A Note From Me

Wow.. this is the post that I have written by myself in a very long long long time. I doubt if anyone ever visit this blog anymore. For those who have.. first of all, well done..you probably saw me through the "I'm going to write more often" phase, "I'm going to put up cool quotes" phase, "I'm going to put up some photos" phase, and there was even the "I'm posting up my story" phase where I posted the story I've written with Rebecca called The Balance.

Anyway, the reason I'm writting this post is because it almost the end of the year and it feels wrong not to write something. Probably also because it's close to Christmas and the stores are starting to put up Christmas trees, decorations, and music. *sigh* and Bangkok will once again be filled with "Santa Claus is Coming To Town", "Jingle Bells", and "Silent Night" among many others.. all these things bring me back to the time when I started blogging (around December 2004).

So what happened to the life of Nam this year?

Well, I got a full time job at Wyeth and been working there since Feb. It has been a pretty good experience so far, so can't complain much. The only thing I can and want to complain about is my boss. Though, who doesn't complain about their boss?

I am still doing my Master degree in Counselling Psych, my thesis is not where near the finish line. I have to say that this degree is a waste of time but oh well, I only have my thesis left and an extra degree on my CV doesn't hurt.

I have Facebook!

I occasionally danced Salsa and it was awesome. I absolutely loved it (but not as much as Ceroc)

I am going to see "Cats" tonight, which would be my first broadway experience.

I get to spend a lot of time with my family. It feels weird to be living at home again after spending 5 and a half years in NZ, but I am adjusting.

I'm going to NZ in 5 weeks and 5 days!!

La la la... Christmas is near and it's so exciting. Not that we celebrate it over here, but I like the feelings that comes with Christmas.. and Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha Frappuchino.

Another year is almost gone, and I will be one year older. Am I any wiser? perhaps....and also perhaps not.

What I've learned from my two years experience in the real world, is that life is too short and you'll never know when you are going to die. It might be in 50 years or it might be in 50 seconds. So might as well spend it well, you only have one go at life. So people, are you REALLY LIVING YOUR LIFE?

A Site That You Should Bookmarked

Cringel...

Cringel...

Cringel...

This is a blog operated by four people who decided to leave their office jobs and went travelling. Read below if you're interested...

Have you ever had thoughts similar to:

"Oh, I wish I could be a pensioner when I'm young, and work when I'm old"

or

"I'm so exhausted in my job, I really need half a year of vacation to sort things out and get back on track"?

I bet you did. What action did you take? Erm, yes. The action to "wait a little bit and see what happens".

That's ok - most of us choose this one, and later on wonder what would happen IF a different option was chosen.

And thats exactly what we'll do: cringel.com is here to illustrate and document the progress of 4 close friends, who once decided to quit the established positions in companies they worked for, take a break in their careers and travel to Asia, for travel and exploration purposes.

So whenever you get bored in the office, you should come over and read what would you be doing at this very moment if you had chosen that other option. (Bookmark cringel.com now, it will be easier to find it later!)

Update: we are already out of the jobs and on the road for hal a year. Feels great!

Some quick facts:

The departure was 2007 January 23
We started in Thailand
We managed to persuade 2 more friends to join us in Thailand, met two more in Nepal, and plan to meet one more in Australia. Small world.
The plan is to stay until August, 2007.

Update: return date moved to December 2007

Countries visited are:
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Myanmar
Nepal
Malaysia
Countries to visit:
Singapore
New Zealand
Australia

So, what do you think? Was worth trying this or should we have better stayed at our jobs?

So are you interested? If you are, then click here

Once there was a girl who went to work
And most people regards her as a dork
She once glued her toe to a cork
Before she went home and ate some pork!

Her favourite hobby is to daydream
She liked to think about strawberries and cream
And imagine herself looking very trim
And loves to act very prim

One day she tripped over a slippery stair

And landed on the floor with dust in her hair

Her skirt alas, suffered a big long tear

Her underwear of course, faced the same fear

"Oh, how unfortunate" she cried

"I feel like a runaway bride"

So she got up and quickly covered her exposed behind

Hoping very much that nobody would mind

The girl hurried to the closest lingerie shop,
Hoping the cover she used wouldn't drop,

She was worried of course, that the tear would go pop!

She started to walk, then run, then hop

A bright blue pair of knickers she spotted
And then a pair that were bright yellow and dotted
"Oh my," she exclaimed, "these are so very ugly!"
But I will wear them to a party

She walked out of the shop, wearing a bright yellow pair
An old lady nearby yelled, "oh, how, how can you dare!"
"You looked just like a yellow-dyed mare!"
She retorted, rudely, "at least I don't look like a bear"

To be continue...

By: Rebecca, Mel, & Nam

Mr. Moon

Oh Mr Moon,
In this silent night, please appear soon!
I wait for you, like a silly loon
like the sun waiting for noon

It is a starry night
with Mr. Moon lending his light
Casting the world in white
Oh, such a sight!!

Like rainbows and rain
The beauty in the world is countless like the sand and its grains
As exciting and as lovely as bright choo-choo trains
Sweet tasting as christmas candy canes

Sometimes Mr. Moon would whispers to the stars
And the wee babies perched high up on Mars
trying to capture the comets into the jars
Whooshing past them like fast cars

Mr.Moon retires as dawn approaching

Hiding behind a cloak of grey, crouching
Waiting for Mr. Sun to appear, shining
So sad he is almost crying

"Don't cry" said Mr.Sun when he appears
He looks like he's been smiling for years
"Because when you cry, you look like crinkle pears"
Your face, it has no room for salty tears

"But Mr. Sun" said Mr.Moon, "I am sad because I have so much fun"

"Each time you come, I hate having to run"
"Ah, but run you must" declared Mr.Sun

"I do, I run like Maria the Nun"

"It is time for you to go, Mr.Moon" said Mr. Sun "Until I retire and you come out to play"
"Ok, dear sun, have a great day"
"Same for you, Mr. Moon" said Mr. Sun while arranging his ray
Quickly, softly, Mr Moon faded into the gray

So here ends Nam & Mel's little story of Mr.Moon

By: Mel & Nam

Nam & Rebecca next project

We'll be co-writing short story next..so stay tune!!

(But we won't abandon poetry, of course)

A Poetry Recipe

A poem is a funny thing, a little bit of rhyme

Like making a dish with a little bit of thyme

With a dash of rosemary, and perhaps some poppy seeds

And a pinch of salt to complete the deed

But do you need to cook it? Oh no

You only have to read it, be it here or on the go

It might make you laugh, it might make you cry

Or it might make you feel as if you could fly

It'll let you pretend you're touching the sky

Though, be warned, some poems can be a bit sly

They'll mock, and laugh, and tease

And the mirth with never cease

So if you're happy, or when you're sad

Just pick up a pen and a pad

Tell the world your troubles, or if you're mad

It might make you feel better, just a tad

You can make it look all pretty

Or even put a picture of a jetty

If you do that, it'll become like a picture book

Just like Peter Pan & Captain Hook

Listen now to my moral, it's a good one I'm sure
If you're sad and down, poetry might be your cure
Whether happy or sad, poetry is honest and true
Addictive poetry also is, lack of it might make you blue

But if you write (and read) it, it'll take away your cares
So if you think you're brave enough, then I'll dare you upon dares
But other than that, let's not split hairs
Or push each other down the stairs

Because that would hurt and then we wouldn't write poems in pairs!
So my dear readers, who likes to go to the fairs

Come along and join me, in a poetry-writing spree
So if you're ready and sure, then let your hands go free!

Your mind and your heart will follow soon after
And your soul will be filled with laughter

By: Rebecca & Nam

In the Silence

The stars shining in the darkening sky
Twinkling, whispering, playing upon the silent mind
The northern wind swept by
And dancing leaves leapt up in delight

I stand in the darkness with my hair swaying gently in the breeze
From beneath my feet comes a whisper
That sooth my heart with its sweet melody
Sighs of contentment escaped me

The pale light from the moon dancing across the surface of the lake
A spray of foam, a trace of stardust
The smell of pine trees, the twinkling lights of fireflies
And I am alone with my thoughts

I step towards the lake, shivers as the cold water touched my feet
Starfish leap around and across my toes
I look up to the starry sky and close my eyes
Peace, a thick envelope sealing me

My lips move in silent prayers, to Him who resides in heaven
A feeling of faith surges within me
And a sense of wholeness filled my soul
Wonderful peace was mine

By: Mel & Nam

The Racket in the Forest

There's a racket by the lake, which shooke the forst in its wake
A sight to be seen, that magnificent drake
and the biggest toad you could ever seen!!!
"Hello Sir Drake!" proclaimed the toad, "Where have you been?"

"Meee?" drawled Sir Drake in a bored voice, "Oh, I've been up and down, left and right."
"Here, there, and everywhere... but I saw such a fright!"
"Oh my!!" exclaimed Lord Toad, "It must have been a sight!"
" You couldn't imagine! You couldn't guess! But... what do you think I saw?"

"Well, I imagined that you saw Countess the Cat who is so fierce with her claws!"
"By jove! you've guessed it" cried Sir Drake, as Countess the Cat approached on silent paws.

"Sir Drake, Lord Toad" greeted Countess with a nod of her elegant head, "You two would never guess what I just saw"

"A fish?" "A frog?" ... Lord Toad looked sly "a dog?"

"Oh, my dear Lord Toad" replied Countess, "Do you think that I am excited by mere fishes and frogs? or even dogs?"
"Well, I don't know" Sir Drake began to tease, "did it chase you into a bog?"
"Oh ssh, Sir Drake" answered Countess, "or I'll tell Lord Toad about the time the wood nymphs chased you into a log"
Sir Drake quacked and fussed, and trees overhead rippled in the breeze

Then five wood nymphs appeared, and one was greeted with a sneeze!
"Thank you for that" the wood nymph "now that you've stained my clothes, I'll need some febreeze!"
Then Sir Drake flaps his wing with a fever that surpasses any dumbstuck beaver

"Whatever is wrong with you?" asked Countess Cat, "anyone would think you'd seen a cleaver!"

"Ah!" exclaimed Sir Drake, "something just whizz pass my swimming legs!"
They all looked into the water, into the deepest, darkest dregs

And bobbed up, a little duckling by the name of Mooshoo

"Ah ha!" cried Sir Drake, "a little duckling, Mooshoo, tis you!"

"Tis me, papa" replied Mooshoo, "I heard the voices of the pretty nymphs, so I came here to investigate"
"Is it a party? Is it fun? Is there any chance I can participate?"

"Oh Mooshoo, you do know how to make a nymph blush" teased the nymph in pale blue dress,
Mooshoo quacked, and tried to bow but fell flat on his face, oh what a mess!

He then scambled up on his legs, flapped his legs, and hide behind Sir Drake

"Oh" cried a nymph, "a party, let's do! We can have cake!"
"And a jazz quartet, flowing stream from hot chocolate, and perhaps unlimited gingernuts!"
Oh what fun, the cry went out, let's also invite the neighbourhood mutts!

So the small party of animals and nymphs, decorate the forest with ribbons and stars
They're happy and laughing and dancing and joking, far far away from the sound of cars
So ends the story of the racket in the forest, until the next time we meet

By: Rebecca & Nam

The Eagle Fails

Two white clouds dancing in the sky

Chuckling and chortling, "We'll laugh til we cry!"
And the sun comes twirling and jumping
"Dance with me, I'll keep you pumping!"

Then two birds with red tails come chirping and singing

Up so high in the sky, with wings winging

"Come, lets us sing! Til Mr Sun hides behind the hill and Mrs Moon rise high in the sky. Come, let us sing!"

And each of us will make sure to bring...

swinging, spinning sets of songs!!
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry to interrupt" cried a flying eagle, "but haven't you noticed that something just pongs?"
"What what?" cried a peacock from below, "did someone just said something dongs?"
The eagle looked down his beak "No, you feathered freak, I said pongs!"

"Oh" replied the peacock, "Then it must be you, Mr. Eagle, coz I rarely see you groom your feathers"
"How rude!" cried the eagle, greatly offended "if I was a cow, I'd use my leathers!"
"Excuse me!" said the cow, "I don't think you could use leathers as you don't have four legs and a tail"
"Oh" said the eagle, sad and glum, "I suppose that means I fail..."

By: Rebecca & Nam

Tension of Opposites

"Have I told you about the tension of opposites?" he says,

The tension of opposites?

"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted.

"A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle."

Sounds like a wrestling match, I say.

"A wrestling match." He laughs. "Yes, you could describe life that way."

So which side wins, I asked?

"Which side wins?"

He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.

"Love wins. Love always wins."

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

New Shoes

"New Shoes" - Paolo Nutini

Woke up cold one Tuesday,
I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick,
I felt like there was something missing in my day to day life,
So I quickly opened the wardrobe,
Pulled out some jeans and a T-Shirt that seemed clean,
Topped it off with a pair of old shoes,
That were ripped around the seams,
And I thought these shoes just don't suit me.

[CHORUS:]
Hey, I put some new shoes on,
And suddenly everything is right,
I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling,
It so inviting,
Oh, short on money,
But long on time,
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,
And I'm running late,
And I don't need an excuse,'cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes.

Woke up late one Thursday,
And I'm seeing stars as I'm rubbing my eyes,
And I felt like there were two days missing,
As I focused all the time,
And I made my way to the kitchen,
But I had to stop from the shock of what I found,
A room full of all my friends dancing round and round,
And I thought hello new shoes,
Bye bye them blues.

[CHORUS]

Take me wandering through these streets,
Where bright lights and angels meet,S
tone to stone they take me on,I'm walking to the break of dawn.

Squirrel vs Ginger cat

I am watching my squirrel making a fool of him/herself (its sex is still unidentified). Those of you visit my blog might've know about this little squirrel (what did I named it?? was it "Sparky"?) and its gang that steal the fruit from my promegranate tree.

well.. now it just realised that it might not be as easy anymore.

For some reason the outter wall of my house gets a very regular visit from a ginger cat as well. As we are in the middle of rainy season, my promegranate tree is very fruitious and the visits from both the squirrel gang and the cat increase in frequency.

So here I am, typing away, listening to Audioslave, sipping my morning coffee, and watch cat-and-squirrel chase.

I am still determine to name all the squirrels (there's about 4 in total) and, since the cat decided to join our lttle party, I think I will name the cat as well.

So, all ye faithful readers, any ideas?

Last night I went to La Rueda, the Latin club I posted about half a century ago. I actually planned to go tonight (Saturday night) but when I rang my salsa friends to find out who's going tomorrow, they told me that no one is going tomorrow..well, apparently last night was La Rueda anniversary (6 years) and there will be some performances. I couldn't help it...so I went home, got changed, and went out.

I met this guy I danced with who just got a break from the navy so we did a wee bit of salsa, not as much as I wanted. My New York salsa teacher, Louis, was also there. I'm suspecting that he has a thing for my Taiwan friend, Paulie, but Paulie deny everything *roll eyes*. Tho I didn't dance as much as I wanted (and I wasn't wearing the right shoes) but the performances really made up for it. There were performances of swing (and it was cool to see the little asian girl got tossed around), argentine tango (MARVELOUS!!! I would love to learn that), belly dance (so exotic, made me wish I didn't gave it up), striptease (so-so.. not a big fan), New York Salsa (I'm learning that.. and OMG last night it was SO amazing!!), zouk (share some familiarities with Ceroc.. so I am thinking whether I should learn that too) and finally the highlight of the night was definitely the owner's brother and his girlfriend/dance partner. They went to Blackpool to compete.. BLACKPOOL!!! can you believe that. So I had an up, close, & not personal night with the pros. They did cha-cha and some thing else for us and man.. they were AWESOME!! Their movement is very strong yet graceful and very very sensual and sexy. The close moves are very close and they really perform, you know, their facial experssions and their body language really speaks. I learned so much last night and I really wish all of you were there with me.

Sudden Inspiration

I finally figure out what I am going to do with my "Little Miss" blog.. I'm going to post the photos that I like!! Most of them will be the photos I browsed from flikr.. or maybe from Google...but there will be some of my own photos too.

Why? Coz seeing these wonderful & beautiful & amazing photos inspires me to capture the beauty of life! I am not saying that I am a good photographer and I don't even know how to use Photoshop or Illustrator.. but I can try to capture beauty on camera lens.

whoops.. boss is back so I must get back to work.. and more photo browsing!

What Will You Last Be Seen Doing?

MISSING: Nam

Was last seen laughing at a mafia boss

'What will you last be seen doing?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Salsa.. the dance of passion

Been a long while since I last blogged.

Well.. I'm still working for Wyeth, class started last month and I only have 1 class/week (pretty sweet if you ask me), will be really starting on my thesis soon (fingers cross), and will start my internship at Bangkok Refugee Center next week. I will be counselling refugees and maybe I will get a chance to visit some refugees in prison.

I've been coughing for the past 3 days. *sigh* Don't know why I suddenly come down with sore throat and coughs. I wish I could blame it on the lychees I ate before my throat starts hurting but it is kinda insensible to blame my condition on a fruit.

Ooh.. exciting news, I'm learning salsa (specifically New York style)!! I had my first class last Monday which was kinda boring as it is devoted to basic steps, which I know how to do already. I wish I could skip it but I figured that learning from step 1 will be better than what I do now - I freestyle with someone who already know salsa. It's like dancing in the dark coz I only know the basic steps and basic turns so when the guy start leading me into slight more complicated moves.. I'm lost. Lucky that I know how to follow or else my partner would go home with bruised feet.

Where I am learning this wonderful dance? At Rumpuree Dance Studio (hmm.. they should pay me for this). What attracts me to Rumpuree is that they don't teach mainstream dances like ballroom, waltz, cha-cha, etc. They focus more on the cultural aspect... they offer dances like carnival samba, african dance, and afro-carribean just to name a few... and I do wish I could learn them all!!

Right, da boss is here, so I should get on with work.

New photos

I've added some new photos on flickr!! more photos will be added as soon as I know how to use photoshop!!

What Will Your Business Card Say

I really need to stop doing these quizzes!!

Nam Was Cleopatra in a past life

'What" will your business card say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

What Should Your Name Tag Say?

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

First of all, I would like to thank Abby for continuing to check out this blog.. even tho its owner doesn't really take a very good care of it.

Ho hum... I uploaded some more photos on flickr. I actually spent a good 2 hrs uploading and just browsing all my posted photos. I never realised that people actually look at them!! My photostream has been viewed 443 times.. that's probably even more than number of visits for my blog!

And I just love Facebook! I think it is becoming the new Cutting Edge thing. It makes keeping in touch so much easier. The only bad thing is I can't access it from my office >.< Nasty IT guys blocked it!!! (along with other interesting sites)

Oh shoot! It's raining again.. and I don't know what else to talk about.. except from the fact that frappucino topped with whipped cream makes me smile

I was gong to post about my weekend and my working trip to Pattaya.. then a thought came into my head..

WHO CARES

I mean.. *sigh* who cares about my weekend? No.. really.. who cares!? LOL I wish I could post up philosophical thoughts up like Mel or energetic like Abbey.. but I can't. I'm not sure if anyone is reading this anymore!!

And I find all this extremely funny.

It's 7.25 am and I am at work. No wonder I find these things funny. My brain is still half dead!

2007 or 2008... I DON'T CARE!!

I'm at work.. and I'm bored bored bored bored BORED!!

It's so quiet here so I decided to put on some music (by Peters Drury Trio... hee hee) to destroy the peace here and to satisfy my love for Jazz & Swing.

whoops.. me boss is here!! (closing down all my nonsense IE windows.. except this one)

I decided that it doesn't matter when I graduate.. as long as I graduate. No, this doesn't mean that I'm going spend the next 3 years completing this degree when I only have an 120 hrs of intership and a thesis to go. The reason I said that is because my department announced that if we students want to graduate with the year 2007 on our certificate, then the last day for us to do our thesis proposal defense is 15th of June - exactly 1 month and 2 weeks from today... which is impossible (for me at least). I still haven't really done my literature review because I have no time to do it.. oh the con of studying and working at the same time. There is definitely no way I can push it and do my defense by the 15th... so I decided that it doesn't actually matter what year is on my certificate. As long as I finish my thesis within this year, they can put 2008 on my cert.

I can't wait for this year to E-N-D!!!

Peters Drury Trio/Quartet

I am so crazy about them! Unfortunately the group ended sometime in 2003... and it is sad that I just found them a few days ago. They really make music.

Unproductive Morning

What an unproductive morning.

I told my boss that I won't be coming into the office today (Friday 20th) because I have to take a driving test and resign from "One Stop Service".

I could not make it to "One Stop" today because the traffic was horrible so I decided turn around and head to Dept of Land Transport instead for my driving test.

I got there just in time before the deadline for the afternoon test.

I got all the documents I need and sumitted it to the guy responsible for checking the documents.

He checked the documents and told me to come back the next day because the afternoon test is already full.

He told me that if I want to take the afternoon test, I have to submit my papers before 8.30 am.. (how insane is that!?)

And like everywhere else in the world, in order to get a driving license in Thailand, you have to take 2 sets of tests. One theoretical and one practical.

I just found out today that you can't do both on the same day... and Dept. of Land Transport does not open on weekends.

This means that I have to take 2 days off work (without pay) in order to take the stupid tests.

And the funny thing is, I don't even own a car and I use public transport to get to work. I just need the driver license for my application as a full time employee at Wyeth.

So today, I took leave.. but didn't resign from One Stop.. and didn't take the test.

What a waste of time.. so I went home.. changed my clothes.. and come to the office.

What an unproductive morning.

Imagini

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Love and Marriage

Everybody is getting married.. oh.. shocks!

Hmm.. let me list all the happy people I know who are getting married:

1. Abbey
2. Annie (friend from ABAC)
3. Rebecca Marsh
4. Liesl Marsh

and who got married not too long ago:

1. Neelam
2. P'Jaeng (friend from work)
3. Tim

I'm sure I know more people who are getting married. I listed them all last night but for some reason I don't remember the rest of the names. I feel that I am surrounded by either engaged/married couples. Well, technically most of the names I mentioned above lives on different continents but that's not the point. The point is.. I know them.. and they are all getting/got married!

I think I will forever be wondering around in the single society...hmmm either that or I will end up in a relationship with a guy who would not commit. Urgh!

My Songkran Experience

Today is the last day of Songkran festival. I kinda wish that it will never end.. coz I'm loving every moment of it!

I went to Songkran party @ Route 66, RCA on Friday 13th (hmmm....). It was G-R-E-A-T... sooOOoooOO much fun! We (me, my sister & her bf.. and the rest of our friends arriving later during the night) arrived at the place around 6 pm.. and I was half wet 15 minute later. I love how the people were so friendly and water fights can be seen between every tables. We even formed teams!! Water bottles covered the ground and we were all armed with water guns. You would be amazed at the sort of water guns we have here... from the small sea horse shaped ones (that opens its mount when squirting water) to the biggies that you have to carry it on your back. From the stereo blasted all sort of music.. songs from the old days, new releases, hip hop, rock, reggae...you name it! Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take any pictures coz my camera would not survive the night. We stayed from 6 pm till 1 am... but the place was still packed when we left. I was soaking wet.. I am grateful that April is the hottest month in Thailand because if we have this kind of party in NZ, I think we would freeze to death.

Gosh.. I love water fight.

I just got offer the permanent postion at Wyeth...and it's awesome!! Yay!!

Well, from Marketing Assistant to Product Specialist (focus on marketing) *sigh* it's like getting a birthday present weeks before my birthday!

Right now I am on a 5 days holiday (including weekend so it is more like a 3 days holiday) and I'll be back to work again next Tuesday. Mind you, we don't celebrate Easter here so the holiday is not for Easter but it's for Songkran (thai new year). What do we do during Songkran? apart from getting time off work and a chance to sleep in.. we usually go to the temple and tum boon (doing charity), meet and greet the relatives and the coolest part of it all... is playing water. Yeah.. it's the craziest thing here.. we splash water. Buckets and buckets of water can be seen on the street or the back of pick up truck.... along with water bottles and high pressure water gun.

I will see if I can take some photos of the madness of this festival without harming my camera.

Oohh.. breakie time. Chao!

It's definitely going to rain

It's definitely going to rain today... about time too! The weather has been awful lately. Hot and humid. I'm glad that it's finally going to rain.

I used to hate it when it rain... because it meant:

• I can't go walk in the awesome Dunedin botanical garden,
• no sunlight,
• there will be that annoying sound of the rain beating on the roof,
• if I have to go outside, it'll be cold and misrable and my shoes might get wet

But someone once told me that he loves it when it rain.. he likes the sound of the rain beating on the roof because it represents the music of mother nature, he told me that you can still take a walk around the garden even when it rains (just as long as you make sure that it's not a thunder storm). Why should I let such a simple thing like rain stop me from doing what I want? and why do I focus on the ugliness instead of beauty of rain?

Then I remember of the time when I got so fed up with my life and ran outside in the rain.

It was refreshing....it was cleansing

I started to calm down and let the rain washes my pain away... I wish I could turn back time and be a little girl again. Without all the care in the world. Without so much confusion about life, love, choices, and beliefs.

But in a way, I am glad that I am not a little girl. I've grown and been through so much that I start to appreciate those confusions. I make myself see the funny side of things and laugh at the absurdness of it all. Eventhough I don't believe it most of the time but everything usually turn out alright in the end for everybody. So why worry? Why focus on all the problems and confusions and forget to appreciate the beauty that God has given us?

Now I like it when it rain, but I don't like it when it started to flood.

Updates

Photos added @ my flickr site

and I registered @ Facebook and do a lot of uploading and editing.... when I suppose to be studying for my exam this evening!! Aaargh!!

I got tagged.. by Ruth. (Fact 3 updated)

*sigh* I am at work and I have way too much time on my hands. No not really, I just don't feel like working and that's why I decided to blog-hop. Then I thought to myself: "Hmm.. haven't check out Ruth's blog for a while" and I clicked on Ruth's name *shaking my head* and I got tagged as a consequence.

Right... 6 weird things about Nam

Fact 1: I am obsess with keeping things in order. Example: I often arrange all the pen and pencils in my pencil case so that they point the same way.

Fact 2: I frequently buy a pack of potato crisps and in the end I either give it away or eat one piece and leave the rest on the table. I have no idea why because I have every intention of finishing the packet! Like.. I buy it because I really wanna eat it but never feel like eating it once I paid for the crisps. What is wrong with me!?!

Fact 3: It takes me forever to finish a cup of coffee. True!! Whether I decided to sit down and have coffee (large skim latte) in The Link and study with Jazz , chill out at Ben's place (Ben's special mocha), or just catch up with someone.. usually in The Link.. I take hours to finish a cup of coffee. Jazz always give me a hard time by saying: "You still haven't finished that!?" or "Eeww.. cold coffee".

Fact 4: erm... come back in a few hours/days time.. and it should be here

Fact 5: righto... ermm.. check Fact 4

Fact 6: ....

I couldn't think of anything but I will come back to update the list once I got something.

I am at work, sipping my iced Ovaltine and writing a new post instead of doing my work.

I prefer cold drinks in the morning because it is very refreshing.

I had 3 hours of Microcounselling class last night, and we did some role-play

My group is of 6 people. One therapist, one client, 5 observers. I was the therapist.

My case was a middle aged woman who just moved back with her abusive husband with her two children, she decided to seek professional help because she start having doubts about her decision.

It was a long day, I couldn't wait for the class to be over, but I wished the role-play lasted longer than it was.

My "client" feels that it is OK for her husband to hit her...and that statement sent the my other group members to shed their role of observers to become therapists.

I was not being a very good therapist. I didn't have the patience to listen and I was to forceful. Mainly because I felt genuinely concerned for her children safety even though I know that they are imagined characters. Also because I feel very strongly about domestic violence. I was trying to make her see why it is not OK for a man to hit a woman. I was too forceful.

It humble me. It made me realised that some women are willing to take the blows in order to be with her husband.. and it made me realised how ill-equipped I am to help these women.

I can't wait to be a counsellor.

I feel like every day is blending into one. Today is the same as yesterday and tomorrow will the the same as today. What's the point of all this? Why is life so boring? Why?

Why...

Gosh, I just realised how much I had neglected my "Little Miss" blog... I just updated it and hopefully I continue to find interesting quotes, poems, lyrics, etc to post there!!

Back from Pattaya...

Can't say that it was a wonderful trip but it was better than expected. Well, I don't think I've blogged about this but I went on a company's "trip" to Pattaya on Thursday and just recently got back last Saturday, dead tired.

On Thursday, I dragged myself out of bed at a horrible time of 5 am and rushed to the meeting point just a tad before 6.30 am because the bosses told us that "the wheels will start turning at exactly 6.30".. and by 7.00.. we haven't left the meeting point. What's worse is that the bus was full of mosquitoes.. and I never seen that mosquitoes before. It was horrible and annoying, especially when those little insects fly by your ears and make this hight pitch wheeeeee-wheeeee sound.

Anyway, we didn't get any sleep on the bus because the guide kept on talking and cracking jokes and once we reached the resort (and spa... but I was not fortunate enough to get to the "spa" part) the meeting starts and go on until late in the evening. That night my colleague and I decided to visit the most famous club in Pattaya... but it ended up being exactly the same as the clubs in Bangkok. Meh...

To sum up my trip.. it was tiring and full of meetings but it is still a lot of fun. We had dinner party with great seafoods and desserts. On the last day, I played Go-Kart for the first time in my life!! and I was the last one to reached the finish line... LOL.. good effort for someone who doesn't have a driving license and does not know much about driving!!

Well.. I'm at the office so I better finish this blog before they catch me bumming around....but I see that my blog is suffering from severe lack of comment.. where is everybody?

Bum.. I just found out today that my working hours is 8 hrs, not 7.5 like I as led to believe. Plus, the lady to told me the news could just do it in a nicer way, not treating me like a dumb kid who doesn't understand a thing.

Great way to start the day.

Boring boring boring...

Such a slow day... not much work for me to do (which is usually a source of joy) but I feel kind of restless. Maybe it is because it is Valentine's day. A slow..quiet..and eventless Valentine's day for me. People around here have roses and chocolates... and seems to be enjoying this day. Meh..

Currently listening to the song "Smile" written by Charlie Chaplin. Wish a smile will make this day better.

Good thing that I don't have class this evening.

I am jumping from topic to topic here.. not making sense at all.

I should make myself a cup of comforting milo.

and I should write to my friend in UK.

Nam

And I say goodbye to ER..

Yes, sad as it is, I have to say goodbye to the 1st season of ER that is currently being play on the Hallmark channel. Unbelievable as this might sound but I never watched ER before until the beginning of this year so you can imagne that I was hooked from the very first episode of the famous 1st season of ER. So goodbye "ER" (I hope they'll rerun it at different times next month).. and goodbye "Kidnapped"... and goodbye "Las Vegas".. and "3 lbs".. and House (I can't wait for season 3 to start!!)

I started work on the 1st of Feb as a Marketing Assistant for pharmaceutical company called Wyeth (Yess!! I got that job!!). The 4 working days that I spent there were good. I like this job and this place for more than my last. Yesterday I get a chance to visit the hospital and see how sale reps function in the real world. It is easy to see how psychology plays a big part in the Marketing realm.. now I am really glad I went to the my Social Psych class on "Pursuasion".

On a different note, last Saturday me and my friends went to La Rueda, a latin club on Sukhumvit Soi 18. Before La Rueda, we had dinner at a German restaurant called Bei Otta which I get a chance to sample this really weird mashed potato. It tasted like little bit of mased potato mixed with a large bit of flour.. however the waitress insisted that it is real 100% potato but I was silently rebuking.. I know what potato taste like woman!! You can't fool me!! Anywayyyy.. I had my first class of beginner Salsa at La Rueda. It was so much fun! I think that dancing is what I am good at.. and I am happy when I dance. I got introduced to a few people, Arnie the instructor (real cute), Wit the Med student (not bad either), a japanese guy whose name escapes me... and oh..hmm.. I think that's about it. Later in the night I get a chance to watched Gold medal dancer showing off her style on the dance floor. I can't wait to go back to La Rueda this Saturday!!

I look at the calendar today and it says 31st of January 2007... and my instant reaction was: it is the end of the month ALREADY?!

and now it is only 11 months left in 2007

So many things happened in the past 30 days that I seems to forgot to stop and just cherish the fact that I am alive. I got lost in my own thoughts and fantasies and just simply forget what it means to be alive HERE and NOW. I am preoccupied with uni, crocheting, and thinking about what do I want to do after I graduate (hopefully) in August. My thesis is going no where and I feel that I unconciously trying to avoid the anxiety directly related to my thesis and distract myself by crocheting, crocheting, and crocheting. Since last December I have made 1 shawl, 1 tissue holder, 1 sunglasses case, and now I am making another shawl. The crochet is fun and a useful skill to know but I don't think that it is actually helpful at this point in time.

My mother, on the other hand, is worrying about my social life... the lack of social life to be exact. I wonder why I don't get along with people here? Why did I start keeping to myself? When did I stopped having fun?

One thing that I am trying to understand is the three signata of Buddhism. "Anicca Dukkha Anatta". Annica means impermanence, Dukkha means unsatisfactoriness, and Anatta means insubstantiality. These are called by many as the Universal Laws.

I don't think I can explain to you what "Annica Dukkha Anatta" really means since I don't understand how it works myself so here is an excert from a website I found (while trying to find the correct english pronunciation for those words).

The Three Fundamental Laws of the Buddha

The three signata refer to the three essential marks or characteristics of all "compounded" things, animate or inanimate, microscopic or macroscopic. Because of the universality of their applicability they could be considered as having the force of universal laws. These characteristics are impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and insubstantiality (anatta). As these translations of the basic Pâli terms are only approximate, a further elaboration of these basic concepts of the Dhamma is necessary.

(1) Anicca. The law of impermanence asserts that all phenomena are subject to constant change, to rise and fall, and no permanent states, either physical or animate, exists. The dynamic nature of phenomena is today a commonplace of science. But until quite recently many physical features of the universe were considered immutable, and in the human plane the belief in enduring states or characteristics is still an article of faith in many religious systems. The law of anicca establishes impermanence as the basic universal law.

(2) Dukkha. The law of dukkha states that all complexes of phenomena, are in the final analysis unsatisfactory. It means that no compounded thing or state could be considered as a universal norm of goodness or beauty. It imparts the normative dimension into the consideration of objective reality which is the hallmark of the Dhamma. The law of dukkha is usually considered in relation to the human situation, and here unsatisfactoriness manifests itself as "suffering", which is the popular rendition of the term. It is in this sense that it constitutes the first of the four Noble Truths.

(3) Anatta. The third law states that there is no permanent essence, "self", ego, or soul in phenomena. The term originates as the negation of the concept of atta (âtman) which was the equivalent in the old Brahmanical religion of the Buddha's day to what other religions have called the "soul". The Buddha advanced psycho-physical explanation of the individual which leaves no room for a soul. The Buddha recognised that the delusion of self or ego was one of the most powerful of human instincts, and at the same time one of the most potent sources of ignorance and wrong action. In applying the anatta doctrine to the phenomena of the external world some care mush be exercised. Early Buddhism did not deny the reality of the external world. It argued that the phenomena of the external world could be broken down into its constituent components, and that nothing else other than these components existed. It was only in this sense that the phenomena of the external world were declared to be empty (suñña). Some schools of Mahayâna Buddhism have taken the doctrine of emptiness (suññâtâ) to imply a denial of the reality of the external world. This interpretation is foreign to early Buddhism. Early Buddhism only asserts that there is no fixed essence or being in phenomena, but only a process of becoming (bhâva).

What you should not do before your interview..

paint your nails - serious!! about 5 min ago, I decided to vamp up my nails before I leave home for my 2nd interview with Gfk. I finished my nails in record time and damn, they look good. However, when I decided to put the manicure-related stuff away the worst possible thing happened. Yes yes.. I scraped my nails and now all my work is ruin. I panic and I don't have enough time to repair the damage. So I walked around collecting my things.. I suppose to leave home @ 4 pm.. the clock read 3.57 pm. Then I sighed and glanced at the computer screen and it read 2.57 pm!! Thought that my eyes is pulling prank on my caffeine-deprived brain, I turned around to the big clock by the wall (which is not digital).. yeah.. the damn computer is right. It is indeed 2.57 pm... *sigh* now I have plenty of time to re-do my nails and write a blog about my meh-ness...

Elusive title of a song..

Sometime back in 2004, I heard a song by a guy and I am pretty sure the title contains the word "beautiful" and unfortunately it is rather a common term so when I googled it up..*sigh*.. nightmare. I do remember the MV tho, it's black and white video with the singer riding a bicycle while singing. I tried google THAT too.. I should've known better *rolled eyes* So I shift my attention back on downloading Keane's first album which I think is far better than their 2nd one.

I watched "Goodbye Lenin" for the first time today. Ogi & Helen recommended to me quite sometime ago. The movie okay but I don't think it'll be on my list of favorite movies. The movie that I recently added to my list is "Being Julia". Jane recommended that to me since half a century ago. I know it's not that long but my days in NZ does feel like another life time. Jane mentioned something about Annette Bening's brilliant performance...man.. she's more than right. Despite my several attempts in watching the whole movie from beginning till end. The whole "Being Julia" experience for me is like that of "Memento" - first time I watched a few moments before the end, the second time I watched from 3/4 part of the movie onwards, the third time I watched the last 50% of the movie and so on...very disconnected but it still makes sense.

Putting movies and songs aside, I am quite sad because I suppose to be picking Mel up from the airport instead of writing this blog. Unfortunately, because of the bombings, Mel's trip has been cancelled. I can not believe that things are starting to go wrong from the start of the year. I was really looking forward to Mel's visit. I hope that things will get progressively better from now. I hope that all the unrest in Thailand will come to an end because this is getting really ridiculous. Actually I heard some unverified info about the terrorists down South. According to the news, these terrorist have been taught since childhood that killing innocent people is OK and they can receive "good karma" from it. Those who did the teachings took the teachings from the Koran and totally changed it. No surprises there as we can see the same thing happening to the Bible and Buddha teachings as well.. but it gets even more absurd. It is said that they also have been taught that if they kill a innocent person during Ramadan festival, they recieve double dosage of "good karma".

As time progress, the value of human life diminishes. People starts to use religious teachings for their own selfish cause. I guess not only human value is diminishing but also morale.

Nam's New Year Resolution List

Nah.. there's no list. I couldn't think of any exciting titles.. so I choose a boring title to make this blog even more boring. Well.. I hope it's not boring but some of you might think so. Anyway.. if I ever make a list before the end of this month, then I shall name it "New Year Evolution List".. it is far more exciting to evolve rather than resolve.

Well, uni is starting this week. Back to the old 4 days/week, 3 hrs/day routine. Meh.. with luck all this will end by August.

I have decided that my Corinne Bailey Rae's album is definitely one of the best investment I have made (musicwise) in quite sometime. It's one of those things where you buy an album just because of a song and you ending up loving the whole thing. This also happened to me with Brooke Fraser's "What To Do With Daylight".

Around last month, I got my hands on a copy of Lifehouse self-titled album. Good album.. and while I listen to the lyrics for the first time (I wasn't Lifehouse listener till now) and it makes me wonder whether Lifehouse is, in fact, a Christian band...do you know? Gosh, they released this amazing single called "You and Me" - love it. Now I'm currently listening to Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars"......aaah.... you gotta love that song.

Talking about bands, I received an e-mail from Jack, our guitarist from Elim and I was amazed to know that they are a "proper" band now. That's so crazy! It's crazy to see everybody making their own way in this world. When I read my all those blogs, which I don't get a chance to do often (sadly), and I feel that I only take glimsps at small episodes of their lives. One minute Sam is in Dunedin, next he's in Welly, next he's in Texas with Abbey. Eventhough I want to get very much up-to-date with all the news, it is impossible to do!! Well, it's not impossible.. *sigh* I blame it on my laziness.

It's a new year.. it's about time that I go blog-hoppin'

I wish you all a great 2007.. full of nice surprises, surround by lovely people, lots of meaningful relationships, a great job that pays well and come with a nice boss + colleague (it's a long shot but it won't hurt wishin')... HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Lots of love to you!

Happy New Year 2007

Happy New Year 2007!!..

..to all my friends in NZ, Thailand, USA, Hong Kong, Australia, and other parts of the world!!

Yes.. I'm still alive so don't worry. :-)

I did went out for a countdown party last night at a club called BaryanTree. I could not believe what was happening out there. I feel so sorry for those who died and injured. How could a human being can do such a thing!!! especially on such a happy occasion...will Thailand ever be safe again?