Everything.

It's been a rough week. But this song made me smile in an instant. Michael Buble, you're a genius. Oh, and of course it helps that it makes me think of Haw *big goofy smile*

Everything
by Michael Buble

You're a falling star, You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And You're the perfect thing to see.

And you play your card, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.

And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.
Cause you're my everything.

**********************

And I get to kiss you baby, just because I can. - I miss you Cubby.

Roar.

It was a Friday of many firsts. But long story short, my morning started slow and steady until someone in the office stepped on my toes. Now here's something some of you might know about me. I've always been Mr. Nice Guy. I hate arguments. I cringe at confrontation. I try to be politically correct whenever possible. I'm the doormat extraordinaire...As long as everyone's happy.

But Friday, I cracked. Maybe it was my lack of sleep. Maybe it was the heavy workload. But when one of my subordinates went rude on me, I cracked. In some ways, it was a relief to show my temper. To reveal a part of me that's human after all. In the office, I always try to keep things light-hearted. I joke with the security guards, I tease my fellow workmates to make them laugh, I hum happy songs to keep my spirits up while I'm doing mindless photocopying. But i realised perhaps my sunny disposition has been misread as "I'm a schmuck so please step all over me." I worry too much about being liked by my colleagues - but I never thought how that might affect their respect for me.

So what's a girl to do? Learn, I suppose. On the other hand, my colleagues need to learn that just because I'm always ready to share a joke, it doesn't mean I'm willing to take their bad attitude. I DESERVE respect because I respect others. I'm not selling myself short anymore.

I'm nice. Not naive. I'm polite. Not a doormat.

My Friday just went downhill from there. In a nutshell, we had some problems with our printed publicity materials for an upcoming event. It was a careless mistake by a colleague and just as I felt one of my veins pop in my forehead, I walked away. I had no more energy to lose my temper and instead of getting upset, it was more important I had the problem fixed. I wanted to scream and shout and spew obscenities but instead, I made up my mind that this was a sign that things had to change in the office. My immediate boss-whom nobody messes with- is on maternity leave which makes me in charge till she gets back. I have a feeling that the staff are slacking because they're probably thinking, "Missy's in charge? That's like declaring a holiday!"

Let the games begin.

Update.

Ok, let's see.

1.Went to to Semporna for the Regatta Lepa.

2.Visited some islands.

3.Came back with a sorta-tan and a semi-burn.

4.Work has been full swing, especially with Sabah Fest around the corner.

5.Went out with some people I haven't seen in a while.

6.Witnessed one of them profess his undying love to another, alas, his desire unrequited.

7. Contemplated on how poetically karma works.

8.Caught up with my cousin over happy (not-so-happy?) hours.

9.Karaoke session with my karaoke chicas.

10.Conducted a photo shoot at the museum on lovely -albeit- hot day.

11. Spent quality time with my brothers, sister and nieces.

12.Finally hauled my ass to the gym

13. ...And treated myself to KFC after.

14. Watched Hannibal Rising.

15. Looking forward to the long weekend.

I'm taking Monday off and with Labour Day and Wesak Day following thereafter, I got myself a nice five-day weekend. Jangan jeles.

Off to Semporna

Bags packed. Two nights, three days. Will be in Semporna for the Regatta Lepa (google it!) followed by an island hopping trip. Busy busy. I'll blog when the tornado dies down.

Thanks for dropping by! You have a fantabulous weekend now. I'm gonna work on my tan.

Scary-oke!

If God one day decreed that I had to sing in order to save the world, mankind as we know it will face extinction.

Now here's the thing: I LOVE to sing. But just because you love eating chocolate cake don't mean you can bake one, you know what i mean? So yes, I love to sing but my skills are questionable. There is only one place for a person like me:

KARAOKE!

It's a guilty pleasure, I'll admit. But I have Ten GOLDEN commandments:

1. Thou shalt not sing in a public lounge or an area filled with strangers
2. Thou shalt ONLY sing in a private room, preferably soundproof
3. Thou shalt only sing with people who have known you for a reasonable amount of time and promise not sever any ties with you upon hearing your lack of vocal prowess
4. Thou shalt not mike hog: Choose two songs and politely pass the remote control to the next person
5. Thou shalt not interrupt someone during a song and attempt to sing louder
6. Thou shalt not interrupt someone during a song and attempt to (hideously) do a 'second voice'
7. Thou shalt not annoy others by endlessly claiming, "Ooh ooh, this is MY song!" at every other song
8. Thou shalt NEVER go American Idol on a fellow Karaoke-er after a performance by making comments such as, "That was pitchy" or "Absolutely horrendous"
9. Thou shalt not choose a ridiculously difficult song just because you like it and tell your friend, "Ok you sing it."
10. Thou shalt pack a generous dose of humour during every Karaoke session.

I have a select group of people I would hit the Karaoke with (you know who you are). And each session never fails to cheer me up or destress me. Perhaps its knowing you can ridiculously sing your heart out (tunelessly too) and your friends will still love you. Or the fact that you know the lyrics to Britney's 'Sometimes' doesn't necessarily mean you're a loser (hey I absorb lyrics fast,ok. Sue me). For the next two or three hours, you can literally sing your blues away and not really care how bad you sound. It's therapeutic, really.

Don't you just love some of the song selections they have? And you NEVER dream you'd sing along but when you do, it's so hilarious that you just have to! Here are some guaranteed pick-me-up songs I recommend in the Karaoke:

1. Disney's Under The Sea -Sebastian the lobster (was he a lobster?) sang this and I love putting on a Jamaican accent whenever I have a go at this.

2. Copacabana - Seriously. I don't even have to explain this one. How can you go wrong with lyrics like, "With yellow feathers in her hair, and a dress cut down to there" ?

3. YMCA - SO oversung but still so fun.

4. Yellow Submarine - I underestimated this song until my cousins belted it out last week...OMG it's hilarious. Esp if you start marching around the room.

5. Downtown - an oldie by Petula Clark. Such a feel good song. Downnnnntownnnnn!

6. These Boots Are Made For Walking - You must watch the original Nancy Sinatra video of this song. You might get a little distracted but after enough practice, you'll pull through.

7.My Favourite Things - Ah yes, Julie Andrews. For extra fun-ness, sing this with a clipped English accent.

8. Staying Alive - Admit it, even YOU don't know the actual lyrics to this song.

9. I Hate Myself For Loving You - Unleash the Joan Jett in you! For added effect, sing it like you mean it. Roar.

10.I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing - Because NOBODY can really sing this song except for Steve Tyler. If you feel like slaughtering a song beyond recognition, this is the one for you.

Have you karaoke-d today?

The Great Chinese Adventure, Pt. 2: Haikou

After Xi'an, we hopped on a plane and headed to the sunny island of Hainan, namely to the city of Haikou. (ehem, just a note, my Haw's roots are embedded somewhere in Hainan so looks like I managed to visit his 'hometown' before him. Don't worry, baby, you'll get there soon).

Unlike the cool breeze of Xi'an, Haikou is a tropical city and very reminiscent of KK (except it's a bit bigger lah).

In the heart of Haikou. Please don't ask me about the plane.

Sheraton Haikou. Five-star bliss. You can see some bungalows in the background.

My bedroom. I love how the partition slides so you can look into the bathroom. These were the BEST beds ever...I could sleep all day in them.

When in Hainan...Must eat Hainanese chicken rice! But honestly? I think the one in KK lagi sedap. (Interesting note: Chicken meat in Hainan is tough. Seriously. In every restaurant we ate, I was constantly 'wrestling' with the meat)

And then we ate some more. Note to self: No lamb for the next 20 years.

I loved the fruits though .Especially the tiny 'kams'. I ate a whole bag by myself sampai batuk batuk.

At night, we made ourselves at home at the bar and lounge and even made friends with the Filipino band. Mabuhay!

A moment to relax on the beach. I was told that many mainland Chinese flock to Hainan island for their beaches (some of them have never seen the sea, having spent most of their lives braving the cold in the mainland. brr). However, I must say that the beaches were pretty average and even Tanjung Aru fared better. Maybe we Sabahans are just spoiled by damn nice beaches. See? The grass ain't always greener, people.

Coming up: Fridaycat does Sanya!

One at a time...

So here I am, trying to get a grip of all the chaos surrounding me. I like my Mondays slow but today was not fated to be one of them. So much to do, so little time. So much to remember! I have to make lists of lists to remind me of the lists I might forget about. And my boss is going on maternity leave soon. Gulp. Extra work load anyone?

I'm sure I'll handle the workload fine but I can't help but feel a bit anxious. And just to relieve my sweaty palm condition right now, I'm blogging. It's almost 5:30pm but I hate the rush hour jam. I STILL have shitloads to do and I've decided to bring some work home. I have done absolutely NO writing from 8am to 5pm today, thanks to the endles phonecalls, appointments, sudden requests, follow-up calls, printing, organising and list-making. What I REALLY need to do is finish my articles for the next issue. Instead, here I am, wilting at the end of the day, hoping my brain will vomit a story sometime after dinner. By hook or by crook, that story will be written before the day is done.

I have to do a spa review this week and i never thought I'd say this about a free massage: I feel so lazy oh. It's times like these I wish I had a minion of reporters under me for me to give writing assignments ("Ok, story on the use of cow-dung as fertiliser...mmm...John. Story on sushi delights in Sabah...mmmokae, I'll do this one."). Anyway, I think i'll go to the spa tomorrow after work. Sigh. I'm such an ingrate kan?

****************

How was your Easter? I went to church with five million other people (ok la not five million but it felt like it). And then spent it with the family. On Saturday, I had dinner with Haw's parents and told them all about my trip to China. Haw's dad was so excited he even showed me a map of China and pointed out all the places I visited! So nice...You know la me, so ignorant until someone actually whips out a map. And my sense of direction isn't going to win any awards you know...

In other updates, life is good. Just waiting for Haw to come back (what else is new) and smiling at the laptop like an idiot every night when I see 'Hawding is online'. But you know what I love? How he can still make me laugh so hard without actually saying a word. Funny bah his face. But funny in a way that I still sayang la, heh.

Ok I want to go home now. May the force be with you. And me. So i can write that story.

Fat days, lazy gene.

Warning: Self-absorbed entry ahead.

I'm having a fat day. Ever have those? When you feel like whale or, worse, a whale with a weight problem.

Blame the onslaught of PMS. Plus I feel like staying in bed all day. No, I'm not sick. It's what I call the Lazy Gene. You know, like it's not bad enough my weight is a pain in the ass - I'm also lazy. It's like you perpetually smell really bad but you're allergic to baths.

I keep saying I'll hit the gym but the only thing I tend to hit is the sack (oink oink). Tired bah. But Sel has a good point: Exercise is best when it doesn't feel like your exercising. In other words, go play a sport you enjoy or walk the dog. Do housework vigourously. Wax you car like your life depended on it. Reach for the fridge door till your hear your back crick (heh). As long as it's physically fun, I say go for it. There's one physical activity I consider pretty 'fun' but I wanna keep my blog PG-13, heh heh.

Ugh, i still feel fat. Doesn't help meeting up with long lost cousins and discovering that after 10 years, they still have their 18-year-old bodies. Damn. But i can't help it if i love food AND i'm naturally...er...padded. Chubby? Fleshy? Well-rounded? For the life of me, I just can't get THIN. I can lose weight and look 'different' but never thin. I could get 'slim' if I went on a diet of cotton wool and water but i haven't reached that level of desperation yet. You know what's weird? Some days, I'm totally lovin' being the way I am and kinda proud I'm not one of those rail-thin toothpick chicks. But some days, it frustrates me I can't wear midriff-baring tops. Ya ya i know you can't have everything but I don't see anyone saying that to Gisele Bundchen. Haiya, this losing weight business is so tiring.

I'm so depressed. I think I'll cheer myself up with a cheesecake.

The Great Chinese Adventure Part 1: Xi'an

Ten days. Six cities. One girl.

Our first stop was the historical city of Xi'an - most famous for being the home of the Terracotta Warriors. Some 16,000 carved warriors, all different faces. If that doesn't fascinate you in the least, maybe you should lay off the pot.

Xi'an is a lovely city and contrary to the popular belief that all cities in China are dirty(-ish), Xi'an is anything but. It's a walled city, surrounded by a fantastic fort. It's the start of spring so the air is still cool and crisp, with a hint of sun in the afternoon. Lovely for a walk. I'll let the photos to the talking:

Hyatt Regency, Xi'an, my home for two days.
A mausoleum of one of the many Emperor's of China (his name escapes me right now) Sprawling gardens, beautiful landscapes. So the very pretty...

Batu Caves of Xi'an, heh heh. You have to climb a gazillion steps to get to the top. This is me, still want to 'posing glamour' in case I die of a heart of attack on the way up.

I survived the gazillion steps and the huffing and puffing was worth the view!

Rule no. 1 in China: Bargain like your life depended on it. But Rule no.2: Be prepared for verbal abuse if you fail to actually PURCHASE anything after haggling.

Eating is a FREAKIN' BIG DEAL in China. A very painful lesson. A minimum of 13 dishes every meal. Die la. I had vegetarian noodles and stewed lamb oozing out of my nose and ears by the end of my trip...

...But having some beer to wash it down made the torture less painful. Heh.

We visited Moslem Street. Great place for shopping. Fascinating to hear Chinese women in headscarves greet you with 'Assalamualaikum'.

So much to see, so little time! China has excellent bargains. Too bad MAS has a baggage limit.

Believe it or not, this is not a temple but a mosque.


And finally, nothing like a bit of retail therapy to make me forget I don't like cold weather. Hooray!


In the next episode: Join Fridaycat as she makes her way to sunny Hainan island!

Sob.

I'm back from China and Hong Kong.

And instead of four lovely cats greeting me, only three stood at my door.

I'm not in the mood to blog for now. Hope you all understand.