short, she went  to "find" herself and now, she's finally  "home". she told me that she felt that there was like a void in her life. so, she went in search of that missing link and luckily the stars were alined in her favor, she found what she was searching for and then some. and now she's in a much happier place and im trully pleased for her!

you know, many people just go thru the motions in life. wonder if they are really happy with their life and their current situation? or just settling?  i ask myself, would i dare make a move and just go out there and do something that bold? like what my friend did. i doubt i can. i dont want to leave my comfort zone. i guess most of us are in that area, that comfort zone area,  where you know, if it aint broke, why bother fixing it.

have you ever felt like there was a void in your life, at any point in time? some kind of emptyness? like for example, you could be in a crowded room, at a party that's in full swing, and there you are, standing amongst the hoards of people, but yet, you feel as tho theres something not quite right, perhaps a feeling of loneliness or emptyness?

well if you dare, take the risk and just go out there and see what the world has to offer. you dont know what you may find. take it as a learning experience whatever it is. the good or bad. if you are looking for a man, go for it. dont wait. he aint gonna come knocking at your door. you gotta go out there and make an effort!  if you are looking for a hobby, join clubs/societies or google online for areas or activities where you might be keen on and well, just go for it!! time awaits no man! life's too short to dwaddle around.

good luck!!

ttfn

3.49pm

who loves to work?

11.38am


have you ever heard people telling you that they love their job? and do you actually sit there and just believe them? im telling you its all a front, a show. you dont know what goes on behind closed doors. for all you know, they could be bitching and griping about work to their family members or spouses. ok, benefit of doubt, there's a very very small percentage  out of the billions of people out there, who actually genuinely love(or like) what they are doing.

we all HAVE to work in order to live life. in order to support our families. put food on the table. pay our bills that never seem to end. and if we are born oh so lucky with a silver spoon in the mouth, then hey, you dont have to really worry about your future or where your next meal will be coming from. but for the rest of us, we have to work our butts off as long as we can. we cant strike it big  or make it big whilst working under somebody. even if  we had our own business, would we succeed? but god willing, with hard work, blood, sweat and tears, we could make it if we tried hard enough.

so i am wondering that if those folks who claim so openly to others that they like what they are doing and find it so exciting, then are taking us for fools. i mean come on lets face it, who actually love/like their jobs? why are you working in the first place? what are you trying to achieve? are you happy with your current position? ask yourself seriously. only you would know the answer. for the rest of us, we will never know the real truth.

alot of people i know be it friends or family, are all constantly grumbling about the long hours of work and about clients, colleagues, bosses etc. alot of unhappy people out there but no choice. they all have to continue to bite the bullet and just work for the sake of. but why? well you know the answer to that, dont you? to make money to survive. otherwise how are bills going to be paid? how are you going to put your kids thru school?college? uni? to buy what you want...the list is endless.

to me the bottom line is very simple. we work not because we love it, we work because we have to. given a choice, would you want to work your butt off day in day out for X amout of years with the same company?( be part of the furniture so to speak). you get paid a miserable salary, very sad pay increment, bonuses that sometimes come and sometimes doesnt. on top of that, when things go wrong at work, you are probably to be blamed for it altho it may not be entirely your fault (who knows) or used as a scapegoat but when there's a thumbs up or a job well done, check out whose benefiting from it, most definately not you im sure. so, why work so hard? work smart i say (if you know how to).


ttfn

12.04pm

ya kun kaya toast

3.43pm

today for breakfast, i was yearning to have my favourite coffee and toast, so i went to this place called ya kun kaya toast. they have several types of varieties of toast to choose from. i like the super thin slices of crispy toast smeared with home made kaya ( the kaya is made from a generous helping of eggs, sugar and coconut milk and flavored with pandan on toasted or fresh bread or cream crackers. optional butter or margarine may be spread on the toast as well.).prefer mine without the butter or margerine. and this comes along with a cup of local tea or coffee and 2 half boiled eggs. you can have it ala carte or a set. up to you. the prices are pretty reasonable too. for my set, it only cost S$4.50. sometimes i prefer to eat here rather then going to starbucks or coffeebean where its more expensive.

besides having these thin slices of toast grilled to perfection, you can opt for french toast too. i've tried it before and its just as good. its a great snack which is enjoyed widely by malaysians as well as singaporeans. you can have it anytime of the day and its not too heavy on the stomach.

here's what i had today. as you can see, its a cup of local tea (mixed with condensed milk), 2 half boiled eggs(which i'd already added some dark soy sauce and pepper) and then the super thin toast with just kaya, hold the butter please.

 

and here's a little history of how ya kun kaya toast started out.

 

 

and lastly some news and print outs of their outlets in and around singapore.

 

 

 

 

ttfn


4.07pm

home style cooked food

10.55pm


hi there. almost 3 days since i moved out of my condo and into my in laws. well its only temporarily that we're crashing here. alot of togetherness. hahaha....mostly us women here with the exception of my dear husband. even my lil doggie is a female.

anyways, there's this lovely family restaurant down the road from where we used to live that serves delicious food. prices are pretty reasonable too. you can dine in or take away. i've seen alot of people do take aways because this restaurant is usually quite full. here are some pictures of what we'd ordered that day.

(A) assam fish head curry. theres enough of sourness and the spicyness was just right. a little bit too much of chilli oil tho but thats ok coz it still taste great! they add in cut pineapples, okra, long beans, tomatoes and big onions. and the star of the show, a big chunk of the fish head. its meaty, dont worry. i reckon this plate should be good enough for a family of 4-5. unless you are big eaters, then order a bigger portion. for those who dont know what this assam fish head curry is, well its simply a dish where the head of a fish(could be red snapper for example) is semi-stewed with assorted vegetables. goes well with rice or bread or even naan.

(B) lemon chicken. theres a slight crunch to the fried chicken pieces and the lemon wasnt super tangy. not too bad.

 

(C) stir fried kailan with garlic. it was just right, the taste and texture. no overwhelming taste of garlic.

(D) snapshot of the front of the restaurant. as you can see its super packed and have people wait outside. mind you, the restaurant isnt very big therefore i suggest you make a booking before you go especially if you are going in a big group.

(E) i hope you can see the address below. or just google it.

 

 

overall i recommend this restaurant. foodwise i rate it 8/10. i do hope you'll take time to try these dishes. dont worry, there's alot more to choose from. to me its like home cooked food. soul food more like. hahaha. ok go try and you tell me how it is.

 

 

 

ok ttfn

the festive season

4.51pm


sorry i've not been writing for a couple of days. i've been busy moving out of my old place. so much to do. you just wouldnt believe it. until you move, you will not know how much junk and stuff you have been accumulating thru out the years. its amazing really. but now thats over and done with(thank god), i can try to get back to normalcy until i go back to my hometown for the holidays. cant wait to see my family and friends!

anyways, i noticed that around singapore, the xmas decos are up and running. shopping malls and streets lined with colorful lights and xmas trees ranging from different sizes and they even built a santas workshop with santa and elves too. as a kid i love xmas, dont you? its the most colorful and wonderful time of the year to me. listening to xmas carols being played at the malls or restaurants/cafes, people caroling in the streets or door to door, its just a lovely feeling overall. i dont know why but during this period, i feel its magical, dont you? oooh and i also love opening xmas pressies( i mean who doesnt right?). oh boy oh boy oh boy. thats the best part of xmas!

my birthday falls in dec and more often than not, its a 2in1 celebration sorta kinda. my birthday and xmas togather. like i'd only open my birthday gifts and xmas pressies after xmas. these days, im in no great rush to rip open my packages coz i like to savor every moment and take my own sweet time to open them. but my husband, sitting there and just looking at me not wanting to open my gifts, would be going - "hurry up, what you waiting for? open it!!" id say " whats the great hurry? relax. i dont want to open it today. maybe tomorrow" hehe this will drive him nuts and then he would grab one of my gifts and tries to rip it open for me. "here i'll help you" he'd say. tsk tsk tsk

now that im older, i realize that my gifts are getting lesser and lesser!! thats not cool. hahaha...when i was a kid, underneath the tree would be filled with lots and lots of colorful bundles, big and small, round or square...but nowadays...alot lesser. i told my parents about it. mom said that im not a kid anymore. xmas is not about the gifts. its about family and being togather and spending quality time. hm...ok mom. i hear you.

so thats that. what is xmas to you? what does it mean? do you remember your xmases? how was it?  i would like to wish you all a very blessed xmas and a merry new year. yes, wishes coming early and i would repeat this when the time is nearer again. hahaha...so until my next blog...


ttfn


5.07pm