Amazing how time flies. I just received a letter that I sent to myself a year ago via the community service offered by Zewt. In it, was my hopes and expectations on myself which essentially formed my resolutions for 2011.

For some strange reasons, I remembered the existence of the letter but somehow I couldn't quite recall the specifics of the letter. So here's a quick report card on my resolutions:

Save 20% of nett salary.
[YAY!] As a matter of fact, I saved an average of 40% of my nett salary.

Stop spending frivolously and cut down on impulse shopping.
[NAY!] I've been spending like crazy the first half of the year. But halfway through I repented and started saving like mad! What did I spend on? Ermmm... I'll talk about it in my next post *guilty*

New career after 11 years in the same company.
[YAY!] 8 months ago, I made a career move to join a different industry altogether. From telco to broadcasting! When asked why by my bosses, the answer was simple. 1st job. Curiosity of what's beyond the walls. Eager to explore. Was it a right move? It was surely a calculated one to leave on a high note after winning the Best Accelerator Award in 2010 and onto greater package but as to whether it was a right one, only time will tell.

Shower my parents with EVEN more love!
[YAY!] Not only have I been good in my monthly commitments to my family. Hb and I even took them on an all expense paid trip to HCMC, Vietnam! Plan to do so again this year! :)

Stop smoking.
[NAY!] I'm stupid, full stop.

Start family expansion.
[WIP] Can't say if it's a yay or nay yet cos I'm busy taking vitamins and liquid goodies (Yomeishu, bleh). So ermmm... WIP la.

Be a happy person with inner peace.
[NAY!] I am still perpetually stressed out with a million and one things at work since I'm new and all. Happy? Nope. More like anxious. Inner peace? Nope. More like psycho-analyzing every single thing at work.

Report card:
Out of 7 resolutions...
- 3 YAYS (well done!)
- 3 NAYS (carry forward to 2012)
- 1 WIP (carry forward to 2012)

That meant an achievement rate of 50%! Enough to pass... Could've been better but am glad I made the efforts to be a better person on all aspects of my life. Balance 50% shall form parts of my resolutions for 2012! YAY!!! Next up, 2012 resolutions!

On that token, Mrs. ON9LA1 would like to wish everyone a very happy new year!!! Have a great year ahead!!! Cheers! :D

Been ages since I last worked till the end of the year. As a matter of fact, don't think I ever did!!! On good years, I'd take 2 weeks off leading to New Year. On special occasion i.e. the year I got married, I took the entire MONTH off!!! On normal years, at the very least also I'll take several days!!!

So ya. Dunno what to make of this cos I am kinda tired and burnt out but there are really lots to be done. Besides, my entire team is 2 weeks old and I'm leaving them for a week in Jan to celebrate my wedding anniversary with Hb in Beijing!

So it's ok la!!! Tomorrow's already the LAST working day in 2011!!! Yippieeeeeee!!!

Wanted to get a pet rabbit, specifically a Hollandlop breed. But Hb said no, it will die of hunger since I am only back during weekends. So sad. :(

Hb told me to download Skype. After I downloaded, tried registering but then it says I have already registered. After fiddling for awhile, finally managed to log in! Now I can see Hb even when he's not in town! Better still it works on 3G!!! Yahoo!

Here's a photo of Hb in his new Superman-inspired glasses... hahahaha... When he asked me if it looked nice, I had to say... "Superman... my HERO"... kekekeke...

On a separate note, am so glad I went for Lasik yonks ago. No need to change glasses or wear contact lense... so naissssssss... :P

Yesterday, after dinner at MIL's place, we borrowed our neighbour's bicycle and cycled around the compound of MIL's house. Surprisingly, I still know how to cycle!!! Hoooohoooo...

Then the same night, a colleague posted a photo of her A-Bike on Facebook!!!

Looks damn good!!! So tempted to get one or two!!! Then Hb and I could go cycling around the neighborhood!

Merry Christmas!!! Can't believe the year is coming to a close di. This year seemed to pass by so quickly!!! But then it also means that we're closer to our Beijing trip in January for our yearly anniversary celebration!!!

Hb and I visited Aeon Bulit Tinggi in Klang with the intention of getting new winter jackets. Thing is, we've been wearing the same jackets for several winter trips now; Beijing, Shanghai, South Korea that somehow the photos all look the same! So we figured it's high time to invest in new ones.

Hb was quick is identifying what he likes! A white one with 90% down and 10% feather! I on the other hand am torn between a short one (waist length) or a medium one (butt length) to replace my current long one (knee length)...

Hb said the medium length one looked nicer. But instead of pink, maybe get the champagne colored one. But hmmm, the cutting ain't too flattering. Since it's not exactly cheap ~RM650, thought of sleeping on it first before buying.

On the way we also stopped by Machines for Hb to get a new casing and screen protector for his iPhone. While waiting for the screen protector to be stuck on, we played around with the photo booth on one of the Macs and laughed our heads off!!! We looked like Chipmunks don't you think? Hehehe...

For dinner, we went to Sakae Sushi. As usual I had my favorite Unagi while Hb ordered soft shell crab set. We even had Sake, a small 250ml bottle which tasted yummy and all but gave me a headache thereafter!

So that was how we spent our Christmas la. Merry Christmasss!!! :D

Oh think I finally found a more reliable app for blogging from mobile... to be precise my brand new iPhone 4S!!! When it was first announced by Tim Cooks, I was still deciding whether or not I should get. But then the news of Steve Jobs passing came and I thought yala, I definitely should get it as a tribute "for Steve" i.e. 4S... geddit? Hehe... Afterall I owned each and everyone of the iPhone launched, from the metal casing unit of parallel import to 3 to 3GS to 4. So owning a 4S seemed logical! :D

I was lucky to attend the iPhone 4S launch at KL Convention Centre as a VIP and as usual I went with my partner in crime; Sham! That night, we were both glammed up. Her cos for once she didn't have to work as the EO for the launch and me, cos this is my first appearance ever since I left 6 months ago. Since we both like to dress up, we did our hair n carefully selected our outfits haha. Judging from the compliments, think we looked ok la. Hahaha...

The thing with VIP is that we are entitled to enter a special ballroom with live performances, free flow of booze and food. But then being a typical customer who are eager to get an iPhone first before anything else, we chose to crowd in the small area adjoining the VIP ballroom.

This phone collection area is packed with counters specifically erected to serve VIP, corporate customers and members of the media. The area is much smaller than the one for general public thus it was quite crammed. Afterall, VIPs are supposed to enjoy the live performances while waiting for their turn instead of jamming the collection area. But what to do... "kiasu" hehe...

After we got our phones, we visited the ballroom for general public cos' that was where accessories were sold. Spent over 300 bucks on casings but all's good... hahaha... Photo below was captured before doors open to public... check out the many counters available! :)

Nevertheless am happy I managed to get hold of my iPhone 4S that night. Hehe... I love Apple! :)

Beautifully executed.
Nationwide. Young and old. Newbies and oldies.
Simply brilliant!

For some strange reasons, it brought tears to my eyes seeing so many Chinese coming together... :)

A friend posted this on FB today. Can't help but ponder upon my own answers:

Just thought I'd share something for people struggling with work for one reason or another. I was at this stage some time ago. Unsure what to do, I asked myself a few of these questions:

Am I turning into someone else? Do I like the transformation that I am seeing?  
With me joining this new environment, I feel like I have the ability to start all over again without baggage. Plus the working culture here is all about collaborations and ensuring all round happiness. If one is unhappy, the project goes no where. Do I like the transformation, yeah sure why not. Supposed it help me be a more balanced individual. Not just a godzilla when it comes to timelines and championing projects but with good people skills as well.

I look around my colleagues; especially more senior colleagues. Are they living the type of lifestyle I want to be living? Do I want to be like them in a few years time?
I see my bosses traveling non-stop with super hectic schedules. Is this the type of lifestyle I want? The answer is a clear NO. I want to be able to spend more time with my family and loved ones. Don't think I want to lead a life of high corporate stress perpetually. Do I want to be like them? Nola. Don't think I want to.

Does each day brings hope or despair?  
More despair. Felt like I've not been performing. Been running in circles for months now. Have I made progress? Sure, I think I have. But is it sufficient? No. I think I'm moving in snail pace and I myself have got to be blamed for the procrastination each time uncertainties crop up. So much so that I dreaded coming to work.

Is the hours that I spend the result of real work that needs to be done or is it unnecessary work or re-work because of others people's decision or indecision?  
Result of indecisiveness. Hours and hours are spent exploring... correction, more like months...

Do I feel the time and effort I spend on my work is something that is worth it (according to my own value system)?
I definitely like the pay. It provides for my family and I and more importantly, I could save 40% of my salary monthly. Is the effort something that is worth it? Well, monetary satisfaction wise yes. Career satisfaction wise, nope.

If I were to make drastic changes in my life - how would this impact my financial status? 
I would stop working in a corporate world and start up a small new business. Could also be me helping Hb manage one of his outlets on my own. I will have to take a pay cut of at least 50%. That's the bare minimum I need to maintain my commitments.

What do I get in return? 
In return, I supposed the benefits are:
(-) Less stress (-) Less money (+) More time (+) More freedom 

Am I willing to trade one for the other?
Can't answer this at the moment...

So nett nett, perhaps it's best to continue sticking my nose back to my work in hand. Sigh...

Was invited to an event at Zouk yesterday. Doors open at 7pm, so on the way Zouk with a bit of time on my hand, I decided to swing by my previous company.

• As I drove through the familiar roads...
• As I parked my car where I used to park..
• As I took the lift and walked the routes I was so used to...
• As I entered the lift and pressed the floor button on an auto-mode...
• As I entered the office where I used to work...

I realized that though I have left the company, a big part of me still misses it till no end. It was here that I acquired all my skillsets and competencies that allowed me to gain the material possessions that I have today. It was also a place that spring boarded me to where I am today. For that, it shall forever have a special place in my heart. A place where I joined right after uni at the tender age of 21 and left 11 years later.

Felt great when ex-colleagues greeted me with enthusiasm and welcomed me with hugs. But also felt awkward when newbies looked at me weirdly wondering who the heck I was...

I wonder if I'll ever feel the same with this current company...

This trip was meant to be a birthday present for my father who's birthday was on 11-11-11... My mom came along of course! :) The entire trip was sponsored by Hb and I from flights to accommodations to ground tours and even pocket money of USD100 each. This is the 2nd time we took my parents on an all-expense-paid holiday. The previous one was to Bangkok where Hb and I had our honeymoon back in 2009. The pleasure of having the means to bring them for holidays meant a great deal to me and I sincerely hope to have the ability to continue doing so. :) This post documents our 4D3N holiday from 25-28 Nov 2011.

My lovely parents! Love them loads!

25-Nov (Friday) - 1st Half of the Day
We took the first flight out to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam at 9.10am. HCMC's time zone is an hour behind us... so while the flight took approximately 2 hours, we reached at 10.10am local time. At the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, we were quickly greeted by our local tour guide; Mr. Trung (pronounced as "Mr. Chung"). Mr. Trung is a 2nd generation Chinese born in Vietnam who speaks perfect Cantonese with a bit of a Hongkie-accent. Since we booked a private tour, we didn't have to share our 7-seater van with anyone else. :)

Our transport for the next 4 days with Mr. Trung as our Tour Guide

We were supposed to visit Củ Chi Tunnels (pronounced as "koo-chi") the following day but Mr. Trung suggested that we do it that day so that we can have a more relaxing tour the following day. Since we had nothing planned, we said OK. The drive Northwest to the area of Củ Chi took approximately 2 1/2hours! The road was pretty rough and bumpy. Only when we alighted the van, we realized why. They took us into a jungle!

According to Wikipedia:
The Cu Chi Tunnels are an elaborate underground community made up of 250km of tunnels and chambers below the city. These tunnels were dug with simple tools and bare hands during the French occupation in the 1940s, and further expanded during the Vietnam War in the 1960s to provide refuge and a defensive advantage over the American soldiers.

The tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations and were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat. Despite all the bombings in their town, the Cu Chi people were able to continue their lives beneath the soil, where they slept, ate, planned attacks, healed their sick and taught their young. Some even wed and gave birth underground, but over 10,000 lost their lives here.

We were told that the tour will take anywhere from 60 to 90min so we quickly asked Mr. Trung if we could have lunch first. He took us to this restaurant overlooking the Saigon River. Here, we had noodles and fried rice. I ordered the dry-beef-noodle and it came with lots and lots of vege!!! Taste wise, OK-lah though the beef slices could've been more tender:

Lunch by the Saigon River

Prior to trekking the jungle, we had to stop by this place to view a video introduction about the Củ Chi Tunnels and the soldiers living there. The audio and visual quality was pretty bad. Plus it was in Mandarin, so I couldn't really understand what it was trying to say but that was OK cos' later Mr. Trung explained further in greater details. :)

Brief history and overview of the Củ Chi Tunnels

First we were told to locate the opening of the tunnel. Obviously, we didn't know where to even begin looking. To our surprise, it was just there! Right in front of our eyes nicely camouflaged with dried leaves. The local guide in uniform (not sure if he's a soldier but he did look kinda young) demonstrated how to get into the tunnel. Here's Hb trying it out and oh, the tunnel entrance was only a bit bigger than a piece of A4 paper!

Hide & Seek? :D

Only Hb tried out the first tunnel cos' (1) It was kinda deep (my mom and I are too short) (2) The opening was too small (my parents would probably get stuck halfway)... hehehe... So needless to say when we were told that we could all try the second tunnel which has been adjusted in terms of width and height to accommodate tourists and cleaned so that it's not insects-infested, it quickly became the highlight of our tour. The ceiling height was ultra low to prevent it from caving in thus we had to duck-walk some parts of the tunnel. It was also dark with still air making it pretty suffocating and hot. Along the way, we talked, joked and laughed so loudly that Mr. Trung and my father could hear our silly antics above the tunnel. Imagine if we were soldiers... die-lah cos' enemies will be able to hear us from miles away... hahahaha...

At the end of the tour, we were served tapioca and pandan tea. Something that the soldiers ate and drink cos' they didn't have the means nor resources to get proper food. Now I know why the tunnel openings were all so small... the soldiers must've been really skinny and under-nourished. Poor thing...

So ya, that marked the end of our Củ Chi Tunnels tour!

Here are some of the fun words I learnt that day. They kinda sounded like Mandarin:

• Toilets are called WC 
• "Nu" = female and "Nam" = male
• "Kam-en" = thank you

To be continued...

I've got to resume blogging. If anything, memories from the various holidays deserved to be captured and recorded!!! Else, it's such a waste, as over time, memories become hazy and soon forgotten.

Here are the list of holidays I have yet to blog about (talk about a massive backlog):

1. 2009: 5D4N Celebrated Christmas in Bangkok with Hb & Parents (December)
2. 2010: 3D2N Visited Universal Studio with Hb (Forgot which month)
3. 2011: 8D7N Celebrated wedding anniversary with Hb in South Korea (6-13 Jan)
4. 2011: 3D2N Family trip to Hatyai prior to starting in a new place (30 Apr-2 May)
5. 2011: 5D4N Company Harvard workshop in Awana, Genting (21-25 Jun)
6. 2011: 2D1N Short trip to Pangkor with Hb (1-2 Sep)
7. 2011: 3D2N Company management offsite in Bali (6-8 Oct)
8. 2011: 2D1N Singapore, Hb to collect Beijing & Shanghai vouchers (22-23 Oct)
9. 2011: 4D3N Family trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (25-28 Nov)

Hmmm...

Just got back from a 4D3N holiday with Hb and my parents. Had fun in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The entire trip was sponsored by Hb and I, including pocket money of USD100 each for my parents. :)

I was truly depressed today. Went to another office to get my junior staff to transfer relevant materials as handover materials to me. During the entire duration, it suddenly dawned upon me that both the junior and senior staff actually did a lot in the past 1 year on their own. With literally zero budget and cross functional support, they tried their very best in doing what they could.


In the end, what did they get? They got transferred to another company and was put under the scrutiny of the mother company. And worst still, got a boss whom has zero industry knowledge. Do I blame them for wanting out? I don't. As a matter of fact, I could understand and empathize.


However, it depresses me to know that it was such a pity that they wrote me off the first time we met. Or perhaps the moment they heard of my name and my designation before we even had a chance to work together. I asked myself over and over again, if I could have done anything in my capacity to prevent this... but I couldn't answer.

400 x 360

Hb has been looking at various different DSLRs these days... So when I saw this, I was like ah-ha!!! Here's our conversation on SMS:

Me: I reserved a unit of DSLR for you di!
Hb: Huh? Which brand / model?
Me: Let me send you the photo!

How often in life do one get to see 2 lizards showing their "love" to one another?! It must be my lucky day!!!

Test post showing off my latest fascination! A funky bag hook which well... hooks your handbag (or plastic bag for that matter) securely under the table! Brilliant invention don't you think? :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Working in this new place where creativity is abundance, realized something that wasn't so apparent in my previous workplace. In the past, drive came from ambition; the sheer determination to succeed, to move up the corporate ladder. Plan, set a target, execute flawlessly, achieve target, move on for the next one. Here, everyone seemed to be driven by their PASSION. Something so subjective and yet so apparent in many that I met...

Some are driven by their passion for music...
Some are driven by their passion for football...
Some are driven by their passion to educate young Malaysians for a better future...
Some are driven by their passion for the betterment of religious beliefs...
Some are driven by their passion for racial unity...

It is something that they feel so strongly about which was then translated into their day-to-day work in managing a channel for instance. That sort of got me thinking... what exactly am I passionate about?

Am I passionate about music? Nah... I just listen for my own enjoyment...
Am I passionate about football or any other sports? Nah... I can't be bothered...
Am I passionate about educating the young ones? Not really... never thought of it...
Am I passionate about the betterment of my race's religious beliefs? Not really lor...
Am I passionate about racial unity? Honestly, don't think I'm that noble...

So what exactly is my passion? How can one have no passion? Surely there has got to be something right?!?! But seriously, I don't know what I'm passionate about.

But I do have things that I feel very strongly about. For instance, must be filial to parents, must be loyal to other half... then in terms of hobbies; I super love home decorating, I like interior designs, I have a deep interest in "feng shui" but that's about it I think.

No wonder I find it so hard to blend in. I am corporate-bred... not passion-driven... To me, everything about work is achieving KPIs, pushing boundaries and innovating. But are these done to satisfy my passion? Nope. I see it as part of me doing my job... Is there a right / wrong to this?

My friend said my passion is work... if one has no passion in work, one would not be a perfectionist to want the very best... Betul-ke?

Off late, I felt that my parents house is noisy and cramp. It's like there's no personal space for me to focus on my own stuff. Father's outside at the living room, mom watches TV in my room for an hour, all other parts of the house like rooms are occupied, dining room shares the same noise level as living room. Short of working in the kitchen and toilet, I have no where to go!

Because of this I like going back to my weekend home in KS. Where there's peace and quiet and I can occupy whatever space I like. Unfortunately it's damn far away. And I have difficulty waking up in the morning!

It's another 11 more months to go before our houses are ready in Setia Alam. By then we'd be 6 units apart with the much needed space in our homes and yet comfortable near each other! :)

On a separate note, I have finally gotten my own space at work after 5 months in the open area. Do I like it? Well yes... for awhile... until I realized I missed my neighbors! Haha!

I feel so useless and dumb. There's a 'Buka Puasa' do at work organized by our COO. He did an opening speech with a quick review of 1H performance followed by his expectations on what the team should improve on as a whole. Thought it was a really good speech that is totally relevant with this exciting times we're in.

Thereafter, it was food time. The time I dreaded most cos' everyone will then be gathered in their own circles leaving newbies / outsiders like me feeling totally out of place. I left without eating. Felt like a total loser!

Worst still got an email from my staff saying that we'd need more time to brainstorm tomorrow cos' she has spoken to COO and has gotten a clearer view on what's required. Why la why am I so dumb? I should've taken the opportunity to talk to our COO. But no, I chose the coward way of running away! Sigh!

Whenever we're free, Hb will fetch me to Setia Alam to check out the progress of our property. The entire construction area is barricaded but that doesn't stop yours truly from taking photos through the cracks... hehehehe...

And this photo here shows the progress of development for the first 2 rows over the past 6 months... ours is on the 3rd row:

The corner unit for inspections and approvals is also all done up and happy to say that ours will look the same! So happy!

Must say, pretty excited about moving in! Just hope to get our keys sooner than Q3 2012. But then on the hindsight, it is probably for the best cos' that means that we'll have 1 full year to save up for renovations and furniture / appliances shopping! :)

Happily thought that our place in Setia Alam will be ready in Q1 2012... 'manatau' the latest update on SP Setia's website said: August 2012, Q3 now... hmmm...

Wonder if it'll be sooner than that...

Thought I should do a post to recapture my braces milestones.

At the back of my mind, I know for a fact that someday I will have to put on braces to correct my protruding teeth. The only thing that is stopping me is the fear of looking "fugly" at my prime i.e. 26-28 years old. But then, as I grow older, the protrusion got worse and since Hb (then bf) and I are already planning to get married, I had no choice but to get on with it. The single biggest motivation was to be a pretty bride with a beautiful smile! And so at 29 years old, I went to get my 1st set of braces done!

 

30-03-2008 till 07-09-2009 (526 days)

16-03-2008: $1,100 [Deposit, X-Rays, Photos & Moulding]
30-03-2008: $ 870 [Deposit & Upper Braces Fitting]
20-04-2008: $ 423 [Extraction & Medication]
18-05-2008: $ 325 [Wire Change]
17-08-2008: $ 325 [Bottom Braces Fitting]
14-09-2008: $ 764 [Extraction, Frenectomy & Medication]
25-10-2008: $ 385 [Wire Change & Scaling]
23-11-2008: $ 385 [Wire Change & Rubber Loops Change & Scaling]
24-12-2008: $ 325 [Wire Change & Rubber Loops Change]
24-01-2009: $ 325 [Wire Change & Rubber Loops Change]
21-02-2009: $ 325 [Wire Change & Rubber Loops Change]
28-02-2009: $ 714 [Loose Bracket, 2 Screws, 4 Springs and 4 Crisscrossed Wires]
21-03-2009: $ 325 [Springs & Crisscrossed Wires Adjustment]
30-04-2009: $ 325 [Loose Bracket, Wires Change]
30-05-2009: $ 325 [Loose Bracket, Mini Wires Removal, Thicker Crisscrossed Wires]
04-07-2009: $ 325 [Loose Bracket, Springs Adjustment, 8-Ring Rubber Loops]
01-08-2009: $ 275 [Springs Adjustment, Additional Crisscross Wires, Rubber Loops]
22-08-2009: F.O.C [Springs Adjustment, Additional Crisscross Wires, Rubber Loops]
07-09-2009: $ 510 [X-Ray, Braces Removal, Scaling]
08-09-2009: $ 70 [Solubles for Retainer x 4 boxes + Plastic Case for Retainer]
Total Spent: $8,421

The entire process was supposed to take 1 1/2 years. However, it was no where near completion at the point where we had to get our pre-wedding photography done. We didn't get to choose any of the overseas packages that I super like cos' they all had ultra long leadtime. So we had to get one locally; Bridal Concept which allowed us to delayed the shoot to the latest possible date while in time for albums and DVD to be ready for the reception in November. We took our pre-wedding photography on 15-09-2009 and the removal of the braces was meant to be temporary. However, after the wedding, there wasn't really any motivation to continue with it. In the end I did it considering the 8K plus I've already spent on it.

26-05-2010 till 24-04-2011 (333 days)

26-05-2010: F.O.C [Upper & Lower Braces Fitting + 2 x Bite Blocks]
23-06-2010: F.O.C [Loose Bracket + Wire Change for Lower Teeth]
03-08-2010: F.O.C [Removed Bite Blocks + Wire Change & Rubber Loops] 
14-12-2010: F.O.C [Top & Bottom Wire Change + Rubber Loops + New Clay Clump]
27-01-2011: F.O.C [Top & Bottom Wire Change + Removal of Rubber Loops]

09-03-2011: F.O.C [Top & Bottom Wire Change]

24-04-2011: F.O.C [Braces Removal]

Total Spent: F.O.C

I first read about Invisalign on X.i.a.x.u.e's blog and so happened, when I went back during one of my visits, the nurse showed me a set. Upon checking, the nurse said it cost RM16K! I nearly fainted. But I went ahead and asked my dentist about it anyway to just try my luck for discounts considering I've already spent so much with him. He was reluctant at first cos' the cost itself is expensive. But then upon further inspection, he did say that I am a suitable candidate for Invisalign to correct deep bite, to align my jaws etc. In the end, he said he'll write to US to recommend me as a test patient with the condition that I provide them my testimonials on Invisalign upon completion. Told me he'd get me the cost price. Net net it came back as USD1,995 x 3 = RM5,985 which I immediately paid for since it was over 60% in discount!!! Only downside was that, I had to remove 2 of my top wisdom tooth. I hate extractions, they always leave me bleeding overnight!

31-05-2011 onwards

25-04-2011: $   140 [Temporary retainer, Polident x 2 & casing]
31-05-2011: $   272 [Top wisdom tooth extraction x 2]
31-05-2011: $5,985 [Invisalign Aligner No. 1 to 3]

14-07-2011: F.O.C [Invisalign Aligner No. 4 to 9]

Total Spent: $6,397

So ya, if you ask me now, I will totally recommend Invisalign for the sheer fact that it is invisible (i.e. not noticeable at all) and that it's less painful (easier to eat)! Am so excited!

The hardest thing about changing to a new job is that once the initial excitement wears off, reality kicks in. To everyone else, you are just an idiot who got lucky; unless and until proven otherwise. To your superiors, you are to show what you are made of i.e. if you were really as good as what you claimed to be. To yourself, at this point, you are just beginning to wonder if you indeed made the right move.

It is no wonder that people choose to stay in their comfort zones. Why leave? It's a fucking jungle out there with dangerous animals waiting to prey on you and every turn you make, there is something unseen lurking round the corner; waiting to attack and gnaw you alive!

My gawd! Save me!!!

Visited my dentist today. It's time to get my Invisalign aligner no. 4 to 6. Dentist asked me how was it and I told him that it was OK. As a matter of fact, I almost did not experience any pain! Almost cos' there was a time I had a bad ulcer at the back of my tongue which caused difficulty in swallowing and ulcer on my "lelangit" where when the aligner was snapped on, I screamed out in pain automatically. But then despite the walk-in-the-park experience, I also told him that I personally did not notice any movement.

So he did a quick check and told me that my bite is no longer too deep. Then he proceeded to ask me to snap on my aligner no. 3 for him to check. I was half worried of him sounding me for the cleanliness of my aligner (had lunch and didn't brush before snapping it back on) but to my surprise he exclaimed "GOOD! VERY GOOD!", you are wearing it correctly!

With that he proceeded to supply me with not 3 but 6 aligners and that meant I'll be dentist free for 12 weeks!!! My next appointment is a quarter away on 6th October!!! Yippieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! And this time round he told me that by the time I come back for my next appointment, there'd be noticeable difference!

Let's take a look at this loooooong journey of mine towards achieving a beautiful smile!

Round 1: 30-03-2008 - 07-09-2009 (526 days); Pre-wedding Braces
Round 2: 26-05-2010 - 24-04-2011 (333 days); Post-wedding Braces
Round 3: 31-05-2011 onwards (49 days); Invisalign

25-04-2011: $   140 Temporary retainer, Polident x 2 & casing
31-05-2011: $   272 Top wisdom tooth extraction x 2
31-05-2011: $5,985 Invisalign!

YTD Spent:
$8,421 on Round 1 and 2
$6,397 on Round 3
$14,818 on all rounds over a period of 908 days i.e. over 2 years or $16 per day! I must be mad la!

I have been splurging a lot lately. Personally I can be quite thrifty and spend the bare minimum on myself month in month out. However, when I do spend, I tend to make huge purchases. Of course this doesn't happen too often but then I just realized that I may have gone overboard with my spending the past few months; the period where I was transitioning from my old job to my new job. I wonder if it was a sign of stress.

Here are some of the big ticket items I splurged on specifically on Louis Vuitton, my all time favourite brand.

• RM5,000 Louis Vuitton Monogram Ebene Cabas Rivington
• RM2,400 Louis Vuitton Monogram Ebene Zippy Wallet
• RM   940 Louis Vuitton Monogram Ebene Mini Pochette
• RM   750 Louis Vuitton Monogram Ebene Card Holder
• RM   620 Louis Vuitton Monogram Ebene Skinny Card Holder

• RM5,100 Louis Vuitton Monogram Idylle Elegie
• RM1,400 Louis Vuitton Monogram Idylle Pochette

• RM4,250 Louis Vuitton Monogram Vernis Roxbury Drive
• RM1,600 Louis Vuitton Monogram Vernis Small Zippy Wallet
• RM2,850 Louis Vuitton Monogram Vernis Zippy Wallet (for mummy)

All in all on Louis Vuitton alone, I've spent RM24,910 and that was in about 4 months!!! Not to mention, I also bought other stuffs like:

• RM1,500 Samsung Galaxy Tab for Hb 
• RM2,499 iPad 2 for myself (3G + WiFi 64GB) 

I also changed the entire set of skincare from Kose & Odbo to SKII for my mom and I aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnndddddddddd signed up for facial treatments.

Most importantly, I've also changed from conventional braces to Invisalign. I think I have gone mad. Have got to stop spending like this!!! My credit card payment was over 5-digit last month!!! Madness!!!

Historical milestone today on my blogging journey. For years I've blogged under the handle "maemee". It was my name in Teochew which held a special meaning cos' my favourite grandpa used to call me that. However, after marriage, I felt that the name does not resonate too well with my life stage at this point. So I've decided to change my handle to "ON9LA1" instead which signifies my life as Mrs. Ong. With that, I deleted the old "ON9LAI" (which is basically empty) and exported "maemee" to "Mrs. ON9LA1".  :)

Half a year has passed and so much has happened since. Thought I ought to do a quick post in recapturing some of the key happenings as it was also the same period I neglected this blog of mine.

January
Hb took me to South  Korea to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Coincidentally, on our wedding anniversary date 09-Jan, we were at Nami Island; a romantic and beautiful island which was also the filming set of the highly popular Korea drama; Winter Sonata. It was also during this trip that Hb and I experienced snow for the first time!

February
Prior to Chinese New Year, I had to spring clean our place in K S'gor and boy was it tiring and backbreaking. However, when the spring cleaning was done and CNY deco added in, the satisfaction was oh so worth it.

March
March was an emotional month for me as it was this month that I decided to resign from the company I’ve worked for the last 10 years. As much as I hate to admit, I was living in my comfort zone and hence, the decision wasn’t an easy one. After much consideration and deliberation, I decided that a change would be good so I took up the offer.

April
The first half of the month was of me serving my notice, finishing up whatever I could and finally handing over my portfolios. Thereafter, a day after I left the company, I attended a workshop with my new colleagues in Gita Bayu. Managed to also squeeze in a short getaway given the extended weekend from Labour Day. My family and I also drove to Hat Yai for a short 3 days 2 nights but boy, never will we drive anywhere during public holidays again! Hahaha…

May
Started work this month along with the discovery of everything new and fascinating at my new workplace. This is also the month I started using Invisalign instead of conventional braces with wires and brackets. And therein started my new found appetite for fooooood as it was no longer painful to bite and chew!

June
This month captured my 1st milestone in the new company I worked with. Though I was still under probation, my boss managed to put me in this 5 days workshop with 2 Harvard professors in Genting. Everyday we go through hundreds of pages of case studies and at the end of it all, all 12 teams of 6 members each were to present their business proposal; applying learning from the workshop. Happy to say that my team emerged the champion amongst all 12 teams and the decision was unanimous!

One of the greatest achievements in my career and I didn't blog about it WTF!!!

The details are so hazy now...

• 4 months development program
• Called Leadership Development Engine
• Was the only female amongst 13 other male
• One of the youngest, others are either older by seniority or age
• 2 real business issues to solve and to present
• Emerged the BEST ACCELERATOR for T3 
• T3 i.e. Managers & Senior Managers Group
• The only female, one of the youngest and yet I won... wtf!
• Featured in Maxis Annual Report 2011

It's so funny cos shortly after I won the Best Accelerator title, I resigned. Same goes for the previous year winner. Win di then ciao to another company. Hahahaha...

Great old memories!

It has been ages since I last had the urge to update this blog of mine. Suffice to say that loads had happened during my absense... the most recent ones being... a career move...

It is indeed true that it has never occured to me that I'd leave this job. Life has been kind and I was contended. Afterall, I've been here close to 11 years.. But when opportunity came knocking, the desire to explore coupled with the curiosity of what the horizon holds left me with the single hardest decision I have ever made pertaining my career.

I know I have been neglecting this blog of mine. Actually I have several good news to share but being a "kiasu-Chinese", I was afraid to share it too early for fear of them being jinxed! Unfortunately, after the news is out as in time for celebration and all, I no longer have the mood to talk about it... and so I procrastinate which then led to an empty fly-infested blog. Sigh...

I am also thinking of changing my blog name. You see, prior to me getting married, "maemee" holds such meaningful memories of me growing up cos' that was how my grandfather calls me. But then now that I'm married, the name doesn't resonate as much with me than OngLai for instance.

It's like... I'm on this new chapter of my life as Mrs. Ong but my bookmark is still on my singlehood pages. A bit 'salah' parking like that. And so while I'm still in this limbo, this blog will likely be left to rot.

On a lighter note, Chinese New Year is just round the corner! As a matter of fact, this is my last working day prior to my CNY break! Yahoooooooooooooooooo!!! And so, GONG HEI FATT CHOY everyone!!! May 2011 be a fantabulous year for all with lots of wealth, health and happiness!!! GONG HEI GONG HEI!!! :-)

Yesterday I went back for my scheduled dentist visit. As usual, my dentist had to reschedule my earlier appointment cos' he supposedly had to attend a meeting! So anyway, as I had my dinner alone at the 'kopitiam' downstairs, I checked into F.o.u.r.S.q.u.a.r.e and was surprise to find a tip there that says: Be prepared to wait! Even if you come on time for your appointment, you'll have to wait! Honestly, that is so true-loh. What's the point of setting an appointment when each time we'll have to spend ages waiting? Like yesterday for instance. Appointment at 8pm but my turn came only after 45 minutes later!

So back to the visit. Nothing much la, he just removed the bottom rubber loops and changed both the top and bottom wires and told me that he's trying to close the gaps. So OK lor, what is there to say la right.

16-03-2008: $1,100 [Deposit, X-Rays, Photos & Moulding]
30-03-2008: $ 870 [Deposit & Upper Braces Fitting]
20-04-2008: $ 423 [Extraction & Medication]
18-05-2008: $ 325 [Wire Change]
17-08-2008: $ 325 [Bottom Braces Fitting]
14-09-2008: $ 764 [Extraction, Frenectomy & Medication]
25-10-2008: $ 385 [Wire Change & Scaling]
23-11-2008: $ 385 [Wire Change & Rubber Loops Change & Scaling]
24-12-2008: $ 325 [Wire Change & Rubber Loops Change]
24-01-2009: $ 325 [Wire Change & Rubber Loops Change]
21-02-2009: $ 325 [Wire Change & Rubber Loops Change]
28-02-2009: $ 714 [Loose Bracket, 2 Screws, 4 Springs and 4 Crisscrossed Wires]
21-03-2009: $ 325 [Springs & Crisscrossed Wires Adjustment]
30-04-2009: $ 325 [Loose Bracket, Wires Change]
30-05-2009: $ 325 [Loose Bracket, Mini Wires Removal, Thicker Crisscrossed Wires]
04-07-2009: $ 325 [Loose Bracket, Springs Adjustment, 8-Ring Rubber Loops]
01-08-2009: $ 275 [Springs Adjustment, Additional Crisscross Wires, Rubber Loops]
22-08-2009: F.O.C [Springs Adjustment, Additional Crisscross Wires, Rubber Loops]
07-09-2009: $ 510 [X-Ray, Braces Removal, Scaling]
08-09-2009: $ 70 [Solubles for Retainer x 4 boxes + Plastic Case for Retainer]
26-05-2010: F.O.C [Upper & Lower Braces Fitting + 2 x Bite Blocks]
23-06-2010: F.O.C [Loose Bracket + Wire Change for Lower Teeth]
03-08-2010: F.O.C [Removed Bite Blocks + Wire Change & Rubber Loops] 
14-12-2010: F.O.C [Top & Bottom Wire Change + Rubber Loops + New Clay Clump]
27-01-2011: F.O.C [Top & Bottom Wire Change + Removal of Rubber Loops]

This time round, I didn't even bother asking him how long more cos' his standard answer will be... 6 more months!!! Ptui!