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.