The month that was

Source - tumblr

Finally there's a 3 day break in order to recharge and prepare for the new year. The past weeks were hectic enough that I'm going to stay home this weekend and do nothing :P

First off, I was on leave on Nov 19th to attend the opening of Ikea Cheras. Friends tell me I don't do anything out of the ordinary much so I thought joining a throng of citizens on a Thursday at a furniture store is a start. Then I queued for more than an hour at the cashier only to abandon the idea because I was running late to meet my wedding planner. Also I took the opportunity to visit my former working place and a dear friend. I was supposed to meet my ex boss for dinner but due to miscommunication, we met on Nov 25th instead.

Thanks to the steamed fish I had, I got sick on Nov 26th and was on medical leave. Unplanned leave meant more unfinished work that I had to finish the next day. I was feeling better the next day but the diarrhea continued until Dec 4th that I took a half day leave to visit the doctor. I still have phobia towards steamed fish until now.

The following week was a critical rush week because we had a departmental team building on Dec 9th and 10th. I came earlier to the office on that Wednesday to hopefully get some things done before departing. The next day I was back in office to continue before heading home for a much needed rest. Doze off while waiting for a show on TV and slept on the couch until the next morning.

Dec 11th was a public holiday but I went to the office, and I wasn't the only one. Tee hee. I had to get things running before a replacement for yet another public holiday on Dec 17th. It kind of sucked when your job requires you to finish everything before you go on leave. Just my luck there were so many things happening so close together. Also went to work that weekend.

Because the following week was, you guessed it, another public holiday x2. Dec 24th and 25th were the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday and Christmas respectively. Oh dear God, what is this. And I was taking additional leave on Dec 28th and 29th so that meant more overtime.

But wait, it doesn't stop there. Jan 1st was New Year's so I had 2 days to finish whatever I can in order to have a proper rest for the next few days. Good thing I got it all done by 6pm today and even had time for a discounted Starbucks. Yay!

Some day I'll look back and wonder how I survived all these.

Till then,

Happy New Year 2016 y'all!

For 2016

2015 will come to a close in a few days (wasn't it January a few months ago?), and I thought I'd jot some things down to do more for 2016.

Source - tumblr

1. Read more books. Unlike the year before, I was shopping on a budget at Big Bad Wolf's this time. Big Bad Wolf is an annual book sale event held in KL for roughly 2 weeks for 24 hours. And the event boasts of selling books discounted up to 95%! That's a bargain if you're trying to be frugal in the wake of the weak economy. I bought 3 books this year because I only had 50 bucks with me, and donated 2 to Astro Kasih Pediatric Ward, a corporate social responsibility program by Astro. Must.find.time.to.read.

2. Continue painting. I'm not an artsy person, but would love to be one. So I got myself a paint-by-numbers kit early this year and sadly, it's still in progression. *blames work again*

3. Write blogging ideas down. So many times I've got ideas on what to write - when I'm supposed to be sleeping. And sometimes I've something interesting to write but by the time I open Blogger I have a blank brain with zero interest to write.

4. Get to the gym. A vast improvement from last year. But still could use an improvement.

5. Read more news. I'll be 30 soon and it's high time (in my opinion anyways) to be more informed on the hard news happening around me.

6. Have more time for myself. I've been working overtime and on weekends way too much this year. If memory serves right, I've only left work on time less than 5 times this month alone. Looks like I've to work more on time management.

7. Be an asset to the company. New year calls for new KPI (key performance index). Let's see how innovative I can be this year and prove my worth to myself and well, the company.

8. Be a better person. This has been my resolution for couple of years now. Be kinder, be nicer, be a better friend and wife, appreciate the small things, be more patient and do more good deeds.

So, what are your plans for the new year?

It's Christmas!

Err mah God ... it's Christmas! Seasons greetings everyone and enjoy the rest of the weekend! xoxo, yours truly.

Source - tumblr

5 days till Christmas

Gone were the days of classic green Christmas trees and colorful baubles and lights. Until today, it didn't cross my mind that Christmas too can have themes! I've scoured some themes that you may like, so do share if you have your own theme =)

I know it's too late to change themes now, so keep these in mind for next year!

#1 - Monochrome Christmas. Decors consisting of white, black, an earthy color or just one color.

#2 - White Christmas. The whiter it is, the better.

#3 - Minimalist Christmas. You know the saying, less is more.

#4 - Vintage Christmas. The first Christmas tree I remember having had a lot of toys as decorations, similar to these.

#5 - Beach Christmas. If you live for collecting beachy decorations, use them during Christmas too!

7. Rustic Christmas. I've always associated rustic with burlap, beer barrels, tree trunks etc but I was being told by my wedding planner that rustic is also about incorporating lots of natural elements, materials and earthy colors into the decoration.

8. Go All Out Christmas. And if you're the ultimate Christmas lover, I'd say go all out with all the decorations and lights - in and outdoor!

Pageant Predictions: Miss Universe 2015

Let's take a break from Christmas and rejoice in the fact that Miss Universe 2015 is 2 days away. It'll be airing on Star World on Monday, 8am so I'll be watching from my cubicle (and not getting a lot of work done :P)

Picks based on headshots and various info gathered from the USB Bubble Board forum.

Aruba - Alysha Boekhoudt

Australia - Monika Radulovic

Belgium - Annelies Toros

Bulgaria - Radostina Todorova

Curacao - Kanisha Sluis

Dominican Republic - Clarissa Molina

France -Flora Coquerel

Georgia - Janet Kerdikoshvili

Israel - Avigail Alfatov

Peru - Laura Spoya

Philippines - Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach

USA - Olivia Jordan. I love this gown so much!

Venezuela - Mariana Jimenez

Vietnam - Huong Pham

My two cents after the controversy -

The pageant is going to be notorious for what happened at the end for a long time. You don't have to be a fan to not know what took place during the crowning. If you don't, you can watch it here.

Right after Miss Colombia was crowned, I thought to myself there was something amiss because she wasn't taking her first walk as Miss Universe 2015. And the host, Steve Harvey also didn't ask her to do so. That was odd watching her standing and waving and blowing kisses.

Then came the announcement that Miss Philippines was the rightful winner. She wasn't on my radar at first but so many people were pegging her to win and after the final question, I thought she sounded the most sincere. Some fans might conclude her answer as pageant patty, but she did a great job throughout the evening and she was the least nervous girl in the Top 3.

Although I'm happy with the results, I felt bad for Ariadna the moment the crown was lifted off her. By this time, all of us at work were glued to the screen and the pandemonium was deafening. The bosses were also taking notice. That was how big it was.

I can't wait to see more of Pia. She will be a very thoughtful and caring Miss Universe. Job well done, judges!