It's Going To Be Alright!

My hiatus from this blog was mainly due to work. That's not a big surprise actually.

Not that I hate my work, I actually enjoyed it a lot.

01 01 2010

2009 has come and gone. Wonder if it is time to do the accounts? *ahem*...

Altogether, the 2000's was a pretty OK decade. I grew a lot in terms of career, friendships, spiritual and managed to be happy a long the way. There were some angry & sad moments but let's just focus on the positives...

So, should I look back on the past?

Nah... I'll just keep moving forward.

Rusty looking forward... to more treats & toys in 2010

May you continue to move forward in whatever you put your mind towards in this new year... decade...

So, my resolution this year will be somewhat vague but simple...

1. To Be Happier than Ever...
2. To Be Able to Rest More instead of Stress More when needed...
3. To Be More Positive
4. To Spread More Positive-ness (with the help of no.3)
5. To Be Healthier...

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS!!!

Slow Start for 2009

I'm still Christmas mood... If that is what my blog is saying... LOL!

6 days into the new year and I've yet to change my blog template. It has been pretty hectic so far as I'm in a critical project which will take me some time away from my blog for a while.

Nevertheless, when this blog comes back, the layout will be a bit better. Hopefully in 2009, the contents of the blog will be an improvement from last year's. We've always got to strive for the better than to just be content with our current achievement. 

So, what is my main resolution/goal for 2009? Pretty simply, its to live the best life I can (to borrow from Oprah's Best Life Week... kekeke)

1. I'll go to the gym as often as possible - 3 times a week but will see how I can bump it up to 4 times in spite of the busy schedule.
   
2. I'll try to get some more IT certifications - it's been a few years since I've taken any certification papers. Work experience is better but sometimes, you need a piece of paper to back up your skills. ;-)
3. Be more patient, stay cool under fire - 'Nuff said.

I didn't put any dates yet but I will soon. No point setting lofty goals if you're not going to acheive it by a certain date, right? 

What Are You Doing For New Year's Eve?

In about less than a day, we will welcome 2009. 

In a way, we all look forward to the new year as it represents a clean slate to start the new year. Looking back on 2008, it had been both good and bad. 

Besides looking at the year retrospectively, we also look to what we can achieve in 2009. So, not sure if everyone dreads making resolutions but after much thought, its not so much of resolutions alone but it's a combination of both resolutions and goals to achieve. 

Dictionary.com's definition of resolution is "the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc." Hence, to put forth a resolution is the very act of taking action towards achieving a set goal.

In the last few days of 2008, I will be putting some thoughts down for my goals in 2009. Most likely I'll still be continuing some goals from 2008 though, kekekeke...

Meanwhile, what else will you be doing on New Year's Eve... aside from the mandatory eating and drinking activities?

Anger Management and Merdeka Wishes

From my last post, you may think that I was really taking it too far.

Yeah, I nearly lost my head because I was stressed out over some massive jam. The truth of the matter was that I've been stressed out for a very long time now.

Ever since an announcement from the HQ that each profit center was to hit 80% utilization, I have been stressed out every week to try to hit those numbers. Sure, revenue collection is not part of my KPI (Key Performance Indicator) but cost recovery from utilization rate of each member in the team; including myself.

I know that I shouldn't let stuff like this get to me, but the pressure is just getting too much. Every week, we're been asked by the boss - "Do you know what happened last week?", i.e. do you know why your numbers are so fxxked up last week? Sometimes, out of anger, I would like to answer back - "Sure, YOU fxxked up the numbers because YOU didn't bring in the sales!". However, I keep this all repressed inside, waiting for the moment when I'm excused from the meeting.

I'm a technical team lead - which means, I lead my team in technical aspects of a project. Somehow, the term is being abused by management because we have the responsibilities as a manager but yet - not really having the title. In fact, I feel like a pseudo-manager all the time now.

Anyway, enough of that.

I had a small revelation while at church yesterday. It happened when I was listening to the church's 50th Golden Jubilee song. A sort of calm and peace came over me as I concentrated on the lyrics of the song. That the greatest celebration was The Word - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1)

It was as though I had been touched by God's finger, i.e. like being poked (not Superpoked! like in Facebook), nudged to return my focus to Him. Sure, the world could be really screwed up at times and it can take it's toll on us; but there is so much more to life, than just work.

With that, I have a renewed sense of self this Merdeka. Yep, that means I've got to take whole of my anger and turn it inside out. Laugh a bit more, learn to breathe more deeply - to calm the mind and also to eat right!!

I'm getting the exercise thing down - by trying to hit the gym at least twice a week - up to 2 hours per session; but food is my biggest downfall and brick wall. Well, right now I'm having my low-fat yogurt and apple and I am resolved to get the food part of my diet right. It's so hard when Malaysian food is soooo delicious and you need a lot of will power to resist the lovely char koay teow or that fatty piece of bak kut in the bak kut teh.

However, thinking of all the saturated oils just gives me the heebie jeebies now. Yeck!!

Snoopy celebrated her 5th birthday yesterday as well as our nation celebrated 51 years of independence. Both numbers are significant although one is larger than the other.

Just like Snoopy wishes for good things to come to her, I also wish for great things to come to our nation. Despite all the things which are happening now, we all wish and strive to make Malaysia the best she can be.

I pray that our leaders will wake up and remember that the job they took was provided by the rakyat. So, the rakyat is the boss.

I pray that our leaders will be granted the wisdom to lead the people and not lead their pockets.

I pray for continued peace amongst everyone.

I pray for the people of Sichuan, China who suffered another earthquake on Aug 31st.

That is my Merdeka wish. Happy Merdeka everyone!

New Year, New Beginning

A new year has begun.

I'm in the midst of changing the look and feel of my blog. I'll just be revamping the layout a little bit so that my blog gets a "fresh coat of web paint". (^ ^)

Meanwhile, all I can put up is a new blog banner. Hehehe... Thanks to Snoopy, who's my camwhore. LOL!!!

In terms of resolutions, I hate to make it because I find it soooo hard to keep!

Anyway, I did manage to keep one of last year's resolution, i.e. - LOSE WEIGHT by joining the gym. I often wonder why I didn't think of joining before.... Oh yea, probably because it was so expensive then. :-P

I still have a long way to go in terms of getting into shape but I can report that I'm healthier and a lot stronger physically than before. Just last night, I was forced to do a bicep/tricep curl with a 17.5kg weight!!! That's about.. 2.5x the weight of Snoopy!!!

My resolution this year is probably just the same - LOSE WEIGHT and also STAYING POSITIVE. For those who do know me personally, I tend to be very negative and am a "half-glass-full" kind of person. So, I hope to exude confidence and positive energies to those around me this year. Hehehe.. Kind of like being The Sun. LOL!!!

To all of you out there, hope that 2008 will be the year you can keep your resolutions!!!! (^ ^)

'Tis The Season To Get Fattyyyy...

Ahh... Christmas is indeed in the air.

I managed to capture a few photos while at a shopping mall tonight but am a little lazy to upload it. I'd guess I shall save the photos when I want to describe the amount of effort invested by some malls to entice shoppers to part with their hard earned $$$.

Anyway, it occurred to me that when Christmas comes around the corner, there are a few things we can't escape from. The eating, drinking and extensive merry-making we indulge ourselves during the festivities.

So, time to watch what we eat!! Although some of us are working our butts off at the gym to try to get ourselves to fit into a dress two sizes smaller than what we usually wear, it is during these festivities that the most "damage" occur. I'm finding myself getting tempted by the lovely chocs and Starbucks Toffee Nut Latte but have to admit, I can only take at most two out of this entire month!! It's too sweet for me! I'd rather go for something which tastes fruity sweet rather than sugary sweet.

Just remember to eat in moderation, and although that lovely chocolate fountain is calling you, try to remember how difficult it is to shed those pounds every year come Jan 1st. (^^)

Anyway, I know its very hard. But do try to keep yourself healthy by exercising and eating right?

Remember, the New Year is around the corner and its time to dust off the old Resolution List!!!

Angie Joins The Gym!!

Finally, I had my first session at the gym.

How do I feel??

GREEEEATTTTTT!!!!!!! (Macam Tony the Tiger from Kellogg's Frosties) My arms feel like it wants to fall out of its sockets and my legs are like jello.

All in all, it was gooodddd.....

Despite being very tired and told a lot of scary things about my health, I'm glad that I took the first step to regaining my health back.

Just to prove that I have joined a gym, I got my card's photo here...

Front-view

Back-view

So, I get to go to all Celebrity Fitness clubs, which is quite cool since I may want to do other stuff after my work-out at the shopping mall. I don't mean just eat, but shop as well.

What are the other benefits besides getting a good work-out? I get some discounts of course! My favourite one which I will utilize a lot would be O'Briens which has a lot of yummy sandwiches!

I've worked out at some other gyms before but they were short-lived as it was far from my home/workplace and it was free, i.e. not many machines to go around. Anyway, the gym was packed and looks like everyone is working out these days.

Anyway, I've been known to start stuff but not complete it. Well, it is time for me to at least achieve 1/2 of my 2007 New Year's Resolutions, right?

To all of you out there who is trying to lose weight and get in shape, there is no shortcut. The only way is to eat right and exercise hard. Good luck! Gambate!!!

Happy 2007!!! 新年快乐！！！

Happy New Year everyone!!!

2006 is over in just a blink of an eye. And Dec 31st is usually the time when we take stock of what we did over the year and think about our blessings and of course, what we can do better in the new year.

For me, this year has been pretty "happening"...

1. My good friend Dharsh gave birth to her first child, a baby boy. I've known her since we were 4 years old and now, she's a mother of one. --> Have yet to visit her though...
   
2. I've switched jobs from working in PJ to KL. A huge transition of roles as I've returned to my previous position. I just got confirmed at this new job a couple of days back. (Good news?? ^_^)
3. I went to "merry" ol' England. I'm going to be there until February before coming back for a short break and returning there for another 3mths.
4. I lost a bit of weight when I got to UK. I've got to keep this up... (^_^)
   

I've learned a lot of new stuff and I felt that it has contributed to my growth as a human being.

I've also learned that keeping resolutions are hard, so, I resolved not to make any more resolutions but to strive for goals which are achievable. I'm taking baby steps to reach these goals so that I don't feel so overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, enjoy 2007!!