a beautiful sight

I saw this up in the sky today... a very beautiful rainbow. It's a big & colourful rainbow, smiling over the blue skies. It has been a long time since I have seen one and I thought it's such a treat...

On the road

Whoah....almost got into an accident on my way back from work last Fri! A car just swerved into my lane without the signal lights on at all! Wah… really irritated by these inconsiderate people on the road.... anyway, I really don’t understand :
* how some of these people enjoy cutting lanes – toll lanes some more ! Is there a certain thrill of deliberately switching lanes at the very last minute? Wanna see real examples? LDP toll every morning without fail…sigh …
(Worst still, some went to a SMART TAG lane and realized that they only have cash!)
* Turning without signaling – my friends, there are reasons for those sticks to be installed !!!
* Taxi drivers stopping suddenly to pick up passengers …. Mind you they stop everywhere, but the taxi stands….I could not count the times I had my near misses with them.
* And if we do let anyone pass us first, please have the courtesy to acknowledge our kind gesture, perhaps lifting your hands or flash a smile…. Don’t act as if you have the right to go first and others have to give way to you….
* Switch on the car lights when it’s dark or when it’s raining! ….it's really dangerous for us all if you don't, coz you will be "invisible".
* But, please don’t on the hazard lights when it's raining!! Hazard lights are meant for stationery cars ….
* Please don’t throw your rubbish out of the car windows …. The extent of damage to the car behind you will depend on the speed of your car and the size of the rubbish you threw out!
* Double parking !!! It’s a BIG BIG sin. Park where you are supposed to and don’t hoard the road…
* Rolling down your windows, driving at a tortoise’s pace while smoking a cigarette.....and the whole world waits behind you in a long queue. Please...you don't own the road, get a move on.
* Speeding !! The road is not a race track – 2 words: Speed Kills.

Govt efforts are futile. Couple of years back they were penalizing errant drivers with demerit points... Whatever happened to that now? Is anyone keeping track of our points?
Let’s learn to respect each other on the road, hopefully we can become more courteous drivers then.

aisey man......

I am writing this at 1.20 on a Thursday morning, while waiting for my office emails to replicate to the server. this is one of those nights that i was plain stupid, answering a call after office hours and got myself stuck with this..... aisey man.... got to think positive... think positive... think positive....

El Sanctuary

There's a place called El Sanctuary in Alor Gajah, Malacca where I've had the privilege to visit last month. You'll need to really know where to turn off from the main road cause you might miss it if you are not paying attention to the road signs. The place was famously situated on top of Holy Ghost Hill, or they call it in Malay, "Bukit Hantu".

This place was wonderfully built to give you a sense of back-to-the-nature-feel.
The wooden chalets are built on strong, tall stilts, like the "kampung houses" and hidden among the thick, green trees. At night, it is super cooling and if you are a light sleeper, you will probably be awaken in the middle of the night with the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind.....


The hospitality was overwhelming. Friendly hosts prepared awesome home-cooked meals for us (see pics above and you'll know what I mean). Even the dogs (i counted about 5 of them) will roam freely and follow you around, sort of like guardians, overseeing us during our stay... so we dont loose our way, trip and fall, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised too, at how the place was decorated. They have the most creative and ingenius way of decorating the place. For instance, using huge flower pots as water basins. You've got to see it to believe it..... They have very nice ambience in the dining hall too, with lovely lightings and jazzy smooth music played throughout our meals.

It was a wonderful thing that the church introduced this place to us for our retreat where we reflect upon our lives , brainstorm ideas and bond together as a family. It's also great for young people who are adventurous and want to experience a little bit of nature. Also perfect for church camps, youth camps, etc. El sanctuary has got all the hall facilities ready.

If anyone wants to get there, let me know. Think one of my friends have loaded the coordinates in the GPS, so should not have any trouble finding the place anymore. El Sanctuary, anyone?

Getting back on track

I missed my LIFE! I miss my gym, my shopping sprees, my books, my quality time with my loved ones, my friends (some claim I’ve gone AWOL for the last 6 months) , oh, and my blog & facebook … whatever happened to me during the last 6 months?

WORK ! WORK ! WORK and MORE WORK! New job has taken its toll on me. So tied up with work, that I lost my radar for a bit there. It crept in subtlety. Began innocently with checking emails at home at night and weekends, then you see some urgent emails (by now, believe me when I say, all emails are always urgent!) and had no choice but to reply them. Which leads, of course, to completing quotations and proposals in the late night and over the weekends. Before I know it, my nights and weekends are gone and I had merely the energy to crawl into bed, have a quick shuteye before starting the merciless cycle again the next day. It didn’t help at all, that I had tenders almost every month to complete, which inadvertently means late night proposals, countless long hours in front of the laptop, rushing around to compile proposals, necessary docs, attending last minute clarification sessions…– what madness! Exhilaratingly challenging, but what do I get in return? A new coffee-drinking habit and dark circles under my already-puffy eyes, …. what a way to go, gal….

I need to get back on track, take control once again of my life and steer myself out from this abyss of work stress. I picked up these STRESS BUSTERS and hope they’ll help me to overcome the pressure and stress and lead me to a healthier lifestyle:

1) Plan my time well
I’ve got to learn to say NO to work after 8pm and over the weekends and especially during my off days and Public Holidays. There's more to life than just work.

2) Show my emotions
Got to learn to express my thoughts and emotions, ie if I am overburdened and overloaded with work, should talk to my bosses about it. Of course, EQ very important here cause I wouldnt want my bosses to think I am being creative at asking for a sack.

3) Exercise regularly
Head back to gym again and trade in this overworked self for a healthier self.

4) Rest & Relax
Take a breather, chill out, watch some Stephen Chow comedy.
Maybe even plan a holiday or two in the next couple of months.

5) Sleep well
Is the bible rule at least 8 hours of sleep a day? That’s good.. really good…. Will naps take into account? Hmmn…have to work on this luxury…

6) A Stress Free Diet
This supposedly increases my body defence system against stress! So I have to start eating lots of nutrients like fruits, vegetables and fibres. Er, is the famous cheese fibre cake by Secret Recipe considered nutritious fibre-rich food? Wouldn't mind having that for every meal....

7) Vitamins and supplements
Ah, cod liver oil is the answer…..

Well, with these pointers, hopefully I get to see the new me in the next couple of months… and my friends get to see more of me too! Wish me success.