Change

I was running through my things when i found this old quote that i stuck in my pencilcase waay back in secondary school. it said -

"Those who are always learning are those who can ride the waves of change and who see a changing world as full of opportunities rather than dangers. They are the ones most likely to be the survivors in a time of discontinuity. They are also the enthusiasts and the architects of new ways and forms and ideas. If you want to change, try learning, or more precisely, if you want to be in control of your change, take learning more seriously"

by Charles Handy (The Age of Unreason, 1990)

Normal

I did this little test : Are you a good girl or a bad girl?
They say i'm normal after all... hmm...is that hard to believe?

You Are a Normal Girl

You are 40% Good and 60% Bad Sure you've pulled some bad girl stunts in your past.But these days, you're (mostly) a good girl.

Are You a Good Girl or a Bad Girl?

fingerfries.needs.to.gym

Now that i am living (for a short while hopefully) the life of an unemployed, it's about time that i start to hit the gym again.

Back during my gymfreak period which was like earlier this year, i was at the gym about 3 to 4 times a week. I would usually go after work for a 9pm *midnite* class or for a run on the treadmill. Sometimes i would go during the weekends as well.

It was a good thing that the gym was just a stone's throw from my office. I was so familiar with that place and the people, it almost felt like a third home! And i enjoyed the gymming and the classes - Mondays would be combat or yoga, Tuesdays balance, Wednesdays pump and Thursdays pilates. My gym routine would fit perfectly into my life. Plus, this routine addressed, partly at least, the somewhat strange obsession (*i don't think it's strange. other people think it's strange*) i had with fighting the fats ... something no one seems to understand except a fellow gym freak EH who so understood how i felt.

But then laziness set in these last two months. Plus i had to work pretty late the last two months. Time passed, and i hadn't gone to the gym but once or twice during the last month!

I've managed to go to the gym 3 times last week. I sadly discovered that my fitness level has plummeted drastically. My stamina has gone bad - i could no longer run the distance i used to, my endurance is lousy and my balance and flexibility zilched. It's disgusting! i feel the wobbly fats solidifying and gunking permanently around my body.

So this is it. I have resolved that i shall go workout at the gym for at least 4 times a week.

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol is being played repeatedly and in my head. It's a beautiful beautiful song, with haunting melodies and hearttouching lyrics. Everytime i hear this song, (thanks to the MTV) i imagine myself on top of the world watching this world from afar, watching what's happening below, making pictures with the clouds, not having to do anything at all... and if i fancy it ... i'll jump in and join the world in all its wonders and beauty.

We'll do it all Everything On our own

We don't need Anything Or anyone

If I lay here If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know How to say How I feel

Those three words Are said too much But not enough

If I lay here If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time Chasing cars Around our heads

I need your grace To remind me To find my own

If I lay here If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where Confused about how as well

Just know that these things will never change for us at all

Next Destination

Next Destination : Hanoi, Vietnam

*exciteds* It's been awhile since we had a holiday with the girls.

*grumblewhinge* A short delay of 3 hours in booking my ticket on the AirAsia website costs me an extra RM200!

*majorwhinge* And after booking the tickets we recently found out that Airasia has quietly rescheduled the outbound flight from 9.30am to 3pm and the inbound flight from 12.35pm to 6.05pm. And this delay is perfectly timed! i've briefly read the insurance policy... delay claims are only payable for delays above 6 hours! *wtfwtf*

Now everyone should think twice before clicking on Airasia

FIshJUsh Finale

This was to be FIshJUsh's final hunt for a while. And it ended with a bang with our hunt last weekend with the KLBar LexisNexis Hunt from KL to Genting.

Whilst the hunt was opened to public, it was divided into two category of hunters. We were in the closed category (for KLBar members and LexisNexis employees only) ... which leaves us separated from the professional "100-hunts-&-counting" treasure hunters, leaving us a better chance to get a good position.

Hunting for a third time now, we are really great at working together as a team. Even before the hunt, we've started to prep ourselves by reviewing pass year questions, compiling possible question types, listing anagram indicators and also preparing tables of lists and sorts ... *sounds kiasu? nolar...*

The hunt was a fantastic experience. We worked really well together and generated a car full of excitement. We shared times of delight when breaking the clues, relief when collecting a treasure, disappointment when failing to find the answer, frustration at the wrong tulips and raging frustration when the traffic lights just don't turn green and there was only 5 minutes till points elimination time!

In the end, FIshJUsh did do well! We got all the treasures, we got 5 out of 30 questions wrong and we slipped up one road safety question. We secured 4th place in the closed category and got ourselves a microwave each. I am real happy now about the 4th placing but when FIshJUsh was called and sh went to collect the prize, i was disappointed as we had just missed the top 3 placing which would have us win cash!

It was good to be hunting and great to have hunted with such a fantastic bunch of friends.

My previous hunts are here and here.

My teamies running back to the car after a treasure stop at Tesco

We found all the treasures!

and just like that... i'm free

i was making my rounds saying my goodbyes and someone said to me that just stuck to my head ...

"a free-spirited heart will always find its way home"

the thing i am feeling about leaving a place and moving on is that all the stress, unhappiness, bitchiness, disgruntled feelings somewhat fades away, and i'm left with many faces and moments that will make me smile when i think of them... and i wish i had gotten to know more of them during my time, and gotten to know more of them better.

i am truly touched by the gestures and the friendship of some of them. They've made the place feel somewhat like home.

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It is quite common for someone to send out a mass farewell email on their last day. There was one that i will always remember. And she said

"there's escape from Alcatraz after all"

My hat's off to her.

scenes from everyday

In fear of forgetting snippets of the past 5 years of this life, or rather, in preservation of the mundane meaningless things and memories that have made this life, well ... exactly what this life is, i should remember these scenes from my everyday...

Only in DH can we see English signboards

Seen at the entry to the carpark - this signage just cracks me up every morning. Give your parking card a couple of strokes and the horizontal barrier magically erects itself allowing you entry!
This is the place where i have spent most of my weekday daylight hours, many nighttime hours and many weekend hours. At least i have a window so i can enjoy the sunshine.

My Money Plant - has long life! Doesn't seem to whittle yet doesn't seem to bloom.

What's on my corkboard / wall - *firm telephone extension list, *firm letterhead evolving since 4 years ago, *pic of the girls Singapore 2003, *pic of the girls at the Dunhill party 2005, *2 pictures of Hershey, *housewarming party invite from Fi and SW 2004, *birthday card 2005 which says "Miss Fit! You're always at the gym do you love it?" hmm..., *firm annual dinner invite 2004, *an article "Working with idiots can kill you!", an article "Weeding out the actors", *a forwarded email which was an inspiration, *Hau Xin Fen Shou (Cando Lo & Lee Hom) lyrics, *website passwords *my 'Losing Weight' detox programme, *some souvenirs from my colleagues *a quote from Garfield "We all get heavier as we get older because there's a lot more information in our heads. So I'm not fat, I'm just really intelligent and my head couldn't hold anymore so it started filling up the rest of me!" *a quote (author unknown) "Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, sing like nobody's listening. Live like it's Heaven on Earth" easier said than done! *

What's on the other wall - *Annual Dinner invites 03 & 04, *WWF canoe challenge certificate *name tags from conferences, *pics of Jen & i at EC's wedding

What's on my computer - *toy doggies which were birthday gifts *clay bowl made by karen *desk cleaner from Meals from her japan trip *fitness first 2006 calender

The World of Mystical Animals can be seen at the desk of this secretary

Health notices put up by a disgruntled employee seeking a "smoke free environment"

Yummy yummy lunch at Chef & Brew