I think I’ve got a few things stamped invisibly on my forehead. Counselor is one. Birthdays and farewell organiser is another.

The former cannot be helped. I’d blame it on Elijah House, only I had virtual strangers pouring out their deepest and darkest secrets to me even before I was barely out of my diapers. Kidding about the diapers, but the latter is a newly developed phenomena.

One of the challenges of organising such events is that you get ‘helpful’ comments like this:

“Eh, is Ms. X going to be there? If so, I don’t want to go.”

“Oh, it’s a big event ar? With plenty of tables? Then make sure you don’t place Ms. X and I at the same table. While you are at it, make sure we are not in the line of sight of each other.”

“Aiyo, RM30 per pax?? Too expensive lar. Find a cheaper place can?”

“Why you choose that restaurant? I can’t eat anything fried and spicy wor. How???”

Gah. Case in point:

A few days ago, I organised a small farewell lunch for a dear colleague. A couldn’t stand B. So we decided to have TWO farewell lunches to cater for both A and B. The thing was, B was not aware of the first farewell lunch. And just so happens that the place we decided to have that farewell lunch was the exact place where our bosses brought B and a few other colleagues for lunch on that very same day!

B got a start when she saw us and we all waved awkwardly back at her. The next day, my boss asked one of colleagues and I on why B was not included in that small farewell lunch since he thought she belonged to our particular batch/clique. How does one explain about the on-going tension between A and B? One can’t, especially not to the boss.

And when I think about it, I’ve also been guilty of hyperventilating at the thought of going to a function where someone who gives me the hives would be in attendance as well. That’s just human nature, I guess – to avoid uncomfortable encounters of the second kind. As long as there are humans and with it the complexities of relationships and skewed communication, this shall be the lot of an organiser – to bring everyone relevant together for the event and to do so in the best possible manner so that potentially embarrassing/hurtful/awkward moments will be minimised while maximising the FUN factor.

Disclaimer: The following story is fictitious. Any resemblance with persons dead or alive is purely coincidental. Any action written here is not to be re-enacted in real life. In short, please do not try this at home.

Lonnie and Klyde are not only a pair of fun-loving friends, they are mighty tight-fisted too. And not ashamed of it.

After a typical cheap night out together – they had crackers and butter that Lonnie smuggled out of her office pantry and watched the latest blockbuster movie by holes that Klyde drilled through the cineplex walls with the Bosch power tool he borrowed from his brother – Klyde suddenly realised that he had lost his parking ticket!

They frantically searched his car thoroughly for the dratted ticket, and he even ransacked the trashcan where he threw some bits of paper into – but no ticket was to be found.

The thought of paying the ticket fine was too distasteful for the two cheapskates to contemplate. And so, with evil glints in their eyes, they decided to beat the system. Lonnie paid her parking ticket duly. Then Klyde and her did their research by observing how long it took for the barrier bar to lower itself after a car has deposited a paid parking ticket into the machine.

Satisfied that the barrier bar took a sufficient amount of time for TWO cars to pass through, Lonnie got into her car and drove to the exit with Klyde following very closely behind her with his car. Upon reaching the exit, Lonnie inserted her parking ticket into the machine.

Both hearts were racing in anticipation and they waited with bated breaths as the barrier bar lifted. Lonnie wasted no time, the minute her car was clear to go, she stepped on the accelarator and zoomed like a bat out of hell. She looked at the rear view mirror and saw that Klyde got through, too!

He drove alongside her car and shouted, “Lonnie, we did it!!! Yee-hah!!!”

And with exhilirated whoops of joy, the partners in crime went on their separate ways home.

With their penchant for danger and thirst for adventure, there’s no telling what further adventures lay ahead for these two. Even this author has no clue. Stay tuned, just in case.

Do this cute personality test.

Then take a peek at my results by clicking the Continue Reading link below AFTER taking the test. No peeking before that, ya?

I think mine is pretty inaccurate lar :( Continue Reading »

Yesterday began like any other day. I opened my wardrobe cupboard. Chose a black work shirt. Grey skirt. Tied my hair all up so that it won’t get in the way of business. But the day did not turn out as I had thought it would. People I planned to meet had other plans. Instead I ended up having dinner with a person I didn’t expect to meet. This person is kinda like my muse. I’m lucky to have a few of them.

What’s a muse, you may wonder? Well, it’s someone who:

1. Inspires and sparks off the creative juices in you
2. Opens your eyes to see all that’s positive and good in the darkest of situations
3. Lightens your soul with every encounter so that you can see and reach to draw out the sweet songs within

This person doesn’t look like a muse at all. Meaning he doesn’t have an ethereal look nor blonde hair like Sharon Stone (refer to pic below). And yet, every time I meet up with him, he unleashes something within me that makes me want to grab a pen and WRITE. I can basically write whole stories based on just a twinkle from his eye or a wise word uttered. And it’s mostly always a refreshing experience talking with him.

He, too, thought he would have a most ordinary day. But something wonderful happened to him in the morning. And he saw meaning and hope in spite of all that he had been through.

“God never takes things away from us, Ariel. He only wants to give us something better. We may feel that it’s a great big loss but in the bigger scheme of things, it actually isn’t. The sooner we let go and move on, the better it is for us,” he said with peace and a hint of excitement for the future shining in his eyes.

That kinda peace, that kinda excitement – well, it’s just darn contagious.

That’s what a muse does to you. And that’s why everyone should have at least one in their lives.

Sometimes, you don’t even have to look very far.

Yesterday, Pebbles gave me a pen. A very nice pen indeed. What I did next came naturally. I proceeded to test it out by writing on some blank pieces of paper.

I’m sure that was what you do when you are out shopping for a new pen. The store would have thoughtfully provided a notepad near the arrays of pens for you to test them on. I’ve never given much thought to what people actually scribble on those notepads. Until yesterday.

Pebbles had just read this glorious book which talked and illustrated what people normally would write when they test out their pens. Here are the most common examples:

1. They write out the color of the pen’s ink – My Take: People like these must have a talent for stating the obvious.
   

2. They squiggle – My take: People like these either like the ocean or their minds are a total blank at the point of writing.
   

3. They pen down their names/signature – My Take: People like these must have severe narcissistic tendencies.
   

But me being me, this is what I wrote:

My Take: The writer is a blank-minded optimistic Malaysian.

I got bored of exercising at home. There is so much one can take staring blankly at the four white walls and Denise Austin, the slave driver, chirping out, “I know you can do it! Give it your 110%! You’ll look good. You’ll feel good. Because you are worth it.” Bleh.

I missed the green green grass of Kiara Park, Klang Hill and the likes of it. The invigorating fresh air. The feeling of being one with nature again.

And now that I’m a proud owner of an MP3 player, I thought it was high time to venture out into the ‘wilds’ again. Yeah, I’m a creature of comfort. The thought of trawling through traffic, fighting for space to park my car, battling with mosquitoes and the perennial evening rain was responsible in making me settle for exercising at home thus far.

But like I said, I was getting bored of that scene. And the thought of brisk walking at the serene and peaceful Kiara Park while listening to KT Turnstall and Sheryl Crow was just too thrilling to resist.

So I went for my first evening walk in ages. Alone. It’s funny because most of my friends who heard that I went for an evening walk was surprised that I went alone. I suppose it would have been a boring affair trudging along the beaten path without a companion to pant or yak with. But who needs an exercising companion when you have a Zen?

And I really did have a most wonderful time sweating it out and de-stressing all at the same time. Nothing beats getting out of the confines of the gym (home or otherwise) and getting a great workout in such a pretty leafy place.

Two tips to remember:

1. Always bring a bottle of insect repellant along
2. Don’t look, I repeat, do NOT look at the park monkeys in the eye.

We watched a sort-of movie last night during cell. In a house that had absolutely no white bare walls. Impossible, you say? Not when you have resourceful folks in the group like I do.

You would need the following items:

1. A projector – thanks, Eugene!
2. A laptop – thanks, Ju!
3. A white blanket – thanks, Nianci!
4. And of course, the vcd n snacks

And voila, you now have a cineplex right at the comforts of your home.

Cool, eh?

When Gmail first offered 1Gb of free e-mail space, their tag line was something like this – ‘You never need to delete another mail again!’ In that day and age where Yahoo!’s 10Mb and Hotmail’s pathetic 2Mb of email space reigned, 1Gb was really the nirvana of all free web-based emails.

I’ve got my first Gmail account on 21st June 2004. And today on 21st April 2006, I reached that enigmatic 1Gb of space. It took me nearly two years, but I finally debunked the myth of that 1Gb is all you’d ever need.

But wait. Gmail has been increasing their space allocation bit by bit every day. To date, I have 2.716Gb of mail space, which means that with my current 1Gb worth of mails, I’m only utilizing 37% of my total mail space. I still don’t have to delete any mails – hurrah!!!

I used to fret over running out of email space at Yahoo and heed the warnings sent for me to clear out my mails. Being a sentimental person doesn’t help. Which of these precious emails should I delete? With Gmail, that is a thing of the past. I’ve been fret-free for almost two years now. No more frown lines anymore, people.

The people at Gmail are really smart. They know that free space, like money, is never enough. Bless their hearts!

Coincidentally, this post is labelled post #999. That’s one more post before I hit the 1Gb mark on my webby. Imagine that, 1000 entries thus far folks. Wow!!

This article has been mentioned in some of my favourite blogs. It’s about how you can tell about someone’s character by the way they treat the waiting staff. In the US of A, tipping is part of the culture. Patrons are expected to give at least 15% of their tab as tips – no matter how atrocious the service is. Here in Malaysia, tipping is not very widely practiced. Some eateries include the 10% service charge in the bill. Most others don’t. And very occasionally, some generous patrons would leave tips above and beyond what’s stated on the bill.

Anyway, the moral of the article is that thou shall not judge people as being a class or two lower than you and treat them like trash. I totally agree with that. On the flip side of it, I also believe that the frontline staff should not judge a potential customer by the clothes that they wear. Entertaining and assisting walk-in customers are part of their job scope. And unlike customers who are not obliged to be courteous or respectful, the frontliners are paid to do so – or at the very least this will lead to heftier commissions.

They should not treat one customer any different from the others. Just because I’m garbed in T-shirt and shorts doesn’t mean I should be ignored or be given dirty looks when I choose to browse around at a designer store. Who knows, I could be a proud owner of a successful .com conglomerate or am the only daughter of some rich timber tycoon in disguise. And if I’m not, I may have friends or blog readers in high places who are disgustingly rich. I shall remember the nice way I’m treated and recommend those friends to splurge at your shop. I’ll blog about it and even post dainty pictures of it for all to see. And we know just how powerful and effective word-of-mouth recommendations are, don’t we?

And while I appreciate personalised service and assistance, I do prefer browsing goods in privacy, thank you very much. You don’t have to tailgate me wherever I go and breathe over my shoulder, worried that I may shoplift your wares. If I need help, I’ll call you to come over.

I think part of the joy of shopping in Bangkok came from the excellent customer service there. Courtesy is a big part of the Thai culture. It’s always service with a smile. And even if you end up not buying stuff there, they still smile and wish you a good day when you leave (even though they may be cursing on the inside!)

I also think that courtesy begets courtesy. So does friendliness and warmth. You can’t help smiling back at someone who smiles warmly at you. And when you are nasty to a smiler, you do feel bad afterwards for being nasty to such a nice person.

If in this life, we humans complicate matters by creating the caste system or elevating one race above the others, in death we can’t. For death is no respecter of persons. It is the ultimate equalizer.

A friend asked me if I had a chance to relive my past, at which point would I go back to?

My answer would be, I wouldn’t want to go back to my past. Even being forearmed with hindsight and what-nots, I have no intentions of changing anything – even the horrible mistakes I made. This is because I believe that everything happened for a purpose. The mistakes I made in the past made me the person I am today. While I may not be fantastically fascinated or overly awed with who I am now, I have come to love and accept myself in ways I never thought were possible. I’ve come so far, I really don’t want to start all over again, re-learning lessons that I learned the hard way in the past.

Me, I’m more excited about the future. I want to see what God has in store for me. The past is the past. I don’t want to go back there, no matter how nice a moment it was. I already know how it will end. Kinda like watching the first two episodes of Star Wars knowing that Anakin would end up being bad by episode 3.

See, if I had the chance to go back to my past and undo some decisions that I think were mistakes, I probably would not be where I’m working today. I probably wouldn’t have met some of you, made the close friends that I have today. And even those friends whom I have made and lost over the years, I don’t think I even want to re-do that. If my life was not touched by them, it would not be rich in experience as it is now.

So I’m thankful for the past. I do not want to relive it. I made my mistakes, I have come to the point of accepting them and I have moved on and grown in some of my struggles. I look forward to growing some more in future. Meeting more folks. Doing more meaningful things. Write more words that will give life rather than detract. Being more confident in bracing the unknown – one tiny step forward at a time.

On the way back yesterday, I saw this awesome sight – a double rainbow after a torrent of rain. Took out my Ixus and snapped it like a shot. How wonderful, how timely it was. For rainbows are a reminder of God’s promises to us.