Saturday, July 26, 2008

Time to take action

It's been a week since I got back from my holiday..

It has been quite `happening' - got sick, interviewed 3 women and chased two deadlines (one still working on), birthday dinner, `reunion dinner' with friends, watched a musical, many Starbucks sessions.... Definitely there were some noteworthy topics and events to blog about. Only problem is, I feel no inspirations..

In fact, I am tempted to even take a hiatus from blogging... although I don't know how long it will last..

Today, I caught up with a good friend who I've not seen for a few years as she is furthering her studies in U.S. We talked about many things.. her life, our views on certain things and on our spiritual walk.. Then it jolted me how slack I've been in my personal devotion. Not that I don't know but I think now I really want to do something about it.

And I know the no. 1 `enemy' that takes my time away from more important and meaningful things to do (ie. devotion, reading and others..) is my time on the Internet!

This is nothing new of course. For I am a self-confessed Internet addict. But may be it's time to really do something about it.

No, I'm not saying I'm going to go `cold turkey' (like how one quits smoking!) for I still need the Internet for work and correspondence of course.. Just that I think I will make a conscious effort to prioritize my free time - and keep `leisure Internet activities' ie. reading blogs, blogging, Facebooking, chatting etc... to just a limited time and only AFTER I've done the more important things..

Just imagine, I haven't completed reading a book since the Harry Potter last year. I could spend some time playing the piano, doing a bit more exercise, or even watching the DVDs I bought two years ago!! (ok, the latter not significant but u know what i mean..) :((

I know some of you who know will probably snigger at my (futile) attempt yet again. But hey, success sometimes only come after a few times of failure..

So yes, I'm now announcing officially that I'll only blog as and when, and I will cut down on other Internet activities. But I hope my regular readers (if there are any) will understand and still come back to check this site once in a while.

And perhaps, by then, there will be some interesting things to read.

Tata for now..

Monday, July 21, 2008

Have feet will travel!







Must confess I stole this idea (my feet and the sea) from jellybeanbabe, who was so helpful to give me some useful tips on Krabi as she went last year!

These are just some of the hundreds of shots I took on the trip - where we went island hopping to Phi Phi islands and the Four islands - which names to me were just quite complicated :p

The sea was beautiful but alas the weather wasn't.. nevertheless for someone who adores the sea, it's worth the visit. The only slight disappointment is how Maya Beach (where The Beach was shot) had become over commercialised - too many boats and there were quite a lot of garbage being washed off shore!

More pix and write-up to follow..

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Back from Krabi sick..

I'm sick again.. sigh

Just gone to the doctor and was told I have `respiratory virus' - apparently it's seasonal. I feel very tired despite sleeping quite a lot last two nights.. my throat is hoarse and coughing a lot.. and I look ill.. :((

But thank God I didn't fall ill till the last day of my holiday..

Now I have deadlines to chase also.. can't even watch the Dark Knight!! :( Feel so miserable.. No mood to upload holiday pix or blog about it as yet..

But need to rant a bit hence another lousy update.. sorry..

*cough* *cough*

Going to visit my maid for the last time despite not well.. cos she will be discharged tomorrow and returning to Indon very soon..

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Krabi calling...


Read this in a site called `Krabi-Beach-Lover dot com:

"If your idea of paradise is a pristine, tranquil tropical island with swaying coconut trees, pure white beaches and brilliant turquoise lagoons, then Krabi will not disappoint you.

white krabi beach

"The Sun, Sea and Sand" this would be what you will always see when you are in Krabi. Lot's of sunshine, crystal clear blue sea, soft white sandy beaches...need I say more?"

Now that i've read some sites and seen breath-taking photos of the place, I just hope I won't be disappointed when I arrive in Krabi tomorrow.. (like I wasn't at all when I went to Bali last year)

So, till Friday.. I shall be in enjoying sun, sea and sand in paradise! Krabi.. Phi Phi islands..and other islands I don't remember the name.. Here I come! :))


Saturday, July 12, 2008

A forgetful tale of two bags..

My memory is really failing me these days.. Sigh, I can't imagine how bad it will be when I'm 60!

This morning I was looking for a appropriate bag to take to Krabi. Since I'll be there for 5D-4N, I had in mind that it should be of a certain size - and come with trolley wheels too. I was pretty sure I have something like that but I needed to search for it. And so I did with the help of my maid..

But after searching at three different places where our luggages are usually kept, I could only find my really huge or small suit case, and a couple of old carrier bags that are not suitable. The one that's most suitable was my dad's trolley suitcase. And I was thinking of borrowing it.. but at the back of my mind, I hoped to get one for myself.

I went to BV2 for a while in the afternoon and next to Starbucks was a luggage shop - on sale! So I went in and have a look and found one that's really quite nice and just the right size for a five-day trip. It's a Delsey, and apparently on promotion - RM329 (original price I was told was RM600+) The quality was good and comes with two-year warranty. I thought it was a worthwhile investment..

However, somehow at the back of my mind I remembered I should have a similar type of bag at home albeit I couldn't locate it this morning.. so I was hesitant of buying it. After hearing my `predicament', the sale lady said she could hold it for me till tomorrow - as it's the last piece. But being the `impulsive buyer' that I am, I decided to call home to ask mom about it. Cos she would be the one who keeps all things! Mom said she would search for it and then not long later, she called me back and said she couldn't find anything else. And if I wanna buy, just buy it!

And so I did - and was pretty happy and excited with this new bag. Even dad who normally doesn't approve of me buying expensive things, also thought the bag was nice. Then just before dinner, I was going through some of my pouches and bags and came across a pouch that made me yell out loud...

Argh!! That pouch was a free gift that came with a luggage bag I bought last year - they have the same motif. It was a trolley-bag of that size I was thinking of. That was why I had this vague idea that I had such a bag, yet I could not even remember I really had one or what it was like!!

Minutes later after I told dad and mom that I of this bag, mom said she found it! I couldn't believe the bag was a `lone ranger' in the cabinet on top of a book shelf! And I remembered I actually bought the bag after I quit my job before my Bali trip last year! So it was still quite new..

I blamed mom for not having located it when I called her, but I know I should blame myself more cos it's my bag and I wasn't even aware I had it!!

I compared them.. they are pretty similar - some more both also reddish, only that my new one is slightly larger.. so how? I don't really need two of such bags though I kinda liked the new one more (and it's also more expensive!) Then dad thought of an idea - to return the new one and exchange it with a suitcase for mom..

But I was a bit reluctant to give up the new one.. yet I know I should.. So over dinner, we were figuring out what exactly we should do.. finally I had to agree, just that tomorrow we're all quite busy it's a hassle to go all the way back to BV2. Mom, who has been quiet, suddenly said she actually likes the new bag very much. She doesn't mind at all having it instead of a suitcase.

Oh well, guess that was settled.. that new bag now belongs to mom. And I just settle with my existing one that I forgot.. Mom also kept on saying how the new bag suits her better (cos, it's simple and classic) while my old one suits me (as it's more sporty looking!) Whatever.. ;p


My `old' bag that I forgotten existed.. :(


My new bag that became mom's...

Mom is pretty possessive of her new bag straight away and did not allow me to borrow me to Krabi! Well, if I really want to, she laid down three conditions -
  1. must use TWO PLASTIC BAGS to separate each pair of shoes
  2. must use PLASTIC BAGS to properly separate dirty clothings
  3. must use PLASTIC BAGS to properly separate all toiletries - shampoo bottles etc..
Gosh, how un-green!! And since she's so petty etc.. decided to NOT borrow her bag and use my old one though I am a bit worried it might be a tad small. But so far, I think things should fit since I'm not shopping there..



I brought the two bags into my room and photographed them side-by-side. Minutes later, mom came in and quickly took her new bag away and `hid' it!! Well, that's what she said.. in a joking manner of course.

I'm actually quite relieved and glad how it turned out. Mom seems to really like that bag. So although my failed memory cos me to `waste' money on another similar bag.. but the bag is not wasted after all!

Unexpected mental disorder

I was halfway writing a post yesterday but I just could not finish it.. it's too tiring and in a way depressing.

I was describing in detail what we went through - me and dad- in dealing with our maid who has suddenly had a psychotic relapse.

But it's just too long and tiring even for me to write.. as I've already told my sister and a few friends of it.. To cut a long story short, my maid, who has been working with us for one-and-a-half year, had a mental disorder relapse - and very serious too.

Apparently she couldn't sleep for a few days but we didn't know. And on Thursday she started behaving weird and very emotional - kneeling and begging mom and dad for forgiveness for no reason. Yesterday morning, I came down finding her kowtowing on the kitchen floor!! Dad and I decided must bring her to see a psychiatrist, on the way, she even attempted to open the car door on the highway!

The most stressful time was how she did not corporate and created a spectacle at the roadside - kneeling down and crying and resisting to even move into the car which was double-parked a few meters away - for 15 mins or so until she calmed down a bit and the doctor came down to coo her..

We spent the next four hours or so in the hospital - waiting for doctor to see her, gave her a jab and then finally got her admitted to the psychiatric ward. Poor girl was exhausted but yet still emotional and unstable. She would be praying out loud or crying.. and not responding to anything we told her..

Even when we left, she was still sobbing and asking for forgiveness (again)..

I felt physically and emotionally very tired.. she has been a very nice, mild-mannered girl who is hardworking and conscientious of her work. I like her a lot. And was glad she was going to renew a year of contract with us..

And then suddenly this happened to her.

Today we went to visit her in the afternoon. She was much more stable but looked very sedated due to the psychotic drugs that were given to her. She asked to go home but we told her she needed to rest in the hospital. And so far only the M.O. had saw her.. and they still have to monitor and check her condition before knowing what to proceed next.

I felt sad thinking of her future.. cos what happened yesterday was pretty severe and we know mental disorder is not curable in a short time.. relapses are very probable and she probably has to be on long term medication.

We may not be able to hire her as she may not be fit to work.. and most likely she would be sent back to her hometown in Indonesia - a village that does not have proper psychiatric health care too.

I hope and pray that at least for now, she would be treated well and recover well.. and that her condition is not so serious and she could lead a normal life like before.

Monday, July 07, 2008

just a crappy update..and my crappy eye

I missed my blog - or rather, I missed blogging. Thought I'm really quite sick of my assignments - it's all together a different thing when you write for yourself..

At the moment, I really don't feel like doing any work - at least I've met three deadlines successfully and two more to go - with one being later in the month. Actually now I just took on another short and relatively easy one! sigh.. no break.. besides my 5 days holiday!!

Speaking of my holiday to Krabi.. I'm definitely and very much looking forward to it.. but my eye has let me down! :( Ok, I shouldn't make a big deal out of it since the eye specialist I saw today said it's nothing serious - just some sort of inflammation in my left eye. But the fact remain that I can't wear contact lenses! Just imagine - going to a beach resort, with swimming and snorkeling activities high up on the list. I am practically blind without glasses or lenses!

This irritation and red-eye problem in my left eye had been nagging me for a month now! It all started when I went for a facial with Clinique - well, it's free and a basic one cos I bought some lipsticks for my mom. Despite asking the beauty therapist to be careful cos i had my contacts on, she practically put soap and rubbed across the edge of my left eye! It felt kinda funny already but it wasn't so bad so I didn't make a deal at all. But the next day, my left eye got redder and redder as I was still wearing contacts. So from then on, I laid off contacts for a few days but every time I thought it was ok to wear contacts again, the redness reappeared! This pattern just went on - I already had laid off contacts for a stretch of a week but it just didn't heal.. Until yesterday I went back to my optometrist and he advised me to see a eye doctor.

The doctor examined my eye quite thoroughly and went ahead to prescribe two types of eye drops for me. And after hearing my `plight', the doctor actually said if I really want it, I could wear a daily disposable contact lens just for swimming and snorkelling. From now till my trip, I definitely can't wear contacts and also need to put eye drops 3-4 times a day. And hopefully, the eye will recover well enough..

Sigh, I really really hope so. I should have gone to see a doctor earlier in hind sight. Oh well.. better late than never i guess.

Can't believe we're well into July - second half of the year.. I don't even have time to do a half-year reflection being so occupied by my assignments. Guess I shouldn't complain.. it's better to be busy and have things to do (ie. earning some money) than being relaxed but idle and unproductive.

So I still have to strive on and hopefully have more exciting things to blog about soon. (actually the week has been quite happening - work related or other wise but just have no mood and time to blog about it..)

Pardon this other crappy and self-indulgent post.. but as I say, I missed my blog! Till the next (hopefully interesting) post.