Congratulation to myself!

I received my letter, promotion from AVP to VP1. I know if I write it on my fb wall its like too much... but its a public open secret anyway!

Initially it was Jack who spoilt my surprise, cos he congratulated me even before I received the letter. So I had no excited when I read the letter.

I'm not sure if I'm proud of my achievement, because it is heavily due to my own high expectation, my personality, my EQ (through my Dhamma work) that sets me apart from my fellow team mates. Am I more knowledgable or skillful than my team mate? Not exactly. I'm actually youngest in my team, and probably worked the least number of years. Yet I'm the only one who got VP1 the rest are still AVP.

Could it be that because I'm "lucky"? Or that my new teamlead really appreciate me? I'm pretty neutral about this so-called promotion. Within 3 years of my banking life, my grade was Assistant Mgr when I started, then emplaced to AVP, now VP1. My teamlead is a VP2. My boss is a FVP. After FVP, got SVP lagi! As you can see, there's many many levels of Vice President.

I don't know if my salary is on par with market rate, and its gonna be difficult to measure. There's always the pro & con, considering the perks, the job nature, the boredom, the traffic jam, the office politics etc. Income is relative. Some people spend less, they can see $$$ in their bank account. Some people earn alot but spend alot and don't see much $ in their bank account.

I will count my blessings for the now and for the future... for making my life pretty as per what I've wanted. As I said before, becareful of what you wished for, cos you don't know that if you might actually get it!

Right now? I just wish for.... a baby!

...to spill the beans

At tonight's reunion dinner, I'm going to tell everybody... that I'm getting married!

Our ROM > 19.09.2009

Our wedding dinner > still pending sg buloh cikgu to revert back, but we hope its... 09.01.10

Easy to remember right?

First thing first, we must get our house key. Start renovating. By end of March, I should get confirmed by my bank, so I can apply for staff reno-loan.

Anyway, since the ancestor tablet is at sayang's setapak hse, so for the traditional chinese keluar-masuk pintu, will be from Setapak to my hse in PJ back to Setapak. Then back to our new house (with no ancestor tablet yet).

Sayang was thinking of an unusual style for the ji-muis and heng-dais, shhhh my close friends would have known it by now. Not sure how will it work, or how my parents will faint... we'll see.

And sayang doesn't fancy those western-white gown... for me, I don't drool over it, whatever it is, has to fit and match my body size... and I do think wearing the chinese-kwa would be more authentic and culturally significant. And its long sleeve, so can cover my fat flabby arms! *wakakkakaaz...*

Hmmm... what else can I share, we're planning for a pre-wedding shoot and we've not visited any bridal studio and we don't plan to walk into any one! *Doh... sometimes I think it's cool having a meijoonized personality and marrying another one-of-a-kind sayang. We both dread having our pictures taken in a studio! Very fortunate that sayang has a cousin who's a professional wedding photographer! And you bet, its gonna be outdoor shoot! *ok ok I know many other couples who'd had pre-wedding shoot outdoor, esp the beach*

Now comes the dinner, this one it's not gonna be easy, sayang is really hoping to have it simple. By simple he means small. At the back of my mind, me being only daugther, me being first grandchild, me being first in both side of my family to get married... you think my parents can accommodate to a small wedding?! Wakakkakaz... anyway, that's where we'll have 2 receptions!

One very chinesey, one not typical. Chinese dinner most likely at Ming Room @ BSC that can only fit 22 tables maximum. *everybody pray for me that Ming Room will be available for us for our chosen date! Problem I don't have the date YET. The last I checked, they're going for renovation ready in June, so all booking can only be made after June!*

For the other more casual for friends punya dinner - we're looking at some cool places like Rahsia? Passion Road (we've check it out lotsa of mosquito lah!!)... You know of any cool places like that in the city or in PJ? Do you think buffet or served-dinner is better for a casual romantic wedding dinner with mostly friends as guests?

OK enough with spilling out the beans.

At the end of the day, there's alot of give and take. What I want, what he wants. How to compromise each other... I guess we'll take a whole life time to practise it.

Teacher advised: He is 大男人。我是大女人。So in order to sustain a harmonious relationship, we gotta remember 要配合, 要包容 & 要善解。

Ikea's kitchen inspiration & my style!

Has anybody checked out http://www.ikea.com.my/ lately? I'm having a fabulous time animating through the 'kitchen inspiration' >>A quick survey reveals that my 'style' according to ikea > country >> You're a romantic. The simple things in life give you the most pleasure. You find yourself happiest surrounded by nature and the great outdoors. Sometimes people think you're a retro sort of person because nothing pleases you more than a blast from the past. This is the kitchen style we can see you in. Well no doubt one look at it, of course I like it! But for practical reason, if its so white, with my messy lifestyle, I won't be able to maintain it sparkling clean & white for the long run! *unless its true indeed that sayang is a gem with the household cleaning* Here's what I found from the web which is in accordance to what I wish and perhaps more suitable to my our new home > simple n' brown >>Maybe according to my imagination, the countertop lighting makes the kitchen stylish esp for a new urban home!

Anyway, here's my other favourite design style from ikea (when I view all), and I had to randomly pick the survey answers to try to get a match to this picture, well not too hard > Scandinavian >> You're into timeless designs and is truly fascinated with pine and strong folkloristic colours. You want quality, functionality, practically and confort in your kitchen. Here's a look to make you feel right at home.

Okay, for this other kitchen that I might fancy, but I don't dig the black/white combo for a kitchen, but its still nice to my eyes... not sure what's the inspiration >

Hey, when I redo the survey by changing the answers abit, guess what's my style now? > Modern >>You're trendy and stylish and you know contrast is cool. Your opinions matter and you're not afraid to make it heard. We know your kitchen shouts out your fashion statement so we've got just the perfect one for you.

Wait a minute... How can my style be country and then be modern? Now you see why I tell people I'm so "P" as in mbti-P-for-Perceiving and you see how I have the contradictory temperaments of being choleric and phlegmatic?! Another crazy way to describe me -- I don't care but I care or I care but I don't care.

Anyway, whatever I like, have to meet with what sayang likes. Somehow we're gonna have to agree to disagree, or just give & take. But its safe to say, for most of the ideas with regards to design & taste ~ we can agree! I like to take food as example, we both like fish & chips for western, we don't like black-colour-looking food when we were young, we don't like slimy food *think brinjal/ladyfingers*, we don't eat durian, we both like soya bean / tofu, I don't eat seafood except fish & lala, he don't eat seafood except fish & calamari...

A point to note, sayang being very "J", he's most likely gonna be calling the shots... 'cause by the time I decide which one I actually like more... mosquito will doze off! *Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

OMG New Kids On The Block -- Summertime!

I've heard 'Summertime' a few times by now on radio, pardon me for my lag.. cos I was kinda not in tuned with radio fm, the usual kancil my mom used to send me to work takda radio & I hardly drive now! First time I heard 'Summertime' by New Kids On the Block on radio... at uptown, I was like *speechless*... my fingers holding my jaws... and since my mom was seated beside, I gotta behave.. and I can't scream with voice.. so I just screamed ala-Ally Mcbeal.

And amazingly, I could STILL scream over New Kids On the Block! This morning, on my way driving to temple, I was rushing *as usual* but suddenly lite fm put on NKOTB! And the song?! da da da da dum.... I'll Be Loving You Forever..... and I am still this crazy old me. Then I just sang along... you know the whole lyrics of the song?! Yes.. I can sing ALL NKOTB songs... come to think of it... hey why not dedicate this song to sayang! Hahaha. I used to think I'm singing the song for Joey Mcintyre, doh.

Yeah
I'm not that kind of guy who can take a broken heart,
So don't ever leave, I don't want to see us part.
The very thought of losing you means,
That everything...Would go down under.

[ Chorus: ]
I'll be loving you forever
Just as long as you want me to be
I'll be loving you forever
All this love's for you and me, yeah
(I'll be loving you)
I'll be
(I'll be loving you)
Loving you
(The things you do)
Yeah, it's forever
(I'll be loving you)
I'll be
(I'll be loving you)
Loving you, yeah

I count the blessings that keep our love new
There's one for me And a million for you.
There's just so much that I want to say
But when I look at you
All my thoughts get in the way

[ Chorus ]

We've come to far, to ever turn back now,
This love will last forever...
I can see it all now!

Somebody please hit me! Wake up wake up! If only there's internet when I was 12 or if there's youtube when I was 15... First thing first... youtube got so much crap inside there, just one search and oh my ggoddddd. As crazy ridiculous as I may sound, I wished that the 'Summertime' video was not so provocative with near naked lengluis seducing the 5 guys... really cheesy sleezy mem-per-wuliow-kan a nice tune / song. Ok ok.. actually the lyric also wuliow... but I actually liked the song minus the sluttiness of it!

Here you go... see if you have any idea what I'm zoning myself into, before there was Backstreet Boys or Take That -- New Kids On the Block ruled my life. I'm still hoping and wishing that one day, I'll be able to meet them... all 5 of them, and I will keep my composure... cannot be like the siow cha-boh who simply couldn't breath or cry infront of them and couldn't even utter a word!

OH ya... another thing... my all time favourite NKOTB member > Joey Mcintyre! When I first heard 'Summertime', I thought the 1st verse is Joe! Woww! *ahem* Well JordanK is always singing the lead but Joey gets to lead other songs too! The youngest... the cutest... the voice... the capricon (im virgo), the I-would-faint-if-I-see-him... Joey Mcintyre!

The underground INCOVAR Culture

Was b***hing with a few of them last night... and the part when we came up with ideas for the 'sketch'... SIOW!! It was so funny... have not been laughing so hard with the bunch of elderly INCOVARians.

I hope when the 'actors' were recruited from the younger people for the SS sketch, they too may relate to the SS-ness of the whole idea! Don't even need Uncle VJ for that.

Then KNS with his KNS theory said "you know Syiok-Sendiri should be inside the INCOVAR culture!"

Totally agree... can we amend the LUSA / VMGO documentation to include this declaration? Also, from KNS theory "if there's no communication between people, how to Syiok Sendiri?"

So comittees should have inter & intra portfolio communication, and then this SS-ness can just pop out like that!

Brace yourself for the sassiest wry humourous sketch on 6th September! On the "Amigos Para Siempre" INCOVAR Dinner & Dance.

:)