I hate taking photos with Collin.

Cause it accentuates my fat face. Bleh.

Doing my last minute update as the other passengers continue to board.

Eh, I’ve been awake for almost 24 hours by now. History repeats itself every work trip seriously. I’m going off to give the factories some good spanking.

With this, I am leaving behind dear Missy Ting who came back all the way from Kate Middleton’s UK for 10 days, only to realize I’ll be away a good 5 days of the entire duration.

Woe is me.

So we spent our time in whatever ways possible – including her acting all oriental, chunli and super runway model at LL! Heh. : )

You are my laughing antidote and bitching partner forever loh!

Be back! Till then! : )

this wednesday is a good day.

I’m overcome by a barrage of emotions, good ones mostly. So here I am, my natural outlet – blogging – though I am ashamed to admit and I’m a super infrequent blogger. Maybe I shouldn’t call myself a blogger, more like just a random someone who owns a wordpress account by chance.

Thank you, readers, who conscientiously clicked on my blog each day, contributing to the hits, only to see the same old post. *ashamed*

My work is contradictory. I own a blogshop myself. But I also own a wholesale business that helps build other blogshops. If you ask me if I ever felt a tinge of jealousy to see other blogshops aka my own customers do better than I do – well yes, I do sometimes. But more often than not, this jealousy is way marginalised by the happiness and excitement for my customers to see that they are doing well and we are there to grow together with them. This is not propaganda. Haha. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

Today, I received great news that two of them are expanding; and another just had a successful launch for her manufactured item and is expecting a backorder.

I’m so so so happy for you girls! xxxx : )

These incidents plus my sporadic thoughts of late – it’s funny how in mere two days, whatever I am doing now suddenly makes so much sense. Enough to make me feel that I’m possibly in a better position than I ever was before.

Above all, for once, I live in my fairytale world that you don’t have to play dirty to succeed.

The day I accepted that meritocracy is a myth, it was terribly upsetting but that’s when you know you’ve grown up and crudely put, that’s life. Along the way, some of us would have succumbed (or even embraced) the Tao of shortcuts. Whether it is knowing the right people (which can be respectable) to manipulating people to your advantage and committing unscrupulous acts that you’ll be ashamed to tell your parents.

I sinked under politics. They are too exhausting mentally and physically. I much prefer to mind my own business and as my mum wisely said whatever you do, do it with your heart. I wonder why it is so difficult for some people to do that.

Still you can run but can’t hide from the tiring P; and I don’t know so much about joining them if you can’t fight them. Dear Ting advised that it’s all a matter of perceptions. If you choose to ignore them and not be affected by them, you can survive. True, I’m trying this out.

I blogged about how life is a constant work in progress previously. Then someone shared with me that WIP is not such a bad thing because only with expectations, you drive yourself harder and higher. True true.

life

Life is written as such you get ups (the l and the f) and downs (the i and the e); sometimes you may even sink under (below the dot in i, haha). Don’t expect to be up there all the time. Don’t be despaired either when you slip and fall. Be that irritating fly that doesn’t go away regardless of how people slap and flap.

Just keep going and you’ll get there eventually.

To those climbing your way up, I say please stop and reflect at times, and not be caught in the rat race. You don’t know what you may lose along the way, and it may be more than what you ask for at the end of the day.

Remember your loved ones – friends, family & bf – because
these are the people who are going to stand by you no matter what.

this saturday is reminiscing my birthday 2010.

My birthday is well one month back and only now that I’m finally blogging about it.
Such efficiency I know. Urps.

So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN.
So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN.
So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN.
So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN.
So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN. So I am EIGHTEEN.
(delusion, just ignore me)

As you grow older, birthdays are spent with quiet groups of people
you love and have collected over the years of living.

Not meaningless massive crowd of people at clubs.
(#1 sign of aging)

♥

My birthday started days advance with 2 other FEB babies of the family.
And because it was just after CNY, we first lohei to a great year ahead!

This family I love and grew up with.

Almost always followed by mahjong!
(#2 sign of aging)

They taught me being down to earth, how happiness can be simple,
what family is, and how care and sincerity works.

thank you

♥

The immediate night before my birthday was spent with,
JANEY BANEY!

She is undisputedly the most precious takeaway from my ex-job. : )

ICE EDGE CAFE
2 KOVAN RD #01-10 SIMON PLAZA

Jane is always full of funny ideas, and she did it again by giving me
Bird’s Nest from Eu Yan Sang. Thanks Jane and Leon!
(#3 sign of aging)

Haha. I needed that and have taken 2 out of 6 till date.
Feels very indulgent. I likey.

The most resourceful, the nicest and real, the one that always something up the sleeves.
This girl I love! Don’t ever disappear from my life ok?

thank you

♥

Scurried to Meng’s house after meeting Jane
’cause they are complaining that the b’day girl is late.
How can, right? Haha. It’s my privilege! *flicks hair

These people are constant in my life the past 12 years. (#4 sign of aging)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Normally natural camwhores, I don’t know why we took so long to arrange this group shot.

OMG! And they are crazy enough to get me the sewing machine from my b’day wish list.

It’s now still in box and comfortably sitting at a corner of my room. Haha.
But I love it nonetheless, just have to get my ass to the free sewing lesson
so I know how to operate it and not cause a fire in the house.

Satisfied recipient (right) with THE gorgeous buyer (left).
(cue: applause)

Dearest ever UG, you guys are superly precious, and we don’t have to say much.
Cliche, but yes, FRIENDS FOREVER! Heh. : )

thank you

♥

As Collin has lovingly planned our V-day,
I decided to cut him some slacks by planning my b’day breakfast!

Borrowed my sis’ Copen ’cause I intend to travel a fair bit for this place.
It was meant to be a surprise to him but silly me left my iPhone on while googling for the place.

But he played along until we reach the place and I couldn’t find the cafe,
even though it was right smacked in front of me.

RIDERS CAFE
51 FAIRWAYS DRIVE

Impossibility to get here without a car, but after you reach,
the rest is history ’cause the place is beautiful.

We had the legendary pancakes and this breakfast set thing.
Forgot the names but they were both great!

For the ambience and food, we’ll definitely be back for more. : )

The day was spent walking around town from one boutique to another
to get the present for myself, as a reward for all the hard work the past 1 year at LXXLA.

We went to Prada (4 times), LV (3 times), Chanel, Gucci,  Miu Miu,
Loewe, Hermes, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Ferragamo, etc.
Machiam making a life and death decision.

Poor Collin, but thankyouthankyouthankyou lovelovelove!

I eventually decided on the classic black Saffiano leather Prada wallet.

That ends the many years of wondering if I prefer a whatever wallet with a lot of money inside,
or a nice wallet with not so much money inside. Because when you start earning your own keep,
you CAN have the best of both worlds. In moderation of course.

For dinner, Collin brought us to this Japanese restaurant at Telok Ayer Street
that serves insanely nice soft shell crab california roll.

HACHI TEI JAPANESE CUISINE
147 TELOK AYER STREET

He had:

I had:

L . O . V . E

thank you

♥

Last but not least, to ZI and JACKSON,
for buying one of the most functional items ever:

TARGUS USB HUB

I bet your eyes twitch every so once in a while
’cause I use it every single day and never fail to look at it
and thank its presence! Works like a dream.

Best tech accessory ever.

To my favourite couple, I love you guys!
Sincerely, really, deeply.

thank you

♥

And that’s my, erhem, EIGHTEEN b’day!
(#5 sign of aging)

thank you

thank you

thank you

thank you

thank you

thank you

thank you

loves

♥

this wednesday is maxed out fruitfully.

I accomplished quite a hell lot today, and I am speaking so in relative term.

From tying up the loose knots at work, to checking payments, packing packages and replying all possible emails on LRH. It’s a small load off my back. Now to bigger things like stock checking LRH, restocking LRH stores and launching a new series.

That’s the routine my life has landed in the past 10 months. Catching up, lagging behind with each work trip, then catching up again.

And this routine has to be broken if I want to do more things, other things, since I am barely comfortably coping with the current workload. This is compounded by the fact that my body, unlike way before, is proven not to be able to withstand pushing limits. FML.

I had a good talk with Ting just moments ago.

There are some things that just need to be verbalised to be acknowledged. When put into words, you are forced to face reality and be no longer in denial.

Truth is, I am a freaking perfectionist in certain arenas of life. I think that no one can do the job better than I do in those arenas; and that it is easier to get the job done because I trust myself to do it to the standard I expect.

The psychological aspect is, these arenas are most probably tied to what you stand for as an individual. Giving up control is like being robbed of your identity. Breaking it down, it’s ego at work.

To achieve more, you got to learn to let go, to give trust, to share the load and in return, celebrate the success together.

FML FML FML.

Ting, thanks for rationalising it out with me and pulling me from denial. I was being a self-important OCD bitch!

Now, I’m all set to go get things done! Utilising all possible resources, maximising my strengths and that of others, encouraging people to take on responsibilities and hopefully, motivating everyone to work as a team.

I truly like what I am doing now. It’s meaningful and everyday I’m learning and growing from it.

FML, fuck my life for falling into places so perfectly that I don’t know how else to express my appreciation. The best way is perhaps to just go freaking rock it!

Not original, pirated it from somewhere but I am beginning to be convinced – when you want something enough, the universe will conspire to help you achieve it.

GO GO GO!

♥