Of Weddings and Babies

Well, looks like it's the season of life where weddings and baby announcements and arrivals are everywhere you look!!

 

The TONGs, whose wedding date happened to coincide with the Elections, found themselves featured in newpapers both online and in print!!

<= Jason & Adrene TONG!

<= Picture with the Bride of the Day...

<= Picture with the next in line...

 

But yes, back to Jason & Adrene's wedding... Was good to catch up with ex-Sedayans after oh-so-long!

 

Above: Ex-Sedaya CF-ers who made it for the group picture at the wedding ceremony as some had to leave early...

Below: More made it to the dinner...

Given that the results of the elections were periodically announced, eyes were also fixed to the TVs at the restaurant, hehe...

 

And so, with the end of the night, Jason & Adrene TONG prepared to go off to their honeymoon as Peter & Elaine continued their preparations for their big day only a few more months away...

 

And a few months soon came to pass - on 24th May 2008...

===>  

Peter & Elaine gathered the ex-Sedaya CF-ers yet again to celebrate their big day!! Am still waiting to get more pictures from the rest who brought out their cameras...

 

So far, sounds like wedding after wedding... Where are the babies, right?? Erm... Jason, Adrene?? Peter, Elaine??

 

In the meantime, the month of May brought joy to Adino & Poey Chin with little baby Rachel (or also fondly nicknamed Lady Rachel)... Also, my colleague Faz gave birth to a beautiful baby girl... Now, have to go baby gift shopping and find some time to visit the proud parents... =)

 

In the meantime, it's bye bye (*sob, sob*) to baby Ian, who's off to Perth with Sean & Kheng Lai... Note to self: AirAsia flies to Perth... AirAsia flies to Perth!! Wonder when JetStar (if they haven't already) open more routes to Australia... Wanting to see Su-Ann's new baby (in Melbourne) too!!! There's always time to spare to see Asher & Aaron, as well as Gabriel & Joshua, if I (finally) find myself in Melbourne...

 

Waaahhh... so weddings left and right - and a couple more by the end of the year... Found out recently that my colleague and lunch buddy is pregnant, which warranties a trip out to Kota Kinabalu at the end of the year(?), if I wanna see both mommy and baby before they come back to KL at the end of her maternity leave (early 2009??).

 

Now if I could only find time, annual leave... Anyways, just to record a hearty CONGRATULATIONS to all the happilly wedded couples and the proud parents!!!

Clowning Around

With insufficient rest but a happy heart after helping out at Peter & Elaine's wedding the night before, I prepared myself for a long day ahead - Parents Day at church, followed by church camp briefing, then immediately off to United Voice (UV) for a picnic at the Taman Tun Park with the UV members.

 

Parents Day at church saw Uncle Button as the special guest speaker... bringing with him a message and plenty  of smiles and laughter to go round! I'll let the pictures give you a glimpse of the day...

Uncle Button doing his thing...

 

Uncle Button and his victims volunteers...

 

What I got from Uncle Button - the leftover of a teddy bear (the body, erm... *pop*)

~ eh, when I got it, the body popped already, kay... I'm not sadistic... No one wanted, so I "adopted" it lor ~

 

After the camp briefing, I joined the SAN convoy to United Voice and then to Taman Tun Park, where we had an enjoyable time with the UV members. It was really a very new experience for some of us, interacting with people with learning disabilities, autism, Down Syndrome, dyslexia, etc. However, at the end of the day, it was a refreshing experience to be among people who were open, friendly, without malice or pretence... Indeed a break from wondering what's on the other side of the coin, hehe!

Jee Jin getting some love before we left... lolz!

 

Introduction session and off we go!!

 

A walk around the lake... Tortoise - yes, ducks - no... *winks*

 

A simple game and lots of food!!

 

More and more people jumping into the foot torture reflexology bandwagon...

 

SAY CHEESE!!! (Group picture!)

 

 

Aunty Annie wanted a picture with the "thinner version of Donny" before we left...

Maroon Umbrella

Yes, the people at AMBP have done it again... new contests!! Woot! (Good job, guys!) Well, all you peeps out there who wants a chance (after me, that is... *winks*) to win Maroon 5's new album and check out a sneak preview of their collaboration with none other than the beautiful Rihanna... ella... ella... eh... click here! Also, muchas gracias to the kind people at AMBP for extending the contest till 28th May - so hurry up! Hurry, hurry, hurry... buy my rice and curry... erm, ahem... before the contest ends!

Fun facts to note & some very important information for the contest... (Hehe!)

Who is the Lead Singer of the band Maroon 5?
Adam Levine

What was the original name of the band before they became Maroon 5?
Kara's Flower
(psst... personally, I think the new name sounds better, lolz!)

Name the guest singer in the Maroon 5 song “If I Never See Your Face Again?”
Rihanna

Now, one more thing...

Write a little (could be 5 words, could be 500 - it's up to you) about Maroon 5 or Rihanna or Rihanna's undeniable physical presence

What?!! Erm, ah... erm... let's just say... I wouldn't mind being marooned under the same umbrella with Maroon 5 or Rihanna... *winks*

Bitten by the Idol bug...

American Idol has hit America like you wouldn't believe - a record breaking 97.5 millions votes cast to crown this year's American Idol!! And finally, the 7th American Idol is crowned - congratulations, DAVID COOK!!

 

The finale saw a battle of the Davids...

David Archuleta VS David Cook in "Let's Get Ready To Rumble" style...

 

The first round, songs chosen by Clive Davis, showcased a great start for Cook who blew away the crowd with "I Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" followed by Archuleta's rendition of "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", which showcased his continued consistency. Simon's call swayed towards Archuleta for the first round, although he was singing praises about Cook, who performed first.

 

The second round was titled, "New Song Contestant Choice", which basically showcased lesser known (a.k.a. popular) songs. Cook did a good job for the song of his choice, "Dream Big", while Archuleta went for a ballad-ish song, "In This Moment". Again, Simon's call swayed towards Archuleta and again, claimed Archuleta the winner of the round!

 

The third and final round was the contestant's choice. Cook chose "The World I Know", trying something different, which Simon blatantly boo-boo-ed. However, Cook took it like a man and politely responded, "Why do something I've already done? But I understand what you (Simon) are saying..." and the crowd went wild! Archuleta played it safe and sure with his choice - "Imagine" - the judges were impressed without a doubt! "What we have witnessed is a knockout!" Simon says.

 

Well, in the end, with 56% of the vote in a star-studded finale, the next American Idol was crowned today, and it belongs to... DAVID COOK!! After watching the final two show, I had already thought that Archuleta was a shoo in to win, since the judges were so blown away by his performances... Plus, he was consistent all the way. But on the other hand, Cook showed improvement day after day, performance after performance! I was indeed pleasantly surprised that it was Cook who won... and even more surprised when Simon apologized for being too brash with his comments!!

 

Congratulations, David Cook - indeed you've blown America away... Kudos, you deserve it!

Technorati Tags: American Idol 7,David Archuleta,David Cook,Results,Winner,Finale

Missing Missy

I was at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) last Thursday (15th May 2008) to pick up my aunt who was arriving from UK. Scanning each and every face as they emerged through the arrival gate, after all the necessaries (immigration and customs checkpoints), it seemed like a futile task. Her flight had arrived at around 9pm, but already an hour plus later, I was still standing there looking out for her.

 

Little did I know that there was also someone else among the people waiting in the arrival hall, holding up a cardboard notice which contained a familiar name - Missy Elliott. And I had only noticed when I saw a group of people coming out of the gate who had 3-4 black boxes stacked on the luggage trolley, which could easily contain musical instruments or speakers. I was looking on curiously, wondering what could be in those boxes, when a lady approached them with a cardboard sign bearing the name "Missy Elliott". I was looking out to see which one of the faces in the group of people was Missy - apparently I'm not too good at celebrity spotting, lolz!!

 

Psst... she did NOT look all glam-ed up like this, okay...

 

I watched and watched, but couldn't figure out which one was Missy... I watched as the group walked off. So, no autograph for me. There was surprisingly no fans at the airport, hmm... odd. (Which also caused me to wonder whether it was really Missy or not, hehe...) The group walked off and after some time, I got a bit restless standing there, watching and waiting, so I decided to take a walk - maybe if I see the group, I'd try again to spot out Missy and maybe get an autograph.

 

Nope, the group seemed to have left. And, sadly, I was so blur (it's been a crazy and busy month lar...) that I forgot to whip out my trusty SE w800i and at least take a photo of the group... =.=" I mean, how many people actually see a celeb all dressed down, lolz!! =P

 

I found out today that it probably was Missy Elliott, arriving for the concert at Genting, haha... Oh well, I'm no celebrity spotter... sorry lar~!

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Missy Elliott,Malaysia,Concert,Genting Highlands

Breakdown...

Today was exceptionally difficult in the office. This is an especially busy month for me - 2 training modules (3 days each); 3 days auditing as a trainee auditor for ISO internal audit; 3 days being audited for ISO internal audit... Each 3-days block are on different weeks. Throw in a couple of meetings to attend, being secretary to one of the meetings (meeting minutes to prepare, organizing the next meeting - meeting dates, call letters, booking of refreshments, etc)... Most importantly now, make sure that the department is prepared for the internal audit, on top of rushing licensing tasks and departmental training needs... Yeah, that roughly sums up the month of May... Oh wait, forgot about the departmental statistics reports and summaries. =S

 

Today, the stress level totally overwhelmed me and I finally broke down when talking to my colleague. It was the culmination of so many burdens placed upon my shoulders with limited (if any) resources or help from others, especially in terms of audit preparation... I'm the newest in the department, but expected to know everything... craziness!!!

 

Days like these become more frustrating when someone comes along and tells me how "wah... you work in government service... whole day so free can sit around shaking legs wat..." what I'm saying is - as if I would be lying about this workload!! Erm... wanna come take over so I can have a break for a few days??? So, be warned that there may be snapping if you try to "pull a stunt" like this, kayz?

 

So tired... Need to de-stress, take a holiday... when I can find some time... if I can afford some time! My first time conducting internal audit starts tomorrow till the end of the week... Wish I didn't have to be involved this year, but what to do... "saya yang menurut perintah" (roughly translated : I that follow instructions) mah... *winks*

Dreamz Can Come True!

Yes, dreamz can come true, even if for just one night - at The Pavillion, Genting City of Entertainment, as it presents "Dreamz"!!

Dreamz indeed looks like a dream come true as you will witness passion-fueled magic by two illusionists as they compete for the love of one princess. And to top it off, for the first time in Southeast Asia - the magnificent and elusive white lion will be featured!! Magnificent beasts displayed; romance in the parallel world of magic; a city of entertainment - indeed a dream! The only thing better than winning tickets to see Dreamz with my own eyes would to have been able to be the first to witness it so that I can share all about it with the rest of you!!

(Psst... offers to provide commentary or reviews for anything is welcomed - so long as you are gracious enough to accept my honest opinion, hehe!)

Now to put some preliminaries aside:

Q: Who is the professional image consultant dishing out juicy tips on how to look your best at CloveTWO.com's Lookin' Good section?

A: Wendy Lee

Q: Name the bloggers at the Guy and Parent blogs.
A: Andrew William (Guy) & Sharmila Rajah (Parent)

Q: At which section do you find stories on women's fashion and beauty?
A: Style Sheet

And finally...
Attending Dreamz would be a dream come true for me because...
it has the makings of a delightful, radiant, enchanting, accoladed and magical evening!

** Note: This post also doubles as an entry for a contest organized by All Malaysian Bloggers Project. **

Bittersweet Day

It was indeed bittersweet today...

"Bitter" cos it was so difficult to get out of bed this morning. Woke up at 8am and I had to get to Eastin Hotel by 9am for training! Was late yesterday since I overslept and only got up at almost 8.30am... =S

"Sweet" cos I actually breezed past some traffic lights as they either turned green when I reached the light, or it had just turned green as I approached - yay!

"Bitter" cos I am probably gonna have 3 days of backlog to clear when I get into office tomorrow. Plus gotta be secretary for a meeting first thing in the morning - and I haven't even printed the finalized minutes of the previous meeting yet!

"Sweet" cos...

There was a Levi's retailer's meeting in the ballroom, which also included a runway show (probably for the fall/winter collection), which also means eye-candy to look at during lunch today, hehe!

I casually took a walk into the ballroom where they had the event as well, hehe... There were clothes and bags and caps and belts and wallets on display at the back of the hall - Fall/Winter collection, perhaps? Nothing particularly striking to me, though. Oh well, at least there was a "scenic" lunch, hehe! Oh wait, we ended our session before 4pm today as well - sweet!! =)

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - Thank God It's Friday!!

No, I'm not promoting for TGI Fridays... However, I wouldn't mind promoting if I got some free meal or something, hehehe... *winks*

 

Friday was really a day where the phrase, "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" fit perfectly!

 

The Good :-

1. Managed to clear a little bit of work by the end of the day so that I can have a clear mind during my 3 days away from office next week. Most importantly, sent out Meeting Minutes for upcoming meeting on the coming Thursday (my first day of the next week in the office!)

2. Got black and white that I will be attending the extra training modules, the first of which starts on Monday.

 

The Bad :-

1. Post meeting = backlog + more work (Familiar equation, right?)

2. If this keeps up, I'll have to bring home work more often, blog less... =(

 

The Ugly :-

1. Got pulled over by Mr. Traffic Police on the way home.

It was bad enough that I left the office later than I'd liked, I realised (about two thirds of the way home) that I'd left my mobile phone on my table in the office. =.=" So turned around and drove all the way back to office to retrieve my mobile phone, since I would probably need it... (Mobile phones have become a necessity - Gone are the simple, mobile-phone-less days, hehe!) Praying and hoping all the way back to office that my colleagues had not left and locked up the office already. Zoom, zoom... back to office, grabbed phone, quickly made my way home. On the way home (the second time), I got pulled over by Mr. Traffic Police. Ironically, this same point was where I realized my phone wasn't with me and I turned back to get it. Sigh.

2. Mr. Traffic Police seems to want bribe

He requested for my Identification Card and asked me, "So how now, Miss? Should I summon you?" I was already praying before and during my conversation with good ol' Mr. Policeman. This was temptation staring me in the face here! What would you do? To bribe and get away? Or to risk getting a summons? I prayed and prayed not to give into the temptation to take the "easy way out". Praise God, I resisted the temptation, and eventually, Mr. Traffic Police probably realised he ain't gonna get any, so he sent me off with a warning.

 

Thank God It's Friday! Went to dinner then Homelife feeling rather disheartened and unenthusiastic. The verses shared brought encouragement.  Here's the paraphrase from NLT:

I cried out, “I am slipping!”
      but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.

When doubts filled my mind,
      your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

~ Psalm 94:18-19 ~