Saturday, December 31, 2011

Goodbye 2011


Here am I sitting here on the last day of year 2011 wondering what I’m going to write in my blog before the year 2011 ends. I have to go through the file cabinets of my memory to summarize the learning, experiences, good times, bad times and etc. from January through December 2011. 


So I’ve decided to write this post by category.

Workplace
I’ve come to know a few people who have been a great blessing in my life. I will not quote names as I would need to seek for their approval to do so. So anyway, they have made my work life a very pleasant one. They’ve taught me things, guided me with much patience and have given me the courage to do more than I thought I was capable of doing. The amount of laughter in the workplace made arguments seems so insignificant.

Working with the ladies in the field all over Malaysia was also amazing. They’ve been very co-operative and positive. All 62 of them are unique in their own way and there is never a dull moment with them.

So, to everyone in the Kotra Pharma family, from the bottom of my heart I thank you!


Friends
Many people have come and gone in my life. Some may seem so genuine but shows their true colours when tested with fire. I’ve learned not to be overly disappointed because at the end of the day, they’re not just worth my time and my emotions. So, I’ve learned to appreciate those who matters. I may not be able to name all my friends but here I would like to make a special shoutout to Lee Heong, Jennifer, Wai Loon and Marvin. Thank you for standing by me and being my light during my dark times. Some may consider 4 an unlucky number but you four will always have a special place in my heart. 

The others are also important to me. I may not have named them here but they are all pieces that made up my picture of friendship too.

Family
My family is the foundation of my life. Without them, my life would be empty and meaningless. We may get angry and upset with each other today but when we get up tomorrow, all should be forgiven and forgotten. To my hubby, mom, dad, sisters, brother in-law, niece and nephew, I love you all! To my grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins, I love you all too!


Places
The only thing I would like to highlight under this category is the change of my family residence from Shah Alam to Puchong. My younger sister has finally bought her very own house and it’s located right next to the block I live. My parents and youngest sister have also moved in with her. After many months of waiting and renovation works, the house is finally ready to be called a home in the month of December. We’ve celebrated Christmas together with the housewarming this year. Everyone’s chipped in to make this an amazing home. I’m so proud of my sister for being able to make this a new home for my parents. Now they no longer have to climb 4 flights of stairs just to go home.

Food
I’ve perfected my lasagne recipe and I’m planning to start making pizzas next year. This year, I’ve developed a love for Korean food. My favourite is the Yukaejang, Kimchichigae and Bibimbap. However, my ultimate favourite is still Japanese followed by Italian.

This year was the birth of an amazing beverage chain...CHATIME!!


It was love at first sip! I was never a fan of bubble tea but Chatime is really something else. There’s a long list of flavoured teas and non-teas to choose from and you can have your choice of inclusions, sugar options and ice options too.

Lessons learned in 2011...
  1. Live today like it’s your last. Don’t put off what you’re able to do today.
  2. Appreciate what you have today and be contented.
  3. Do the best you can because you may not have the liberty to do it again.
  4. Make every moment counts because time only moves forward and not backwards.
  5. Time won’t stop when you’re upset and angry.  So, why not spend that time being happy.
  6. Don’t ever neglect time with your family.


And now that this year is coming to an end, don’t look back now and regret about what we have not done. Let’s all look forward and make it happen. 

Happy New Year everyone!!! May the year 2012 be a great year for everyone.

CHEERS!!

Monday, October 17, 2011

I'm Back!

More than 5 months has passed and I've completely neglected my blog. Not that there's nothing to blog about, there were plenty but I was just plain lazy. Always giving myself an excuse to say..."Maybe tomorrow...". Yeah, right!

I don't think I have the patience nor the memory to update events, thoughts and etc. for the past 5 months, I'll just try to keep it short and recent.

*Blink* *Blink*...(Mind blank)....

Type...type...type...Back space...Back space...Back space..... -_-|||

OMG... My mind is completely blank!!!

Once again, I'll have have to put this off again till I'm inspired.

I'm sorry for wasting your time!

I'll be back soon...PROMISE!!!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Neural Tube Defect (NTD)

I know the title is not very cheerful nor pleasant but I really think this is a topic that every mother-to-be MUST know.

Today has been quite a gloomy day for me and it's not because of the usual Monday blues. I was informed this morning that one of my Product Advisor who's 8 months pregnant now will be losing her baby. She was expecting her due date next month and it would be her first baby. She was admitted into the hospital last Friday due to some difficulties and was informed that her baby has NTD (Neural Tube Defect). The baby could only live for a day maximum after birth.

I really do understand the pain she's going through because I've walked on the same path. The only difference is that my journey ended even before reaching halfway and her journey ended just when she's reaching the finish line. Only God could heal this pain.

I'm constantly exposed to the topic of NTD because of my line of work and the industry I'm working in. And now I would like to share with you a little about this topic.

NTD is a common birth defect, occurring in approximately 1 in 1000 births. An NTD is an open spinal cord or brain that occurs very early in human development. In the 2nd week of pregnancy, specialized cells on the dorsal side of the fetus begin to fuse and form the neural tube. When the neural tube does not close completely, an NTD develops.

Folic acid and vitamin B12 are very important in reducing the occurrences of NTDs. Deficiency in either folic acid and vitamin B12 contributes to risk of NTDs as well.

Women who are planning for pregnancy are advised to get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily. Women who are pregnant should receive 1 mg daily, and women who have previously given birth to a child with a neural tube defect should get 4 mg daily.

Most women do not understand the importance of taking folic acid during preparation for pregnancy and will usually wait till it's prescribed by the doctor when the doctor confirms a pregnancy. Yes, normally a doctor will start prescribing folic acid when a pregnancy is confirmed but how soon will the know of their pregnancy. Should one have deficiency in folic acid and only discover about their pregnancy after the 4th week, it would be too late because the formation process of the neural tube has completed. Taking folic acid after that would not be of any help.

I decided not to include images in this post because the images I've seen in Google Images are very disturbing. I would like to urge all of you who are planning to become mothers to start taking folic acid supplements at least 3 months before conception to minimize risks of NTDs. It's never too early to start and please don't wait till it's too late. Taking the right dosage is also very important.

Don't ever think that "It will never happen to me". Never take things for granted. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Related links:

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Only From Afar (Just The Way You Are Parody)

Creative Signs... or NOT!

Few weeks back I was out for field work to a place I've never been before...Bandar Mahkota Cheras. With the help of my hubby's GPS, I was directed to a cross junction where the beginning of the road I was looking for was suppose to be. While keeping my hands on the steering wheel, I was looking for the road sign to tell me if I should go straight, turn left or turn right.

All 3 directions that I looked, this is what I saw...

Now, tell me. What's the name of the road???

I drove around this whole area and ALL the road signs are of the same design!! Just imagine if one was lost with no one in sight and this is all that was available.

After that day, every where I drove, I looked out for creative signs as such to be shared in this post.

My findings made me ask myself this...Who is suppose to be responsible in maintaining these signs? Is it suppose to be on 'PUT UP & GO' policy?

To me, these signs seems to be a free notice board for "Money Lenders" to express their creativeness. I keep wondering, the phone numbers are right there and why aren't the respective authorities doing anything about it??? Companies pays millions to advertise and these people advertise for FREE??? Try doing the same thing on these road signs with Milo or Colgate advertisements. The next thing you know, the company will be slapped with a HUGE fine for vandalism. So, why?

If they are kept free to express their creativeness, sooner or later, all the paint company is going to go out of business because exterior and interior paints will be replaced with these artwork.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Evening Classes For Men!

WICOE
(Women In Charge Of Everything)

Is proud to announce the opening of its

EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN!

OPEN TO MEN ONLY
ALL ARE WELCOME

Note: Due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants

The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course include:

DAY ONE

HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS
Step by step guide with slide presentation

TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
Roundtable discussion

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR
Practising with hamper (Pictures and graphics)

DISHES & SILVERWARE; DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
Debate among a panel of experts.

REMOTE CONTROL
Losing the remote control - Help line and support groups

LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
Starting with looking in the right place
instead of turning the house upside down while screaming
Open forum


DAY TWO

EMPTY MILK CARTONS;
DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
Group discussion and role play

HEALTH WATCH; BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
PowerPoint presentation

REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
Real life testimonial from the one man who did

IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?
Driving simulation

LIVING WITH ADULTS; BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEENYOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
Online class and role playing

HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE
Bring your calendar or PDA to class

GETTING OVER IT; LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
Individual counsellors available

****************************
The above was shared to me via email and it was too good not to share it here. It's just meant for girls who needs a good laugh and for guys who you think can handle it.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

2 Months Glance Into 2011

I am indeed a very lousy blogger... My last post was on the last day of 2010 and this would be my first post for 2011. I've been tring to write something but I keep making excuses for myself and keep saying tomorrow. So finally... I've decided to glue myself to the couch till I update my blog with this post. January and February have come and gone. Much have happened and now, all I can give is a brief glance of the past 2 months of my life...

Myself...
Nothing really extraordinary happened. I guess that explains why there was no regular blog entry. The only change I think is that I've switched my mobile service provider of more than 10 years, Maxis, to join the DiGi family. I'm still using the same mobile number but under a different service provider.

My family...
Everyones pretty excited about my new nephew. By now he's 6 months old already. He's very adorable and cheerful. He smiles a lot too! My youngest sister always comments that he has very luscious lips. Here's what he looks like...

Zachary Micah Victor
So now I have a pair of beautiful niece and a handsome nephew...

Yvette & Zachary
Celebrations & Events...
My New Year was very quiet. I had a countdown dinner at D'Italiane Kitchen, Jaya 33 together with my hubby, brother, Angie and Nigel. The dinner was yummy (once again I failed to capture the food pics) and by midnight, me and my hubby were already home to watch the fireworks display of various locations from the balcony of our home.

After that was Chinese New Year. I always looked forward to this day as this is the day when the whole family is together having really yummy home cooked food and a whole day filled with fun and laughter. When my sister, cousins and niece gets together....they become a bunch of loonies...
Funny photo session with my sister, cousins and niece
This year we all took turns to take our family photo with my grandma.


My recent event would be my youngest sister's convocation. It was a very proud moment for my family. All of us went to witness this very special day.


Working and Holiday Trips...
I've only gone down South for my working trip and I've also managed to spend 2 days in Singapore to accompany my hubby for his company's Annual Dinner. Nothing much done in Singapore... just the usuals...Geylang for my favourite frog porridge, Bugis Junction for my sweet potato tempura, Takashimaya for Takopochi and bought my Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable canned soup. The only thing extra was my bottle of Ferragamo perfume and my Charles & Keith handbag... it was so cheap!!

My next holiday trip was to Melaka with my family during the Chinese New Year holiday. Though it was a short trip but we had quality fun time together. My hubby and my brother in-law became durian freaks during this trip...durian cendol, durian cream puffs and durian candy.

My Current Hobby...
My hubby and I recently became a proud owner of the XBox Arcade Slim 360 and we've been spending quite an amount of time playing XBox games. Our current interest is... Left 4 Dead.
We both have our own controllers so that we could play the 2-player games together. Any games you want to recommend to me?

Music...
I'm currently obsessed with Bruno Mars and Katy Perry.

Movies...
I've only watched 1 movie in the theater so far and it's "I Am Number Four". To me it's a great movie and I highly recommend you to watch it too.


Well, I guess this summarizes my first 2 months of the year 2011. I am actually looking forward for this year because I've got a feeling that this is going to be a GREAT year for me. I will try my best to keep my blog frequently updated and hopefully with good materials and not boring ones.