Tuesday, November 28, 2006

What Keep Me Happy?

The top 8 things that keep me happy:

1. Parents: Papa and Mama are happy and jolly;

2. Siblings: Sister and Brother are meeting their goals and live happily with their respective spouse;

3. Good friends: They see me as a Friend and not fellow competitor;

4. First Pets: Ally & Bobby are healthy and chubby; and also the fact that Bobby waits for me everyday after work by the door with his little cute face;

5. Ex-Love: Heard from friends that Kenny did tell them he once loved me very much till he found a new girl who was his wife;

6. Work: My academic writing on gender has inspired a women group to research into glass ceiling & sticky floor syndromes;

7. Weight: "Busybodies" stop commenting on my weight;

8. Accessory: I love my new hairdo.

Monday, November 27, 2006

To Grow With Love


Three days ago, my office clerk commented: Wow, you have at least put on 7kg!
Yesterday, my manicurist told me: Sorry, I couldn't recognise you, you have expanded!
This afternoon, a colleague said to me: You must be very happy because you have put on at least 15 pounds!

Geez ..... Am I and Have I?

Anyway, even if it was the fact, Myolie Wu put on weight for her role in "To Grow With Love", and she was cute!

This World Is Square

I told a friend in a discussion: This world is square.
She replied: Hey, haven't you seen a globe before?
I added: Yeah, I wasn't arguing that the earth is square, I said the WORLD is square. No matter how much evolution we have seen and read, ultimately we are back to square one. The rich are richer, the poor are poorer.

After India and Mexico, the Philippines is the third largest recipient of remittances in the world with a record of US$10.7 billion officially sent home by Filipinos and Filipina overseas in 2005 and it was forecasted the amount to be increased to US$11.87 billion in 2006. To date, domestic helpers contribute most part of the remittance figures. On average, a Filipina domestic helper is earning five times as much as what she earned as a factory worker in the Philippines. In the animation movie Happy Feet, we saw the father protecting the hatchling from blizzard conditions waiting for the eventual return of the mother with food for them. These domestic helpers were employed to take care of others' children. In the process, "Mother" has bcome a distance memory to their own children - it has reduced to a respectable lady in a photo who calls home a few times a month and send presents on their birthday and Christmas.

Another story I read was about an Indian girl as young as 11 was asked by his parents to work as child labour in the city. While our kids are celebrating the last day of their examinations, listening to iPod and asking where do we want to take them for year end holidays; this young Indian girl is washing dishes. Her employer pays her nothing just provides her with leftover food, old clothes and a space on the floor to sleep.

If the world was round then there should be a way to break the vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation.

Every child in this world has the right to grow up under good parental care, go to school and should be able to play and enjoy their childhood.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Discovery Learning

If I had a daughter, she has to be as cute, smart and sarcastic as Nancy. HaHa.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Used To Be The Song

This used to be the song I loved to play when I chatted with Kenny on the phone. He said it was nice but a girl's song, but deep down I knew he liked this song too.



Paul Young - Everytime You Go Away

Monday, November 20, 2006

How To Lose A Guy On First Date

I love this comic strip, had a good laugh when I read it yesterday!

Save All You Can

I found three good ways to save $:

(1) Buy only goods & services you need, not you want;

(2) Invest in only things that you are comfortable in, not to impress others;

(3) Stash $1 in a jar or shoebox whenever you are angry, and go for a foot reflexology when you accumulate $25. This way not only helps to raise your EQ, it will also help you to relax too re foot reflexology.

I Must Move On

Many friends told me I shouldn't have any pain for Kenny's departure because he was a past tense long ago. I ignored their comments and remarks. Either the fast pace of today's dynamic economy has brainwashed them to be indifferent towards all matters or I am over-react, I am truly sad over Kenny.

In the past 5 days, I kept asking myself these questions: Was I a past tense in Kenny's life long ago? Did he still keep that necklace? Why didn't he invite me to his wedding? Why did we act like strangers when we bump into each other in the shopping mall? Had Kenny has any last wish? Is his wife coping ok? Is there afterlife?

When I was 12, I read a comic called "Xiao Tien Tien" (direct translation from HanYiPinYin: Little Sweet One) and I couldn't understand why "Xiao Tien Tien" was so upset over Anthony's death when they have both moved on to their new life with respective new love. Now I understood. First Love Never Die.

The BodyGuard

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Truth Or Cliché

It may sound cliché. You go round and round searching for Mr Right, not realising that Mr Right was right beside you all the while - till you told him to go.

All the while, I have been telling friends that MY Mr Right has to be someone (1) who would look after me, (2) smart, (3) neat, (4) humble, (5) funny, (6) must be tall and (7) wearing a glasses is a bonus. Only to find that Kenny and Mr Scorpio are exactly that.

OK, attributes (5) & (6) are too high-school. Well, those minimum criteria were set when I was 16, and I am very comfortable to stay with that list every time I review it.

The following are words that I have quoted from The Book of Clichés which I've changed some of them and added some new lines to reflect my thinking and feeling now:

Title: For when you have done something really stupid

I just followed my intuition and illogical mind
I thought they would lead to good for something
I was trying to escape from something, I thought that I was just not ready to face it
I was looking for something, something that has nothing to do with you
I always did things like that
Sorry, I did not mean to hurt you
As I used to tell you often, Nobody is perfect and I am not your Ms Perfect
No matter how unhappy I am now, I can't change the fact
Well, at least I've felt the pain of losing you
If the opposite of Love was Loss, then I'd rather choose we have never met at all.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Fate And Destiny

To all couples who are brave enough to challenge their own destiny:

When You Know

Once a wise woman shared with me: Talk to your brain when you analyse work and listen to your heart when you need your own advice on love. I believe the former, but I doubt the latter suggestion would work.

First Love

Last night, I searched high and low in all my drawers for 2 Valentine's cards. I searched even between books in case I might have used them previously as bookmarks, but to no avail.

Then, suddenly I realised I wasn't actually looking for the cards. I was upset and needed another activity to derail me from getting more upset.

All these years, I haven't actually looked at Kenny. In those 2 years when he was my "bestest" friend, I saw him and aware of his existence. However, I have never really looked at him. He was always a substitute.

At my 15th birthday party, my entire mind in that evening was preoccupied by another party about 500m away organised by a neighbour boy whom I had infatuated for years. I hardly noticed who were at my own party and how many were actually my parents' friends and relatives. Exactly 10 hours after, a 17.5 year old boy named Kenny called me on my family phone and told me "You are a Princess". Thinking back of the white costume I wore and the big bow on my headband, I believe I looked more like a white witch than a princess! Anyway, no girls at that age could resist compliments.

After chatting like a decade on the phone and was on cloud 9 the entire morning, the rational part of me had alerted me to ring all my friends later that day, and I found out Kenny was in fact my uncle's youngest friend. He had recently moved to stay with his uncle, did not do well in his secondary 5 examinations due to his family problems, he was intelligent, humble and funny.

Kenny sometimes was like an older brother that I always wanted. He introduced me to the amazing world of Maths, and we used to have a common mantra that we copied from the popular tv show MacGyver: "There's no such things as ghost. There's no such things as ghost".

Kenny sometimes was like a boyfriend that you wanted to flaunt to all your classmates. Being 2.5 years older than most of the boys in my class, he was far more mature than them who spent all days teasing girls.

It's hard to believe Kenny is gone, forever gone. He passed away last Friday due to a maglinant tumour on his throat.

Last night and this morning, memories from 20 years ago were rolling on my mind like an old movie. I heard him saying: "Hey you are my Phoebe Cates". Honestly, in real life, I am hardly even 0.1% of Phoebe. Probably Kenny got the dillusion from his favourite film Gremlins where Phoebe played the lead role Kate Beringer.

He once told me "I would always be around you to protect you, unless you want me to go away and leave you alone. My love is persistent because I am seriously in love". He has many plans for our life - to work hard after he had graduated from his diploma, get a stable job, finance my degree studies, buy a house, get married and have a kid. No matter how long is the list of his plan, I was always at the central stage of his plan.

Things changed when I was 17 when I no longer believed love alone could bring food on dining table. Many times my sister Woofhams thought it was her that changed the shape of my friendship with Kenny, actually it wasn't her.

One evening on Thursday (in those days mobile phones were not around and teenagers having phone curfew was a trend), our family phone rang ...

Woofhams answered: Hello, who do you like to speak to? Oh, you are Kenny. Sorry, my sister told me to tell you she's not at home and she said not to call her again. Bye.

In fact, Kenny called me a week later and we had a 5 minutes silence before either one of us spoke.

Kenny asked me: Do you start to dislike me?
pancake Princess: I don't know. May Be. Yes, I am busy.
Kenny: Do you want to stop seeing me?
pancake Princess pondered a while: Yes, May Be (answering phone and revising for exams simultaneously)
Kenny: Do you want me to go away?
pancake Princess: Why are you so wishy-washy? Could you leave me alone, I need to revise for my exams.
Kenny: Go away, as in forever?
pancake Princess: Yes, forever. I am very busy now.

Only that Kenny didn't know when I put the receiver down 2 seconds later, I said to myself: Oh, forgotten to tell Kenny that he could call me next Thursday because I should have finished my exams by then.

Isn't life ironic? One short phrase could change two person's destiny, forever.

Kenny never called me or contacted me again after that. I waited one year for him to contact me, but found out not too long after from a friend's cousin that Kenny was seeing another girl. 5 or 6 years ago, I saw him and his wife - a pretty and younger woman, but he didn't greet me. Either he has completely forgotten about my existence or he just didn't want to look at me again - I don't know and I'll never have the answer again.

But, if there was time machine, I would want to go back to when I was 17 again and I wanted to tell Kenny that "Hey you could call me next Thursday. I should have finished my exams by then".

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Mind Your Language

A mother asked a child: Why did you get only 48% for your Maths test?
Child answered: Because the Maths teacher is not good. He doesn't know how to teach Maths.

Mother asked again: Why did you fail your English paper? Don't tell me your teacher is not good again.
Child answered: No, the English teacher is badder.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

I Am A Kung Fu Panda


Last year during my birthday, my young cousin nicked Baby asked me which animal would I like to be associated with.

I replied: National Treasure. A Panda. Kung Fu Panda.

Kung Fu Panda is a film about a panda who learns martial arts and then uses this new ability to fight his enemies. It is due for release on 2nd May 2008.

Round The World In 24 Days

It's another 2 days before the premier of The Amazing Race Asia Season 1 on AXN.

In March this year when I saw The Amazing Race Asia 1 was advertising for recruit, I had the urge to ask my sister Woofhams to go for audition with me. I strongly believe we'll be a good pair of strong & smart siblings to win The Amazing Race Asia 1's Championship! It seems fun to travel 6 continents in 24 days for free.

HaHa ... BUT 3 things have held me from participating (OK, I am fussy!): (1) how to squeeze 4 weeks of belongings into one tiny backpack; (2) bad breath concern due to no time for proper hygiene care; and (3) I wish the host is not Allan Wu (he looks too enthusiastic for a host, he displays more of a contestant's enthusiasm in fact).

Monday, November 06, 2006

How About This Proposition?

I've just read my sister Woofhams's blog. For the past 10 minutes, I have been thinking there might be a few ways I could help to unsolve the maze ie. the equation.

How about this proposition?

Job = Challenges (1)
Problems = Challenges (2)

Challenges + Creativity + Good Attitude = Efficiency (3)

However, many assumptions need to be held constant in order for above equations, particularly equation (3), to be true (which might not be possible sometimes for assumptions such as transparency, accountability, etc).

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

Yesterday while I was reading newspaper, my eyes were caught by a 10 year old girl's 150 words essay. The title of her essay was "If I were a millionaire ...". In one of the paragraphs, the girl wrote:

"If I were a millionaire, first of all, I would like to buy a big house for my parents. Secondly, I would buy my parents things that they want but might choose to forgo because they want to save for me and my siblings. Thirdly, I will keep a reasonable amount of money in the bank for my education and I will ask advice from financial analyst for better financial planning. In addition, I will donate some money to help the poors. Last, I would buy books and travel widely to widen my knowledge horizon".

Don't these words ring a bell? When we were 10, these were also our dreams and goals. For some of us, these dreams and goals still guide us in our life. Unfortunately for a few, they will call us "idealistic" or "too naive".

3 days ago, I read in the newspaper that a 75 year old Malaysian woman was left by his son by the roadside near a dumping ground. She was found 5 hours later by a journalist who also alerted the nearby police station. I pondered and kept thinking what was the son's dream when he was 10 year old, I am sure dumping his old mother with nothing but a sack of her old clothes was not one of his dreams.

Recently, I read about an 8 year old China girl died of heart failure because her family (her parents earned their livelihood mainly from begging) could not raise enough money (ie. approximately US$2,500) for her heart surgery. The ironic fact is that at the same part of the physical world, the Forbes magazine Top 40 richest man report quoted that the youngest, richest Chinese entrepreneur has a wealth of US$2.2 million at the age of 38. I am not suggesting "an even distribution of pie for all" in this posting, but many people have forgotten their 10 year old promises and dreams when they are high up at the top end of the social ladder.

There are many dreams we don't have to wait till we are millionaires. Buying your parents lunch sometimes to show you haven't neglected them despite your busy schedule. Save at least 15% of your pay every month because $1 not spent is $1 saved! Buy your favourite books on pay days and travel during off-peak period would cost less. There are many ways for us to feel millionaire at heart, it's all depend on how you perceive your life. Just like my ABCs of playing Monopoly: We advance not attack. We build not break. We calculate not criticise.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Pancakeism Street


Cool isn't it! You can also create one for your blog, visit: Street Sign Generator.

Too Bling Bling

Does the unecessary spending of the status-conscious cause distortionary inflation?

Hollywood writer-producer Kevin G. Boyd noticed that many celebrities tote water bottles around, so he decided to create a filtered water with bottle that has some pizazz. BlingH2O bottles are made from recylable frosted glass and feature Swarovski crystals. Each bottle costs US$35 and is filled with filtered water from Tennesee. You can find out more about this product at BlingH2O.com.

p/s: Did Boyd steal his bottle design idea from J.Lo? The bottle looks like J.Lo's first perfume "Glow" design.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Next Christmas

It seems like things all work the other way round for many people in the past two days. I wasn't in the best of mood too. So, I decided to kill the negativity by refocusing on the GOOD ie. we are more or less 7 weeks away from Xmas!

You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry .....
coz Santa is coming to town.