Tale of the Restroom....

Out of boredom, I took this pic of the restroom in the hotel while awaiting the start of the event and also for the rest of the gang to arrive for the offsite event yesterday....

I know lar; I am so bored out of my wits and nothing better to do lar.....but hey, at least that's better than a peeping tom:p

Check out the sign on the door.

I still remember the first time I was here in this hotel; didn't occur to me that this was the restroom. For the Gents, it was the picture of men in top hat.

Really of formal stature to place a sign like this to indicate the gender:)

Classy and chic huh?

Something out of the box?

If you are fascinated (or not) of this, check out the following pictures I got from a friend on the other more "interesting" so-called toilet pics....

I don't know which place uses these signs nor where they are.....and I also cannot vouch whether these places really do exist.

But, just for laughs and also you will be amused with the creativity...some of them were pretty explicit...

Haha...need I say more?

Another obvious sign for the gender.....didn't I mention it was explicit?

Hmmm.....more abstract ....

And these...I don't get it...any takers?

Why Chilli for men and shell for women? I don't get it....

Offsite meeting...

Today I didn't go to the office; I am not sick/on MC, not slacking from work lar:P It was actually the offsite of GPTW; a social linkage/functional group which organizes activities for the department (something that HR in other companies do:) It actually comprises of voluntary members of the department who are willing to spare a couple of their hours beside working time to run around and get their hands down to organize fun-filled activities for the department:p

Offsite....a term used for meetings/conferences that are basically conducted out of the office premises/grounds. It sounds fun, right? :)

So, this year, we went to Evergreen Laurel Hotel which is located on Gurney Drive....similar to last year...I remembered their buffet lunches from the past 2 events; the meeting last year and also a management promo lunch. Not bad for this hotel....

Oklar....being Angelstar, I am well-known for my annoyingly punctual or early habits. I was there early...trying to steer clear of the jams bla bla bla...then I remembered that it was actually school holidays....

Anyway, better early than late (Angelstar's motto)....and soon, I was again, walking around with my camera in my hand and book in the other (yes, I brought along a book - that's bookworm me lar...and books are like, my bestest friends in the world....sorry ya, LaydieBug:p )

There were a couple of folks there in the lobby and I was walking around, looking like a completely lost soul (and looking ultimately silly at the same time).

I finally went to the conference room (how hard is it to find the exact same conference room as last year which was located right on the ground level...from the main entrance, just walk to the center and towards the elevator, push the door, and tadaa....that's Kelawei room:p

The conference room; booked for 8.30a.m...I think the hotel put it as 8.00a.m...whatever:p

To make sure that this is not the wrong room; hmmmm.....yes, Kelawei room:)

The refreshments table - they will provide us with breakfast and tea......not now lar:p
The room......
Yes, yes, I am in the right room.....

Soon, the people arrived...filling up the room with the rowdy gang:)

The story of the pencil and paper; provided to us by the hotel for our conference purpose.
Guess what became of them? All the sketching and numerous signature styles of our people....sighhh.....and they are working adults...I thought so too:p

When they first came in, their first question was not on the agenda(which was not even remotely on their mind...).
HUNGRY ar....Mei See (our Finance Minister who got us the room and made all the food arrangements....logistics)

Haha....breakfast was not ready until 9.00a.m.....

While waiting for the food to be served, what did we do to spend the half an hour's time?

1. Signing the farewell card for our President who's leaving to go back to the city (Kay-el)...we are gonna miss her lots...
2. He's sulking that we asked everyone but him to sign the card...haha; and he refused to take pictures the whole day:p He's usually our photographer mar....

3. And who could resist some cam-whoring?

Some people are just vain....haha, demanding for camera attention:p

Breakfast, FINALLY!!~

This is the hardest mini bun we have ever had; our new advisor actually told us to keep this buns to throw at those who fall asleep during the conference....haha, pretty "out of the box" thinking hor:p

This mini bun was in the hands of a lady whom I was told to observe on her method of eating the bun....

Step 1: Bite the bun

Step 2: Taste and swallow the filling (which was lotus paste).

Step 3: Throw away the bun pastry...hahaha....

Guess who is she?:P

Another mind-disturbing drink....coffee and tea....neither for me:p

Not good.....but it was essential for everyone to keep themselves awake...haha:p

Our president took great care to serve everyone and was chuckling at why am I taking pictures of coffee and tea....

This gal, our games master...haha, her partner is nowhere to be found - getting his food and teaching me how to take pics....:p

She's still sitting her finalizing the games plans....when are you going for breakfast?

She brought this box of colourful pegs...for the game oooo.....seems like we're game for some pain....

Sighhh....after breakfast, look at the addition to the water and mentos sweets provided...these people, are they really here for conference and brainstorming or partying ar?

Hahaha....all the junkies.....bad for health....

And this mango was brought by the President for those who were hungry:p

Now this is a healthy snack...good for health; but somehow, they didn't finish it up....compared to those junkies:p

Muffin......courtesy of the hotel upon receiving the complaint from us that the mini buns were too hard....hahaha...not bad ler:)

By then, everyone was really too full to take a bite; so instead of keeping the hard buns, most of the people kept this freshly baked muffins in front of them.

Hmmmm..despite their Too Full statements, I noticed the muffins also started disappearing pretty soon....

Due to the pleasure in receiving some reaction to our complaints(in the form of those muffins),our committee then suggested that we also complain about the lack of prawns in the mee hoon which they tried so hard to stir from the vermicelli....

Tak boleh tahan lar....these people ar....too much lar (give them an inch, they want a foot - some old Chinese saying...)

Our Logistics/Finance Minister this round....hehehe....who got us all the good stuffs for the conference and took good care of our convenience.....gal power!!

Had a great day...really enjoyed the time with them...haha, there were lots of laughs here and there. The game we played was actually of the Truth telling type - 2nd level of Ice-breaking (we knew each other well enough dy).

Due to the nature of the questions asked, we started having all those rumour speculation....sighhhh....they are now changing their job scope to matchmaking:p

Despite the hectic schedule we had during work, I am really glad to have found something out of working scope and also to have met such fun and cool people(though they are rowdy) to work with in organizing all those interesting activities.

Coming from diversified backgrounds, the element present here amidst the complicated organization is the commitment and the relentless effort in getting things done and also in breaking the barriers of communication:)

Had a fruitful day; and I think they finished all those junkies...some of the junkies were from our store...and I did remember them complaining of those expired Mamee and also the moldy jellies:p

Anyway, great and I do enjoy releasing my mind off the normal workload to spend some time with these people and also the weekly meetings.

Go GPTW.....for a great year 2007 ahead!!

Dog-Couple?

Heard this term being uttered by someone in the office yesterday and I was a little shocked to hear it; not that this is the first time I heard it - a pretty common Chinese term to describe a couple who has committed adultery or any shocking sexual scandal.
The reason why it spurned my shock was also due to the harshness of the sound the word being used.
"Gou Nan Nu"(in Mandarin) or "Kao Lam Lui"(in Cantonese) - it does sound so harsh and really demoralizing in picturing the extent the couple described has gone to and the level of disgust it has triggered among the people.
Having said that, I still find this word inappropriate to be used to judge or evaluate any person; regardless of whether they were found guilty of adultery or not.
Why do I say that, you may ask....
Well, my first question is are we really worthy of our behaviours to pass judgement on others? Dare we say we are indeed "clean" and not guilty of anything at the same time?
Don't tell me you have never done anything wrong or excuses that I do not commit adultery.
Whether you admit it or not, each and everyone of us commits sins everyday...and I am not referring to only a singular noun for sin; in fact, we are sinners everyday.....

Shaking your head vigorously in disagreement? Well....what about those little white lies you tell your friend when you have other plans instead of joining them on their little outing?
What about their feigned sickness you had when you were too lazy to get out of your bed to get to work on a rainy day?
What about the evil thought that crosses your mind now and then when you envy someone else who looks better than you?
What about those remarks you made/agreed to when someone else criticizes another?
What about those times where you were in the gossip and you did nothing to defend the person being speculated? You may not be the one gossiping; but yet at the same time, you did nothing to defend the person's honor.

Look at the big picture; we do little things which are not right every single day in our lives - whether in thoughts or in actions.
And yes, even your thoughts count:)
We thought that our little demeanour are not seen nor visible to others and that we are "clean" but behold, there lies a greater power beyond who sees and knows every single thing we think, do and say.
Thus, do we dare say that we clean again?

Back to the topic of addressing a couple as dog-lovers which practically (in despicable language) refers to a couple of shameless adulterer and adultress.
In this age of the century, I find this a little shallow to use these terms....of course I am not sure who they are referring to but whoever it is, I pity the ears these fall unto or the intended target of the term.
I was pondering on what could 2 people have done to deserve this term...and I concluded that no one should have the right to say that of others.
Adultery? How do you define adultery?
In common terms, we do know that adultery is a wrong sexual relationship between a man and a woman under the following circumstances:
1. Either party is married and this is beyond the knowledge of the lawful spouse
2. In the olden days, both parties are unmarried and this is considered out of wedlock - now it is pretty common, even among our young teenagers.

Keeping this in view, to me, both situations make no difference. Perhaps everyone will regard the first case as rightfully to be criticized.
Perhaps so, since they are hurting another party...BUT (yes, there's always a but), how do we know their story? Perhaps they were the ones belonging to each other and they were forced to marry their spouses? Or any intertwining story within that may not be available to public?
Yeah...I know, it is not easy to accept a cheating spouse...it's always easier said than done especially when you are not the person facing the situation.
However, I still believe in the different perspectives and aspects to view a situation. You never know what you may see from the situation and try to put yourself in the shoes of the person.
Trust me, it doesn't feel good at all....
My point is; everything happens for a reason....whether it is wrong or right...furthermore, there is no wrong or right...it is all a matter of perspective.

My advice to those people out there, do be more sensible and considerate in passing out judgmental remarks. You may have the freedom of speech; but do think of the impact on the people on whom these remarks befall upon and try picturing yourselves in the situation.
I am still disgusted by this piece of comment which came out of someone whom I would have known better to have the basic common sense of a human being to say things like that in public.
Have you really seen those two committing adultery/ caught in the act?
Are you really sure they are adulterers/adulteresses??
Furthermore, I believe these may be baseless statements to begin with and is just another ostracizing effort to ruin others whom they dislike.
Sighhhhh.......
Judgmental people are really shallow and to me, plain despicable.....

"For those who believe they have not sinned in their lifetime, take a step forward and cast the first stone..." - Jesus Christ in the stoning of a woman accused of adultery at the stake.

Lee Da Hae look-alike

I have posted on this in my other blog but I still wanted to do another post here.

I have been once again compared to the Korean actress, Lee Da Hae!!! Freaky....huh?

First of all, for those who do not know Lee Da Hae, she was the cute little girl who acted in those Korean dramas or soap operas aired over 8TV for some time. Her two series were shown over the last 3-4 months; namely Green Rose and My Girl.

I didn't really catch Green Rose although Mum and dad told me it was an interesting series but I managed to catch a few last episodes of My Girl.

Surprisingly though, during that time, I felt attracted to her in the series and looked forward to watch her every night. There seemed to be some kind of mystical sense of familiarity I could not put myself to think of. Also, take note that nobody told me yet of the resemblance to her.

Soon enough, mum and dad came to tell me how much I resemble this cute actress and also the verdict actually came from all my aunts who glued themselves to the TV screen every night to watch this girl whom they claimed reminds them of their niece.

In fact, they even got a copy of the series in DVD to watch her...LOL....guess my aunts are really fans of Lee Da Hae:)

Now, everyone seems to say she is so much like me in looks; in fact they felt like they were watching me on TV...and now even my bestie said the same thing (she posted it on her blog:p )

I do not know what to say; this is definitely not the first time I have been said to resemble some Korean actresses; to date, the most prominent ones are Kim Tae Hee( of Stairway to Heaven and Love in Harvard), Son Ye Jin (Summer Scent), Song Hye Kyo (Full House, All In and Autumn in My Heart) and even Jang Nara (Mischievous Princess, My Love Patzzi).

However, amazingly and coincidentally, all these claims happen to be my favourite actresses whom I really love to watch on the screen.

I have tried out this Face Recognition tool on the web as well; which actually runs an artificial matching based on your photos (Face selection) to match that of the celebrities.

I have tried this out and I was kinda impressed that they actually implemented this artificial mind in a software to find matches and not just one, they can actually reveal several matches and also the percentage of the similarity you bear in resemblance to the celebrity.

Hahahaha....will it be a surprise if I told you that I was often matched to Korean celebrities? I find it hilarious sometimes and one of the more recurring one will be Kim Tae Hee; the lady who bore the same surname as me. In fact, she was also one of Korean celebrities whom I am really fond of despite her first appearance as a villain and evil lady in Stairway to Heaven where she played the evil stepsister who tried to break up the leading and perfect couple in the series. I must say she was one of the first villain whom I did not hate and in fact, liked her so much. She is pretty; with big doe-like eyes that made her so unconvincing as a villain...and so...uhhh, un-villainlike:p

I was even found to match Son Ye Jin and Song Hye Kyo; both rising young actresses after appearing in those four-season themed drama with tragic love stories; Summer Scent and Autumn in My Heart respectively.

Both have that innocent and sweet appeal in them and have also similarly starred alongside the famous Korean heartthrob; Song Seung Hun.

Jang Nara was another one whom I was matched to resemble.

There's also another Japanese actress whom I was found to resemble; Nanako Matsushima.

As I have said, apparently all those whom I resembled coincidentally turned out to be my favourite actresses..haha...but I don't see myself in them lar.

Observing the trend; seems like I resemble mostly Korean actresses; perhaps there may be some connection to Korean ancestry through my surname after all....LOL.

I have no comments; perhaps you guys can help me judge and give me the verdict:

Should I be happy to look like Korean actresses and rising stars....? Hahaha....vanity fair huh?

Nah....I am still AngelstarChristy...the same old me:)

Lee Da Hae - the main topic of the blog and the highest vote count from most to date.

2. Kim Tae Hee - the most number of matches from the Face Recognition tool and we have the same surname:p

Big eyes....match was about 70% above.....

3.Son Ye Jin (also found to match through the same web tool:)

4. Song Hye Kyo - my all-time favourite Korean actress.

Now, my own image collage....all about me....

So, still look alike? haha...I look like...ME:) AngelstarChristy all time....unique:)

Christmas - Spirit of Giving

(Re-posted this from my MSN Space:P....a little bit more on Christmas view)

Christmas is a time of joy and giving - not just presents but the spirit of giving and receiving and meeting your loved ones are the main highlights of the season. When we talk about giving, it is also about giving in soul and love for others. This calls for the time to forget and forgive which is usually the toughest. It is always easier said than done when it comes to forgetting the bad deeds someone has done to you; especially it involves a grudge, hatred or any form of scar-deep rivalry and finding a space in your heart to actually forgive that person. It is never easy, of course, we all know that but we are also aware that it is not entirely impossible as deep down inside, the decision lies there. It is whether YOU want to do it; are you willing to unheave the burden of the grudge and hatred from your heart, soul and mind?
Christmas is not all about shopping for presents, heaving those annual Christmas trees tucked in the basement/attics to be dusted and put up in the living hall, decorating tinsels and neon lights, getting new apparel, spring cleaning, baking cookies/cakes, preparing for that family reunion, listening to Christmas carols, attending Midnight masses,etc although that seemed to be the trend these days when we even see Non-Christians getting into the festive mood themselves as they find the joy in dressing themselves in Santa costumes, Santarina dresses, hanging those stockings and mistletoes at home...and throwing wild parties...I have no qualms or discriminations on that; although I personally feel that Christmas is actually a more religious-like occasion and not as commercialized as we are actually celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is also the Lamb of God and we know that he was the born Saviour to the world who will be saving mankind from their evil deeds and sins and free us from the suffering upon the judgement.
Christ did not lead an easy life either; in fact far from it. He was tortured to his death despite living a life doing good deeds and he never even harmed anyone.But because people disbelieved and scorned on his proclaimation at being the Son of God, he was punished severely and yes, even at his life's stake.
What has HE ever done? He was giving and giving and also trying to mend things up with people, but no one took the time to see and hear him and kept pushing him to the verge of his life.
And, when they crucified him, all he said was "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they have done"
Look at the big picture, this man was unruly accused of speculation (although it sounds absurd at that point to have someone to admit as the Son of God) but does it really have to be his Life to be paid?
They did not even consider the values of humanity and that sense of mankind when they inflicted all those horrifying pain on him and he was not even mad at any of them. He still lifted the pain and suffering from himself to find space to forgive those people.
It is actually a choice made by HIM; not forced unto him by God the Father.
Yes, he did questioned God "Abba, why have you forsaken me?" but deep down inside, he has the answer that God is there for him and he MADE the choice to forgive them instead of holding grudges and telling his Father (God himself) to kill and punish those people.
WHY?Did we take the time to actually ponder on this? He was badly battered and suffered to his last dying breath and he can still forgive them?
To me, it is pretty simple, grudges are a chain of negative effects in emotions which can be passed on and on infectiously. It spreads faster than you can say "Jack Robinson" but is there a point in that?
Instead of holding a grudge, isn't it a lot easier to free that space and open it up for brighter things in life?
It is not easy holding a grudge; furthermore grudges and it also makes a person unhappy with a negative burden in his/her heart.
We keep reminding ourselves that I dislike this person and I am not going to be friends with this person anymore when it is actually a lot easier to not hold any stones in the heart and just treat everyone the same way; positively and happily.

I have been in situations like these myself where I was actually pushed to the edge or the verge of my limits and was still continually battered (mentally of course).It was a downtime for my morale as well and I felt so down in the dumps but I never gave up.I felt that I am sincere in my giving and that I should not be overtaken by something which is just not worth it and furthermore, not my fault to begin with.In fact, I have to admit that I recently landed myself in a situation like this as well and it was not easy feat.I have tried my best to mend things but it is probably beyond my self-boundaries to set the rules and to force people to adhere or to even want to patch things up.Sad to say this,but it really takes two hands to clap and despite the amount of effort, without the other hand, it is not going to clap.
I will still leave that space in my heart open and hoping for the day when the skies will clear.I will also continue to pray for them that they will one day find that space in them to open up and let go of all the past.
It is sad but life goes on and I am a determined and free-willed girl, remember? I will not let this be the main downfall....it's not the end of the world.Over the course of life journey, we are bound to have people from all walks of life crossing our paths and we cannot expect to please everyone and that everyone shares the same passion or enthusiasm. That is why God invented us human beings; to be unique and different from the others which clearly distinguishes us.Come on, even identical/Siamese twins have their differences.

I am not hoping for anything but that everyone will be happy with their decisions; and also in their choice of the paths taken.
Perhaps the skies will clear one day and the rainbow will prevail.
I learnt a lot from things like these and definitely made me become a wiser person...as the saying goes; "It doesn't kill you; it only makes you stronger"

So, let us truly observe in the true spirit of Christmas and find that space in our hearts to open up to truly receive the giving spirit of Christ through his birth.

Countdown to Christmas

Yippee....it's that time of the year again!!

Do you smell the whiff of the snow?

Do you hear the sleigh bells?

Yeayyy...Santa Claus is coming soon...and it is Christmas time!!

My favourite time of the year..(besides my birthday, that is) and this is the birth of Christ; our Saviour, our Lord and the most trusted friend in life. I always view Christ as my bestest friend in soul as well; someone I can always count on whenever things happen and I know HE will never desert me:)

A little religious sentiment on my part; but that's the power of faith:)

Back to my excitement for Christmas; it's just so magical...I started loving Christmas since I was young and have been dreaming of a white Christmas (as sung by Jim Reeves - a singer whom I am only too familiar and grew up disliking over the sound of his voice on the cassette player on Sunday evenings over the years:p )

But, really, White Christmas is such a beautiful thing and my bro has seen it himself; a couple of years back in Japan....gosh, I am envious of him:p

Hmmmm, perhaps I am picky; but if I were given the opportunity, I would choose to have a White Christmas in a western country compared to the East and no, I am not practising any form of discrimination nor am I just being those perks who only look up to the West and belittle the East.

Perhaps in my mindset and also those years on the black box which constantly depicts the spirit of Christmas and the atmosphere in the West which definitely surpasses any in the East and you can actually feel the true spirit of Christmas in their celebration.

Of course it helps that in the West, the majority of the Population are actually Christians or Catholics and thus the spread of Christmas is much grander as compared to us in the East here.

However, having said that, I do know of places here in our Asia region which also upscales their Christmas decorations on the streets in creating the festive atmosphere. In case you are wondering, Hong Kong is one of them which definitely celebrates Christmas in a trendy manner.

The street decorations are amazing....beautiful sceneries and brightly lit neon lights hanging everywhere...

Besides Hong Kong, another nearer location to look out for will be our neighbour, Singapore, the international port which is profoundly renowned for their Christmas Decorations on Orchard Road which is also one of the most famous and reputable shopping alleys in Asia:)

Weeee....Christmas's coming...You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why...Santa Claus is coming to town....hehehe

Christmassy mood now.....and I do know Santa Claus's story since I was young and yes, he doesn't exist...he doesn't come from the North Pole to bring me presents, doesn't climb the chimneys/rooftops (as if we have chimneys anyway here in Malaysia), doesn't creep into our rooms on Christmas Eve, and doesn't put in those presents into our little stockings hanging by the fireplace or bed poles. Hahaha...we don't even have those fireplaces in Malaysia...we have the air-conditioning pipe hole...:p

There's also no such list as the good and bad list so:p

But, this all comes down to the intention of promoting the spirit of Christmas - Santa Claus may be a myth or fantasy; but in fact, there is a St Nicholas who is actually the precedent figure of the prominent and mythical Santa.

Also, about giving presents and also the checklist on good behaviour is purely good in intention as well - to instill good character in kids and also to foster closer relationships in the family through the giving/exchanging presents which will make every family member feel remembered and wanted and also cultivates a sense of appreciation within.

So, who cares about myths or facts...let's just continue to elude in the world of fantasy sometimes...hehe, there's a child within us anyway:D

No snow here in Malaysia...well, it's been raining lately, White->WET Christmas then :)

No sleigh bells ringing? Haha....you can look around for cars honking, trishaws, bicyles hooters...whatever pleases your imagination.

All that being said, main point is, happiness is within our reach - it is all in the mind...so, continue dreaming....of a white Christmas *winks*

The story of the dustbin

Haha...I am not getting boring lar...just decided to bring this story to light.
I find it ridiculous that nowadays the garbage collectors are so picky in collecting the trash.
They will not pick up those trash which you put in smaller plastic bags; nopes; they will only target the big trash bags and not smaller ones.
Now, I do know it is difficult if you do not put them in a bag as we can't expect them to pick up the items individually.
But, what's the problem when you already put them in bags for them?
Perhaps they will argue that the plastic bags are also smaller and thus they prefer to heave all in one at the same time.
Sighhh...what's to become of the world when even garbage collection becomes an issue of argument?