Test Your Blogging Addiction

Ever since I started blogging publicly (I used to keep this blog very privately, which only a few of my friends knew), it has become an all new experience altogether. It came to a point where the first thought in my head, whenever something interesting happened, was "Yay, I'm gonna blog about this".

Thus I thought I'd take this test, to see how addicted to blogging I am.

72%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Woah, 72% addicted to blogging. Golly. Oh well, I thought it would be worse :p

So what's your score?

Exercise After Rest? No, Rest After Exercise!

I make it a point to not write more than two ranty and emotional posts in a row, and I'm not about to break that now. But I will say something.

IT'S FRIDAY!!

Gosh, I am so relieved the weekend's almost here. 10 more hours to go, before my weekend begins. I need a rest, my body's been aching from the exercise I did on Wednesday.

When was the last time you did any exercise? Last week? Last month? Mine was FOUR months ago!! Siong ah!

Finally went for a 2-hour session of badminton, organised by my colleagues, on Wednesday. You know the last time I played badminton? Four YEARS ago!! No prizes for guessing who was the lousiest player that day. Tee hee hee!

But really, exercise is a great way to relieve any sort of emotional tension you've been feeling. Every shuttlecock I whacked represented each trouble I was having; smash those down, eh? No wonder my hand shook like jelly after the game. Too much tension released :p

For now, the only whacking I need are good thumps on my lower back. A good relaxing massage. Ahhhhhh ...

*off to dreamland*

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*zzz*
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*dream of Hugh Jackman ... oooh hubba hubba ... drool ...*
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Dammit, I forgot I was still at work. 9.5 more hours to go. Gah.

Oh well, have a good weekend, folks ;)

Writing Personal Posts

I was just reading Kamigoroshi's entry on The Perfect Triangle Of Not Writing a Personal Post, and I couldn't help but think, "that's me".

It is true that my better entries are written when I am deep in emotion, and that whatever I write is a reflection of how I was feeling then. I do not normally churn out a lot of words when I blog, but when I am feeling strongly about something, out comes a 600++-word essay.

I've been so bogged down by personal issues lately, that this would be a great time for me to write karangan upon karangan, but at this very moment, I'm simply lost for words. To put the thoughts and feelings into words is like going back in time to when it all happened. And it really isn't something I can do just now.

Sometimes I think that's the difficulty for me, to keep a diary and continue writing on it because as much as I love filling it with words of happy memories, sifting through the bad ones made me feel worse than I already was feeling. When all I wanted to do was to escape the bad memories.

Perhaps in time when all is resolved, and when everyone has moved on with their lives, I shall finally be able to write them down without feeling melancholic. By then, the words would be seasoned, and when the words are no longer filled with raw emotions, I can finally say I knew him when.

Breakups, Makeups ... When Does Either One End?

Reading Gallivanter's take on Getting Back With Your Ex sparked something in me, something which I've been feeling really strongly about for the past couple of weeks.

First of all, let's talk about on, off, on-again, off-again (it simply repeats until it finally stops at a point) relationships. I never really understood that, until I was in one myself. And what a hellish rollercoaster ride that was.

It is really difficult each time the relationship so-called "ends" (it doesn't seem permanent because for some reason, it kept coming back), because what happens if it was the other party who initiated the breakup every time it happened, and the OTHER party who kept trying to win you back? And what do you call that? Yep, STUPID. That's what I was.

The problem with love is that love can blind you to the biggest and smallest things. It is true when they say that love is blind. Because it can BLIND you. It blinds you when you ignore that little voice in your head which says "WOAH! Hold on there!" It blinds you when you only see truths in all his/her lies. And worst of all, it blinds you when ultimately, all you're in love with is LOVE.

Anyway, I digress.

With these on-off relationships, where is the cut-off point? When does it really become on for good, or permanently separated? What caused the breakup in the first place? And if you really cannot handle nor resolve the issue which caused the breakup in the first place, why get on the same boat again?

More often than not, relationships which go on and off and on again happen at the spur of the moment. Over petty issues, even. But if trivial matters can spark a breakup, then the problem is deeper within the relationship. The level of maturity of both parties in the relationship is questioned.

Yet, the older we get, the more dangerous these games become. At the end of the day, there's a level of security which we want in our lives. That breakup which you thought was merely out of a whim, that you thought can be patched back later, could well enough be a breakup for good. This will happen when the other person finally has had enough, that he/she finally realised that the other party just isn't mature enough to commit into the relationship.

With all breakups, if possible, resolve any issues between you. If it cannot be done during or right after the breakup (more often than not, it cannot be done. Not immediately anyway), then stay away from each other. A dear friend once told me that you cannot remain friends with the ex after the breakup. You need time apart from each other, for both to heal. If after a year and more does your paths crossed again, then perhaps that friendship can be restored. If not, then it's not meant to be. It took me a very long time to finally understand this. When it finally hit me in the face. And believe me, it isn't pretty at all (I use the present tense as I'm still facing it).

I am no relationships expert. I have had my share of ups and downs, so I do not claim to be one. I merely wrote this as a reminder to myself, and perhaps a little bit of advice to those out there who's facing the same problem. Always listen to that little voice in your head. It could save you a lot of heartache. Don't play the game unless you are prepared to lose.

If a person truly loves you, he/she will want to stick around with you to the very end.

ICE On Your Mobile Phone

I saw this short snippet in the June '07 issue of Mobile World magazine, and thought it might be useful to share it here.

Do you have your mobile phone near you right now?

Please take a moment to add "ICE" under your contacts. For the phone number, please put in the names of the people you'd want called in case of emergency.

That's what "ICE" stands for - "in case of emergency".

The idea is to let rescue workers, police or doctors check your cell phone and reach the people you would want contacted if you're in an accident or other emergency.

It may help save your life.

Help us spread this message. Tell everyone you know to do the same. And if you work in a related health or rescue agency, educate your colleagues to check for "ICE" the next time there is an emergency situation.

I didn't know that ICE was a well-known term amongst rescue workers. It would do us all well to add this in, eh?

Spread the word, people.

When A Man Touches A Woman

"When a man touches a woman, it's called MOLEST.

BUT, when a women touches a man, it's called SHIOK, MAN!"
- Phua Chu Kang

Have a good weekend, folks ;)

Hello Metrosexual Men

Let's wiki it, shall we?

Metrosexual is a word describing men who have a strong concern for their aesthetic appearance, and spend a substantial amount of time and money on their images and lifestyles.

So ladies, what you think of such men? Men who spend ages in the bathroom, perfecting their hairstyles, preening in front of the mirror, etc. Men who spend just as much as (if not more than) women on their appearance. Men, whom, other more, er, butch men would call a derogatory name for their adopted lifestyle.

I do admire men who make the effort to take care of appearance. You know what they say, first impression always counts. But I draw the line when these men go over-the-top fussing about their looks, and how they go about maintaining 'em. A man who spends more time in front of the mirror, or spends more money than I do on beauty products, whether it's on their skin or hair is definitely a no-no for me. Okay, you're forgiven for doing it when you were a teenager ('cos God forbid if you boys were to step out of the house without stiff-as-a-board hair, the latest fashion on you, and looking at your reflection on any shiny surface your eyes fall upon), that's only natural. But when this phase reaches past adulthood, well, you better not still be hogging the bathroom, that's all I have to say. That said, men who are sloppy, untidy, and don't give two hoots about their appearance are a turn-off too.

I'm all for a guy who takes pride in his appearance. But let's not upset the nature of things now, shall we?. We women are supposed to spend more time in front of the mirror. Spend ridiculous amount of money on creams, lotions and potions to keep us looking good and young. It's our thang. Men, please don't take this away from us ;)

Let's strike a balance here, what say you?

What do you think, ladies? Would you accept it if your partner was more concerned about his looks than you do? What about you men? Ever spent a ridiculous amount of money just to look good?

PS: I hope I didn't step on too many of you men's toes here. If I did (my apologies), well, I reckon it's time to lessen the amount of hair gel and hand cream you've been using ;)

Help, my Google Reader's A Tad Bonkers!

Okay people, I have a problem with Google Reader, and am wondering if y'all face the same thing too. I recently started using Google Reader as my RSS reader (yeah, I know, very slow in jumping onto the bandwagon, eh?), and have found it to be extremely useful in catching up with all my favourite blogs' latest entries.

But for some reason, which I have only just found out, not all my blogs which are updated show as UPDATED on my reader! There I was, thinking, okay, this blogger has not updated in a few days, no biggie, I'll just move on to another. But when I saja-saja click on his/her blog's feed link on the reader, tadah! The blog's actually been updated with many posts!! And when I do click on the Refresh button on the Google Reader, then only does it show as updated. What gives?!

Does anybody know the reason to this problem? Is this due to individual blog settings? Is there any way I can resolve this problem? Any help is much appreciated.

Cheers!

Be Yourself?!

You know the ever-popular phrase - BE YOURSELF. That's all that matters, just be yourself. To hell with what everyone thinks.

You know what, I just think it's a whole lot of nonsense. If everyone is to truly be themselves in front of people, even their close friends, and loved ones, nobody would wanna be with you. Because our true selves are sick, pathetic, whiny, obsessive ... well, maybe not in those words, but you know what I mean. We can never truly be ourselves to be a 100% acceptable.

If that's the case, then who made you king of perfect people? All of us maintain a certain facade, whether it's a big one, or just a thin film of "protection", in order to survive in the world. Who has the right to judge you, to tell you what you should and should not do, in order for people to like you?

For instance, if I were to worry if A thought bad about me, if B is distancing himself from me because of something I said or did, if C is not happy with me because of whatever, or if D thought I've changed therefore he doesn't want to hang out with me anymore and if I have changed, how did I change, and should I change back, etc etc etc. You get my drift? How busy would I be, or how STRESSED would I be, if I actually let those feelings conquer me?

It's frustrating to keep up with everyone's expectations, especially when each person has a different expectation of you.

At the end of the day, if you're struggling to keep up to everyone's expectations, is it fair to expect everyone to keep up to yours too? No, because neither of us owe each other anything.

Why are we doing this? Why am I doing this? You see how trying to please everyone can drive one absolutely bonkers?

GAH! :(

When Driving Becomes Shiok

Even when cruising at 100kmph, when the speed limit is only 80kmph (technically, it's already breaking the law, but hey, since when has it bothered motorists? Yep, welcome to Malaysia, folks.), there will ALWAYS be impatient idiots on the road who'd drive a lot faster, weaving in and out of other vehicles, overtaking as many as possible (rushing to reincarnate, is it?!).

Those are the type of drivers which I hate the MOST. As if the weaving in and out isn't enough, they'd drive so close to you, till they're practically tail-gating you. And when you switch lanes to let them pass, these idiots have the audicity to drive past you, look over and glare at you as if you're the one at fault!

BUT, there isn't anything more satisfying than, as fast and reckless as these losers drive, with the weaving in and out, they'd eventually be stuck in between two much slower vehicles, and they have no way of coming out. And there ya go, cruising along a good and nice speed, driving past them, taking in their look of frustration, with the smuggest look on your face. Woohoo!

Really, 101% PURE satisfaction, folks *grin*.

Today I Will Make A Difference

May sent me this via email a few days ago, and I thought I'd share it here.

It's funny how we always take things for granted, and are never satisfied with the small things around us. That we're always looking out for the "bigger picture". Yet we allow the littlest of things to bother us. To let things spin out of control, and in the end, we have no one to blame but ourselves. It's ironic, don't you think?

I think it's time I slow things down a notch, and start appreciating the little things around me. What say you?

Today I Will Make a Difference
by Max Lucado

Today I will make a difference.

I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark.

Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving.

Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble. I will get up. It’s OK to fail. I will rise again.

Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.


Have a good weekend, folks.

Birthday Shoutout To My Peeps

To my dearest peeps on your birthdays,

May (7th) and Chin (14th), you guys are like the bestest people, and my bestest friends in the whole wide world. I'm so glad to have you in my life. Love ya lots.

Happy birthday!

Reality Check

Being away from the office for two weeks really puts how crappy work was for me into perspective. I went back to the office yesterday (yeah, didn't take the day off as intended; too much job-unrelated work to settle, if you know what I mean), and BAM! Big reality hit. Kinda makes the past two weeks seem surreal.

Work's piling on big time, and it's going to get worse for the next three months. Sigh. Every day, it reminds me of how much I hate my job. Double sigh. It's only my second day back at work, and everything's already giving me headaches.

Anyhoos, I might not be able to post as often as before, but I'll try my best. I know, I still have photos and such to show, and that's a promise :) I also have 2 weeks plus worth of ALL your blogs to catch up on, so do forgive me if I do not comment. I'm still here :)

A break from my break. Yep, I reckon that's what I need.

I'm Back

I'm finally back from my 2-week break from Melbourne. Arrived home close to midnight, had to take a day off today to rest and unpack. It was really difficult coming home with a heavy heart, for I'm missing him so much already.

Anyhoos, I'll be posting more about the trip later, and rest assured there'll be lots of pictures. Will also show you what I bought ;) This time, I actually came home with a travel journal, jotting what we did for the past couple of weeks, what we ate (and let me just say, I had a lot of different types of food for the past 2 weeks; I'm in dire need of detoxification!), and where we went. His mum called it a mini honeymoon (albeit him working) :p

Stay tuned!

Melbourne - Update

Just a little update while I'm here, lest you folks think I've either enjoyed myself too much or disappeared off the face of the earth.

Three words - Melbourne. Is. Cold. Yep, winter's finally here, and I can't go out without my woolies. We were at Echuca a few days ago, and it was raining, which made it even colder. It was about 6C during the day. Ouch!

Was at Shepparton last week; Tim's doing his rural rotation there. Yeah, it's rural all right; it's downright ulu, man. Two streets, that's it.

Didn't do as much sight-seeing as I did during my first trip here. Didn't do much shopping either (I know! So not me, right? :p). Going to the city to watch Cirque du Soleil's Varekai later. I know it's going to be good, 'cos I've watched their Allegra show when I was in Japan.

Didn't take as many photos as I did during my first trip, but rest assured there WILL be photos ;)

Will post more in detail when I'm back. Till then I'm going to enjoy as much as I can, for I only have one more week here.

Toodles, people!