Sick!

I have been unwell since last Wed. That explains the absence.

I shall post again when I am up and kicking once more

Office Politics

When you hear of the term 'office politics' , you think of 'backstabbers', 'free-riders', 'gossips', 'die die must get promoted' and many other such cases.

One would think that being in a so-called noble profession (ie. educator) , office politics would be the last thing on the list.

So wrong.

Throughout my seven years in this field (ok , I think it is eight...gosh , I feel old!), I have seen , witnessed and experienced the brunts of office politics. I have seen how politics cause rift in working relationships and at a greater extent,  ruin friendship.

Now why is there a need to backstab others? I can only think of
1) personal gain
2) jealousy
3) feeling threatened or fear that others would get the promotion / job
4) a natural desire to triumph over others.

Actually , there is no reason to , is there? What happened to Moulder of the Nation? What happened to doing it for students, for education?

I think some 'educators' out there need a strong reminder!

Woman of Strength

It is true that women possess various strengths, here, I would be referring more towards emotional and mental strengths.

There are many types of women whom I respect and admire. Following would be some examples (in no order of merit ...heheh) :


i) Women who can handle BOTH career and household, without a maid.
Not many women are able to do this , you know. Majority (if not all) of career women / female high fliers in SG who have families, have maids or at least, a mum or mum-in-law to assist. Please note I have nothing against that because I don't think I can cope without any assistance, if I have children in future.


ii) Women who have 'special' children.
Only God knows how they manage to take care and love their kids unconditionally.


iii) Women who have been abused and tortured yet , never give up on life.


iv) Women who are divorced, through no fault of theirs.
I cannot imagine life without my beloved (although I survived 27 years without him before we got married! Hee...)


As I grow older, I discover strengths in myself that I never knew existed or I never expected to have to 'exercise ' them.

Life problems exist in different modes and mediums that at times, you just don't realise how much strength you have to be able to handle them . You just do.

I thank God for blessing me with family and friends who provide that emotional support I need at times.

So women out there , celebrate your strengths! :)

With that , I leave you with this.....


Woman of Strength



 A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape,
 But a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.


A strong woman isn't afraid of anything,
But a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her,
But a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.


A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future,
But a woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be God's blessings and capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks sure footedly,
But a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.


A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face,
But a woman of strength wears grace.


A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey,
But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she
Will become strong...

 - (c)2006 by Luke Easter & Dee Cheeks

KL Getaway!

On the last day of the first school term , the husby and I decided on a well-deserved short getaway to KL. We had been wanting to do this ever since we got married - which was to go crazily shopping in KL. Coincidentally, the Sunday also happened to be our 2nd year anniversary thus, it was just so apt.

We rode in a coach from Grassland. When he was doing the online booking earlier, Grassland promised a luxurious coach with ample legroom , toilet , a butler , refreshments, individual gaming screen etc ...Now, I have been to KL a few times myself and I was always satisfied with just taking the SUPER VIP coach (I often bought from GUnung Raya Travels) . But the picture of the double decker bus on Grassland website was very pretty and enticing so the husby decided to pay just a little bit more. We were aware of the small clause that said whether it was a single or double-decked bus, that would depend on the availability that night. Oklah....we thought it would not matter as long as the package remains the same.



My survival kit - I tend to get dizzy on bus rides


However, We were UTTERLY DISAPPOINTED! Yeah...I was hoping to get the double-decked bus because I saw one in the bay and it looked pretty good!

Not only didn't we get onto a double-decked bus, there were quite a few things that made me feel they were just out to exploit customers.


The screen looked old, was dirty and dusty.
So there was ample legroom.... But the front legrest was jammed!
Poor husby had his feet dangling throughout the ride.
There was also no toilet - okay, not that I was looking forward to pee-ing in the bus, but hey , it was supposed to be in the package, no?

As for refreshments, it was two bottles of mineral water. Honestly, I don't care much but the ticket cost $20 more than a SUPER VIP ticket ...for exactly the same thing! Where is the logic?

Since we were already pissed off and very sleepy, we just slept throughout the night ride. After the checkpoint at about 12 midnight, I only woke up at 5:00am ..to find ourselves already in KL!

Woo hoo!

But which hotel will allow the guests to check in soooooooooo early, right? Well, Melia Hotel is the answer! Perhaps, we were luckier as we had booked a slightly better room (read this), I guess we had that slight privilege :)

I was actually rather apprehensive ....you know how hotels always make themselves look good in pictures but hey , this time, the pictures didn't lie! 


The Lobby at 5am

Aha! But that was not where we checked in . We had an exclusive and express check-in on the highest floor , called 'The Level ' (ok..not that original , I must say). Still, it was nice :)


Where we checked-in

And here's our room!



The room was not that fanciful. I did not like the decor ..but I loved the bed!

After a good 2-hours rest, we were ready to explore KL. We had promised to visit his auntie so we took the train down to Bukit Jalil from which , we hopped on a cab. The interesting thing about KL trains is that each line is owned by a different company. Thus, instead of crossing the platform (at City Hall / Raffles Place, if you are in SG) to change trains, you have to get out of station and walk to a nearby station. It required a bit of getting-used to but I guess, you can call us experts for now ! Heehee...


Us, ready to go!

Crossing platform

A good reminder!

Basically, the rest of the 3 days were spent on shopping. It felt especially good when your other half is as crazy about shopping as you are! Initially, it was always me who kept stopping, browsing and buying .. and I was rather 'afraid' that he would feel bored. Boy, I was SO wrong ! Once he started , I couldn't stop him!

Obviously, not many pictures were snapped since that was not the main priority. But here're a few....

Nandos! I wish they have it in Singapore....
Oh wait..is there one? Halal?



Where we had our daily breakfast and tea....


    I know I have aged .... ever since I started buying curtains and cushion covers.
In the past , who cares?  :P

On the way to catch our flight back...

Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Not bad, but it was rather warmm....

And who else would be waiting for us at the airport?


The cute darling. How I missed him so!

In conclusion , we both had a great time and are looking forward to the next getaway - whenever that will be!

Oh my!

What a surprise!

When I reached home from work yesterday, I found not one.... but THREE full sets of quilt cover, fitted sheet , pillow and bolster cases in the room.



Apparently, the husby had gone shopping during his lunch time.

When I questioned him about his impulsive buy (normally, I buy these stuffs... and only after serious consideration if we need anymore), he just said," But they were on sale! 70% off!"

Oh boy! We are becoming more similar as time goes by ... heehee...

Each set costs $399 at retail... so you can do the math how much savings he did!

LOL.

I think he has yet to snap out of the weekend shopping mood.

Movie Contest!


Wanna get free movie tickets???


So what happens WHEN IN ROME?

Details of Movie
Fall in love with Josh Duhamel (Transformers) & Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) in the romantic comedy of the year, WHEN IN ROME. Coming to theatres, March 25.
An ambitious young New Yorker (Kristen Bell), disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a ‘foolish’ fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of an odd group of suitors: a sausage magnate (Danny Devito), a street magician (Jon Heder), an adoring painter (Will Arnett) and a self-admiring model (Dax Shepard). But when a charming reporter (Josh Duhamel) pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing?

For more information , on the movie , visit   www.wheninrome.com.sg


It is not everyday that people want to give us free tickets , you knowww...... so grab the opportunity!

How to get hold of your tix?

Simply write a blog entry on the following:
1) Tell us who you think is the one for Beth and list down 3 reasons why you think he is the one.
2) Share with us the 3 things you want to find in your partner.
3) Embed the movie trailer found here.
4) Sign off with “Catch When In Rome Movie starting from 25th March 2010 and join the official Facebook and Twitter page!”


Lastly, submit your permalink to wheninrome@nuffnang.com with your FULL name, email and contact details!


Deadline: 19th March 2010, 12pm

--
Okay, I know there is not much time left. But I have just touched down last evening ...so this is the earliest notification. Good Luck ! Shall blog about the trip soon (I hope!).

Men who fool around

The recent Jack Neo scandal(s) is such a joke.

Singapore has always been ever so 'kiasu' (must win in everything), always wanting to be on top of matters. Thus, it should not be a surprise that someone in the local entertainment industry has pulled a 'Tiger', 'Beckham' or 'Pitt', whichever one prefers to refer it to.

Everytime there are stories about men fooling around, and worse, married men at that , I would cringe and roll my eyes. Part of me would want to say, " Hey, it takes two hands to clap!" .. however, a bigger part of me will always exclaim that it is nothing surprising that there are men out there who just cannot stay true to one.

Do fame and wealth often lead to sexual vices?

Well, apparently, they do. These idiots.

In most cases, the victims would be the clueless wife and the children. It is sad and scary when you think of how Jack Neo 's children are going to face their schoolmates and teachers. The agony of bearing the fruit of your parents' infidelity.

Oh wait.. back to the joke.

Jack's wife is not that bad-looking herself, especially for someone her age. So why are the ladies linked to him (at least the one who exposed him) look just as bad, if not worse than Ris Low? At least it would make sense if they are gorgeous people with bodies to die for. But none of that. I just don't get it.

Now, the latest that I have read on yahoo news is that the number of scandals he had , has snowballed to TEN! A very familiar story , ain't it? To be fair to him , I doubt all ten are true stories. They are probably just some females desperate for attention. Bad idea.

 Since he is no Brad Pitt or Tiger Woods, this piece of news should fizzle out sooner or later. I wonder how he will get out of this whole saga.

Ok , another school day tomorrow.Ta ta!

Friends for Life

Today's post is going to be on my best friend.

When I first met her back in Secondary One, she looked like a true nerd (haha...maybe I did look like one too, but I choose to think that she was worse lah...) . She had very long hair , with the fringe either swept to the side or pinned up ,thus, exposing her wide forehead...and really big and ugly spectacles.

I was not very close to her in Sec One as we were in different classes and barely had any chance to talk. In Sec 2, she decided to join the CCA I was in - Angklung Orchestra - and I think that was one of her best life decisions! LOL. I have no idea how it happened but we were almost joined at the hips thereafter.

I owed it to her for helping me to pull up my grades in Sec 2. I did horribly in Sec One , especially in History and Geography. However, due to our frequent study sessions at the Macdonalds (yup...we were among the many irritants who occupied the seats, just to bury our faces in books... ), I was extremely proud of my achievements in my second year.. Thanks to her, my self-confidence was boosted and I no longer felt inferior of myself. Oh , one would definitely feel so if one doesn't get distinctions for all the exam papers , whilst studying in my ex-secondary school!

It has been a long.. almost 17 years .. of friendship. We have gone through so much together .. family problems, heartbreaking relationships, financial problems and many others. There was even a time when I thought that she no longer was my best friend as she was hanging out way too often with other people!!! Hahhaa... such a jealous freak I was! But she had her share ...when she got pissed that I was spending too much time and wasting too much effort on an ex-boyfriend  (which, on hindsight, I totally agree was a waste of my youthful years) ...

Nevertheless, our friendship remained strong or rather, gets stronger by the years. Now that we are both married and extremely busy with work , we no longer have the time to chit-chat for long on the phone ...heck, sometimes we can even don't text each other for weeks! However, that does not change the fact that we still know each other best. She can read me like a book and I know she loves me! :) :) :)

Spot us!

Her 21st Bday


A night at the Esplanade 2005

My sister's wedding 2007

So cheeky , even on her special day!

Married to the love of her life, Jan 2008

Goofy-ing around after my solemnization, Mar 2008

Yeah, I got hitched just 2 mths after her :)

Well, I would say that after the husby , she is God's gift to me .
I Love You , Best Friend *hugs*

Changi Airport and Earl Swensens

The initial plan was to go to the Pasir Ris KidsKampung Nature Farm. Just wanted to allow and expose the nephew to the farmlife. I have heard good reviews about this particular place and wanted to give it a shot.

But dad and I changed our minds when we considered the weather. It has been freaking hot the past month . Even at home, with the fans blasting at full speed( yeah , we do not have aircon because the husby is sensitive to cold.Sad) , I can start sweating within minutes. We were sure that the hot and humid weather will definitely cause us to not be able to enjoy the outing.

After not much thought, we decided to go to the Budget Terminal since none of us has been there yet . They picked me up slightly after 2pm and off we went!

..................................


Budget Terminal Departure Hall

No wonder it is called Budget Terminal! Having been so used to the vastness of T1, T2 and T3, this one really seemed microscopic. When I entered the teminal, I saw everything I needed to see within 5 minutes.Yeah ,it was that  small. I even commented that the departure hall looked very much like the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal . My mum chided me though ..she asked what else should I have expected?

But all in all, it wasn't bad at all. It was very cosy and comfortable with just about enough necessities for travellers and visitors. There were Macs and Hanis Bakery , plus a kid's playground to entertain the little ones. Montel had a ride on one of the spring horses ( don't know what it is called lah...)... He was giggling away ...










After that , we decided to head to T3. I love the design of this terminal. Today was my fourth time there and yet , there were still things that I was awed by. And I love the open spaces....I have a slight phobia of enclosed places so that is something I appreciate about T3. My parents and I basically just had a chit-chat session , planning future holidays and such , and also playing around with Montel . He is just uber cute and I can never get sick of amusing him / getting amused by him . LOL.

Early dinner at Earl Swensens ,just next to the viewing mall. Husby joined us. I was really hungry that I did not snap that many pictures . But I have to say that the service there is good. I should come back for a second time and will take more pictures...

Till then.

I am quite tired and feeling rather drowsy (could be the fault of the medicine) and there is some urgent work to be completed tonight .

Sayonara.

Decided!

Ok , following my previous entry.

I went for a quick lunch after that entry , with the husby. His wallet was with me , plus he claimed he missed me, so we had lunch somewhere nearby my workplace.

I poured out my woes and confusion about my indecisiveness. Husby was quite cute lah . He asked," Which one has a bathtub?" with a naughty twinkle in his eye.

Heh. The minute I reached my workstation , I googled to find info if Melia rooms have bathtubs. If they do, I'll go for Melia. And... Yes , they do! I decided to book for the so-called 'best' room at The Level. I have no idea why since we probably would not spend much time in the room - I want to shop day , afternoon, night!- but somehow I was taken in by their persuasive adverts. LOL . 

So here's the deal : 

Melia Hotel, KL 4* 
The Level Room  @ RM 391 / SGD$163 per night
Exclusive and express check-in at The Level Lounge
Special Breakfast at The Level Lounge
All-Day Refreshments (fruits, cookies, aerated drinks, freshly brewed coffee, assorted flavoured teas, juices)
Evening cocktail and finger food at The Level (entitled to bring 1 extra guest - who wants?)
Special Turn down service (I seriously have no idea what this is!)
Special Take home gift
Complimentary Video on Demand, Carpark and Internet Excess in the room .

Of course, all these on top of the standard hotel facilities.

I want to put up some pics but the photos are copyrighted so here's the link for more info:

www.kl-hotels.com/meliakl

So now you see how I got taken in !

It'd better be good ah! I'll definitely update and give my reviews after the trip.

The funny thing that happened next was that after I have received my voucher through email,I realised that I actually booked for only one person. GOsh! All that for just one???? I quickly emailed back to rectify the mistake, praying that they would not charge me the extra RM65 for amendments (as claimed on the website). I received a reply almost instantly and yep, no extra charge! Gd feeling now....

The only thing left to plan would be what clothes to bring and what to do when we reach KL at 4:30 am!

I cannot decide!!!!!

I am usually pretty decisive ... able to make rational decisions on the spot. Even if sometimes, the decision proves to be a wrong one, I would have no regrets since I have made my choice.

However, now , I cannot decide! And I MUST decide!

We are going to KL next weekend. Husby has settled the coach there and the flight back. I am supposed to take care of accomodation.

But I bloody cannot decide! I am super torn between Berjaya Times Square Hotel and Melia Hotel .

How do you decide when both are of the same rating , just opposite each other and rooms look good (at least in pictures I found on the Internet)???

The good thing abt Berjaya is that it is situated above a shopping mall. This makes easy accessibility should I have the sudden urge to continue shopping at night , or miss out on some toiletries. Furthermore, our coach will be dropping us off at Berjaya itself... Since we will be reaching there in the wee hours, it is definitely most convenient for us to just place our luggage there and then explore the city before the 'normal' people wake up. It is also linked to the train station (somehow) ..and thus, makes it easier to travel elsewhere. And the rooms look fantastic!

But I always have wanted to go back to Melia. I was there once , for a sneak preview. My family stayed there during our last KL trip whereas I had to make my way home for some school matters the next day (Screw you , ex-workplace! :P) ..I remember I really liked the setting , the bed , how close it is to the shopping district..... But that was back in 2006. Maybe it is no longer as nice? But the pictures look good still!Oh , although it has the same 4-star ratings as Berjaya , it is cheaper! I can get the best room for just about $10 more than a basic room at Berjaya.

So ...help? I need to make a decision fast and book tonight!!!!!!