Reflections

"Though I might travel afar, I will meet only what I carry with me, for every man is a mirror. We see only ourselves reflected in those around us. Their attitudes and actions are only a reflection of our own. The whole world and its condition has its counter parts within us all. Turn the gaze inward. Correct yourself and your world will change." - Kirsten Zambucka, Writer

i was particularly struck by this amazing quote today. (for your information, i subscribed to this daily famous quotations which are emailed to me -  free of charge, of course)

more so because during lunch, i had a conversation with my close friend and she was sharing that the most annoying traits which she sees in her daughter are her own. but that does not stop her from scolding the kid whenever she acts up.

so i told her that i've read somewhere that the most annoying traits which we find in others are usually inherent within us. we could not get rid of them, and when we see them in others, they irk us more. (well, that is my theory, at least).

our interactions with others are basically the mirrors of our real selves. we could not run away from our reflections - we could dupe the projected image with our outer presentations, but when we are tense or provoked, our inner selves will show their true, bona fide reflections.

but my friend said "i do love myself...", yes, we do. i do too - without trying to sound so self-important. hehe.

although, we do not normally love ourselves, when provocation and stress come in.

when these happen, Gaze Inwardly. 'why am i reacting this way?' or 'what did he or she say or do that hurt so much?' and we correct ourselves. at least, we make the effort to. and whatever we find within, we must love ourselves, anyway. :)

Confession

Confession time!

i got a confession to make.

i am an online shopping addict.

(*whew* i said it! or rather, i wrote it... such an exhilarating release eh!)

i scour for bargains (well, not really a bargain since it’s at a fixed, non-negotiable price) online like my tomcat eyeing the latest female felines addition (which somehow got lost) in my neighbourhood. inexorably bewildered. corporeally curious. and slightly intoxicated by the prospect of the chase.

i would still deem these ‘finds’ a bargain since they are relatively cheaper than the ones you would unearth at your local shopping malls. i wouldn’t categorise these finds as ‘rare’, but rather, the fact that some items are limited in quantities made the race to the ‘First to Fill The Order Form’ or ‘Send Email Just After New Post’ even more thrilling.

and what makes it even more addictive is that these items which are being sold LOCALLY online, are relatively CHEAP. yeah, it's true. CAPITAL C.H.E.A.P.

imagine you could get decent and pretty looking scarves and shawls of which prices ranging from RM20 to RM40, as compared to the usual anticipated RM50 to RM70 in the local shops. although, let's not go into Arzu's prices because you and i know that they are horrendously over-priced.

but since they are CHEAP, this makes it all worse, because it makes you want to buy MORE and in the end, you wonder where have all of your hard-earned money gone to, when hey, all these stuff are supposed to be CHEAP, right?

yes, you guessed it correctly. my current obsession is SHAWLS. and i like mine cotton and stretchy. flowy and drapey. i have been procuring some of (in my humble opinion) the most unique and limited shawls from the ever so popular and sugary sweet, sold-out-within-minutes Sugarscarf, the (actual) sister blog site of Sugarscarf called Shawlbyvsnow, and the diminutive and affable Ami.sptnkswthrt (nevertheless, at this site, i went for its fantastic flowy silk scarves – which i have yet to wear *gasp*).

i also tried Anggun Zara (i've to admit that i was drawn in by the beautiful model... shallow, i know!) and recently i found Al Humaira Contemporary in which its shawls are a new addition to its existing line, and therefore,  within reach. there was also a one-off purchase from Fashion Valet, purely because i know i could get them cheaper elsewhere. and there was this adventurous purchase of a nice dress cum jubah from Harmana Design (via Facebook) - just because there was a sale.

*gasp* i just realised that i bought almost all of these "inexpensive" stuff last month!

....boy, i need a NEW, cheaper hobby. hmmm... is there such a thing as an Online Shopaholic Anonymous? :P

mind you, the whole point of this prudent shopping spree is to curb my spending too much on shawls at the renowned Arzu and Ariani. but i am missing the whole point here, kan? :)

alright then. confession made. what am i to do about it now?

and did i mention that today is Pay Day? *wink*

Marry Me

wow... i am indeed on a blogging roll.

i know i've posted this on my FB, but i love this song so much that i thought of posting it here. 

this song was played at the wedding last Sunday - as the usual montage came in, depicting how in lurveeee the newly weds are.

(if you think there's a tint of jaded realism in the sentence above, you are just imagining it... teehee)

so without further ado, enjoy the song....by the ever chameleonic Train. and if you are an unadulterated, incurable romantic like i am, you will go aaaahhhhh at the end of it.

feel good ain't it? :)

now, go watch/listen to it again and sing it this time around with the lyrics below.

Forever could never be long enough for me
Feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now, we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way

Marry me, today and everyday
Marry me, if I ever get the nerve to say Hello in this cafe
Say you will, hmm
Say you will, hmm

Together could never be close enough for me
To feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words, "I love you", and "You're beautiful"

Now that the wait is over
Love has finally showed her my way

Marry me, today and everyday
Marry me, if I ever get the nerve to say Hello in this cafe
Say you will, hmm
Say you will, hmm

Promise me, you'll always be
Happy by my side
I'll promise to sing to you
When all the music dies

And marry me, today and everyday
Marry me, if I ever get the nerve to say Hello in this cafe
Say you will, hmm
Say you will, hmm
Marry me, hmm




PS: although i did find the waitress in the video to be rather cheesily portrayed in too short a dress and over processed hair. :P

this got to be written

the thing with meeting up with your friends with their respective spouses, or with your spouse's friends with their significant others (married or otherwise), is that you tend to compare (like it or not), your relationship with theirs.

the worst case scenario is to have all these elements come in play during the most momentous occasion for any couple, that is a wedding. 

(for those who are not into marriages, feel free to insert anything in the underlined word)

i could not help but feel that the magic in our relationship is lacking or perhaps the fizzle at the end of the magic wand is in dire need of more sparks, when i see couples interact lovingly and if not lovingly, theirs would be engaging. there is some easygoing banter and mutual likeability, however, with us, it's just 2 people sitting next to each other with nothing much to say.

to put salt to the wound, he didn't even bother to inform me where he went, just before the happy couple were to walk into the hall. just because i have some people at the table whom i could talk to, i was left alone on my own devices. 

the fact that i could talk more and amicably with the other people at the table caused me to ponder more on US.

was it me who did not try to make conversation? or was it he who felt the need to mingle more socially for  networking reason? but couldn't he just balance this requisite interaction and be respectful enough to me to know that i should be in the loop?

or perhaps, even from the beginning, when we arrived at the hall, he already walked ahead of me, because he didn't want to be late... but in the end, we were not even close to be the last to arrive. because we could not see the rest of his gang. *sigh*

it is true about relationship, i guess. we could not help but compare. could we? 

Earthing Pink

Earthing Pink by NinaAli featuring canvas handbags
as i am not that bold enough to wear flashy PINK, i thought of trying it out here for trial purpose. laying them out gives me a better perspective on how beautiful being bold is. :D

Popsicle Love

Popsicle, oh I love you so

Juicy confection that leaves me tingle

Every bite savoured, that quenches my thirst

Even the sweet cold that makes my head tickle

Sweeping the fanciful freeze, and it goes away

Reminds me of love’s struggles a little

The euphoria, the pain that we welcome

Because there is no other way

On a heightened, hot and humid day

That quenches our thirst, and satiates us first.

drafted on 13 April 2011

Dressy Dress

Dressy Dress by NinaAli featuring flat sandals
infusing some girliness in the maxi dress trend.... although the girliness part is actually redundant. (:

count your blessings

i was recently misdiagnosed with a rather serious ailment - which i later re-confirmed to be false (or at odds) at a different medical institution - but the bad news is that my latest blood test showed that i have something else but indeterminate at this time.

so i will be going to the hospital again this week for another round of blood test (which i abhor) as the so-called specialist (in the general physician area) didnt think that i needed prompt medical attention. but i would say i know my body well enough to know i am not feeling well. i have been lethargic and sickly for the past month and i've taken so many days of MC leave considering it's only the fourth month of the year.

my cough finally went away after 3 weeks but i still hack occasionally. i still feel feverish at least twice (or thrice) on weekly basis. i wish i know what is wrong with me - or maybe i should be careful with what i wish for?

so i have been at home resting and rereading the old issues of my favourite magazine O (the Oprah Magazine). one of the few columns i like to read is by Lisa Kogan who is the resident columnist of the said magazine. she is a cross between Lucille Ball, Roseanne Barr and David Sedaris meshed up together (no... that's not how she looks, i meant to say she writes in those three distinct styles) to create a fantastic humourist cum writer. i particularly like her December 2010's piece on looking for miracles - at the least expected place and time.

it all started with her daughter, who was only 6 years old but did not believe in angels and those stuff of fairy tales anymore. seeing her daughter having grown up too fast for her own good, she vowed to make an outlandish effort to help her kid regain her sense of awe with the world, that is to piece back together the rose tinted glasses which was sorely unraveling from her delicate frames of youth. therefore, she came out with the idea to record a monthly miracle sighting and/ or encounter and later compile them to be shared on the last month of the year - because Christmas which falls in December is always about goodness and miracles.

so it was indeed heartwarming to read the stories of Lisa's 'monthly miracles'. i shall not elaborate more about them, but if you want to read the whole article, please go to http://www.oprah.com/. go to O mag section and try search by typing 'Lisa Kogan' and 'December issue'.

for me, the lesson learned here is to try to see the blessings behind even the bleakest things that happened. it would be hardest when the bleakest happened to you, nevertheless, you should the see it this way : at least i am alive, at least there was no 9 magnitude earthquake, at least i still have my dignity, at least i still have the support of my loved ones and so on and so forth.

you need to bring yourself up by thinking that even if it felt bad that it made you want to crawl into a hole and hibernate for an indefinite time, the particular horrifying/ mortifying/ terrifying/ embarassing incident is NOT the worst (even if it felt that way, rest assured it is not). therefore, count your blessings. but do not do this by putting others down.

and be thankful to the Almighty when you wake up again in the morning. :)

Dome Coffee Time Out

I wasnt particularly in a hurry to go home on Thursday so i coyly (which is clearly 'direct' in my world) asked my other half to go for a coffee date after work.

so he said okay and "you pay!".... aaahhh... romantic isnt he? *rolleyes*

i dont mind.... much. mostly because he has been paying the bulk of the household items and i guess someone wanted to be 'manja-ed'. :P

i was actually aiming for the Dome Tea Set which was a bargain at RM19 . 90 ++ which consisted of two servings of scones with butter (it's actually clotted cream... yums) and strawberry jam, two samosas and a brownie. and a choice of either coffee or tea.

all i wanted was the scones but with hubby, i know he likes it too, so i couldnt ask him to eat the samosa and brownie on our date. so i ordered the set and waited for him. oh yeah, we're cheapos, so we usually share a mug of latte. :)

we usually do our own thing during our date, which is synonymous to a long standing marital status. comfortable in silence (in His view) and craving for intimacy (in Her iew). he would take on the newspapers or magazines and if i'm in the reading mode, i'd join him. at times, he just shares with me the bits of interesting articles he's reading. else, i just enjoy the food and regale him with my daily happenings. and he would usually respond accordingly or i would nag him 'til kingdom comes. hahaha...

okay... unwinding done, for less than an hour and it's time to head home. i had my short break after a hectic week of running around - either to meet my kids' routine, or to meet the work deadline.

i felt refreshed. and ready for another week of craziness. which is good, really, because i have things to do. :)

anyways, i have taken a picture of the said yummy scone for you to salivate on. well, it's not so yummy from my amateur attempt at food photography but it's passable.... just nod your head lah... ;)

Delicious Dome Scone

PS: wanted to post this during the coffee date before the other half arrived but with poor connectivity ( was seated at a nook ) i could only post it today, after full weekend away in Kuantan. oh yeah, plus, today i am on leave. :D