#YouKnowYoureOld

You know you're getting old and

have begun going over the hill when...

1. Nobody claps when you do something right; everybody frowns when you do something wrong.

2. Your colleague tells you she's 22 and your mouth automatically goes, "YOU'RE WHAT???" before your brain actually processes the information.

3. You laugh at the idea of still being in the office at midnight.

4. Your brain goes offline at 11PM anyways.

5. People ask you your age and you've gotta reeeally think and count the years before you can spit out a number.

6. Half the time, it's the wrong number. -_-'''

7. You signed your singlehood away.

8. You receive wedding invitations attentioned to you. Not your parents', with you being listed as "& Family".

9. You no longer wish Time would get its groove on and just move; it has begun to march to its own beat.

10. You'd actually rather pay for help than do it yourself cos half the time, your back is begging you not to lift that finger.

11. You finally make enough to be able to afford to pay for help.

12. You car repairs don't just take care of themselves. Neither does the fuel your car drinks. It all comes out of your pocket.

13. The government makes you pay taxes that disappear into thin air (or magically get converted into super big US$24 million diamond rings) once the money leaves your bank account.

14. You worry about the future.

15. You wonder if Malaysia's the best place to raise kids.

16. You worry if you're making enough to pay for baby's milk if/when the time comes.

17. You see a belly bulge slowly appear around your waist but it sure ain't a baby.

18. You start taking health supplements.

19. You worry if that finger stiffness in your right hand is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome waiting to happen.

20. You know the difference between PA, Medical and Life Insurance.

21. You actually have insurance. And pay for it.

22. You sometimes wake up with aches.

23. You wear glasses more often than you wear contact lenses.

24. While out shopping, your feet hurt faster than your wallet does.

25. You start buying flats instead of heels.

26. You prefer shopping alone cos you don't waste time waiting around.

27. You start investing in a few good outfits rather than many cheap ones.

28. Accessorising sounds like a LOT of work.

29. Watching a movie AT HOME on a FRIDAY NIGHT sounds tiring and you'd rather just vegetate.

30. It's not even midnight and you're already in bed.

Goodnight, peeps.

This old girl needs her sleep.

NOTE: This list was inspired by a post published by fourfeetnine. If you don't think you're there yet, GOOD FOR YOU! Don't grow up! Haha. Kidding. Advice on growing up to be found on Adulting. Some pretty-good-and-realistic-as-shit stuff there. And I say that even if you're Peter Pan.

29 February 2012

Gosh, 2012 is a leap year! Didn't realise this once-in-4-years occurrence would take place until it actually came along. Haha. So I guess... YAY! One extra day!

...to work. -_-'''

Wants Vs. Wishes

You know, I can't imagine

ever giving up my job in this lifetime*.

But then again... every once in awhile, when shit hits the fan and work feels like a chore, I imagine living the life of a stay-at-home wife who does nothing all day but ride white unicorns across the horizon in the morning, lazes in a bed of roses (no thorns, thank you) while being fed plump, juicy grapes from a silver platter by a fat cupid with too little clothes on in the afternoon, and goes to sleep in a cot of fluffy clouds with just the twinkle of the stars and the soft glow of the moon for light at night. =p

Haha. Yeah. Right.

Just give me work and a fat paycheck

in place of that white unicorn and fat cupid,

and I'll take it all with no second thoughts
any day of the week. =p

* I say "lifetime" but you know I don't really mean a w-h-o-l-e lifetime, right? Work till I'm 90? No way! Only up till the point of retirement, thank you. Say 50 or 55. Maybe less if I change my mind when I turn 40. =p But right now? I think 55's a good age to kick back and relax. But not while I'm at the peak of my adult life and my career, like now. After all, what's the point? Study 15 years of my life away, work a little and then suddenly decide to drop it all and do nothing with all the head knowledge and experience I've gained while I still have the strength, energy and my youth to make a difference?? Hell, no.

Political Quote Of The Day From A Non-Politician

"Over here, we're all anti-establishment, Pam.

Anything anti-establishment, WE SUPPORT!"

–  The Handyman from AA

Adult Supervision Required?

Am at the audio house supervising another writer at a recording with a Malaysian celebrity today. Not doing it cos I'm an ass like that but apparently, it was a special request by Big Man Boss of Words to the Production Manager that I be here for this. What since I've worked on the account with that celeb before and all.


Anyway, it's been awhile since I've been supervised, much less be supervised so I'm really trying to be nice even as I *cough* guide. But at the end of the day, this is her baby and I feel like I'm pissing all over her hard work just by being here and breathing down her neck. Overstepping creative boundaries and all that, you know? Especially since the suits ended up talking to me and not to her. Sigh.


Wait. Thinking about it now, I don't remember ever having had another writer all up in my grill while I'm at recording before. Instead, I got thrown right into the deep end to sink or swim on my own! In hindsight, I think I'd have been slightly offended if I was already on the job and later found out that the ECD made a request for another writer to sit in on my recording. Hmmm... But that's just me, I suppose. Haha. Possessive sial.

Better Than Adele

Rumor Has It (Adele Cover) by Mathai on The Voice, Season 2

If I end up following
The Voice (U.S. Season 2),
it'll be because of her.

Swim. Swam. Swum.

The Husband and I just came back from swimming in the less-than-hygenic communal pool downstairs. I swam a grand total of two laps (REAL laps ok; not that half lap shit that people often pretend is 1 lap – PFFT!) in like, 5-10 minutes, and then... the skies began to flicker dangerously.


Well, we didn't want to risk getting electrocuted right there and then so we went back upstairs all soaking wet immediately after and left a tell-tale drip-trail wherever we went, right up to our front door. (Forgot to bring along a towel. -_-')

Oh well... Looks like the stars are

not aligned in the favour of a healthier me. :-/

Not that I'm complaining, of course. =p

But hey, you can't say I didn't try. =D

New Year Cherries From My Oldest Friend

I know, I know. The year is nowhere close to being "new" anymore. Haha. But better late than never, right? So, don't judge. Instead, check out this little bag of goodies that somehow found its way from Adelaide, Australia to me in Penang this recent 1st of January 2012. =)

 A little bundle of edible love from Gannie.

Ignore the M&Ms in that pic, please. Cos we really

need to focus on the more important things in life:

LIKE CHERRIESSSS!!! =D =D =D

*cartwheels all around*

OMG, would you look at that???

Self-picked red and "white" cherries. <3

Now, to give you some history to dilute

the randomness of all this cherry talk:

You see, I blogged about indulging in red cherries one day last year. Gannie immediately comment-replied and What'sApp!-ed me to say that I should actually try eating white cherries instead cos she kinda likes them better. To that I said, "White what!?" Or something like that cos, like, I've never even heard of white cherries before, much less have a preference for them over the more common red ones we usually get here. Haha. So, she very kindly offered to get me some to try for myself since she recently went cherry picking over the Summer in Australia.

So... here were are, back with

the gift bag from Adelaide.

Those two items actually flew all the way from Adelaide to Singapore with Gannie, stayed in Singapore for awhile, then flew from Singapore to Penang with Gannie's mom. So it's really come a long way to get to me. So touched at the effort put in by an old friend to make sure her friend isn't a cherry sua ku and knows what white cherries look and taste like. And they look like this:

 White cherries up front.

Though let's not be kacang-lupakan-kulit

and forget the red cherries that have

made my life so sweet thus far. =p

 Familiar red cherries!

They're different on the outside

...and to my surprise, on the inside, too!

The insides of a white cherry on the left, and a red cherry on the right.

Both were good but I have to say, Gannie's right. The white ones are surprisingly (and most deceivingly) sweeter although they look a million times more sour than the dark, red ones! What a pleasant surprise. Too bad there weren't that many to go around. 20 cherries in total with just 8 super precious white ones. 

Every cherry counts.

Gosh, I can't believe I'm 27+ and I've never even seen a Cherry Tree before. Sigh. But that will change. Because I WILL go cherry picking someday. You mark my words. It's already on my travel to-do list! Right behind "Seeing Snow". T_T

-----------------

Dearest Gannie,

Thanks for the cherries (and the M&Ms).

It means the world to me that you'd go through

the trouble of flying those 20 precious cherries

all the way from Australia to me. Let's go

cherry picking together one day. Someday. =)

XOXO,

Pam Song

Bird Fever At Dorothy Perkins

On an exceptionally depressing Monday this month, while drowning in stress and adjusting to life as a working woman who earns enough to afford a maid but is expected to stay home and be a maid, I went shopping. Like, right after Sushi Zanmai lunch at Sunway Pyramid. Bad move on my part, to be honest. Cos it's ALWAYS bad to go shopping when the mind is weak and will is weaker. -_-'''


I ended up going home with two Dorothy Perkins' items I probably would have thought twice and thrice before buying if I had seen them at any other time. Not cos they're not things I wouldn't have liked, of course. But cos they both had birds on them. *cue shocked gasps from the crowd* Like, L-O-T-S of birds. :-/


My first purchase was a knee-length dress. Perfect for a nice dinner out, and still good for everyday wear to work. A decent buy in spite of the price tag IMHO but again, I'm surprised I actually bought this piece considering there are so many birds of every size and colour on them. Haha. Maybe the excellent cutting was just too good to let up and the birds just paled in comparison. =p

 One of the birds on my dress, up close.

Just a small portion of the dress near the waist.

The next item I didn't exactly plan on buying either. I just needed a little extra in order to qualify to become a Fashion Fast Forward member and get a 10% discount on these two items, PLUS every subsequent purchase I make throughout my lifetime, AND 20% off on my birthday month, too! @_@

So I impulse purchased these black flats.

As you can see, they are also filled with birds. :-/

I'm usually a 4 or a 5 at other shoe stores so it's pretty weird that I'm just a tiny 3 at Dorothy Perkins. Haha. Whatever the case, they fit and they're really, really comfortable. (No, I'm not just consoling myself.) Anyway, considering how quickly I seem to run through my black flats these days (an average of 1 every 3 months @_@ no kidding), an extra pair of black flatties is really no biggie for me. =)

Besides, maybe these two items will turn out to be

the investment that will help me get over my fear of birds! =D 

 HAHA. Yeah, right. =p

Goals

A goal that is easily achieved, is useless. A goal that is achievable but stretches the individual, motivates. But a goal that is totally unachievable, does nothing but discourages.


So, what kind of goals are YOU setting for yourself and the people around you? Are you putting them up for failure? Or are you pushing them on to be all they can be?

Motivation In A Header

I finally got around to changing my header last night cos... well, I figured having a Christmas header up in March would just be ridiculous and not to mention embarassing. (Not that it wasn't ridiculous during Chinese New Year lah but... whatevaaaa. =p) So what we've got now is this:

I took that picture during our family vacation in Phuket over Chinese New Year break. Who knows? Maybe seeing it daily will motivate me to keep story-ing you guys about what happened there. Haha. Cos if you think that the scenery in that header is pretty and calming, you have no idea how pretty the actual sight of it was. And I have more pictures to prove it. So, stay tuned for more! =)

Healthy Snacking All Through The Afternoon

 Planters' Dry Roasted Sunflower Kernels.

Another impulse purchase from my last trip to the grocers'. Haha. Used to eat this when I was younger. But it was super expensive then. (Or maybe I was just super poor from being a non-working 8-year-old. =p) At least it has become today's healthy post-lunch, pre-dinner, mid-afternoon snack. =)

Ate a handful of that, then I washed it all down with some instant Miso. Yup, the very kind I used to drink when I was still having cold afternoons and late nights at the MCKL office. Haha. Ahhh, those were the days. =) At least those little instant packets of seaweed-ed miso still taste as good. <3

A Little Self-Pampering Goes A Long Way

Finally "completed" my freelance project this afternoon. (By "completed" I mean the copy has been finalised but the artwork hasn't started yet so if any problems crop up there, some tweaking on my part may still be necessary. Boo hoo. T_T) Got home, washed my hands, grabbed my tools, and immediately got to work.

30 minutes later...

DIY manicure in Tickle My France-y

from O.P.I La Collection De France.

The same one I had on during our ROM.

One layer of O.P. I Nail Envy (the best nail strengthener around, IMHO) topped with three generous layers of Tickle My France-y on each nail. Ahh, now I feel a little better about being overworked. =)

So Last Year

My 27th birthday, that is. But just last week, I f-i-n-a-l-l-y collected my birthday present from my Fairy Godma. It was already pretty well belated when she passed it to Mee but by the time I actually collected it... ha. ha. ha. I don't even know what to call the past tense of belated to complete that sentence. =p

But anyway, here it is:

No, it ain't underwear, you perv. It's...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

...pajama pants!! =D

Argggh, I LOVE La Senza jammies to the max!! =D

*palpitates*

My Fairy Godma sure knows me well. =)

(But then again, she's always been the kind of person

who's got a gift for buying good presents. =p)

Anyway, I brought this birthday present down to KL with me when The Husband and I drove back last weekend and started wearing them last night. (At least I'm still 27 and will continue to be for another 9 months. Haha.) They're super duper comfortable, they look amazingly presentable for jammy pants, and their XS sizing fits me just right. =)

Me in my 27th birthday jammy pants.

The Gap

via alwayscuilin

"Finest Berries In The World" Konon

After trying blueberries for the first time a month ago, I fell into instant love with those little blue bite-sized fruits. But as quickly as I fell in love (more like fell into infatuation =p), I just as conveniently forgot about them as soon as I came back down to KL. Until last Wednesday when Mimick brought some to work to bribe us with share.

 Blueberries from Mimick('s mother)!!!

This is Mimick... pretending to work.

So, on a whim, I ended up impulse purchasing a tiny box of blueberries for The Husband and I while grocery shopping at 1MK last night. (We eat fruits at home after dinner every day.) Got sidetracked by the imported fruit aisle before I even made it to the local fruit section, man. Haha. There were rows and rows of strawberries, raspberries, cherries and blueberries. I picked this one:

 Driscoll's Blueberries from USA.

 With the top open.

There was another brand on the shelf with bigger, rounder blueberries for sale, too, but they were significantly more expensive. RM24.95 – that's RM10 more for pretty much the same thing! The Penangite in me wouldn't allow it. So, I got this pack for just RM14.90. The only visible difference? The size. And... uh... size doesn't matter? =p

Washed blueberries in a bowl.

After a bite.

Funny but I always thought blueberries were like cherries or strawberries – the same colour on the outside as they are on the inside. Looks like I was wrong. =p


p/s: The blueberries weren't great. Some were sour. I won't be buying them again.

Sittin' Solo

Found Baby the most perfect parking lot

in Publika today when I was there for lunch.

Not I park senget ah... Purposely park with more space

on the driver's side for me to get out of the car wan. :-/

If only there were more lots like these in the city. "Friendly", side-by-side parking lots mean putting my car at risk of getting unsightly dents all along the side, no thanks to inconsiderate and thoughtless people who shouldn't be allowed to own cars or ride in them in the first place. And in case you didn't know, I love my car too much to be okay with dents. But then again, if you think I'm weirdly obsessed with my car, Dee's a million times worse. =p

Lunch With The Old Folks

No, not literally. But these folk aren't new on Tinki Talks.

Friends, say "hello" again to Umberraerra and Ah Beng!! =D

Umberraerra, Ah Beng and I.

This reunion has been a loooong time coming. It was actually supposed to take place last Friday but... aiya, you know lah. Advertising timetable unpredictable like shit wan. So it just tak jadi in the end. My fault entirely. (But in my defence, Ah Beng wasn't even planning to show up last week.) But today, we finally walked the talk at The Bee, Publika.

My lunch – 180gm Australian minced beef burger with cheese from The Bee.

It was really good catching up with these friends who've had a taste of the industry life and are able to understand advertising speak. Haha. Makes me even more thankful to have a flexi (more or less lah) work schedule with MCKL, too. We will definitely be doing this Friday lunch thingy again. Hopefully soon. And next time, hopefully Balala shows up and graces us with his dark presence. The fella FFK today. ECD too busy to eat lunch. =p

Moving Over

MCKL has been overflowing with so many Creatives this season (maxed-out headcount!) that some of us have had to sit with the Brand Team for awhile. Until next week's new seating notice that was sent to us two evenings ago:

Yay! It's good to finally make my way back

to the dark side where the Creatives live. =)

Uh... When we actually get moving, that is. =p

Fancy-Schmancy Fine And Dandy

I have a confession to make:

I'm actually not very big on fancy titles.

I was not one of those writers who got into the industry with a clear goal or specific dream that they'd have to achieve Senior Writer status in 5 years... or else. Unlike some other people like know. *cough Tim Tams cough* =p But here I am anyway. Much to my surprise, to be honest. But then again, if it means getting the chance to do the same thing I've always loved to do with more freedom, less supervision and more money, to that I say, "Sure! Why not? Bring it on." =)


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Related Post
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• Confirmed [Thursday, February 23, 2012]

Personal Rant On People With Dollars And Cents

I get really disgusted when I see people acting like they freaking own a person just because those people are sitting on their payroll. Hey, jerk! All your money pays for is 8 hours of office work a day, okay. It's business. You need them as much as they need you. So, you don't get to talk to them like they're less than human just because you're the one with the big office with a view. >(

Money isn't everything. Character is.

If only more people knew that. Sigh.

p/s: In case you were planning on jumping to conclusions... =p No, this rant isn't about my bosses at MCKL. They're really, really nice people who treat everyone as equals in spite of having that big office with a view. =)

Black Monday Every Day

Two Mondays ago, before I left for work, I texted Traffic to check on things and got the heads-up that work was going to start getting c-r-a-z-y. So I made sure I dressed the part. Like so:

Monday, 13 February 2012 – before work.

Well, I ended up dressing in full black from head to toe every day (or at least every other day) since then – not intentionally, to be honest – because I haven't exactly felt very "colourful" on the inside from all that overworking either. (T_T)


But this week, I think I finally gave up on the dark-days-looming thing when picking out my outfit of the day cos it now feels like Black Monday every day, making it like, Black Week or something. Boo hoo. So, to change my mojo and turn things around, today, I did a totaly 180º and went red-ish instead. =)

Thursday, 23 February 2012 – after work and

on the way home after doing some grocery shopping.

Hmmm... maybe colour-psychology thing

really works! Maybe. Just maybe.

Confirmed

Because I've sold my soul to MCKL once before and our working relationship was pretty stable back then, the management (i.e. Big Man Boss of Words and his mah cais) and I have been moving forward with things over nothing more than verbal agreements with regards to my hire. It's been on an I-trust-you-won't-screw-me-over-and-you-trust-I-will-show-up-to-work basis since 1 February 2012.

But then today came along...

A part of me feels good about the legality,

stability and finality all this paperwork provides.

But... another part of me is going,

"OMG, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??" =p

No Time To Breathe

Soboggeddownwithworkrightnowit'snotfunnygtgokthxbai.

Phuket, February '12: Getting There

On the 3rd day of Chinese New Year, The Husband and I along with his family left for a super delayed family holiday in Phuket, Thailand. We initially meant to make a trip together at the end of 2011 but procrastination won out – haha, big surprise there – and the trip ended up getting delayed to late January 2012.


We left Muar on the 2nd day of CNY, arrived in KL a little past midnight, and had to wake up super early to catch our flight out of KLIA the morning of the 3rd day of CNY. OMG, I felt jet-lagged before even leaving! Haha. (I've never actually experienced such a hectic CNY holiday before. My family usually escapes the heat and traffic of town and heads up to the highlands for quiet CNYs.)


Anyway, the cabs (we needed two) arrived at our doorstep before dawn. But distance was great and traffic was heavy at certain areas (hello, KL!) so by the time we arrived at KLIA, the sun was up.

KLIA Departure drive-through area.

The gate we entered by.

The airport was bustling by then and because of that, the queue for MAS' international check-in was ridiculously long. We even bumped into a church member – aaronthj – who was waiting in the same line to board an international flight to Singapore. So instead of just waiting, The Husband and his older brother ran off to find a way to get us in through the self check-in kiosks. (The same one I used when I traveled to Surabaya back in July 2009.)

Passports belonging to The Husband and I.

Success followed and before you know it, we were in and looking at planes landing and taking off over drinks at a café. Soon after that, we went through immigration and boarded Flight MH786 to Phuket, Thailand.

Flight MH786 to Phuket, Thailand.

Appreciating the greens of our local landscape soon after take-off.

More clouds come into view the higher we fly.

A sky filled with cotton candy clouds

and seemingly nothing above or under! =D

But of course when our in-flight food came,

my interest in nature went out the window. Haha.

Chinese New Year food cover! So semangat.

 

After slipping the festive cover open.

After opening the foil that covers the dish.

NASI LEMAK!!! =D =D =D

I can't remember what our other option was on this flight but the Nasi Lemak was so good I don't even care. Gosh, the fragrant rice... the hard boiled egg... the prawn sambal... the kacang and the ikan billis... OMGGGG!!! *dies and goes to heaven* So good. If only I could tapau this to work every morning. And why did I specifically mention tapau? Well, cos these guys are PROS when it comes to tapauing. 

Kacang and ikan billis. Very wisely kept separate

to ensure its crispiness and crunchiness.

Ahhh, bottom line is that this was damn good lah. In fact, it was so good that The Husband even wolfed down my leftover prawn sambal. (I dare not eat too much in case lau sai while on holiday lah. Dun play play with seafood + sambal, man.) And he's not even a fan of prawns! Look!

The Husband greedily stuffing his face with my leftovers.

You're lucky it's pixelated. It wasn't very appealing to look at. HAHA. But I'll tell you what's appealing. PHUKET!!! Just look at the beauty that appeared before our very eyes even from the time our plane was circling the skies before landing!

More on Phuket soon. Stay tuned!

p/s: It actually feels way more than rocket science trying to blog about family holidays when the only family I can show on this blog... is me. @_@