Useful Info About Mel. Not.

It's a quiet Thursday, the bosses are out so....Quiz time!

You Are a Feminine Beauty!

You make any guy feel like a man, simply by standing next to himYou have a classic womanly appeal - and you've got a look for every occasion.This doesn't mean that you can't kick back in (designer) jeans and sneakers.You just prefer to be girly and sweet as often as possible

What Type of Beauty Are You?

Girly and sweet. *bats eyelashes*

Your Toes Should Be Pink

You love to dress girly and work your feminine charms, with a bit of an edge. Your ideal guy: Is confident enough to get any girl he wants Stay away from: Jerks who only see you as eye candy

What Color Should Your Toenails Be?

OMG, I'm wearing pink nailpolish RIGHT NOW! Like, wow, these things are SO true. Let's see the next one...

You Can Hang With the Guys and the Girls

You've struck a good balance between girlie and laid back.You can keep it casual but when you dress up, you are as girly as the next girl.

How Girlie Are You?

Girly is the word of the day.

You Are a Strawberry Blonde

Men see you as flirtatious, but they also see you as a challengeBecause you're totally fearless and carefreeYou've got the lightheartedness of a blonde, with the attitude of a redhead

How Blonde Are You?

Yay, strawberry blondes, like totally rule! Awesome.

The PJ's You Are Most Like: Underwear

You enjoy the simple things in life and aren't hard to pleaseYou have an understated, easy sexyness that men loveAnd you're confident enough to pull it off - without being overbearing

What Kind of PJ's Are You?

Useful information when I come back in my next life as pajamas. Moving on...

You Are Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"We saved the world. I say we have to party."

What Superheroine Are You?

Buffy's a strawberry blonde. How about that. Ok last one, I promise:

You Should Date A Swede!

You're a romantic, albeit an understated and practical one.It's more about a steady partnership for you, not unrestrained falling.Your Swede will give you the unwavering love you crave.While making up some mean pancakes and meatballs on the side!

Which Foreign Guy Should You Date?

A cute blonde who will give me unwavering love AND makes me pancakes and meatballs? (hopefully not on the same plate though...yuck). One way ticket to Sweden please!

Rant.

I have been having 'ugly' days. I'm not talking about your run of the mill bad days. I'm talking about days when you feel so ugly you want to put a bag over your head. It feels like nothing looks right. My clothes make me look fat, my hair is limp and we won't even discuss my skin. In a nutshell, I feel ugly.

And you know what doesn't help at all? People pointing out your imperfections. It's like saying to someone in a wheelchair, "You mean you can't walk?" Thanks for pointing it out, Einstein. I was at my old office yesterday and bumped into an ex-colleague. We were chatting and she began asking, "So you're out of the office a lot? Like into the jungle and everything..."

"Sometimes,"I replied. "Yeah, poor you, they keep you so busy that you don't even have time to take care of your skin." I pause, grit my teeth, resisting the urge to stab her with the pen in my left hand. She continues,"You used to have such nice skin when you were working here...It's so...different now."

Wowee you clever cow, I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't told me. After all, I only look in the mirror everyday. And people keep reminding how much weight I've put on. Thank you for your powers of observation but maybe someone should tell you about your bad breath/BO/lack of manners/visible panty line too.

I hate my skin so much. I don't know how it got this bad (before i continue, I really don't need the whole 'you should be grateful you still have arms/legs/a roof over your head etc' speech. My bimbo moment, I'm gonna indulge). Some people might not find it a big deal but it stresses me out so much. So much so that I find myself staying at home more so I don't have to meet people with my horrid skin. I'm trying almost everything I can get my hands on, from hundred dollar lotions, to pills, to cat pee (ok this one's not true but I'd do just about anything any this point). And it hurts. Not emotionally, I mean my face physically hurts. It's sore and uncomfortable.

I didn't go to work today. Well, sort of. I had to get the magazine done at our printer's office and once that was accomplished, I didn't feel like heading back to work so I went home. I crawled into bed with a pounding headache, still feeling ugly and slept it away. Except it hasn't gone away and I wish I could spend another day in bed.

Perhaps I should mention that I'm having pretty bad PMS right now, hence the ranting. Whatever. I figured maybe blogging about it might make me feel better.

Nope.

Friday the 13th. Hooray.

Friday the 13th. The coolest day of the year. Because it's deemed so unlucky I find it necessary to prove otherwise. So far the day...macam biasa saja.

So here's what's been going on in Fridaycat's life:

Work - Same old, same old. There are days when the creative juices run dry. Sigh. And online games like Zuma beckon. I'm finding it hard to get my engines running. Maybe it's the start of the year and things are still a bit slow in the office. Which is a good thing. Sort of. I'm actually feeling a bit (shall i say it?) bored with my work these days. 2006 might be the year to move on. Watch this space.

On the social side - Attended a birthday party last Saturday. Lots of free wine, beer, Chivas flowing like there's no tomorrow. So yes, it was definitely one I enjoyed. I stayed away from the pool for fear of making a literal splash in my drunken state. But I wasn't drunk, mind you. Just happily tipsy. It was...an eventful night, not necessarily for me alone. Apart from the party, I've been hanging out with pretty much the same peeps but these days, I've stayed true to my 'selfish' resolution. I only see people when I want to and not when I'm expected to make an appearance. There's a sense of liberation in doing my own thing when I want to and, more importantly, if I want to. (I also notice I'm getting less invites though so I guess some people aren't too agreeable with my anti-social stance these days, haha). I'm going for dinner with my colleagues tonight (seafood!) followed by a night at -where else- Shen's with my cousins.

Love life - hahahahahahahahahahahahaha...*wipes tears* Ok, seriously, let me put it this way: I'm trying something new and we'll see how this pans out.

Travel - I'm going to Manila this February to visit my grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins. It's been ten years since my last trip so I think it's time I touched base with my mum's family. My grandma comes down to KK quite a bit so I still get to see her every other year. I love her to bits. She's the kind of grandma that spoils you rotten, tells you stories about your mother when she was a stubborn teenager and reminds you that you're the most beautiful thing in the world. And my cats love her. How can you not? Apart from that, I might be heading to Aussieland later this year. Still in the pipeline...

That's it folks. Oh and I finally have Streamyx. Yes, I've been in the land of dial up all this while. So sad kan. Been downloading so much nonsense since broadband came into my life. Ah, bliss.

"You may need me there
To carry all your weight
But you're no burden I assure
You tide me over
With a warmth I'll not forget
But I can only give you love."
-Rob Thomas, Ever The Same. Check out the acoustic version.

Liar liar, pants on fire.

Men lie. I didn’t need an article to tell me that. Women lie too but men…They lie with finesse. There are good lies and bad lies. Lies you tell to keep the peace but it backfires if the other person finds out you were lying. Welcome to a place we call ‘between a rock and a hard place’.

I came across this article this morning and I was just compelled to share with. The Top 10 Lies Happy Husbands Tell. So what is it trying to say: That these husbands stay happy thanks to the lying? Ok, let’s not go there. Husbands/boyfriends/male species will inevitably lie. It bugs the hell out of me because it makes me realise there isn’t a single honest man out there. But this article (I hate to say this) had some pretty good points. Here’s an excerpt:

"Sure, honey, that dress looks fine."
Why he tells it: Hassle avoidance
Men employ these "forgivable fibs" not just to avoid hurting you ("Of course you don't look fat in that outfit") but to make their lives easier ("I think that wallpaper looks great") and to steer clear of trouble ("I guess Cindy Crawford's 'sexy' in a conventional kind of way, but she's not my cup of tea").

"I was not looking at her boobs."
Why he tells it: To achieve a delicate balance between marital harmony and 4 million years of biological conditioning
No matter how long you've been together, I guarantee your man hasn't stopped being attracted to other women. You can't promise to stop liking chocolate -- only to stop eating it. When a good-looking woman walks by, he notices. If her skirt is momentarily caught in a crosswind, even a legally blind man will get whiplash.
Guys are responding to millions of years of biological conditioning. Why bother lying? Because it's obvious our looking bothers you. "This is what I call a 'blessed lie,'" says Kovacs. "Men are given more license to acknowledge a wandering eye, but at the same time, we have to always treat our woman as if she's the only thing in our field of vision."

Okay, I admit this one bothered me. I UNDERSTAND the logic but I don’t like it. And I personally know of guys who aren’t bothered that their looking at other women (in front of their significant others mind you) bothers their girlfriends. What kind of jackass attitude is that? Check out other women, by all means, but have the decency to do it behind our backs at least. It’s disrespectful and rude.

"My old girlfriend? She was just okay."
Why he tells it: Self-preservation
What details from your past become common property when you marry? A man is duty-bound (and legally bound, usually) to tell his wife if he's ever contracted a sexually transmitted disease or fathered any tykes. Beyond that, it gets hazy fast. Does his wife have a right to know how many women he's slept with? Or how good it was? When privacy-minded guys are faced with probing questions, you can guess what happens.
"My wife asked me if I'd ever cheated on a girlfriend," says Bob, 32. "I did, once, but it was an isolated thing. I'd never do it again. But women think 'once a cheater, always a cheater,' so I told her no. I hated lying, but I felt like what she was really asking was, 'Would you ever cheat on me?' And that question I answered truthfully."

Read the whole article here.

Although it gave me better insight, the article strengthened my conviction that all (ok 99.9 percent of) men are liars. Big, fat ones. And for our sanity, best to feign ignorance and carry on with our lives. Yeah it’s great they want to keep the peace but the fact remains:

1. Your man will look at other women.
2. One day, you will leave the house looking hideous because your husband wanted to ‘keep the peace’ by saying “You look lovely.”
3. You’ll never really know the whole truth.

So girls, you don’t REALLY have to tell him the truth neither. Most women are smarter because they don't tell lies at all. They just don't tell.

What you don't know can't hurt you, right?

“yo i'm lying to my girl
even though i love her
and she all in my world
i give her all my attention
and diamonds and pearls
she the one who makes me feel
on top of the world
still I’m lying to my girl i do it
and i lie and i lie and i lie and then i lie
till there’s no turning back.”
-Black Eyed Peas, Don’t Lie.

She blogs!

Ok so everyone's tired of the basic panties/brainy girl entry. Sorry people, I've just been plain lazy and occupied with festivities over the last few weeks. More importantly...I'm back!

NewYear, schmoo year. So how was yours? I spent it with friends at Blue Note. In a nutshell, it was an evening of booze, buddies and shaking booties on the dance of floor. The countdown was a blur, thanks to the alcohol. All I truly recall that night was that I had a great time and the tequila shots made the night even better, haha. Thanks Mia!

Resolutions. Why do we bother making them? So we can break them of course! Ok la, this year I JUST might stick to them. Ok maybe just one. We'll see. For the heck of it, here are my so-called resolutions (ehem, inspired by Sel).

1. Drink more milk - Stronger bones and teeth maketh a woman healthy. I'm not even thirty and I already hear my bones cracking with every sit-up (ok maybe with every morning stretch as I hit the snooze button for the fourth time).

2. Eat healthy - haha. Worth a try.

3. Exercise more - Hey, I travel five flights of stairs five times a week. Do you? Now i resolve to do it SIX times a week.

4. Be more selfish - It's all about me. Deal with it. Me me me me me me me me. Screw what everybody else wants.

5. Learn how to use Quark Express - Oh yes, this I might actually pull off. (Contrary to popular belief, quark is not a cross between a quack and a bark- That i can already do. It's a graphic design software).

6. Leave - ...my job? KK? well enough alone? I dunno. I'll fill in the blanks later.

That's about it for now. As you can see, I'm not off to a very inspiring start. To be honest, I greeted the new year with apprehension, anxiety and trepidation (albeit in a drunken state). My past year hasn't been a bag of whoop-dee-do so I'm hoping this year will be better. I'll be 27. Wow.

Twenty seven. Dua puluh tujuh. Yee sap chat. Yep...Looks like whatever way I put it, it still sounds older than 26. Snort. What the hell. I'm still wondering where 22,23,24 went. I've chucked my five year plan out the window but one thing remains for sure. In five years time...

....I will definitely be 32 years old.

Ya, I so clever, I know.

Happy New Year everybody.

Mel and Mia being happy.

Pussycat, Pussycat
I've got flowers
And lots of hours
To spend with you.
So go and powder your cute little pussycat nose !
- What's New Pussycat?, Tom Jones. Any song with the word 'pussycat' in it gets brownie points from me.

Brainy Girl in Basic Panties = Mel

You Are Basic Panties

You are a laid back chick with a real natural beauty.You can make unwashed hair and minimal make-up super sexy.Men tend to notice you show the "real you" - and they appreciate it.And while basic makes boring for some, it looks classic on you.

What Kind of Panties Are You?

You are a Brainy Girl!

Whether you're an official student or a casual learner, you enjoy hitting the books.You know a little bit about everything, and you're always dying to know more.For a guy to win your heart, he's got to share some of your intellectual interests.A awesome book collection of his own doesn't hurt either!

What Kind of Girl Are You?

Wow i feel so sexy now.

Tis The Season

My hands are shaking, my stomach is queasy and I've got cold sweat. My heart's palpitating like crazy and I think i'm gonna pass out soon. Breathe in... and ouuuuuut.

Yes, I have not completed my Christmas shopping.

Five more days. Die la, die la. Every year, I tell myself...nay...I VOW to buy Christmas presents throughout the year so come December, I won't have to go through the same old panic routine. Well, it's been 26 years and things haven't changed. Some traditions aren't meant to be broken I suppose.

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. I heart it very much. And i love buying gifts for people (even better if I had a limitless bank account to go with my generosity). But as Christmas draws near and panic sets in, I start picking up gifts for people without thinking too much - time is precious after all. I always try to draw up a proper list of who and what but after a while, I tend to chuck the list aside and just go with the flow. Over the years, I've drawn up several categories of gifts. Here they are:

Practical Gifts
I like these because, although they seem boring, it's nice to receive gifts you can actually use/wear/eat/read rather than 'dust collectors' (see below). Practical gifts include cotton nighties (popular among the aunties) with a purple-furred Garfield or a wide-eyed girl with the words 'You and I Be Friend Forever' at the bottom , or bedroom slippers. Even better are toiletries (worst-case scenario: You break out in hives or smell like curry powder). I've received my fair share of practical gifts and although they were not my prettiest gifts, they've been put to better use than my 436 snow-globes.

Dust Collectors
So pretty. You know, those porcelain figurines of angels/teddy bears/KLCC. And although they come in the nicest boxes, the prettiest wrapping paper and matching ribbons, all they get from most recipients is a 30-second 'Aww...so nice' before being doomed to the shelf, to collect dust forevermore. The only saving grace to receiving/giving a dust collector is if the figurine etc. bears significant meaning. For example, maybe you've always wanted to go to KLCC so if someone gives you a three inch model of the building with a card attached that says, "One day you'll get there", the gift automatically gains bonus points and is shifted to the 'Sentimental Gifts' category.

Sentimental Gifts
These are the ones with special meanings, where perhaps you and the receiver are the only ones who 'understand' the meaning behind the gift. These gifts can be either 'Practical' or 'Dust Collectors'. Good examples are books (self-help not included), especially first editions (bonus points if its your favourite book/author); photo frames with a collage of photos, a stuffed animal that reminds you of the person (careful on this one). But the best sentimental gifts are the DIYs: a poem, a song, a collage, scrapbook etc. People who live in The Glass Is Half Empty Land call DIY presents cheap but I think they're far more thoughtful than an ugly Gucci handbag I'd probably never wear. Plus, DIY gifts show effort. Extra points!

Cha-Ching Gifts
Also known as 'that's-the-most-expensive-keychain-i've-seen' gift. This of course depends on your budget. And who you're trying to impress/keep happy. Most likely, you'd buy Cha-ching gifts for your boss or significant other. Gifts include perfume, jewellery (not the RM10 for 3 pairs of earrings kinda jewellery mind you), leather goods, electronic gadgets, cars, private islands...You get the pic. Although it might seem flashy, I think it's a nice way to show someone special just how special they are (loses its appeal if you do it too often though). As Maybelline puts it: Because you're worth it.

Damn straight I am.

Panic Gifts aka Safe Gifts
These I am familiar with, especially as Christmas looms. Photo frames, festive candy, gift packs,candles...You get the pic. I detest getting these gifts for people because I'm afraid they appear thoughtless. However, I also consider them Safe Gifts and are perfect for people whose last names you aren't too sure of ("Jeffrey...You know, that guy who's always with James?").

That said, I think the most important principle in gift giving is the old adage that it's the thought that counts. The fact that someone deems me important enough to get me a gift is a nice feeling by itself. To my friends, my gifts don't quite bear branded insignia or have Bluetooth services but it's just my little way of saying I love you guys and I'm always thinking of you. Yeah yeah yeah sappy as it may seem...Tis the season after all.

ok, time to hit the mall.

"All I want for Christmas is you."
-Mariah Carey, All I Want For Christmas. Now if only i could get Johnny Depp to sing this to me. Or Jeff Corwin. Or Josh Hartnett. I'm not picky.

Friday? Quiz time!

Men See You As Choosy

Men notice you light years before you notice themYou take a selective approach to dating, and you can afford to be pickyYou aren't looking for a quick flirt - but a memorable encounterIt may take men a while to ask you out, but it's worth the wait

How Do Men See You?

You Are Most Like Carrie!

You're quirky, flirty, and every guy's perfect first date.But can the guy in question live up to your romantic ideal?It's tough for you to find the right match - you're more than a little picky.Never fear... You've got a great group of friends and a great closet of clothes, no matter what! Romantic prediction: You'll fall for someone this year... Totally different from any guy you've dated.

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?

Ok I get it, I'm choosy. Next...

Your Hat Personality Is A

Floppy Hat

What Hat Are You?

Floppy hat? mmm, ok la.

You are White Chocolate

You have a strong feminine side with a good bit of innocence thrown in.Whether your girlish ways are an act or not, men like to take care of you.You are an understated beauty, and your power is often underestimated!

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

I'm insulted. For the record, white chocolate isn't even REAL chocolate, *pout* It's chocolate for wimps.

Feelin' blue.

From Condommia and Yoyellow:

Your Aura is Blue Your Personality: Your natural warmth and intuition nurtures those around you. You are accepting and always follow your heart. You in Love: Relationships are your top priority, and this includes love. You are most happy when you are serious with someone. Your Career: You need to help others in your job to feel satistifed. You would be a great nurse, psychologist, or counselor. What Color Is Your Aura? Take This Quiz :-) Find the Love of Your Life (and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.

Vanity Fare.

I’m back from good ‘ol KL. Was there for work but I’ll spare you the details. Vanity, said Al Pacino in the Devil’s Advocate, is my favourite sin. I couldn’t agree with him more. Sometimes I feel guilty, even embarrassed that I’m so vain. But the great thing about growing older is that soon you learn to not give a flying fff..fish what people think. I’ll admit to stealing a glance in any reflective surface when possible to make sure I don’t have stuff hanging out of my nose or a strand of hair out of place. So sue me.

If you ever want to feel ugly about yourself, visit KL (Disclaimer: Not an anti-KL sentiment so spare me the hate mail). Nothing like air-brushed, size 2, tiny-waisted waifs to make you feel icky about your not-so-perfect skin and other personal hang-ups (Disclaimer: Not an anti-size 2 sentiment so spare me the hate mail). At the risk of sounding superficial (I’m already on a roll anyway), sometimes looking good matters. Why? For the clichéd reason that it makes you FEEL good. I don’t know about you guys but I do feel a wee bit better when I paint my nails or brush my hair.

You know what they about the grass being greener. Yeah yeah yeah, you can’t have it all but…There’s no harm trying right? Ok, here’s my superficial wish-list for Christmas:

1.Better skin. The type you see on magazines that glow and are completely pore-less (hah).

2.To lose another five kilos. At least this one is attainable. I’m not fixated on being skinny but I would like to feel lighter, healthier and finally be able to button my shirts in the chest region.

3.Thicker hair. I got fine hair. And I don’t mean ‘that-chick’s-so-fine’ kinda fine but not-thick-enough ‘fine’.

4.Longer legs. I hate wearing high heels so don’t bother telling me this look ‘elongates’ my legs.

That’s it basically. Oh and I’d like to be taller. Like, another five inches would be nice. I don’t know what’s up with this whole vanity rant but I just feeling bitching. You know what I don’t get? Boyfriends who tell their girlfriends that they like to see them au naturel, sans make-up, t-shirt and slippers but they get whiplash checking out girls wearing low cut tops and hot pants. There are times when I love dressing up. I used to make the effort to look extra nice whenever a particular boyfriend (from the depths of my past) wanted to bring me somewhere special. You know what? He never noticed. And it didn’t bother me until one day when I donned a pair of cut off denims and a black figureless t-shirt and had no make-up on, he remarked, “Hey, you look nice like this.”

I don’t know why I bother.

These days, I wear whatever fits. Heh and I can laugh about it because my weight’s at a stage where nothing looks right. Baggy clothes make me look fatter but snug clothes make me look like a bratwurst with legs. And I realize now it’s not what other people think of how I look like that bugs me. It’s how dissatisfied I am with myself. I wake up in the morning feeling so yucky about my physical appearance and I wish I could lounge in my sweatpants and t-shirt all day long. Strangely, that’s when I feel most at ease with myself. I feel most beautiful when I am not. Ha ha, deep stuff.

For now, I’m gonna summon my writing elves to help me get some work done.

“I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty, so witty and bright.
And I pity
Any fool who isn’t me tonight.”
-Maria in West Side Story. Someone has self-esteem issues.

Bad, Bad Sunday

Sundays are normally blog-free for me but today will be different. It’s almost 10.30pm and I wish I could blog about how wonderful my weekend’s been but... Ah yes, always the inevitable ‘but’.

Friday started great. Went to The Loft with my colleagues and had enough beers to keep the crowd happy. We were so at home that one of my colleagues actually brought her own CD collection and requested the DJ to play them (and he actually obliged!) Several rounds of beer later, the night is still young and I’m buzzy enough to make a fool of myself on the dancefloor. So off to Shenanigan’s for booty-shaking music and lots of sweaty bodies crammed into a small space. It’s 1am and I think it’s time to get home and wash the cigarette smoke out of my hair. Aaah…me happy. All happy.

Saturday has an early start. I have to attend the launching of a hotel beside my office. Minister arrives, speech speech, hooray, cut the ribbon, ooh, aah, bla bla bla and it’s back home so I can catch up on more sleep. Lunch with friends, hit the mall (yeah how original on a Saturday afternoon) and I’m supposed to go clubbing but I suddenly feel like crap. I figure it’s a combination of last night’s alcohol, lack of sleep and my PMS. Oh and the fact my wallet’s feeling the pinch. I spend the evening in my pajamas, channel surfing and eating chocolates. We all need days like these, heh.

Sunday. Ah Sunday. A reminder that Monday is ready to rear its ugly head. In a nutshell, there were good things and bad things about Sunday. Bad Things: Big fight with my brother’s girlfriend (no love lost. But I was annoyed nonetheless and discovered I could still be catty AND bitchy at the same time. Go Mel). Decided to call a friend for some cheering up and maybe hang out to forget about the earlier fight. Unfortunately, turned out I was about to be the on the receiving end of his ‘I got out of the wrong side of the bed so fuck off’ mood. Didn’t settle too well with me (gee, you think?). Anyway, on to the Good Things about Sunday. Went to a colleague’s Raya open house/house warming party, which got my mind off the Bad Things for a while. And after Bad Encounter With Angry Friend, I decided to cheer myself up and watched Aeon Flux with Haw and Walter. Nothing like the movies to bring me to an alternate universe where only popcorn and soda matter.

So here I am, with a headache and looking forward to sleeping my Bad, Bad Sunday away. I never thought I'd say this but...

I can't wait for Monday.

"Sleep and know that if I knew all the answers
I would not hold them from you."
-No Other Way, Jack Johnson.

Melissa's Must-Haves

Ah Christmas. I can smell it already. Inspired by Sellie Wellie, I too shall spare everyone the misery of wondering what the perfect gift for Mel would be this season. I bring you,
Melissa’s Marvellous Must-Haves This Christmas.

A pashmina shawl – Not those flimsy ones but a real pashmina wrap that goes all around and keeps you warm yet oh-so-trendy. I actually had a colleague wear one to the cinema and she was snug as a bug in a rug compared to the rest of us in our pathetic excuse of a cardigan.Which reminds me…

A cardigan – Sad as it may seem, I still live in these, so sue me. They’re not the most fashionable thing but they are pretty darn practical. But only in the following colours please: white, light pink, red, violet
A hooded cardigan – Bear with me here, please. I have a faded blue one that I wear to death (I think some of you might recognize it). I bought it Australia more than three years ago and it’s finally giving up on me. It’s hard to say goodbye, sob, but if anyone wants to get me a new one, here’s a rough idea:

Lipstick – Contrary to popular belief, I do not own 624 tubes of lipstick. Right now, I am living on ONE, yes only one, tube of lipstick. You know what to do.
Lipgloss – A cousin of lipstick.
CDs – Latest albums by Low Millions, Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Destiny’s Child, The Killers, Garbage.
Futsal shoes – Size five. If they come in pink, even better. Ok, maybe make it along the lines of blue or red.
Sandals/heels – Buy me shoes and you can never go wrong. Again, size five. I don’t wear stilettos and if they’re jeweled, make sure they don’t look ‘auntie’. No espadrilles neither. I think they’re pretty but kinda hard to wear.

Bags – handbags, big bags, dinner bags…You name it, I want it.
Books – ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee. And anything else you think I’d read. Note: No Stephen King please.
Spa vouchers – Nice.
And any of these under my tree on Christmas morning is fine by me (sans the giant tarantula please):




Ok, start shopping!

Chocolate hugs.

You know, I just realized I haven’t had a good, solid hug in a long time. Don’t you love hugs? I do. Especially when I’m feeling down. I hugged Leilana few days ago, my 2-year-old niece, but she wiggles out of my arms faster than you can say ‘Barney’. I want a real hug. A nice, cozy, lingering hug which lasts for at least five seconds. And some people smell so good. I’m not talking about roses or chocolate chip cookies but everyone has an individual scent. And some people I know have a scent that make me feel at ease when I’m near them. Sometimes, I have to resist the strange urge to inhale people when I’m standing near them (hey you’re talking to someone who sniffs baby clothes in the shopping mall ok…)

Back to the hug. I never grew up in an overly affectionate family but there were enough hugs and kisses to ensure I had a healthy childhood and would develop no aversion to displays of affection well into adulthood. With all my boyfriends, I love the whole hand-holding, big bear hugs and cuddling package. And psychologically, it makes me feel better. For a brief moment, I forget my problems and indulge in the human touch. It’s nice. I guess we can trace it back to the gratification a baby gets when a mother holds him/her close. A sense of security, albeit short-lived. But I’m quite picky when it comes to who gives me hugs. I don’t like to share my physical space with just anyone. Basically, if you’re Johnny Depp and smell good, then it’s fine by me. Heh.

I’ve got a chocolate craving. No points for guessing why. I’ve had a few bars of Snickers the last few days and last night, after dinner, I rummaged through the fridge because I SWEAR there was a box of chocolates in there somewh….

I found it. In all its glory…I found it.

Still wrapped in pristine condition was my box of truffles from London. My brother bought them for me a month ago and I almost forgot about it! Oh the sin. I wasted no time. Grabbed a glass of water, my blanket and plopped on the sofa. I had an ‘upacara perasmian’ and gleefully unwrapped the pretty box to reveal my cocoa babies. I had one piece, and then two and then…Well, let’s just say I managed to stop myself before I wiped the box clean. I went back to the kitchen and…Hid the box of truffles waaaaaay in the back of the fridge.

It’s MINE. ALL MINE. (it’s my PMS so I’ll be miserly if I want to)

It’s ten am in the office and all I can think about are my truffles. I’m getting cold sweat just thinking about it. Truffles, truffles, truffles…Ok focus. Snickers, Snickers, Snickers…

You know what would be great right now? Johnny Depp covered in chocolate giving me a hug.

"Your love is better than chocolate...Better than anything else that I've tried."
-Ice Cream, Sarah Maclachlan. When I find a man whose love is better than chocolate, you can slap my ass and call me a monkey's uncle.

Busy.

I am busy. No other reasons/excuses as to why my blog has come to a standstill lately. I promise to provide more ramblings in the next few days. Until then, watch this space.

God and His Infinite Wisdom

An email fwd I received today:

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: "Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen.

God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, Set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, Drove them to school, and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the checkbook. Then it was already 1 P.M. and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Ran to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework. Then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing.

At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the chops and snapped fresh beans for dinner. After dinner, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9 P.M. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint. The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said, "Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back."

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied, "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night."

tulah, that's why...

Mel's Moment of Manic Panic

Hello kawan kawan. Ok, I'm slacking and losing my blogging credibility but hey, I'm here now right? There are days when there's lots to blog about and days where some things are better left unsaid. Oh, and days when you actually have to do that thing called 'work'.

Today all my e-mails disappeared again. For a good six hours mind you. Long story short, I'm still having problems with my office e-mail (what else is new) which means I have to check my emails via the webmail server. It's slow, temperamental and not user friendly to say the least. However, they've 'upgraded' the webmail system...which of course means...they wipe out my existing e-mails.

Deeeeeeeep breath.

I refuse to panic. Or curse. Or cause bodily harm to anyone in the so-called IT department. I make a few phonecalls, wipe off the cold sweat on my forehead and cross my fingers. The resident IT dude tells me to calm down and to open up my Microsoft Outlook.

About-to-panic Me: "But it DIED months ago..."
Him: "No no... your Microsoft Outlook."
About-to-panic Me: "Ya ya i know, cannot. I'm using Mozilla but that died on me too..."
Him: "'No, Missy, Microsoft Outlook. The brown icon on the scr..."
Panicking Me: "Tiada! Really! Cannot use oredi!!!"
Him: "You're talking about Outlook Express. I mean Microsoft Outlook."
Calming-down Me: *scans the screen for Microsoft Outl...* "Ooohhhhhhhhhh. Found it. So...click here la?"

Nyeh nyeh malu malu.

So after a few clicks here and there, I finally retrieved my almost-lost e-mails. Phew. Problem solved. Almost la...Now most of my e-mails aren't going/coming through. To sum up my sentiments in a nutshell:

It's raining outside. It's almost five pm. I'm going for a drink with my colleague to drown this annoying day. The upside? I had a yummy lunch. Grilled chicken with baked potato, coleslaw and a side serving of Minestrone soup. A bit much, you say? I totally agree and am darn proud of it!

On my speakers right now:
"I'll be loving you forever forever...All this love's for you and me."
-I'll Be Loving You, New Kids On The Block. Omg.

44 days.

So it's Thursday. Enter cliche: How time flies. 44 days to go before the new year rolls around. In light of trying to be optimistic, I await the new year with bated breath with hopes of a brighter tomorrow.

Basically, I hope next year will be less shitty than this one.

Let's see, here are a few things I'm hoping for (and working on) in 2006:

1. Travel: At one point next year, I must must must travel. Even just once. And no, not to KL. I have my sights set on Melbourne, just to get a feel of the place in case I plan to head there for further studies. Other alternatives include Bali, Bangkok (yes again), Sydney, Cambodia or Manila.

2. Get my writing career further up and going, so i can eventually ditch any form of 9-5 jobs and work from my beach house overlooking the South China Sea and make gazillions of dollars.

3.Fall hopelessly in love with a foreigner who will sweep me off my feet and take me far far away....Ok, wishful thinking but I do hope to have matters of the heart settled and if not, I'll just swear off men for another 365 days.

4. Drink more milk. I read that as women reach their 30s, chances of osteoperosis is higher and even when you start to take more calcium then, your bones won't absorb it as good as they would in your 20s. Brittle bones: Not very fun.

On another note, this just in:

Guess who's watching the premier of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire tonight? I never saw the rationale of braving the crowds of excited, noisy and sometimes smelly people on the opening night of any show. However, tonight is different. It's not because I'm a die-hard Potterhead rather I've been invited to attend the grand opening KK's newest cinema, Mega Pavilion followed thereafter with the first screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The City Mayor is the guest of honour so there'll be a bit of 'la di da' social niceties to perform before the show begins. No matter, it'll be worth the free tickets and smell of new carpet. And fresh popcorn...mmm.

Would you marry someone who shot you in the groin? I didn't think so but apparently someone did: Woman to wed man who held her hostage. To quote the bride-to-be:

“I love Christian today as deeply as I loved him before this awful thing happened to us,” Stebbins wrote in a victim impact statement. “We are soul mates.”

Riiiight. Anyway, enough about crazy people for now.

"When I'm done with thinking then I'm done with you.
When I'm done with crying then I'm done with you.
When I feel so tired then I'm done with you.
Everybody feels this way sometimes everybody feels this way
And I do."
-Lisa Loeb on my speakers, 'I Do'.

What's your sign, baby?

2006 prediction for Taurus - Growth

As the world continues to change radically, Taurus, you feel that you can no longer afford the luxury preferred by that archetypal Bull, Ferdinand, who just wanted to sit and smell the flowers. Instead, you’ll take a long look at past and present goals. One cherished goal involves romantic happiness. A trip overseas with a love partner beckons, and possibly a wedding. Another involves making your money grow – but investments can be tricky. Avoid anything even marginally risky. Career prospects involve opportunities in the arts and in the healing professions, or anything involving modern technology. You’ll have a lot on your plate, and may be confused as to exactly what you should pursue. But remember, there’s no rush. Let it sit for a while. You’ve got time.

Go here to gaze into the crystal ball...

I am happy.

I am happy because my cats love me.
I am tired because I would have liked to sleep another hour this morning.
I am upset because of her little white lie.
I am disappointed because I trusted them and didn't expect them to disappoint me like the rest.
I am angry because I don't have the guts to speak my mind.
I am weary because all this is making me tired.
I am confused because I don't know who else to trust.
I am resentful because I find it hard to forgive.
I am frustrated because I want to be happy 99 percent of the time.

Quiz Overload

You Belong in New York City

You're an energetic, ambitious woman.And only NYC is fast enough for you.Maybe you'll set yourself up with a killer career.Or simply take in all the city has to offer. What City Do You Belong In? Your Ideal Marriage Proposal Is Spontaneous, on a tropical vacation, when he realizes he can't be without you. What's" Your Ideal Marriage Proposal? Your 80s Heartthrob Is Jason Bateman Who's" Your 80's Heartthrob? haha omg... Your Celebrity Sisters Are Jessica and Ashlee Beautiful, feminine, and stylish.Who care's if you're a bit of a daddy's girl? Who Are Your Celebrity Sisters? Ok they got the daddy's girl bit right...next quiz: You Are Dark Wash Jeans You prefer to try out new looks, especially ones that are all your own.You like wearing jeans, as long as you make them part of your style. What Style Of Jeans Are You? Your Scent is Rose Delicate, feminine, and softYour personality is fresh and understated What Scent Are You? I'd rather smell like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies though. Ok enough quizzes. I'm just procrastinating at work as you can tell...

Wednesday's Wisdom

The first e-mail for the day and I thought I'd start my morning by sharing this mantra:

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

True dat.

Yawn.

I'm too lazy to blog. Lazy lazy lazy. Almost one week away from the office can do that to you. Engines...stalling...Can't...start.... *sputter. wheeze. kaput*

Ok quick updates on my past week:

1. Spent last weekend at Lankayan island. Photos below.

2. Went to Pulau Sapi with friends. Had fun and lots of sandfly bites to prove it.

3. Watched Exorcism of Emily Rose. On Halloween. Not as bad as The Exorcist but still giving me horrid visions at night. And i don't think Haw has regained blood flow in his right arm - sorry dude.

4. Watched Corpse Bride. Entertaining and MUCH better than Doom.

5. Spent time with my nieces who never fail to entertain me.

It's quiet in the office and honestly, I've caught several people playing online games, heh heh. I'm not one to talk considering here I am ,blogging and uploading photos. I'm attending Double Take's (Sabahan jazz duo) press conference and album launch at 6pm today. My day has proved light and easy. More thoughts when I snap out of my state of sloth.

I went snorkelling in Lankayan. This was the best shot i could share considering i don't have an underwater camera.  

The turtle hatchery in Lankayan. If you're lucky, you get to see them released into sea. 

It's hard work, all this relaxing and doing nothing... 

No really...I'm hard at work here. Please go away. 

Just when you thought the waters were safe... 

...boo. 

Ain't it pretty? And right at my doorstep too.