A Proper Migraine Consultation

Note: The conclusion (i hope!) to my `Migraine Trilogy' - Skip if u are sick of my migraine ranting

THAT'S what I call a Dr consultation. Finally there's a Dr who is able to tell me the probable causes of my migraine.

Yep, i ended up going to the clinic twice in a day. You see, I faithfully took the medicine given to me in the afternoon and after dinner. The first time, the pills had helped to get rid of the migraine. But the second time, I developed a terrible allergy!!

When I was in class just now, my left eye swelled up for more than an hour! It was so uncomfortable and not to mention unsightly. I was angry because I had specifically mentioned to the Dr earlier that I'm allergic to a specific painkiller `ibuprofen'. But yet he must have overlooked it?! So I decided I must seek explanation from the same clinic and possibly find a solution.

Turned out it was another Dr on duty - our family's favourite as he is quite knowledgeable and thorough in his consultation. So after listening to my plight, he told me apologetically I was one of the unlucky 10 per cent of those allergic to `Ibuprofen' because i also have crossed-allergy to other groups of medicine! Argh..!! :( So he told me to stop taking `Symflex' and prescribed a counter-allegy medicine to go with the other one just in case.

When I asked, this Dr went on to offer a whole list of probable causes for my migraine. Do you know that medical history aside, the food we take can induce migraine as well? When I asked whether it could be the coffee, his reply was: `most definitely' and went on list - to my horror - food that I like and have been eating.. they include: chocolate, cheese, mutton and outside food that contains Aginomoto!

As if that's not enough, this Dr went on to say something almost prophetically: "being in front of computer for a long time can also contribute to migraine'! Was he hitting the jackpot or what?!

Looking at my expression of horror, he then gave some sound advice to using the computer. Rule no 1. Make sure that the room light is on as bright as it can be. And of course do not spend too long in front of the monitor..

He said I don't have to take anymore pain killer if the migraine is not there. He also advised I should not have coffee for the next two days at least :( And because my earlier blood pressure was low, and low blood pressure can induce migraine, he suggested I could take some 100 Plus drinks for that..

Anyway, I decided I shouldn't keep other patients waiting. The Dr even wrote on a card the names of those medicine groups that I am allergic to, for myself to keep. He also recommended a type of pain killer that I'm definitely NOT allergic to for future reference.

Thank you Dr Salmi for your `enlightening' consultation.

ARRRRGHH!!

Did I wrongly blame my coffee?

I didn t have a single drop of caffeine the whole day.. but Arrggghh!! The migraine came again just an hour ago!

Why? What is the cause? Am I suffering from some kind of illness?? :((

Update (5:30pm)
The headache got so bad that i had to cancel my appointments. :( Went to see Dr. and surprise, surprise, he couldn't offer a cause too.. Well, guess i need cure more than a reason here. So i'm given two types of pills - including `synflex' which my trainer is taking since she's also having migraine..

I took them at 3:30pm and by 5pm, finally.. the migraine has gone!! Gosh.. i wish it would not come back again.. lets wait and see..

But got medicine that works at least..

Caffeine Poisoned?

Must be the coffee/caffeine!!

For about five days now, I've been having on-and-off migraine. Mind you I've not had migraine for the longest time.. used to suffer form it at school days but somehow it had miraculously gone away.

Then suddenly, it just came. It wasn't that bad at first - just some twitching of the nerve on the left side of the head. After two days of on-and-off headache, i took some painkillers. But they didn't work! In fact the twitching became more frequent till one point, it got quite bad that I had to lie on the bed for a couple of hours..

It got better for a while but it never went away. After feeling quite down on Monday, yesterday I was fit enough to go to gym. The headache had almost gone, or so I think.. Until... I went to Starbucks and had a cup of coffee!

That's when the migraine occured again, and was quite bad. Then it all started to make sense.. I was drinking too much coffee in the last week or so. About two cups at least a day, sometimes a variation of coffee drinks. I have been drinking Starbucks' coffee at home as well as at their outlet for many consecutive days now.

Well, if it is not caffeine, I don't know what else could have caused my migraine. I have been having at least good eight-hours of sleep every night. And I can't say I am stressed at all..

The splitting headache is still there now.. The many hours of sleep and the pain killers didn't help.

Starting today I told myself I'm going to be off coffee for a while, and see whether the headache will go. Yep, I have to say bye bye to Starbucks for a while... :(

My sis has got a `Ginger' dog

My sister has bought a toy poodle! (like the pix here.. no its not this one) A dog lover herself, she succumbed to the plea of her eldest son Edgar. Earlier today, I received a sms from her that said: `guess what i bought? you have got two of them.' :)

The dog is female, named `Ginger', she is brownish and her curly long locks made her look very cute even before she was groomed. I only saw a pix she MMS me.. She is quite tiny - about 6kg, six-month-old and toilet trained! And how coincidental can it get - Ginger shares the same birthday as Edgar! :)

At first Alexis, my niece was not friendly towards Ginger as she felt jealous with so much attention given to the dog! But the latest I heard they are now the best of pals.. yeah, all my nephews and niece adore dogs (like their yiyi hehe) :P

Sigh, I'll have to go all the way to Hong Kong just to see her... I already planned not to go HK this year but I am soooo curious.. darn!

p.s. hopefully will have pix to follow (Chin, hurry up email!)

Update (noon): The real Ginger with the kids! :) Aint she cute?

Jacky the nice and simple `deity'

If only all the so-called `heavenly kings' and `heavenly queens' are as sincere and amiable as this `royalty-cum-deity'!




Yep, not only is Jacky Cheung one of Hong Kong's irreplaceable `Four Heavenly Kings', he has also been honoured as `Kor San' (God of Songs) - an accolade passed on from the previous `deity' Sam Hui.

I've met him about four times now I think in the course of my work, and everytime, Jacky did not fail to impress. It is a joy to interview him, albeit in a group, as he would take all your questions seriously and tried his best to cooperate, unlike some of his peers.

Well, I had the privilege of meeting him again this afternoon at a PC in KL Hilton. He looked older - more wisdom lines on his face - but he has not changed a bit. With a status that puts him at the top of the Hong Kong entertainment arena, Jacky is so simple..

When I asked what is more important to him - his family or his career - he answered immediately without any hesitation `family' and in a way like why I was asking such an obvious question! He also does not care much about fame and awards.. instead he hopes the paparazzi would leave his family - his wife and his two daughters - alone.

Indeed it would be sad if the omnipotent and omnipresent HK media pushed him to the limits. He was already once quoted to say he felt like giving up altogether for the sake of his family. Do not fret if you're a Jacky's fan, when I brought this up, the `heavenly king' seemed to have come to terms with this issue. He said he has fans who love him and he also loves his music and movie career a lot. So he has not thought of stopping - as yet!

For those of you who have not heard nor read.. you hear it first here (well, unless you listen to MY Fm) - Jacky Cheung will be having his solo concert here (part of his World Tour) on September 14, 2007 at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

I know it's like half a year away. But we know how time flies. So don't say I've not told you. Save up and go watch the concert of the `god' and the `king of kings! (oops, I'm boardering on blasphemy here but the Almighty would know what i'm talking about :p) After all, discounting Snow Wolf Lake which was staged here two years back, Jacky Cheung's last concert was in 2003!

Yep, it is FOUR LONG YEARS. I know many people are excited about this concert.. for the kiasu breed, you can find out more on ticketing etc.. from concert organiser Galaxy. Tel: 0322822020

My Visual DNA!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Thanks to my friend May, I got to do another interesting personality test - with lots of beautiful visual to look at!

You can click to read the results. Actually for some questions i couldn't make up my mind - (got more than one favourite!) But the results are not too way off I think.. so that's my `DNA'!? Try it, it's really fun this one! ;)

Moi - a Histrionic and a Narcissist!

Came across this interesting `test' at my friend Lynn's blog.

It read: PERSONALITY DISORDER TEST! Hmm.. it certainly sounded and looked kinda interesting! And so, being a personality tests junkie, of course i tried it out..

And here is the result!

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid Disorder:	Low
Schizoid Disorder:	Low
Schizotypal Disorder:	Moderate
Antisocial Disorder:	Low
Borderline Disorder:	Low
Histrionic Disorder:	High
Narcissistic Disorder:	High
Avoidant Disorder:	Low
Dependent Disorder:	Low
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:	Low
-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! -- -- Personality Disorders --

Haha! I scored HIGH for histrionic (attention seeking!) and narcissistic! :p Hmm.. not very surprising I guess. But otherwise, I seem to have not much personality disorders..

Updates- Assorted

After a lethargic week.. i'm facing a very busy week ahead!

Thank God i'm feeling much better already today. Had lunch with Boo_licious and our friend Ms C. - we went back to college days! It was a nice lunch albeit less than desirable service.. And later in the afternoon I went for training after a week's hiatus! And really feel good after that!

Actually I have one story to work on.. because from Wed to Sun, it's gonna be busy, BuSy, BUSY! Will be covering three assignments and some with deadlines too.. then there are the usual commitments as well. I know, i know.. just in my last post I thought I better slow down.. but I feel the assignments are necessary as I have not really been working much at all! Work less means less income..

Speaking of income and finance.. I realise now I'm getting more careful in my spending. When in the past I would spend unnecessarily, now I really think twice or thrice before making a purchase. That doesn't mean I stop buying things of course but I won't get unnecessary wants like DVDs and CDs or other `toys' at the moment..

And speaking of income and finance.. hehe, I am looking forward to a lump sum (can't disclose the amount here of course) being the back-dated payment for our new collective agreement about two years back i believe. Yeah, called up my ex-company and was pleasently surprise to hear I'm getting THAT much. YEY! :) But this time, I'm not going to blow it like what I did end of last year.. Am going to put most into savings.. mom will be proud.

Nothing terribly exciting to blog about at the moment.. I guess I will have more to tell later in the week.

Awakening amidst tiredness

Have been very inactive and tired out over the last few days..

I was a bit overwhelmed by many events last week/weekend: assignments and deadlines, wedding coordination, worship leading and yeah, that accident.

So guess i needed to recuperate my energy early this week..but unfortunately, I did something naughty - mixing alcohol with medications (antibiotic for foot as well as another to help me sleep) That has not helped.. and my sleeping patterns were disrupted yet again..

So here I am.. haven't been able to function normally for three whole days..have been staying at home mainly. Normally, I don't like to remain so inactive and idle. But my mental well being and my energy needs to be recharged. And for that I need a lot of rest.

But today when I was resting and not going for training in gym, I heard God was speaking to me.. He was telling me to slow down.. I should be still before Him more and stay focus on my calling..

Yes, so that's what I will do. Work is going to take a backseat for a while.. so are other non-essential social obligations..

But on the bright side, I finally was able to start writing my book again after all these weeks!! In a way, I am getting the momentum going.. So far, I only spent like half an hour to an hour yesterday and today.. because I was quite tired. But I know that's what I should be doing. If not it is also defeating the purpose of not having a full-time job!

Anyway.. will appreciate your prayers. I want to be well again.. to do what i need to be doing.

Cutie Pie

In about three weeks, I will get to see little Alexis.. aint she a cutie pie? Sis and the kids will be back over Easter.. and of course there's also Sean and Edgar.

I can't wait!! :D



.

Cute two Js..

Jojo happy and fresh after a bath!


Jelly peering at me through the window..doesn't she look like a soft toy? ;)

two excellent and crucial documentary films..

If u notice, it's been a long time I ever blogged about a movie I watch.. for these days I don't watch that many movies and also, those I've watched do not give that impetus to want to talk about it..

But here, I want to talk about two movies - incidentally both are documentaries from the U.S. One is yet to be released (although made last year) while another one was release in 2004.

On Friday, I watched An Inconvenient Truth at a special screening at KLPac thanks to free passes from Eyeris



Most people who heard of it know it as a movie with former US vice-president Al Gore in it, and yes, it's about global warming/climate changes. But you may wonder how would a movie about ecological and environment be that interesting?

That I urge you to watch it for yourself. I dare say this is the film that has the most impact on me for a long long time.. I think the other film that I remember having that much impact (if not more) was `The Passion of the Christ' a few years ago.

Here I quote a film critic: "If you see only one movie this year, make it An Inconvenient Truth. It may not be the year's best movie, or its most entertaining, but it's certainly the most terrifyingly crucial."

Another wrote: "You don't need to like Gore, or trust him, or even believe him to get a swift kick in the pants, one that'll scare the hell out of you..."

Yes, even though I know global warming is a truth and is happening.. what was shown in this movie will kinda jolt you and wake you up. Well, at least if you still need to live on earth..! There was so much scientific research and evidence in this movie but yet, the way it was presented had a good human angle to it so it's not dull, yet highly educational and informative.

I hardly knew about Al Gore besides he was the vice president to Clinton and a presidential candidate against George W.Bush in 2000. This movie is no doubt a campaign for raising awareness for global warming, something he had worked on since losing the presidency.. well, one could see it as a political campaign of sort for Gore, but still no one will look at it with skeptical eyes in the light of the truths about the perennial danger of the world climate and environment we are living in these days.. and it's great to see the passion and dedication Gore devotes to his cause.

Speaking of politics and American presidency, this brings me to a movie which I've wanted to watch since it won the Cannes Best Picture 2004 - the controversial but brilliant Fahrenheit 9/11.



I bought the original DVD from HK end of last year for I had difficulty finding an original copy here earlier.. it cost HK120 but it's worth every penny as it has many exclusive and extra features and scenes in this edition.

Michael Moore is a genius.. and if I've new found respect for Al Gore, watching Fahrenheit 9/11 just made me confirm my dislike for George W.Bush and detest him even more! It's pretty cool how Bush is like the main character in this movie with Moore being the narrator mainly.. but yet the idiot of a president never volunteers himself to be starring in this movie that digs up the ugly stuff of himself..

There is no denying that the researches behind this movie had been so thorough that if the facts presented were not accurate, Bush and his administration could have sued Moore already. But instead, Moore was able to expose and look at what really happened behind `The War Against Terror' propagated by Bush. And what I hated to see most was the Iraq war.. how innocent lives on both sides of the continents were sacrificed because of greed of someone in power. It was heart-wrenching watching loved-ones of those died in this unnecessary war - not just the Iraqi civilians but the American soldiers losing their lives for a so-called `war against terror'

This is so sad.. if I were American, I would be so angry and disillusioned.

Anyway, the movie, if you haven't already known talks on serious and grave topics but watchable thanks to Moore's witty satire treatment to it.

If I were Bush and watched this movie, I would be so so embarrassed. And I don't see how he would be able to run for another term. Might as well step down with a little dignity left than to lose a mile to the Democrats candidate.

So go watch An Inconvenient Truth' when it opens in cinema next week. And get a DVD of Fahrenheit if you've not already watched it.. these are movies that really worth the time as you learn something important as well as being engaging... as opposed to many blockbusters these days one watches purely for entertainment purpose - and sometimes, can be a waste of time and money!

Saturday Night Crash..

Thank God for safety belts!

I would have been in hospital if I hadn't had my seat belt fastened when I crashed my car last night. Yeah, unfortunately I had an accident on the way to a wedding dinner in town. I couldn't brake my car in time when the car in front did an emergency stop.. It was slightly downhill some more. It was a three-car-pile up. My car banged into the car in front which then banged into the car in front of it!

The collisions (twcie I think) were pretty hard that I know for sure I would have hit towards the steering wheeel very hard if not for my seat belt!


My poor car - the front bonnet was disfigured and even the radiator was `gone' - there was smoke...


I hit the car in front.. which became a `sandwich' - hitting the car in front of him!


The 1st car which suffered not so much

After the accident, the three cars plus another tow-truck operator's car stopping on a two-lane highway caused the already quite congested road even more congested.. But I was afraid to move because my bonnet had smoke!!

I called my car-expert and newly-married uncle and he asked me to wait for him to come.. so I did. And finally came down to see the damage of the car and snapped some photos since i had camera with me.

My car was the most damaged. But guess I have no one to blame but myself, and also the car in front of me a little.. I was going quite fast (being a little late for the dinner) and yes, I did notice there was a jam in front but I didn't anticipate that it was so soon.. I was merely following the speed of the car in front. And the road was going down slope when it happened.. It was so fast and sudden!

The car in front of me brake abruptly and even skidded a bit, I followed suite but it was already too late and too close! My car just crashed into the car in front. The impact was great enough to caused it to hit the already stationery car in front.

No room for argument here.. as I was the last car, the fault lied in me but we all agreed to claim insurance for the repair.

After my uncle arrived, he helped to drive my battered car away to a safer spot to negotiate with the two truck.. and the other cars also follow suit. But I was asked to wait at that spot for I could not drive that highly-challenging manual sports car my uncle drove in! And guess what, my uncle left in such a hurry that my whole handbag and my mobile were inside my car..I was stranded there alone in the middle of a congested highway for 15 -20 minutes....

I was getting a bit desperate so I uttered a S.O.S. prayer to God. And then as if by miracle, a car stopped behind and the driver came to talk to me. He's a good friend of my cousin who drives this car actually.. So borrowing his handphone, I made contact with my uncle again and that friend even helped to drive the sports car while I tailed behind with his car.. and reunited with uncle and all the battered cars..

Then instead of having the wedding dinner, I had dinner at my uncle's house.. before going back to town to collect my dad's car (used as wedding car) from the wedding couple. Feeling bad as they were only supposed to return to me today.. but both my mom and I had important things to do today and can't share just one car.

Went to lodge a police report today after lunch. It was much easier and faster than I expected. and done within half an hour. But I would need to make another trip on Tuesday as the sargent in charge of this case was not on duty. Meanwhile, my poor car would be in the workshop for at least two weeks..

Always thought I was a skillful driver but now I know accidents can happen like this.. Thank God no one involved was injured (there were no backseats passengers). Sigh.. I really have to drive more carefully and not speed from now on, and ALWAYS have the safety belt on.

Weddings: My latest `witness' role

It's kinda ironic. I've never had a wedding (duh, i'm single) but i've become a wedding `veteran' of sort, especially where church wedding ceremonies are concerned..

In the last 15 years of my life, I've attended countless weddings of church friends, as well as other friends and relatives held at various places.. and then i've been roped in to help in many weddings. My `credentials' included: being a bridesmaid twice, wedding coordinator twice, ushers countless times, worship leaders and emcees five times todate, and chee-mui's organiser a number of times..

In fact, in this first half of 2007, i've been asked to help out in three weddings (one down, two to go!) - playing roles from chief usher to worship leader/emcee to church coordinator and chee-mui head. Well, i guess my friends asked me not because I'm like a real expert but accumulated experiences do count I suppose. And to be honest, I feel it is an honour to be a wedding helper, especially one that bears leadership roles!

To be frank, I must admit that years back when I attended or helped out in weddings, sometimes I felt kinda `envious', and would wonder when would be my own turn.. Am I always a wedding helper and never the protagonist of a wedding? But somehow.. the more weddings you attend, the more immune you are to this kind of sentiment.. Now, i just feel happy for my friends, most of them much younger than me, when I got to be part of their Big Day.

Today, this so-called wedding `veteran' has added another feather to her cap! I became a WITNESS to my uncle and his new wife Annies' marriage registration!

Ok, you can't really call it a wedding ceremony because at the moment, they just wanted to get registered first. And would soon invite close relatives and friends for a dinner. They needed two witnesses for the registration. My uncle has called his eldest son Ee-Wang to be his witness.. and then yesterday, I had a happy surprise when Annie asked me to be hers.

You see, Annie is a Chinese national so she doesn't have a family member here.. I guess she considers me both friend and family, and yeah I felt quite honoured that she asked me.

So, I willingly sacrificed my beauty sleep as I was to be picked up at 7:15am! I made it. Good thing Annie has reminded me to wear `something nice' as I would have just worn my usual jeans.. apparently jeans and t-shirts are not allowed at the marraige registra!

A party of four of us - the couple and their witnesses (ie. the groom's son and niece) drove into Putrajaya early morning and headed to the Natioanl Regisration Department (JPK). We arrived pretty early.. and since it's such a happy and auspicious event, I also played the role of the photo-journalist and snapped quite a bit of photos to chronicle the registration process!

Me in front of the JPN where the Marriage Registra is located

We were the first `customers' to arrive at 8am at the department. We waited for a few minutes at the foyer - where we took some photos - before the offices were opened.

So we were the first to arrive at the Marriage Registra - uncle and Annie got a first no. of the day - `2001'

The marrying couple and the two witnesses were required to produce their IDs. (note Annie's her passport). Entering the room and met the commissioner of oath (i think that's what they're called..)

And then the commissioner of oath proceeded to explain and ask some questions to the couple - I helped translated what she said into Mandarin for Annie. They had to raise their hands to swear their marriage oaths. This was followed by signing the marriage certificate and the exchange of rings.

Just married - sealed with a kiss! ;)

Congratulations again to `mansook' (youngest uncle in hakka) and Annie- my new aunt who is younger than me!

I got their permission to post this blog and to mention that I believe both of them will really treasure this marriage as they both had gone through one that didn't work.. Here's wishing you `bai tou xie lau' (literally translated as growing old together till your hair is white)

Awesome Leehom

I watched Leehom's `Heroes of Earth' concert on Sunday evening.. and no I didn't pay for it (even have two comp tix to give away ;)

Prior to the concert, I had to do a caption story for NST. Then most part of yesterday and today, I was working on two separate reviews of the concert (one for a mainstream paper and one for a gossip celebrity mag). My mind is all Leehom, Leehom, Leehom.. and you can guess the least I want to do is talk about the concert again...!

BUT, I still have to blog about it cos Leehom was simply awesome. He is always one of my top artistes when concert is concerned. Well, his vocal on that night was not really up to par no thanks to the mobile mic, but his musicanship and showmanship were simply astounding.

And he is just SOOOO talented that it's almost unbelievable. Ok, this was like my fourth time watching him in concert but it's still as good as ever.. and what eye-candy as well! If I were 10 years younger I would have fallen madly in love with him.. (sigh, the sign of aging.. )

I forgot my camera! What a waste as the media were given pretty good seats and I could just have snap good photos from my seat! So I pester my colleague and friend Sharon to email me some of the photos she took.. and she did. :)



(photo copyright: Sharon Wong)

Isn't he gorgeous? Looks is one thing. To me, it is his talents and charisma that set him apart from the rest. If you were at the concert, you would know what i mean..

Just in case any of u are intersted, my reviews will be out in NST this Friday and in Hot magazine - probably the next issue.

But if u want a instant good laugh on a hilarious review.. go to my friend's blog here! ;)

My Starbucks `office' ;)

It's true! I can work better outside my cosy room!

Today (i mean yesterday) I spent three good hours at Starbucks Plaza Damas after interviewing a friend, working on a review for the concert i attended the previous night.

It just felt good..! Maybe it's the coffee, maybe it's the ambience (many people also working solo on laptops), and maybe it's the happiness of owning a personal notebook.. whatever the reasons, i could concentrate better there. I managed to complete the first draft of the story, as well installing yahoo messenger and did some email replies.

:) So I will be going to Starbucks near my place tomorrow to work on another story! If only Starbucks will come out with a customer loyalty program!

Good Riddance to Noise Pollution!

Thank goodness it's Chap Goh Mei! It's been more than two-weeks that my family have been bombarded by loud noises in the wee hours of the morning

If you stay in this `cina' Cheras area of my neighbourhood.. you'll be so sick of fireworks and firecrackers no matter how beautiful the former could be..

The climaxes of the noise pollution was on the 8th day of CNY - the Hokkien's `Bai Tin Kong' (worship the Sky God) day. Yes, you guess it.. the majority of the people around are Hokkien so that was a BIG day for them..

Actually I thought CNY eve was bad enough.. from after dinner till 3am at least, there were non stop of firecrackers and fireworks erupting near and slightly away... Looks like all my neighbours were too rich and loved to burn (pun intended) their money away!!

Then came the almost crazy and frantic night of the 8th day - a Sunday. Fortunately I am not working.. I pity those who have to get up early for work on the next day. These Hokkien landlords have no regards whatsoever for their neighbours, as tradition, religion and culture would over rule everything else..

I forgot to mention that we suffer not just noise but air pollution too. On top of the firecrackers and fireworks which already gave out enough smoke, almost all the houses were burning paper money and big joss sticks.. so if you walk into outdoor, you would get choked!

My poor dogs, especially Jojo had to suffer in this month of CNY... :(

Well, looking at the bright side, we just have to endure for less than 24 hours more. It's already Chap Goh Mei and I can foresee a big round of `explosions' on Sunday night itself. Even now they have started.. a few minutes of fireworks display had just taken place just opposite us.

But, if they know how to stick to the time, all shall be quiet after 12 midnite - barely 22 hours more. Well, at least I hope so..

`Lost' and Found

How silly of me!

Last night, I made myself worry and sad unnecessarily and had even broadcasted my `misfortune' to a number of friends during Bible study!

You see, I thought I've lost my favourite silver charm bracelet and two silver rings at the carpark of Mid Valley.

After a short gym session in the afternoon, I decided to go home to rest and have dinner before driving out to church for B.S. again.. but in order to beat the jam, I had to leave around 5pm and not later.

So with arms and shoulders full - my handbag, gym-bag and notebook case just to name a few, I was walking so fast to my car that I accidentally hit my handbag and causing some objects to drop out on to the ground.

I had sorta forgotten I had put my accessories in that pocket together with my car key.. So i just picked up the key I dropped on the ground and proceeded to the car and drove away..

When I was leaving my home and was looking for my favourite accessories, I couldn't find them! Then I thought back, and thought the only possible place they were lost was at the carpark. I know the chances of finding them were slim but still I had to try my luck so I went back all the way to MV carpark to the spot where i parked earlier and started looking around the ground and under the cars near where I had parked..

To my delight, I saw on the floor my pair of earrings - which were cheap but I like them nonetheless. That raised some hope so I searched on.. going down on my knees to peep under the cars, and ignoring any passers-by. But there were no sight of my silver bracelet rings.. so i thought they must have been picked up by some greedy people.

I was quite sad.. i loved the silver bracelet in particular as I handpicked each of the charms myself.. it's not like very pricey but it's no doubt my favourite accessory at the moment.

And I couldn't hide my downcast mood at church.. soon enough a few closer friends at the fellowship knew about it.. I even shared the episode with BS group and got some sympathetic words.

But guess what? late at night when i reached home, just as I almost put the whole thing behind (trying not to cling on to possessions), I FOUND my lost accessories!

They were inside that tiny pocket! Earlier when i searched, I didn't search thoroughly enough. The bracelet AND the two rings were there all the time!!

I was overjoyed.. the feeling of `lost' and found was simply too good.

To think of it, it's quite a joke. I'm so careless sometime.. well, I actually did drop my earrings at the carpark (but found them) but then kept thinking I've lost my beloved bracelet and rings when all the time, they were just sitting in my bag!

:p

Word on!

Yay! I can work on Word file now on my new notebook! :)

Thanks to my tech-savvy friend Adrian who introduced the Open Office installation to me (and helped me install), I have solved the dilemma of whether to buy an expensive Microsoft Office software or a cheap but illegal copy in the pirate market!

I don't have to worry.. This is perfectly legal and best of all it's FREE!

Of course, it is not exactly like MS Word as i have to choose the specific Open Office application to open the file to work on it.. but once I'm in, it's no difference from a normal MS Word application to me.. Except I don't think I can create a Word document with this appllication but it's ok.. I can always start a Word document in a thumb drive from my pc at home and then continue to work on my notebook.

And it means.. I can actually work on my book already on my notebook!

Except this weekend and coming week is going to be really busy for me - a few assignments and deadlines and also standing in for worship leading and helping a friend's church wedding coordination..

Whatever it is though.. now it is `all system go' for me to really work on my book. :)

My new Dell Inspiron

My new `toy' has arrived today! I ordered a Dell notebook online last weekend at a very good deal - RM2,999 net for everything - even with a nice case thrown in and free delivery etc..

It was really exciting unwrapping the box to find brand new stuff in it.. and I must say I'm quite pleased with the look of the notebook. Like it better than other brands of the same price range.

So of course immediately I started playing around with it Hmm.. the Windows Vista (newest Window) looks pretty neat, and the sound and view quality are good too.. but then suddenly I realised one thing to my horror - it does not include Microsoft Word! It can't even read a word document!

I always thought it was a default program.. And to think that the MAIN purpose for me buying a notebook is to work on my book and other stories.. not multimedia and other programs.. And now I just realised that the package did not include Word!! How can?!! But it has powerpoint and excel programs though.. kinda strange to me.

Sent out an SOS msg online and a computer-geek friend said I must go get Microsoft Office as it's not part of Windows! If I get the original, it will cost quite a bomb - and what I need is just Word! I have the choice to get a pirate copy at a much much cheaper price.. but I am hesitant. Not just for moral and legal reasons but also scared it might damage my brand new original Dell.

So what should I do ah..? :(

This has put a damper on my happy mood.. and on top of all the other `changgih' stuff that comes with my new notebook.. sigh. There is no perfect purchase.