Lights off for the better of mankind

The clock is ticking. Time is running out. If you don't do your part, who would? Be part of the global effort to protect Mother Nature. Conserve energy & minimise wastes to help reduce global warming. Make a difference now with just a simple action.

Switch off your lights; not only for this Saturday but whenever not in use. Be responsible. Protecting Earth is an on-going collaborative effort.

VOTE EARTH!

Timeless classics

Another week of MPO performances! This week's is by far the best one I've ever watched after Viennese New Year. Firstly, the show was approx 2 hours long. Secondly, the crowd were mainly young & old adults alike. Unlike those irritating kiddos & inconsiderate parents present at last week's concert. I'd have to say yesterday's performance was so beautiful that it felt like I was lost in another realm. Good music knows no boundaries, age, gender & colour.

Songs were taken from award winning films & those noteworthy of an Oscar nomination. A short glance at the song lineup, one can feel shivers & goosebumps all over. Cuz it's one hell of great listing that I'm anticipating.

1. The Untouchables
2. Out of Africa
3. Ben Hur
4. The Godfather
5. To Kill A Mockingbird
6. Meet Me in St Louis
7. When you wish upon a star
8. Silverado
9. Gone with the Wind
10. The High and Mighty
11. Doctor Zhivago
12. The Gay Divorcee
13. The Man Who Knew Too Much
14. The Wizard of Oz
15. The Magnificent Seven

The highlight of the show is two solo performances by Whitney Claire Kaufman, daughter of Richard Kaufman who conducted last week performance too. Such a lovely sight to witness the intense chemistry between these two talented people showcasing their musical prowess - one with a brilliant voice, one with strong passion.

I was almost moved to tears when she performed a rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, originally sung by Judy Garland; accompanied by MPO. What's even more surprising is that I didn't realise that one of the commonly used theme in HK dramas actually belonged to Out of Africa. It was unbelievably beautiful to hear it live. I was crossing fingers wishing that they would play that again. Nevertheless, E.T. was played as an encore. Better than nothing, huh ^^. I definitely wouldn't mind attending another round of performance like this. Hopefully one that plays videogame soundtracks particularly from Final Fantasy. =D

How much can you watch?

(With pun intended). Can you keep your full attention to a movie without averting your eyes to others or your partner beside you? Especially catching a lengthy 2 hour 45 mins film with a pain-in-the-ass plot. This is probably the worst superhero movie I've ever seen so far. Watchmen, it is.

Sorry, fanboys. If only the narrative structure was less complex, I would've enjoyed the movie as much as you all do. There's a good story behind every Watchmen character but pity that the screenplay sequence was so messed up, not to mention unnecessary mild porn included to whet the appetite of raging male hormones out there. As usual, even those scenes never make pass our censorship board's scrutiny. Haha.

WL & me walked out of the theatre hall, still confused of the whole purpose of the story. It was by far worse than Inkheart in me & WL's history of movies we've watched together. Certainly not worth your time if you aren't already familiar with the original graphic novel written by Alan Moore. Nevertheless, Watchmen might prove otherwise among die-hard fans as I've mentioned earlier.

Poster taken from Movie Poster Addict

Fantasies come alive

My 2nd trip to Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) for this year brought both good & bad experiences. The good moments were worth remembering reason being the performance is no ordinary classical music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert...the list goes on. It's a themed performance featuring guest conductor, Richard Kaufman leading our MPO to churn out tunes from several world renowned fantasy films. The one-hour performance included songs from the following list:

1. William Tell
2. Sleeping Beauty
3. Hansel & Gretel
4. Spiderman
5. Pirates of the Caribbean
6. The Wizard of Oz

Symphonic Fantasies, the show was called.

Imho, it was indeed a fantasy come alive as I got to hear the all-too-familiar themes not to mentioned performed live in front of my very eyes. In fact, I didn't expect that the first piece - William Tell Overture (Finale) was actually the majestic horse-racing song that I grew up listening to. Never came into my thought that this song was written for a play depicting a hero's true story.

Although Sleeping Beauty and Hansel & Gretel ain't my cup of tea due to its melancholic mood, the atmosphere quickened the minute the struck the note signaling the start of Spiderman soundtrack. And it got better & better with Pirates. Absolutely amazing! Just like the movie. E.T. was popular among the Mums & Dads as it was hit during their childhood days. Irregardless of all these, I'd have to admit that the last performance was timeless. Somewhere Over The Rainbow taken from The Wizard of Oz was such a heartfelt performance that I was nearly moved into tears. How I wished to hear it again live~

Good news aside, the supposedly family fun day on a Sundan afternoon turned out an tiresome & distracting one. I can't believe parents actually brought their kids despite knowing their children would never appreciate orchestral music. What's worse, they couldn't be bothered educating their children to sit still the whole time...albeit fun or boring. Oh, there was a parent behind me who'd probably eats & sleeps football - kicking my seat every now & then as if itching to play footie. Hello, uncle?? Can't you behave yourself??

Now it's a little pity & relief that the performance was merely an hour long. Pity cuz it was too short; perhaps they could've played more song selections. There're abundance of good fantasy movie themes that they've missed out. Definitely a relief cuz there's no way I can endure another hour with the kickin' parent & kids slouching, leaning roughly on the seats. Mind you, family fun days are a big no-no if you're looking forward to enjoying good music in a peaceful, comfy surrounding.

Crowning glory

I'd probably told myself a millionth times that I desperately needed a haircut. And I finally did! Dyed with auburn colour too! Hoorah!

My wavy curls are gone now & I'm back with good 'ol straigh hair. It feels good to be back to my old self again. My head feel so much lighter now...(boy, the long hair was really heavy~)

Hail Hitler, The Fuhrer

Me & WL's initial plan was to watch this highly anticipated movie (apparently, according to critics)...

...but unfortunately, most good seats were sold out at our frequent movie hangout. We decided to try our luck at Cineleisure - me being the first time watching a movie there. Gosh, I'm so slow! Anyways, we booked Benjamin Button but agan - for the first time - we arrived fashionably late for the movie. Unaware that Cineleisure's system only supports booking & not e-ticket purchase, our reservation was cancelled. Which means using your credit card number will not guarantee you tickets as it's merely a verification method. What a bummer~

Feeling dejected, I told WL that we need to watch a movie somehow. Since we're already here, why not? In the end, we made up our minds to watch Valkyrie.

The plot was predictable as it depicts the true story of the failed attempts of Hitler's assasination, masterminded by General...err, God! What was Tom Cruise's character again? General so & so. We thought it was a much better movie as compared to Inkheart cuz that one was quite lame.

One thing we found Valkyrie rather odd was that Tom Cruise is still able to move his prosthetic eye. I thought badly damaged eyes will be fully removed leaving no eyeballs behind. Which means no eye muscle is intact to assist the prosthetic eye's movement. And in certain scenes, you get to see that he wears a one-sided blindfold to hide his bad eye. Perhaps that's the only flaw that we noticed from it. Not the best movie but still not too bad for a historical movie.

Posters taken from Movie Poster Addict

Somewhere in the heart of KL

Being part of the hippest department in the organisation brings a great deal of benefit. Not only you're invited to grace events i.e. product launchings, public events yadi yada; but the best part is to be able to step out of the office for several hrs or more, leaving your stash of workload behind...momentarily.

There I was at a bungalow-turned-restaurant at the centre of KL in a bright morning for the media launch of our new product. As promised, I quickly took my position at the reception & welcome the guests that arrived. I observed the surroundings around me & this restaurant definitely lives up to the beautiful camera shots featured on their website.. The serene environment with trees, fountain & warm lightings created a cosy environment, imho highly recommended for private functions or weddings.

No matter how cosy the place was, the interior was a tad too Malay for my liking. I thought it was exquisite without a doubt but the room gave the impression of a old, musty place. From the chandeliers to the furnitures used to adorn the interior. Well, what can I say? It's an old house converted into a business operation. Much of the purpose would be defeated if the bungalow is demolished & re-built using a contemporary architecture. That would go against their restaurant's concept.

Overall, the simple launch event was successful. It's amazing how event management ppl can plan everything so perfectly well. I guess that's what the pros are for =). And the Tetra Brik dummy of our product made by our trusty, long-time supplier. Oh-so-huge!

One thing that seems so unrealistic is the fact that the launch was immediately reported on one of the local TV channels when I was at the location a couple of hours ago. The bizarre feeling is...somewhat indescribable. Anyways, this event was an eye-opener for me. Now I understand why product launches are (most of the time) a joy to attend.

Not a child, not yet a grown up

Deep inside their hearts, my parents never (& still) thought that I'm a child. Their precious baby girl. No matter how old I am. They tend to be very strict & protective of me, thinking that this is the best way to shower me with lots of love, care & support. And I've been in their protective arms for as long as I can remember; that most of the time I ended up willingly obliged to their wishes & demands. Be it a "yes" to this, a "no" to that.

When I thought I've finally started working, things would change. Unfortunately, my circumstances seem to remain the same. I'm still denied the full liberty that I ought to have long ago when I turned 21. I was the least bit frustrated cuz I understood how each family differs from one another. It's so happened that my family is the type that are ready to let go...yet. Neither did I complain nor rebel. I'm still the goody-two-shoes, fulfilling their wishes.

No doubt it was my mistake that I didn't do what I promised yesterday. Despite that, the errand was small & could be postponed to the next day. I told Mum that I'm most likely returning home from dinner at 8pm or 9pm. But circumstance changed & I only returned home at 10.30pm. With that, I got a serious sounding from her for coming home late & it made me wonder the cause that led to such reaction. Is it my Mum's depleting hormonal level that influenced her to amplify her voice & behave irrationally? Or could it be the source of the prob is nothing else but my own fault?

For God's sake, I'm turning 23 in a month. And this dire situation is starting to get on my nerves. Guilt & embarrassment hit me hard as I'm still unable to be fully independent as I hope. My family wants me to stand on my own feet but funny that they're restricting my independence. Oh, the irony! Talk things out, you say? *sighs* I can assure you that a peaceful discussion usually leads to nowhere. Especially when both parties are equally stubborn, strongly keeping their stance & beliefs. I guess time is the only way to make them realise. Hmm. =(

Best Valentine's Day...ever

I'd have to admit that I'm a hopeless romantic when it comes to celebrating lovers' day although I'm aware that V-Day is blatantly commercialised. I absolutely adore how guys shower their gfs with such cliched act of love - spanning from overpriced bouquets & chocolates to candle-lit dinner at you-name-it romantic places - that my mind becomes so clouded by the fact that all these are ridiculous. Unshamely speaking, every girl (including me) just want to be pampered at least once in a lifetime; in a ridiculous way by their bfs declaring their undying love. This is a sad truth for the guys. XD

For this year, I felt there's a need to note down my V-Day celebration with my dear WL. Reason being I've been pampered...ridiculously XD. Haha. Now that I've eternalised it in my blog, it's something that I can cherish in the future in case my poor memory wears off as age catches up. Not too bad, eh? ^^

1. Flowers

This can never go wrong as the perfect gift for a girl, for V-Day or not. Be it one stalk, bouquet or the whole rose garden (okay, a lil' exaggerating). It's undeniably a romantic gesture. Behind every stalk or bouquet lies a wonderful story, or so I believe. Here's my story...WL added a personal touch through the way he presented the bouquet to me. While driving, he casually told me to pick up his jacket that fell behind the seat. Fyi, his jacket was usually hung over the driver's seat. When I reached for it, I was puzzled as to why it became so heavy & only realising that there were green & yellow ribbons peeking out underneath. Beautiful, isn't it?

You couldn't imagine how thrilled I was. Not only it was my first time receiving a bouquet from a bf but it was also his first time buying flowers for his gf. What's even more amazing is that he bought it at midnight, Feb 14. This must've cost a bomb! I was close to bursting into tears when he did this but fearing of smudging my mascara, I didn't. I kissed him instead when the car came to a stop at the traffic lights. ♥

2. Arcade centre

I decided to give WL a surprise since the supposedly movie outing couldn't materialise due to his hectic schedule. After all, watching a movie on V-Day seemed too common. Believe it or not, I took him to the arcade centre at Pyramid. Yes, of all places! Honestly, we felt too old to be in such places; noticing that many youths way younger than us crowding around the gaming machines. He was incredibly surprised, I tell ya. Haha. Watching my cousin bro play videogames has been my part-time hobby since young. So it's only natural that I watched while WL got busy with his game. Observing him reveal his youthful side & childlike smile really tickled my heart. In fact, I felt very much in love with him when his innocence emerged from all those witty & at times brotherly figure he had portrayed all this while. So it's true that ppl still stay young at heart even when they reach the 40s. I could see that he clearly enjoyed his brief gaming session in which I gladly obliged to accompany him ^^.

3. Candle-lit dinner

Since it was my turn to plan for V-Day (he organised for Chap Goh Mei aka Chinese V-Day XD), I selected this Spanish restaurant located at USJ9. A huge change from our usual hangout place at 1U. As a token of appreciation & love for everything he had done for me, I paid for the bill. This is a twist from the usual guy paying for all the bills that night. The restaurant ambience was cosy & romantic with love ballads playing softly through the night.

Food was pretty good but it's a pity that the menu was limited to V-Day sets only. Pricey~ -_-" I was hoping to try their signature that many blog reviewers were so hoo-haa about. Tough luck. The restaurant owners were indeed very hospitable & courteous as well as attentive to every diner's needs. I would've asked for wine if only the price didn't skyrocket that night (yeah, yeah dream on...). I mean, how often do I get to have a booze with him? And he'd probably forbid me from having even a sip cuz I ain't much of a drinker. Hehe. A long good talk we had, just like our humble beginnings at Italiannies. The gaze, the smile...everything we felt for each other.

For all I know, I arrived home at midnight. The latest that I've ever spent with a guy. It's surprising to know that none of my family was ringing like usual to get me home asap. And of course, it's not to say that I did anything fishy with WL but we had long hugs & kisses together. As days passed, we realised how important each of us are. How our feelings have evolved from liking to loving one another when initially he had doubts on whether we would be able to last till this date especially dating with someone like me who's so young. I believe those uncertainties are no longer hinder us in any way. It's the matter of the willingness to share & be honest to each other. Communication is the key...and I'm praying hard all would go well for us. I'm asking no more than that.

Guilty pleasure

I was dumbfounded when I saw this piece of scrap paper on my car windshield.

So much for the joy of sex... -____-

Anyone men up for virility enhancement can kindly call this number. Certified "halal" too. o_O

Wet duck

Driving to work was supposed to be fun. There're so many reasons to rattle about driving as it gives you the liberty to places - anytime, anywhere. However, things turn ugly when the weather decidedly become gloomy. The worse has yet to come. Wait until the rain pour & see.

It's so much harder to walk to where your car is parked. Especially when you're clad in an office suit (not slacks, unfortunately -_-) & a pair sandals. Imagine the misery & torture while braving through the strong winds blowing rain droplets on you; not to mention struggling to avoid puddles of water on roads.

The most embarrassing thing that would ever happen is having a vehicle driving fast through a puddle of water - without any hint of consideration - with you as the unlucky one getting wet thoroughly, top to toe. WTF!

Now if that's not enough. How about this...you get stuck in the freezing air-cond in the car as you rush home to strip off your soaking wet clothes. And getting nagged by your mother for spending too much money hanging out with colleagues when there's a need to chill out once in a while. Really WTF!

P.S. Thousand apologies for the profanities. My good mood has just gone down the drain.

An unexpected miracle

It's interesting how a little fate can bring two unlikely couples together.

And perhaps it must be God's little tricks to have them meet in a certain way. There was this girl who was trapped & found no door to escape from her misery & sorrows caused by her man. All cuz she had too much compassion & empathy to the extend that she feared hurting him by revealing the truth. Hence, she lost courage to voice out that she had lost all hopes & feelings for him.

Along came another guy - a truly great friend & like a bro - that never failed to cheer her up by sharing her problems. No doubt he's an incredibly caring guy in nature & is always willing to lend a helping hand to those around them. However, he's also playful & witty when it comes to cracking jokes with his workmates. Not to mention the charm that he exudes send most ladies' hearts fluttering each time he engages a conversation with them. Somehow this girl still found solitude in confiding to him despite the fact that he can be quite a flirt (though unintentional).

It was at the farewell party that revealed a different side of this colleague. A shy & sentimental side of him that she had never seen before. In him, she saw a lonely man yearning for a significant one to fill up his gap. It was then she started developing feelings for him; wanting to know him better. But she knew that she wouldn't stand a chance at all as he had clearly expressed that he's eyeing someone else. Disappointment hit her hard but there was nothing else she could do other than act normal. They got to know each other better each time they chatted online as days passed by.

Her life took a different turn when she agreed to join him for a friendly movie date. They ate & chatted all night long in a cosy Italian restaurant whilst finding out each other interests & similarities. The night ended well for the both of them & she realised how much she's in love with him. She couldn't suppress any longer & finally expressed her feelings towards him. Little did she expected that he felt strongly for her too. With that, she made up her mind to end her current dying relationship but was still doubtful of whether it was too soon to start off with this new guy. She feared that it might not be fair for him. In the end, all goes well & Christmas marked the start of their relationship.

Until this very day, everything seemed to be sailing smoothly. And she's extremely delighted that she had made the right decision to choose him. It was through these humble beginnings that taught her true love can be nurtured over time & the one you're seeking for could be the person right next to you. Every now & then, she still thinks like how the song below depicts...

Every time I close my eyes
I thank the lord that I've got you
And you've got me too
And every time I think of it
I pinch myself cuz I don't believe it's true
That someone like you loves me too

If only words could express how much he meant to her. How significant he is in her life now. How much impact he has on her if things go wrong. She wished that the verses below will make him understand how important he is...

How you changed my world you'll never know
I'm here for now, you helped me grow

You came into my life
Sent from above
When I lost the hope
You show me love
I'm checkin for you
Boy your right on time
Angel of Mine

This post is specially dedicated to my beloved. Happy 26th Birthday! I love you...

Lyrics taken from Babyface ft. Mariah Carey's Everytime I Close My Eyes & Monica's Angel of Mine

Oh-so-cute Moo Moo!

I can't seem to emphasise enough how much I enjoy working. Cuz there's always the privilege of receiving loads of free swags from suppliers & whoever that has long-term business connections with the company you work for. Especially when each employee gets a gift for his/her own keep.

To usher the new year, one of our design agencies bought each one of us this little gift below as a token of gratitude for providing them business all year round. Aww, how sweet! And so cute too~ ^^

Who cares if the Moo Moo is red & not gold in colour? It just looks as good as the golden ox!

Celebrate New Year's Day, Viennese Style

My 2nd time watching an orchestra performance is more meaningful in a sense that it was meant to welcome a new year. A 2 hour show to be filled with Austrian or more specifically, Viennese waltzes to mesmerise the ever supportive audience. With the two tickets I bought last year...

...my sis & I trotted off to Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) witness the annual performance which has become a Viennese tradition for centuries. When we arrived, the programme books were sold out. Yes, the book is not FOC but we somehow managed to grab a photocopy of the booklet for our own reference. Honestly, we had no idea what the orchestra was playing before the intermission. The waltz & polka seem so familiar. Anyways, which classical music doesn't sound similar? *sighs*

Upon flipping through the pages, I was so esctatic to see my all-time favourite song listed in the playlist.

My heart skipped a beat; my stomach flipped as I was nervous & excited about the MPO's performance of Johann Strauss II's By The Beautiful Blue Danube unfolding before my very eyes. Watching Andrew Rieu & the Viennese Opera Symphony dazzling the audience on TV was more than enough to move me to tears. A grand finale would probably drive me to stand & applaud like a mad woman; screaming "Bravo! Bravo!" at the top of my lungs. XD

Well...? The show was fantastically superb which also featured a soprano with an amazingly good voice & a jolly, fun conductor that lightens the atmosphere. Four additional encores were granted by the conductor as a gratitude to our thunderous applause. I'd have to say...the last piece, Radetzky March really got the crowd going. What better way to cook up the atmosphere than to entice the audience to perform clap along with the orchestra. Definitely a good way to start the year.

Our tired but satisfied face show it all~

"Cultured" bacteria on DVD

Never in my life have I seen bacteria or fungus...whatever you call it, growing on a DVD. And it's just not any ordinary DVD. It's my All About 東方神起 Season 2!! My precious original collection, for crying out loud. -_-"

The more I looked at it, the more frustrating it is. Not only the bacteria caused the disc to be unreadable. The bacteria formed beautiful swirls on the surface. Why on earth are you making the physical damage so ridiculously beautiful just like on a petry dish, bacteria?? *sighs* There goes all the videos in the disc. Unreadable...

Shoe obsessed

Recently, I've made a great discovery about myself. I found that I'm actually quite a shoe addict. I mentioned previously that I bought 2 pairs of shoes in two consecutive days. Women can never have enough shoes but tell me, who would actually buy a new pair the next day? I'm one of them. I see the next pair that caught my eyes, I wouldn't hesitate to get it. The only reason that's stopping me from buying is most likely the price or lack of sizes. After all, my unusually small feet makes shoe-shopping quite a daunting task.

Does my compulsive shoe-buying habit sound less convincing to you? How about this...

...and a pair of pumps that I only wore merely twice. Another pair of cutesey wedge that I hadn't touched for years. At the moment, I'm always wearing the ballet flat pumps & white mules to work cuz they're bloody comfortable. It helps to have these kind of shoes especially when your job requires you to walk around a lot. The least it could do is to minimise the back pain & blisters on both feet. But who actually buys shoes that are incredibly comfortable but looks terribly old-fashioned? Nah. Not me either. Believe it or not, I'm still craving for more shoes despite the fact that I'll probably wear them once only & have them clutter my room; making me happily broke for the month. If only my feet was slightly bigger & less skinny...that would be perfect!

My first public event

Being a part of a fairly large organisation has some advantages mainly cuz I get to be involved with huge projects that require the media's attention to help generate publicity. Not that I actually deal directly with them. Call me green or a noobie but I still find it fascinating to be able to witness the project team materialise their plans on such a scale. And to be given the opportunity to support the team - whether it's a small or huge favour - constitutes a great honour for me.

Anyways, lets keep the intro simple & short. Our company collaborated with several parties as part of our CSR efforts to educate the public on the importance of safety & crime prevention. With that in mind, an array of activities were conducted during the 3-day event to attract the public (mall patrons in general. The launch was held earlier this noon with VIPs making long-winded speeches while the media snapped pics away, attracting curious onlookers alike.

So we only booked the Promenade area to promote our event which I think it's good enough. Booking the Golden Oval seems too far-fetch to serve our purpose. One of the highlights worth mentioning is the Akido martial arts demonstration, showcasing bone-cracking self defensive techniques to protect us from the baddies. I can't help myself from feeling sorry for the guys who imitated as the baddies cuz they were being flipped & thrown, crashing loudly on the floorboard no thanks to the female demonstrator. From what I can see, they were suffering in pain silently -_-".

What's even more interesting is the Akido Master himself. The thought of him as a hunky one actually crossed my mind XD. Omg...I sound so pathetically horny & insane. Gosh~ He's Eurasian btw, what do you expect? He'd probably be even more gorgeous if he's less pudgy. God, I shouldn't be saying this. How sinful. *sighs*

Hunky Master on the right...*rofl*

Good news is that I've finally completed my CNY shopping. At least one headache off the list of things-to-do. And I actually shopped for 2 pairs of shoes for 2 consecutive days. Haha. More on that later. Now excuse me while I'll go nurse my poor little feet from intense numbness. *sighs*

Work = Hell

Sometimes an easy-peasy-lemon-squeasy (as quoted by my beloved ex-lecturer, Mr Brian) job becomes a rather daunting task when suddenly one huge stash of paperwork starts piling mountain high on the desk. What's even more frustrating is that there're immense follow-up work to do.

It's only the beginning. Yet, I'm starting to feel tired. This is no good news. For the sake of making a living & to enjoy some self-indulgence, work is like a sacrifice. *sighs* I'm praying for more happy days to come.

Hola 2009!

What a year it has been! Here we are, ushering another new year once again just like before. 2008 has been a sensational year for me - breakups, cramming for final year exam, plunging into the depths of depression & falling dangerously ill, graduating, getting a job, meeting new people & finally hooking up with a bloke that I fancy very much. How can the 22nd year of my life is of less interest to me after countless things that has happened?

I ain't got much resolution to make this year. Most importantly, I'm hoping for a healthier life (putting on weight is one of them XD) & a salary increment. Perhaps a job promotion too if all goes well. Not to forget a long-lasting relationship. Or striking a 30 million dollar lottery, if that's not too greedy XD. Here's to good fortune & a prosperous year ahead for the both of us & everyone else dear to me. Happy 2009, peeps! ^^

Hohoho! Merry Christmas~

It's the time of the year again whereby gifts & blessings are exchanged between friends & loved ones. For me, it's time for me to put on the Santa hat & paint the town red! Nah, just kidding XD. This year's celebration is a wee bit fun for me as I joined some of my colleagues for a casual Christmas dinner & less wild drinking session on Eve's Day. And a simple, nice date with someone dear on Christmas Day ^^.

The good thing about working is that exchanging gifts becomes a common practice regardless of whether majority of us are Christians or not. Here's where the fun part comes about - the tendency to receive weird pressies from colleagues whom you'd least expect to pick your name. Otherwise, you'll still get nice, decent gifts from those who are not so naughty imaginative in selecting the perfect present. I heard that last year one of them was incredibly creative that he bought a pack of condoms for his lady boss. How funny!

My lucky pick was one of the Marketing managers who's obviously a chain smoker. I supposed no other item that can please him more than an ash tray that complements his smoking lifestyle. And so I gave him one that has a slight hint of humour in it to add on the uniqueness. After all, just a normal ash tray is way too common. As for me, I got a pair of pretty earrings (my favourite!) from a sweet female colleague. Sankyuuuu~ Looking forward to wearing it to the office...that's if I'm not too freggin' lazy to dress up a little. XD I'd have to say, this year is one hell of a fun Christmas sans the crazy partying. I'm satisfied :)