There's pain and hopefully some gain

Finally my parents realize that I'm not being a princess and I'm not kidding when I say my neck hurts when I look up. By the time they came to that realization, our usual clinic has closed for the day so we opt for the second option...acupuncture!

It wasn't as bad as imagined but it was really painful when the acupuncturist pokes and removes the needle. Especially the two needles near my thumb. I still can feel the numbness right now (5 hours after the acupuncture)

The acupuncture was okay but the massage was so bloody painful that I so badly wants to beat up the acupuncturist/ masseur. I have no idea where she stores all that strength and when she uses her elbow, I thought that I will walk out with a broken rib.

I am the type who would use the massage chair until bruises appear my back (No I'm not sadistic and I don't seek pleasure in pain) but this was a bit too much for me.

And the masseur said that my pain tolerance is quite high. It's not my first time receiving such comment but honestly I don't think that is true. I'm in so much pain that I can't even say it out la. Actually, I screamed in a frequency so high that only mosquitoes can pick up!

Of cars and roses

On Xmas eve, I woke up early to follow my mum to the morning market. There was this tea leaves stall and being that teaholic, I went and check out that stall.

R: Rene
T: tea seller

R: so what's the difference between this two rose buds?

T: one is BMW and one is Proton Saga.

His answer was really clear. I wish that I have that ability in explaining things!

Just some ramblings on Xmas

Urgh my bear must have karate chop to my neck when I was asleep or something! For about a week already, my neck hurts whenever I look up and had to spend most of my time lying down.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to all celebrating the festival and happy holidays to others!

The last time I last celebrated Xmas was.... I can't remember when. When was the last time I step into church? Cant remember that too.

Basically Xmas eve was spent tidying my wardrobe (oh the horror, it's not even done yet!) and Xmas day was spent just like any other Sundays.

Looking forward to New Year!

A toast

So my graduation scroll and transcript finally arrived at my door step. Took the courier peeps a while because they couldn't find my house!

I wasn't expecting any emotions but as I unroll my scroll, I couldn't help but smile. I actually felt happy! Hahaha didn't see that coming.

Monash, you will still have to bear with me for another 1.5 years. I will only attend my graduation when I get my masters degree.

Till then, please look after me!!

Doomsday

One friend tweeted "Haiyo world ending tmr is GMT berapa punya time" (On which GMT will the world end).

Coincidentally, I had that in mind too. Will the Apocalypse wait till every part of the world flip their calendars to the 21st or it's going to strike any region that clock strikes 00.00am first.

If it's the former, Asia sort of earn more hours of living compared to Hawaii. If it's the latter, Asia will suffer first and on the other hand, Hawaii gets to prepare for it.

I don't think the world will end tomorrow. But whatever happens, have a great day ahead!

The Return of the Repressed

So while I was checking my snail mail mailbox, a lizard crawled into my t-shirt! For 10 seconds or so, I bet I was the best dancer in the world and if I did the rain dance, I will summon a storm. It felt so geli and I still feel ticklish when I think about it now.

This morning, guess what was my dream?

Gummi crocs or more like gummi lizards come to live and they were crawling all over my room and a couple of it on me!

Lizards, you always give me a heart attack. Appearing out of no where, landing on my foot, excrete all around the house compound, crawl into my shirt... but still thanks for keeping my room mosquito free.

Why do people smoke?

Was digging my old blog to see if there's anything worth reblogging and I came across this conversation I had with Clair about 3 years ago.

"Why do people smoke?" she asked

"Um, it makes them feel happy, relaxed?"

She wasn't convinced with my answer so I gave her an example.

"Think of a food that you'll feel happy and satisfied after eating it."

That seems to work and she starts calling her favorite food as cigarettes.

Postcode Lottery

Years ago during one of the journalism tutorials, my lecturer assigned the class to read up on this short story that basically highlights about how geography can change a person's life.

The short story is there were two brothers who lives in Washington or was it Hartford, I can't remember. Bro A decided to leave the troubled family and neighborhood to pursuit a better life while Bro B on the other hand stayed on and ended up  in jail.

There was another man, a kind and responsible man who coincidentally lives at Washington/Hartford. And his fate? He was attacked, robbed and murdered by Bro B.

So, the question is does your postcode (the area you live in) determines your fate?

Well, after all when your dreams are too big for your hometown, you leave home right?

For the entire of my life, I have been writing the same postcode. I've relocated once but it still falls under the same area code. Am I a product of 47400?

Today, I am thankful

Every December, I have this tradition of writing a self reflection / a nut shell post to wrap up the year. I've been blogging for about eight years already so this makes my 8th 'a year in a glance' entry and looking back at my old blogs, this year is definitely one of the best year ever.

January and February was more like a 'fitting in to the corporate world' phase. It was a lot of exploration especially on Microsoft Word and it was also the phase where I want to show people that I can work efficiently.

It was March when I felt more in place but school started so I switched to part time internship. When I'm not in the office, I'm on campus. One of my aims for the year was to get at least a distinction for Authorship so a lot of time in March was spent researching for my assignment.

Another memorable incident that happened in March was I bought an iPhone which caused a tiny revolution in my gadget using habits and I had my very first taste of Formula 1. So how was the taste? One tablespoon of bruise with a pinch of scratches. Ouch!

April and May came and it was peaceful. A little hiccups at exam prep but all was good.

June! I enrolled for Zumba classes with my colleagues and did I mention that I absolutely love Zumba? Although I probably look like an awkward sotong doing aerobics but Zumba was my 60 mins of escapism. When I'm in the studio, I'm a hundred percent into it and blocked out everything else.

Question One

Hmmm... I've always wanted to write a detective/mystery novel. A perfect crime would be great but I'm always stuck at the 'getting rid of the body' part when I develop my idea. I would love to try locked room mysteries as well because I'm terrible at solving it. 

Or maybe a fictional autobiography/biography. I've always wanted to write about my high school amigos because we were so silly and funny.  

But I am terrible at fiction writing so if I to write a book, it would be a collection of essays on things around me. One chapter or maybe a few chapters will be on tea, a couple more on things that I like/dislike and maybe one on existentialism, poststructuralism. Wait.... that sounds like Buffet Spread!

A pair of chopsticks

Chopsticks to me is something very natural/absolute? When I was younger, no one forced me to use the chopsticks the proper way but I would observe how the adults use it and mimic their fingers.  Today, I wouldn't say that I'm a pro in using chopsticks but I do think that my chopstick skills are above average.

I've always thought that chopsticks are one of the best invention the previous generation left behind. It's a simple tool and yet it has a great purpose. There's no rocket mechanics behind it and it has made eating so enjoyable. I don't really know how to explain this but because chopsticks play a huge role in my life, I was under the impression that chopsticks are as essential to other Chinese. 

One day while I was having lunch with my friends at a Taiwanese restaurant, my friend asked for a fork. I was really surprised and I asked her 'why can't you use the chopsticks?'  

She replied ' I don't know how to use the chopsticks' 

Another friend replied ' I don't know the right way of using the chopsticks too but at least I still can use it' 

I asked her 'why don't you learn how to use it? I can teach you.' 

To my surprise, My friend replied 'it's okay, I don't see the point of learning. It's not like I will use it next time' 

I was really stunned by her answer. It felt like a culture shock.  It never occurred to me that chopsticks is something that you need a reason to use it.  Like I said chopsticks are something so natural for me and I find that hard to accept, at first. 

But on a different note, chopsticks, thanks for reminding me that my world would be very small if I to be blinded by my own opinions. After all the world is not ruled by only one discourse or believes. 

The Umbrella Story

Ahh..I typed a blog post and clicked discard! I'll make this a short but sweet one.

Anyway, what memory do you have about umbrellas?

The short story for me is, someone took my favorite umbrella and it was never returned. It happened last year but today I still think about that umbrella.

Full story some other time, till then if you have any story, do share it!

Knock 'em ten pins

I absolutely, honestly, seriously dislike bowling.

I am impressed with the physics in Formula 1 but bowling...meh. I don't care if someone applies the Bernoulli principle to add spin and change the direction of the bowling ball. Beckham's banana kick is more impressive.

Anyway, Lets just put it this way, just to make me feel better. I have OCD and the irrational need to sweep and clean the gutter is so impulsive and strong that I can't help it.

My mum on the other hand enjoys bowling very much. Whenever her office is having some bowling tourney, she always walks home with a trophy.

When I was younger, my mum would bring my sister and I to the country club's bowling alley for a game or two. Every time it will end with my mum asking the same question. 'Why can't you just bowl properly?!'

Hello, I have trophies for table tennis, not bowling okay!!

So ya. the last time I went bowling was yearsssss ago and it was a very memorable one. Or to be more specific, a traumatized unforgettable type of experience.

Half way through the game, my mum couldn't stand my lack of talent in bowling and she raised her voice, telling and demo-ing to me how to bowl and all that.

I was trying very hard to follow her instructions, monkey see monkey do style but something is just not right!

So she scolded me. 'Why are you so lousy, so terrible at bowling? Can't you just follow what I say, can't you aim? Bla bla bla'.

It kills all my self esteem, self confidence, self motivation etc etc. It triggered a tear gland and the next thing was where is the plumber?

The criticism didn't stop there (strict Asian mum) and I got so desperate to hit some pins that I start talking to the bowling ball. You know, try to be nice, make some friends hoping that the God or Goddess of bowling would respond to my humble request.

It's a bit psycho-ish and crazy but it actually helped a bit. Pins are finally being knocked down and more dust accumulated in the gutter.

No idea why by i always have this feeling that I will appreciate bowling some day later when I get older.

Till then, bowling is just....tragic.

It was all yellow

I always have this unexplainable sentiments towards wilted flowers and flower petals. They always make me wonder where am I and what the hell am I doing? 

What is next for a flower after bloom?

Bow ties are cool

Well, only one of them is a bonafide bow tie but meet my humble collection of bows/ribbons, some that I don't even remember buying! They've been hiding inside the wardrobe for wayyy too long. Maybe I should clip em all on the Xmas tree! 

The first one was bought in January 1st 2008 at one of the night market in Taiwan. But I didn't pick up the bow buying habit until 2010. I would avoid wearing it to uni whenever I have Authorship or Media, Culture, Power classes because I don't want to be called to read or answer questions hahah.

Honestly, some of them were bought very impulsively. It was cheap, cute and and... they're begging me to bring them home. I don't regret it but man, I could have saved some money if I was firm .

Next purchase...I don't think it will be anytime soon. My priorities have um sort of changed  but I'll be heading to a really big scale bazaar next weekend and something unexpected (or maybe as expected) will happen.

Till then, do you collect anything? 

The 'in a nutshell' entry

I've always wanted to write this entry but it just didn't happen because I am not the type to pour out things on my blog. But I really need to seek closure and I guess writing might help?

During a couple of catch up sesion with friends, I was asked the same question over and over again. "What did you do at Langkawi that you had to sleep so late and skip meals?"

I can go on and on to tell them about the car I rode, the hotel I stayed at, how hot Langkawi was, how cheap the chocolates were but I just can't seem to recall anything about what I did and what happened in the media centre. What state of mind I was at?

I know that the event is over and there's no point recollecting it but the fact that fragments are missing is really bothering me. There are days where I really want to go to bed early but I ended up sleeping really late because I was trying to think of the unthinkable.

I swear that I was never a victim of my own mind! Even when I was taught philosophy on existence, I don't over think it. Why am I so vulnerable this time?

A couple of years ago, I always dream of this primary school friend. It was really disturbing because we were not close friends, never kept in touch, does not even know dead or alive. Do I owe him money or something?

One morning, I woke up and told myself, stop psychoanalyzing yourself. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter anymore. You can think about it a million times, and still won't be able to come up with an answer. And after that, no more old friend dreams!

Hopefully, tomorrow when I wake up I'll be able to get over the gaps and worry about some other things like my post grad application!

Till then, I'm just gonna crush whatever that comes in my way.

Who wanna go swing some bat and hit some balls?

Killing me softly

A random conversation I had with an elderly man at the soy bean milk stall while waiting for the cobbler to fix my heels.

Elderly man = E
Soy bean man = S
Rene= R

E: Drink soyabean, it's good for your health.

R: Ya ya, one without sugar please.

E: I cannot take sugar. I am diabetic.

R: Do you eat rice?

E: Not really. I have to control my intake.

S: So you can't eat durian?

E: No way man! I'll die!!(goes on and tell about his friend who passed away after consuming durian)

S: I see.

E: You know sometimes children will buy durian for their parents, thinking that its an act of love, sayang their parents...

R: Uh huh.

E: It's actually an act of murder!

Guess what I had for dins last night? Hahah

Sky before storm

A random tip that my mum told me and I didn't believe until I've tried it.

If you have to drive under the (very heavy) rain, put on your sunglasses. It will help you see the roads better.

All Eyes on Sao Paulo

Today marks the final race of the 2012 Formula One season.  I have to say this year has been quite an intense year. We have six current and former World Driver's Champions to begin with and not forgetting eight different drivers winning the races throughout the season. Whew.

Today is also the last day Hamilton wil be racing as a driver for team McLaren. Although I am a bigger fan of the the other half of team GBR,  I will definitely miss the rivalry between Lewis and Jenson (as seen on Tooned)

I always thought that they make a really good combo. Lewis can be quite a hot head and aggressive while Jenson is more calm and cool. They are like yin and yang! 

Nevertheless, I look forward to the new blood of team McLaren! Perez is really young and I don't see him breaking Vettle's youngest world champ record but there's a lot to look forward to. It's a big shoe to fill and I hope he is good at voice acting cause Lewis did an awesome job for Tooned!

As for Lewis and Rosberg... I'm not too sure about that and somehow can imagine them not talking to each other haha but we'll see. Something unexpected might form from this new team and I hope that Lewis will get a great car and not murder his skills for the moolah.

On another hand, today is also SchuMi's final race and I have a feeling its going to be an emotional one. Probably not sob fest material but just imagine the thoughts going through his head when he sees a fellow countryman walking away with the title or a driver who raced for his former team that earned him a God like status.

It's no doubt that he's comeback wasn't as good as expected. Or maybe he didn't get a good enough car for him to do his thang. Whatever reason it is, I am sure he is an inspiration to many and with his experience, he would be a great mentor to the younger drivers.

Anyway I am all in for Fab Seb for the champion title. Come on Vettle! Do some magic and pull a hat trick. I'll be all happy happy if I see a huge picture of Vettle at the back page of tomorrow's paper!

Why I am car-less?

Now that I have started working, many people are asking me these questions and below are my answer to them.

Q: When are you going to get a car?

A: I don't know, haven't been planning for that.

Q: How do you travel?

A:  I walk, take the bus and the train.

Q: OMG! You walk and you take public transport?

A: Yes. I walk and public transport are one of the many ways I travel.

Q: Gosh! Malaysia's public transport sucks! How can you withstand that?

A: They are not that bad. They taught me to be patient!

Q: How long does it take you to travel to work?

A: Well, it takes me about 1 hour and sometimes 1 and a half hour to get to work and also to get home.

Q: Why not take the car, it will be faster.

A: Can you guarantee that it will be faster? What if when there are jams?

Q: How long does it take for you to walk from home to the train station?

A: Half an hour.

Q: Oh-Mai-God! *rolls eyes* 

A: *Smiles*

Q: You will need a car to go other places sometimes. Why don't get a car which is more convenient?

A: I know to some places, I need to use the car. However, how often do I go out to places that I can't reach without car?

Q: What if you go out at night?

A: Well, it is a good thing that I don't have a car. That means I'll be home early.

There are many more questions to asking me why do I want to be in this state - car-less state. Thing is, I can't seem to be able to convince myself to get a car though I know that it is somewhat safer than me walking to the bus stop in the morning. I get to enjoy myself not waking up early to go to work. I get to enjoy the freedom of being able to go out when I want and come back anytime.

Bottom-line is, I get a lot of perks for having a car.

At the same time, I also see a lot of cons.

The reason why am I car-less is because

1. I don't mind waking up early to go to work. (though sometimes I do have that lazy side of me)

2. I don't see the point of having to pay a huge amount of money to the parking vendor and also using up petrol and also time just to get from one place to another when I can save the money and environment when moving around.

3. I don't see why I want to have this commitment when I know that car won't be of much use here? (Drive my car, park at the KTM or nearest LRT station and take the train to work and taking the bus and then the train to work isn't much of a different)

4. Yes, I do spend a lot of my time travelling, but during that period of time, I do get a little time to myself doing nothing or sometimes do some reading. I don't see my time as going to waste.

5. Car-less makes me go to bed early, wakes up early and also I get to do some exercises from walking and sweating which all leads to healthier lifestyle.

Well, I can give you many more reasons but till I can find a good reason to convince myself to get a car. I don't see why I should spend money on things that I don't really need when I can save it for a rainy day (or for a vacation!)

If only people understand my point of view and stop asking me questions of why I am being car-less.

You like wheels, I love my walking under the hot sun, sweating like a waterfall and getting wet under the rain. They are all not a burden, but a part of my life that I do not mind to have and enjoy. A part of my life that I don't really see a need to change, yet.

P.s. I did not say that I do not want a car, I will get a car (or maybe not) when the time comes. For now, there are better and meaningful things to do than to get a car.

Rene's adventure when she was younger

Yesterday, my sister gave me this really old school 'triple 5  or more commonly known as 'buku tiga lima' note book. It was so nostalgic and i thought hey, why not take a stroll down memory lane.

I was born in the year 1990 and my childhood in a nutshell....

-Watching cartoons such as Captain Planet, Popeye the Sailor Man, The Adams Family, Tom & Jerry (and always feel bad for Tom)

-Thinking that the moon was following me and actually felt scared hahaha

- I always make sure that all soft toys are nicely placed on the bed so none of them will feel offended for not being able to sleep on my bed.

- Was forced to read story books especially books by Enid Blyton! Never liked her books but never understood why everyone gave me her books as birthday presents

- Archie comics and books by Roald Dahl are acceptable though

- Appeared in one of the 'Love our river' billboard ad and it was also printed into bookmarks and posters

Not in the centre but the very side

- Owns a pink ranger toy figurine and never missed an episode of Power Rangers and later moved on to Pokemon

- Ostrasized by my sister and cousins!! and today, none of them remembers anything about this except for me

- Was forced to attend Sunday school and church

- I was quite cheeky, always doing silly things to my sister hahahah maybe that's why my cousins and sister didn't want to play with me

 

- I would cheat all the time when I play the run with a ping pong ball on a spoon' game

- Boy band boom and I'm on team backstreet's back, alright!

- Was forced to attend piano lessons which lasted for four years and not even Grade 1.

- A Sony Walkman used to be so cool and a disc man is even cooler

-Home Alone was my favourite movie. Always wanted to try some of the tricks.

- Used to think that the movie 'Child's Play' is for kids and still very much traumatized by it today

- Used to think that the 'get set' from ready get set go, is actually 'cassette' and always wondered what song are they going to play

- SchuMi used to be world no.1 and I'll refer to him as the shoe maker

- Family vacation is always at Port Dickson or Frasers Hill

- The song 'Lemon Tree' was really popular (think Gangnam style)

-Bang my head against the floor when playing badminton.

- Had a running competition with my sister and when I finally finally finally overtook her, I fell down. The scars are still on my knee today!

 Ah the good old days. Looks like there's quite a bit of repression going on when I was younger. Hahaha

No frills added

Looking at the layout of this blog, you can probably tell that I really like minimalistic design. When my friend Irene ask me to reconceptualize and design an icon for her Football blog, I gave her something really simple and maybe lazy, which fortunately received some positive feedback. (Hopefully the 'product placement' here will encourage her to update her blog!)

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I came across this minimalistic writing App called 'Plain Text' and immediately I knew that this is it!

" For editing text on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. PlainText is a simple text editor with an uncomplicated, paper-like user interface. Unlike the default Notes app, PlainText allows you to create and organize your documents in folders and sync everything with Dropbox.com." 

source: iTunes 

I like how you can have organizing folders and at the same time no fancy frills that will distract you from writing. It is also one of the "8 Apps Every Writer and Blogger Should Know" on Mashable. And the best part of all is.. it's free!

If you're the type who usually take notes using your gadget or someone who always have your Eureka! moment at the most random time and needs to jot down your million dollar idea, you might want to consider Plain Text.

My Cup of Tea

People who have worked with me will probably know that tea is my beer. There's always a cup or a flask of tea on my desk Then, I'll always let out this ahhh of satisfaction whenever I take a sip.

Inspired by George Orwell's 'A Nice Cup of Tea', I decided to write how I like my cuppa tea.

1. Add sugar to coffee, not tea
The golden rule that should never ever be broken! Just as Orwell said, "Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter". It would be unreasonable to add salt or pepper so why is sugar acceptable?

I have came across people gave me weird looks when they found out that I don't drink tea with sugar. They look at me as if it's out of the world. I would rather eat the tea leaves then drink tea syrup!!

2. Milk tea, not a fan of it
I love milk and I love tea. But milk tea, I'll pass. The taste is alright but it's just not how I like my tea to be served. Maybe it's because I have yet to come across a really good cup of milk tea. And perhaps it's because I grew up drinking Chinese tea and no one adds milk into Chinese tea.

3. Three minute rule
I usually dip the tea bag for two to three minutes. If I want a stronger flavour, I will use two tea bags. Maximum maximum four minute. Nothing should stay inside longer than that unless you want to kill the tea's flavor and fragrance.

4. Lukewarm tea, somewhat tolerable
If can, use only freshly boiled hot water. But I understand that sometimes it's too hot and you'll leave your cup on the table and let it cool down a little before enjoying it. Sometimes you tend to forget about it and the next thing you know is the tea is now lukewarm.

Lukewarm tea is still somewhat borderline-ly acceptable to me. But I can write you the horror story of the year if it's Chamomile tea. I was having lunch and the tea was burning hot so I thought that I'll have it after I finish my food. Finally I'm done, took a sip and my facial muscle and throat voluntarily flexed.  The next millisecond, I can feel my lunch fighting against gravity and travelling up to my esophagus. *shivers*

That's about it I guess! I'll write another one on my favorite teas next time. Till then, let me know what is not your cup of tea!

Half a lime

I was never a fan of the fantasy genre. Harry Potter? I don't know. Disney? Not really a fan of it. But watching Ghibli films just makes me wanna drop everything and live in a different world. 

Miyazaki Hayao is a genius, a true auteur indeed.  If his intention is to make his audience's imagination run free,  mine has definitely reached another dimension  at Bolt's speed.

I don't know how to explain but there's a tsunami of emotions in me after watching his films. It's not my first time watching these film but argh..I'm in awe right now (just watched 'Howl's Moving Castle')

I guess when I was younger, everything seems to be so idealistic. My biggest problem was probably missing an episode of Pokemon or doing badly for spelling test. 

The first time I watch 'Spirited Away' was when I was 12 years old which is exactly ten years ago. I loved it. It has a great storyline, it's so colourful,pretty animations, it was a nice film.

I still love it very much today but the sense of appreciation is different. As I grow older, I've learnt more about the world, life and went beyond bad spelling. Instead of the visuals, I became more emotionally attached to it.

I am so tongue tied or maybe brain tied right now that I can't even write a coherent blog entry. I can't even put my feet on the ground as I'm floating on overwhelming emotions. What an adventure I just went on.

Thank goodness I work from home! If I have to go through all that dreadful traffic to get to work, reality will probably strike me like a lightning and I will suffer from the most severe withdrawal symptoms.

Anyway, have a great week ahead and if you need some sort of escapism,  try watching something from Studio Ghibli!       

Graduation

Yesterday, I officially graduated. No pictures of me tossing the mortarboard because I did not attend the ceremony. I can't recall since when I've told myself that I will not attend my degree's graduation. Anyway, this entry is not about why I chose to graduate in absentia but some thoughts I had last night before going to bed.

Monash, although I've complained so much about the tuition fee, parking wars and overly flavoured cafeteria food, thank you so much for the amazing 3.5 years. I wouldn't be who I am or do what I am doing today if it's not because of you. So....we're pretty much even hah.

If to draw a graph of my years at uni, it would look really extreme. For one semester, I did so well that I received the Deans Recognition Award. And the next semester, I failed a literature subject and flushed my GPA down to the river of Kayu Ara, which explains the .5 year.

Fortunately, there were more good things than bad that happened throughout the years at Monash. Made some really amazing friends and thanks for still keeping in touch with me and being so patient especially when it comes to my ranting session.

Also, Sports Journalism was definitely one of the biggest highlight of uni life. I had so much fun, went through some silly moments, met a bunch of bonafide media representative, and to be able to write/read about things that you like feels really nice. But the best best best part is I was able to earn the best working experience ever thanks to Sports Journalism!

And not forgetting, I ate fire! 

Monash, if you don't mind having me back on campus again, I'll be back!

My Must-Have from Coach's Legacy Holiday 2012

The season of giving is just around the corner! I've got my Xmas cards ready but guess what? There's something better (and someone more generous) in town! What do you get when you put Bag Addicts Anonymous and Coach together?

G-I-V-E-A-W-A-Y!

Yes, it's the Bag Addicts Anonymous x Coach Giveaway! And if you think a Coach Legacy Leather Medium Skinny worth RM 300 is tempting, they are also giving away an exclusive leather-bound notebook that is not for sale in any Coach store in the world. So what are you waiting for? Head over to Bag Addicts Anonymous for more info!

Anyway, here's my take on "My Must-Have from Coach's Legacy Holiday 2012" Collection.

Legacy Color Block Leather Large Clutch

Not so much of a clutch fan because I prefer my hands to be free but I like the zip on the clutch because that would be so useful for me. I always have this 3-minute panic moment because I can't find my parking ticket or my thumb drive. Besides that, then color block makes the clutch looks more casual and who said that clutches are for dinner only?

Legacy Leather Canteen Bag

What I like the most about this bag is the shape! Definitely not the bag to bring to camping or hiking but I can imagine myself carrying this bag with the sundress I bought just a couple of days ago. The tassel detail has definitely add some aesthetic touch to the bag.

Present picture frame key fob

I have something for cute miniature key fobs! When I saw this, I knew that it would make a great present for my car keys. The bottle opener key fob is pretty cool too. For more of the Coach Legacy collection, feel free to check out the link below!


All photo credit goes to Coach and bagaddictanonymous.com

It's the talk of those who sees it

The weather at the Langkawi Island is like a temperamental woman. It rains and shine without any warning. The bottom line is its humid, hot, rain and all that other characteristics of a tropical island.

So when I came across a penguin fridge magnet that says 'Langkawi', I thought it was really hilarious. Hello? Langkawi is the house for a variety of wildlife and why are the penguins immortalized?

Being that person who would buy things to laugh at, I put one of it in my shopping basket. I felt really satisfied as I thought it would make a good story for one of those catch up sessions.

I did journalism back then in uni and I guess that part of me came back as I felt the need to find out the relation between pengs and Langkawi.

Googled and damn!! They do have penguins at Langkawi's underwater world! I can feel the bubble burst and I bet the penguin is secretly laughing at me!

I ranted about it to my boss (who laughed and bought the fridge magnet too) but unlike me, he defended for the fridge magnet like a proud owner. And he told me 'it is the talk of those who sees it'.

Not too sure what he sees in that fridge magnet but that sure strike a chord on me. Maybe instead of "damn, I laughed for nothing", life would be more enjoyable if I look at it as "my fridge would look so good with this".

The solution to Monday blues

Very simple! Just work seven days a week. You won't even realize its Monday.

Go fix yourself a nice warm cup of tea and melt those blues!

Anyway, Happy Monday everyone! Have a great week ahead while I suffer from some work withdrawal symptoms.

First world problem

During my last day at Langkawi, I finally had the chance to do some tourist-ey activity with my boss and a fellow team member of the event.

We started our adventure with a cuppa from Starbucks and head to a mall in town to get some souvenirs.

Langkawi is tax free so chocolates, liquor and cars are known to be pretty reasonably priced there. However, Langkawi is also famed for cheap plates and pans or anything you would use in your kitchen.

So after stocking up on chocs, we head to our next destination to get stuff that will make our mums happy.

I've always wanted a complete tea set but my mum aka the kitchen cabinet's dictator would say that it's impractical, there's no room for that bla bla bla.

But being the stubborn daughter, I was like screw it, I'm getting one!

Then comes the first world problem. Every set that they have there is so elaborated. It comes with like hundreds of cups and at home, I am the only one who appreciates tea!

But I still bought one anyway! Didn't really like the design of it but its the smallest set! (See pic)

So, what's your recent first world problem?

Call me Laila

As you all know, my name is Ai Rene (pronounced as Irene) but I also go with the name Rene and Rene (pronounced as Reen). People often ask me what should they call me? Ai Rene? Reen? My answer is always "up to you, whichever you are comfortable with"

Names can be quite political with a whole lot of discourses behind it.Instead of me telling people how to call me, I let others define me. They can address me as what they feel is most appropriate. Some of my former uni mates hail me as 'Chongar' and sometimes my sister would call me 'car'. There are also people who calls me Hi Rene! instead of Ai Rene.

Anyway, I better stop getting too ideological about names because I can have writing diarrhea if I start discussing about Althusser's theory of interpellation.

So one day, I was reminding my boss to call a person named Meilaila. Everyone else in the office gave me a funny look. And the next thing I heard was "how many names do you want Rene?"

Apparently they misheard it as "have you called me Laila?"

That's how I earn the name Laila.

But don't address me as Laila if you see me cause I might not know that you're talking to me. And only 3 people can call me Laila.

So, do you have any funny or ridiculous names?

Two Months

I'm terribly sorry that Buffet Spread has not been serving anything for the past two months! But hungry peeps out there, dinner will be served soon. In fact there's too much ingredients and I'm in the process of planning the menu. During the past two months of hiatus, its all about work. Two sports event that spreads out throughout the week, one after another. Throughout my 22 years of life, I've never fought so hard with my id.  (Maybe except that one time when I was writing my law assignment). Sleep and meal became a luxury to me. Thank whoever who invented isotonic drinks because I wouldn't be able to pull through without it. Also, Murphy must be that best friend that I took for granted. His law had to come and hunt me everyday and I've still yet to learn my lesson. Now that my work is slowing down a little, it's time to prepare for a feast at Buffet Spread. Stay tune!!

My name

Hello! My name is Chong Ai Rene. But I usually go with the name Rene Chong because there are way too many Irene’s around me and I can’t stand people spelling my name as ‘irene’. I have nothing against ‘Irene’. It’s just that Irene is not me.

張愛玲（or 张爱玲 in simplified Chinese) is my Chinese name (obviously). Pronounced as ‘zhang ai ling’, I share the same name as one of the most celebrated contemporary fiction author. For years, people have always asked me, ‘are your parents big fan of Eileen zhang?’

Not at all. In fact, they have never read any of Zhang’s work! The reason I was given this Chinese name is because…

They foresee I have a future in writing!

Balance

Just a couple of months ago, I've started planning to buy a new laptop and have been contemplating between a MacBook Pro and a Samsung Series 9 Notebook.

Now, all I want is to stay faithful to this old and still usable laptop until of course, it dies off.

The reason for the sudden change lies on a question, "do I really need a new one even though I can find a 101 questions to dispose of this old laptop?"

It came to my senses a week ago, that frankly, though I would very much like a new laptop, I still do not see the need of having one when I will not be using much of it.

This new addition (which is not going to happen anytime soon) will sit in a corner, every day till I finish work. When that time comes, I might or might not want to use or to face a computer. All that I might prefer to do was to rest my eyes from all the torture of looking at the computer screen the whole day instead of looking around me and appreciate all the wonders the world has to offer.

So what is my point from telling you this? Basically, is do not let your 'wants' fogged up your needs, your life, your world - your main focus and also to find a balance in your life from the way you live.

Change

It's funny how people can change so easily. Just 6 months ago, I can leave my phone aside for three days and yet no incoming calls or unread messages. That's how antisocial I am. I would go out without my phone, and there were days where I don't even switch on my phone.

Then in March, I finally switched my faithful phone of four years to an iPhone. And my cell phone habit changed dramatically. Gone were the days where I'll charge my phone once every 3 days! Gone were the days where my phone bill will cost below RM30.

Well, I am not that annoying friend who had to check his/her phone non stop at the dining table but my phone and I are like Siamese twins now. I cannot and I don't want to imagine how's life without my cell phone. 

I guess the reason for the change in habit is because I am a slave for my e-mails and I have e-mail OCD. I can't stand the sight of a bracket with a number in it! And not forgetting the amount of Spam emails I receive.      *shrugs* Thank whoever who invented the push notification, I am coping better with my email ocd now.

Having a smart phone has definitely increased accessibility. I like the 'on-the-go' idea where if I need something, I can get it easily. Or when people need to look for me, they can reach me easily. I also bought external charger for my phone so that I am 90% reachable. 10% unreachable because I usually switch off my phone when I sleep which is quite ironic because I believe the iPhone is not designed to switch off?

Do you have a smart phone? If yes, how has it changed your cell phone habit?
If no, will you get one?

A B C D E

It all started with a dream. One night/morning, I dreamed that I was talking a stroll at Tokyo with my friend. I woke up and told myself, screw dreams, why not make it a reality. Tweeted my friend about it and she agreed that it sounded like a good plan.

I was up North with limited 3G access and I really pushed my phone to check the air ticket rates. I was so excited and started planning my trip even though my friend has yet to confirm her participation. I want to go here, I want to go there, do this and that. (Will do an entry soon about places I want to visit in Tokyo)

In the midst of researching for my 'maybe' trip, I was notified that I will have to come up with a Plan B. Murphy must be my best friend because Plan C and D ended up as a tragedy.

I was a little disappointed and just started browsing online shoes catalog. Thank God I am not an impulsive shopper because I could have ended up with 20 pairs of shoes heh.

I had a meeting with my boss that day and while waiting for him I was trying to improvise plan D to be more convincing.

After the meeting, I walked out with Plan E. I have to say that I am very happy with Plan E.

Tokyo, our time is not here yet. When I become a better person and when I deserve a break, I'll see you again.

Ps: Plan E is to work hahah.

It's all in the mind

Fire cannot burn without the presence of oxygen. Knowing this, some people still cannot put the fire inside their mouth. Who said that the world is run by scientific facts?

Perseverance

"When you are met with a dead end, get back up on your feet and start from the beginning."

A simple philosophy, yet not easily attained.

I met many people with these words slipping out their mouth, yet, few have actually walked by these words.

Not long ago, someone, who has never said this to me, actually showed me, through her actions.

Then I was told, in her line of work, they meet with lots of challenges or dead ends and their hopes are easily be dampen. However, they must persevere, no matter how bleak that situation is.

Always push forward, even if the progress is just baby steps. Never back down.

Small steps are better than no steps.

Have a little faith

One day while Dad and I was on the way to pick my sister up from the train station, we drove past this restaurant around the neighborhood and there were barely any customers inside.

R = Rene D= Dad

R: Its not easy to be in the F&B industry nowadays. Its a housing area and not many eateries here and yet, this restaurant fail to take off.

D: Look at the restaurant a couple of streets away. Their food is just average and yet, full house everyday. What kind of dog poop luck did the boss stepped on to?

R: I want to step on dog poop too.

D: I'll find some for you tomorrow.

R: Where to find?

D: You'll just have to follow that elderly man who walks his dog every morning. And ask him where do you bring your dog to excrete.

Of course I did not step on dog poop. If it gives you faith or confidence, go ahead and step. But keep in mind to not waste your thought on superstition. Not while there is still real shit out there that can actually kill you!

The Eureka moment of Buffet Spread

One fine Saturday  I was walking down high school memory lane with Estee. It's has been almost 5 years since we've graduated but I feel like all these while, I am walking in circles. How far have I progressed after graduating from high school? It seems like everyone else has moved on except for me.

What surprised me was, Estee shared the same sentiment. It's funny that we're done with our degree but mentally, we're not quite there yet. Our peers have found a stable job, some started paying taxes, some been to different places...and where are we?

We came to a conclusion that we lack inspiration. And since the both of us felt this way, there are a whole lot of other people out there who are probably dealing with the same issue (of having no issues).

In search of an inspiration! That's the reason why I started this blog.