Walk-A-Mile Charity Event

There was a Walk-A-Mile charity event that was organized by one of our partner company's secretary.  It's basically a charity fundraiser for the Heart Foundation Sarawak, and for RM10, you get a T-shirt and a heart balloon headband and you get to participate in the walk.. I was interested in the walk.. seeing how long it'll take me to complete a mile (approximately 1.6km).. 

Got there at 6am to collect the 'goodie bag' and then waited for a whole hour for the CM to arrive to officiate the event.. so many 'pek moh' around.. kept mistaking them for CM.. and wondering why it was such a non-ceremonious entry.  Anyway.. once he finally came and gave the opening speech and all that.. we were ready to walk.. I had no idea what the route was, so was excited. 

 Check out our cute headbands.. hahaha.. 

Anyway, when the race was officiated.. we started walking.. I realized that we were walking one round around the park.. 200m.. and that was it!  No repeated rounds nothing.. so what happened to 'walk-a-mile'?  I think it was named that just to sound good.. 

I barely broke a sweat!  What a waste of a morning IMHO.. 

Stressed.. and sick...

Two combinations that I do not like.. stress makes me wanna binge drink.. sick makes me wanna curl up at home under the covers in bed.. both scenarios depicting depression.
What happened?  Why am I so stressed?  How did I get sick?
Thanks to Jo, I now caught her sore throat and flu.. she had the audacity to cough her germs all over me in a bid to get me to move from my usual position on the bean bag on the floor.. covered by a blanket.. and she wanted that spot.. who cares if I got there first right?  So now I have a killer sore throat, and I'm cranky and achy all over.. 

To make matters worst, I'm so stressed out right now.. because of the stupid scam situation that I'm in!  Revert back to Naivity post.. oh.. it got worst.  So my last update, was that the stupid lose Huan (aka Muhammad) got my threat to go to the police and said that he'll release the package to me.  GREAT !!  Problem solved..right?  No no no... I got an email on Saturday from the courier company, claiming that there is a charge of RM1200 for 'security and VAT'.. OMG.. this guy just wants money.. does he think that I'm stupid or something?  And he gave me a personal bank account to bank the RM1200 in.. hello...

1. We don't have VAT in Malaysia.. GST yes.. not VAT.. that's a Europe term.
2. What security?
3. If you were a company, shouldn't I bank it into a business account and not a personal account?

I wrote back asking them what security.. and VAT shouldn't be applicable for domestic couriers and purchases.. and that I've settled all charges with Mohammad therefore I shouldn't pay the RM1200... a reply came quickly.. saying 'this is to let you know that if the package stays longer in our hands, the fees might go up'... SIGNAL BELLS.. what do you mean 'might'.. it's either a yes or a no.. and why is that tone so similar to Mohammad's last email to me?

Detective time.. their company is fake.. there's no such registered business on SSM website (a site to look up businesses).. there's no such thing as Ipost.. 

So you know what I think?  This is a huge elaborate scam.. there is no yogurt maker.. there is no Ipost.. it's a fake page that he's created and entered in the tracking number to fool me.  A look at the consignment paper shows that it's packed by 'Atlantic Packaging' or something like that.. which is based in USA.. 

So right.. I have all this evidence against him.. what am I going to do?  

Firstly, I'm going to lodge a police report. reporting this as a scam and asking police to investigate things further.  Secondly, I'm going to sue Mohammad.. forget about small claims court.. I'm taking this guy for all he has... Thirdly, I'm going to sue 'ipost' as well.. and fourth.. I'm going to find the owner of KKSell.com and sue him for advertising scammers on his site.

Oh I mean business people.. no one scams me and gets away with it..

So now I'm stressed.. I'm sick.. I feel like shit.. I wish this all never happened in the first place.. 

FML....  

It's Friday Friday Everybody get down on Friday...

You can probably tell that I'm ecstatic that it's Friday!  And no, I'm no Fan of Rebecca Black.  Can't stand her nasal voice.. and the fact that her Aussie Accent is so strong.. and Aussie.. no offense to my Aussie peeps out there.

Why am I excited that it's Friday?  Well mainly because it means that it's one day closer to the weekend, and one week closer to Tatler Ball! OMG.. I'm like super duperly excited.. I've got my tickets booked, my makeup artiste booked.. my hotel room booked (most importantly).. only thing is that it's now crunch time on the weight loss mission.. I'm proud to announce that I dropped 0.5kgs yesterday.  How you ask?  What's the secret?

Ugh people.. there is no secret.. it's called HARDCORE EXERCISING... yes.. I did 640 Kcals yesterday .. 30 minutes on the elliptical and 50 minutes on the treadmill.. I find that if I run on the treadmill with no incline, I can run for ages!  It's those damn inclines that makes your muscle more tired.. if only we live in a world that's flat.. no hills whatsoever.. then I'll have no problem running 10km! hahaha  I did my ab roller as well.. feeling the burn in my abs which is awesome.  Oh, am on a lean protein diet too.. cutting out rice for the next week!  Can't give up my morning Kolo Mee though.. unfortunately.

I'm participating in the Heart Foundation Charity Walk-A-Mile on Sunday 30th September 2012.  I wanted to bring Hunter along, but I guess that's against regulation.  I did ask, and the lady on the phone sounded shocked.. as if this was never suggested before.. then again, it's a charity where they have food stalls etc.. I'm expecting lots of Huans.. should bring my dog and scare them all away.. mua ha ha ha..

On 13th October, I plan to participate in Kuchingnite Run.. only doing the 5km run though.. I'm rather uneasy with the thought of running past a cemetery alone at night.. I'm going to make sure that my friends run with me during that part.. we can part ways after (thank goodness its at the beginning of the race).

It's going to be a rather busy October for me.  And it starts from the 1st October.  I have 2 new employees coming on board, so I have to arrange for equipment for them etc.. then on 2nd and 3rd I have a course to attend, 5th I'm flying to KL, 6th is Tatler Ball, 7th is Samantha's birthday party, 8th is Daddy's birthday, 9th is Jerome's wedding, 12th is Valerie's birthday, 13th is the night run, 19th is when my sister is due to give birth, 23rd is Samantha's actual birthday, 24th I fly to USA, 25th is my birthday, 26th we head down to Lake Tahoe for the weekend.. 30th is Bobby's birthday, 31st is Halloween.  OH MY.. what a full month I have ahead of myself..not to mention 2nd November is Ron's birthday.  And I got to do payroll before 24th..  FUN..

So what's on the plans for tonight?  It's Sean's birthday party and we're having steamboat.. LOVE steamboat.  Always tend to overeat though.. so tonight I'll be watching myself carefully.. making sure not to make a glutton of myself.  There's HH before and after dinner, but I'm not sure if I want to binge on alcohol and see my weight increase again.. know what I mean?  It's empty calories after all.  So hence the dilemma.. should I go home and exercise before dinner?  I know I should.. but do I want to? :P  

In the meantime, I have heaps going on with Activate!  Trying to get the business license at the moment.. which might take a couple months to approve! I don't got couple of months!  I have one and a half!  Better get a crunch on it.. hahaha...

It's Friday Friday.. one more day to the weekend weekend!

Naivity

I am very naive, I think I place too much trust in the fact that all people on this world is good.. unless of course if you have a criminal history, or you're a dodgy homeless person..etc etc..
What drama have I gotten myself into this time?  If you only knew...

So one of the equipment I needed was a frozen yogurt maker right.. and I've been searching online on where to get it etc.. and I found it selling on KKSELL.com.my .. the exact brand and item I was looking for.. omg.. I was so happy.. I emailed the guy asking information on it, he replied.. he seemed genuine.. all in all, the Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt maker was going to cost me RM450 (RM380 for the maker and RM70 for shipping and processing).. Kinda worth it.. after all, it costs USD$90 for the same thing in USA.. figured they'll up the costs for a little profit etc..

Anyway, I debited the amount into the bank account given (Dodgy No. 1) and it took 2 days for the money to show in their account.  The minute they got it on 24th September, they sent the item to me and sent me the consignment form showing that it's been sent via IPost (Dodgy No. 2).  Never mind, as long as I get it right?

26th September I received an email from the sales representative, saying that their warehouse shipped the wrong things.. Instead of the one Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt Maker, they sent 2 AND another 2 ice cream maker worth USD1000 each... stupid right?  How can they make such a huge mistake like this?  What's worst.. is that he asked me for 50% upfront downpayment to release the package from the courier in KL (he'd called ahead to ask them to stop sending the package).. okay.. FIRST OF ALL.. why on earth should I pay for something that I didn't order.. SECOND OF ALL.. why on earth should I pay for your mistake?  Being nice, I asked him what 50% was.. RM3000.. OH HELL NO.. I am NOT coughing up RM3k to pay for something that has nothing to do with me.  I told him that, and he started getting desperate, saying he'll lose his job for this mistake... NOT MY PROBLEM.. 

So in a bid to correct all this hoohah.. I asked for the courier number so I can call and ask them to send the items BACK to the warehouse.. at THEIR OWN COST.. courier guy answered.. he sounded Japanese (Dodgy No. 3) and said that the Sender has to call and arrange it.  FINE.. so I emailed the bloody Huan back and told him to call.. to which he replied that the courier cannot send the item back to them as I am the recipient.. (Dodgy No. 4).. they're the sender.. don't they have rights to the item?

So fine.. I emailed them back saying I'll give them RM1 for the item.. will that satisfy them?  After all, it's meant to be a 'deposit' and the representative will come and collect the items from me immediately and give me back the money.. does it really matter how much deposit I give them?  I have already given them my word.. that I don't want the 3 items.. that I will gladly give it back to them.

I think my final message to them should be "If you don't solve this and I don't receive my yogurt maker by 5th October 2012, I have no choice but to take you to court."  HAH!

Let's see how this will pan out over the day...

A Look at Activate!

Drum rolls please.......................
I have an artist impression of Activate!

That's what Activate! is going to look like.. although with less glass displays.. I'm going to have the tall display cabinet to show off my fruits and panini's .. and the rest of the counter top would be maybe marble with plywood.  Then I can do my branding and stick it to the plywood area of the counter... I might consider putting my menu there as well.. but for now.. it's probably going to be my signage and branding.

I realized that I actually have alot of room to work with.. 7.5m x 5m is the size of Activate!  And I have room to put tables and chairs as well.. so in this picture.. I don't have a bar counter.. perhaps its better this way.. cos my bar counter will only be 1 foot wide.  And I need it to put my cash register etc.. speaking of which.. I better find a cash register supplier.

Suddenly it seems like everything is happening too fast and I'm feeling over-whelmed.  I wish PrincessBling was back to help me deal with Activate! because she's done it before with Pazzion Juice Bar.  I still have so many things to do.. including confirming things with suppliers and all that..

I need to confirm stockage from F&N for Redbull and Gatorade from Pepsi.  I need to confirm my fruits, and I need to confirm my bread and panini supplier.. not to mention turkey ham and all that.. ON top of that, I need to get my license to sell food/drinks and attend a food handler's course to comply with the legislation.  I'm running out of time here.. better get it altogether quickly before I jet off to USA!  Woo hooooooooooooo.. can't wait for that! hahaha

My Vices...

I have one vice.. and that's alcohol.. fortunately.. I'm not a smoker.. nor do I have a gambling addiction.. but this one vice is enough to destroy....
I'm on a health kick right now.. and all it takes is one night of binging to cause havoc.. and that sucks.. but I can't seem to let go of drinking completely.  I've cut back a considerable amount of alcohol consumption already in a bid to lose the weight and fit into my dress.. but there's that occasional urge that draws me back to the dark side.. 

Alcohol.. my foe and my friend.. 

Heineken is my beer of choice, chosen because of it's smooth taste and thirst quenching qualities.. nothing is better than an ice cold beer on a hot Kuching day.

I get days when halfway during work, I just get this great sense of wanting to drink.. I don't know what it is.. but it's different from the urges to just drink water or orange juice or whatever.. it's that need to have something with alcohol in it..  and it won't go away until I get my hands on a cup of ice cold beer.. weird isn't it?

What do I love about alcohol?  I love how it makes me braver and more at ease on making conversation with people.. with alcohol.. I don't just sit there silently, waiting for someone to talk to me.. I actually start conversations.  I love how I lose all inhibitions after a drink (well okay.. not ALL inhibitions) but I just like how I can loosen up.. and relax.. and not think about anything else.. although these days, I'm thinking about the amount of calories in a beer and how hard I have to work out just to lose the calories of ONE beer! hahaha

Maybe I should add another vice..  shopping!  I'm so jealous that PrincessBling is able to find all these bargains on nice clothes.. I hope she'll start thinking about me the next time she finds a bargain dress :D

**Trigger Warning**

I'm going to let my guard down for a moment here, and share my deepest darkest thoughts.. 

I've been having an eating disorder for years now.. combined with alcoholism.. it's not a pretty picture.. I've been to rehab 3 times and I've made many friends who suffer from eating disorders that I find at some point, really triggering for me that I fall into a deep emotional force field..

My first rehab was for alcoholism, where I spent 3 nights in a 'safe house'.. and honestly, it was the first time I felt 'safe' in a long time.  I was surrounded by four walls, no handphone or computers.. just me being myself, surrounded by doctors and nurses that were so helpful.  It was no wonder when I was discharged, I cried and cried because the thought of going back into the 'real world' was simply overwhelming.  My psychiatrist in the 'safe house' sat with me for about an hour before I was ready to leave the comfort of the four walls.. it was weird.. leaving and catching a cab and going back to my old life.. needless to say.. I found comfort going back to Alcohol straightaway.

My second rehab stint was longer.. this time for Anorexia (purging kind).. My psychiatrist and GP threatened to have me incarcerated if my weight dropped below 105 pounds, and guess what happened just one week later? I stayed 2 months inpatient and had 1 month outpatient program after that, before moving back to Kuching.  My time in hospital was probably another instance where I felt safe.. I needn't worry about work, life, anything.. all I had to focus on was eating and getting better.. of course.. then I worried about how much weight I had gained (I was only discharged after putting on 20 pounds!) and would spent nights starring at my reflection in the window.. starring at my pregnant belly.  Since I had my family there with me, I wasn't so upset about finally being discharged.. I had quit my job as well.. which took a huge burden off my shoulders.  But I felt disgusted at my new body.. I was HUGE.. I wanted to be skinny again!

My third rehab was in Singapore.. this time for Bulimia.. yes.. I've gone from anorexia to bulimia.. ironic isn't it?  I stayed 3 weeks in the hospital, where I would cry every night when my mum visited.. silenced by what I could not say or express out loud.  But again.. I felt SAFE in there.

What's this feeling of being 'safe'?  It makes me wonder if I should just be locked up in a 'crazy room', with no windows and four padded walls.

It's been 2 years since I was last in rehab, and I'm definitely on the road to recovery.  But I get triggered all the time.. watching someone skinnier than me prancing around in clothes I only wish I could fit in.. hearing about my friends being inpatient is a HUGE trigger for me.. because part of me wishes to go back to that 'safe place'.. but with all the rules and protocols (finish every morsel of rice and gravy etc).. I don't want to be controlled by food.. after all.. I'm okay now.. I eat my meals like a normal person.. I act like a normal person, there's no reason for me to get admitted.  

I really don't know what this blog is about.. just writing down my inner most thoughts.. I'm afraid to publish this in case it gets misunderstood by people.. I'm not bulimic anymore.. I'm not anorexic.. but I still get triggered which upsets me and makes me feel depressed.  

Most days I wish I was back at 104 pounds, my lowest weight (around 46kgs).. I was even lighter than when I was 13 years old!  Not because I was sick, but because I was skinny.. and I want to go back to that.. I was definitely more confident then.. being able to fit in size 0 clothes.. and being able to wear all I want.. what I loved most was that my bones were jutting out.

At least now I'm in a wayyyyyy better place.. exercising and living healthily.. with many prospects to look forward to, with the opening of 'Activate'.. the name of my new juice/food bar!  It actually appeared to me in my dream last night.. I took it as a good sign.

I must say.. things are looking up, and I hope in the NEAR future, I won't be so preoccupied with weight and body issues.. looking forward to that hot body that exercising will give me :)

Hot Mama!

Just a shout out to my Christchurch Bestie Mrs Annie on giving birth to her 2nd son on Saturday, 22nd September 2012, a beautiful baby called Jeremy.

Annie was the first friend I made when I moved to Christchurch.  We were in the same class 3S3 and she was so kind and bubbly, approaching me and PrincessBling for a chat when we were shielding away from everyone as we were so shy.  Our friendship blossomed over the years, sharing everything from thick and thin.

Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to her wedding (tickets bought and all.. and no Visa to go back to USA) which I'm sorely disappointed over.. but I met her first son Ryan when I went down for a snowboarding trip with friends in August 2010.  Oh my, was it really 2 years ago?  That was 2 weeks before an earthquake devastated Christchurch.

I miss her and I miss the times we spent together.  And everyone is so grown up now.. she's one year my junior and having 2 kids already.. makes me wonder where my life has gone.. I feel like I wasted many years of my life with this sickness and I wish I could claim it all back.  Maybe I could have gotten married with kids by now if things didn't go the way they did.

BUT.. everything happens for a reason, and I can't wait to find out what the Lord has for me in the near future, but I promise it's going to be exciting.. that's right people, it's time to live life to the fullest and live everyday as if it's your last day.  Hmph yeah.. easier said than done right?

But here's my pledge to you.. the time is now.. no living in the past, no living in the future.. live for NOW.

Exercising

I've been exercising like a mad woman the past 3 weeks.. all in the game of toning down to fit into my ball gown for the Tatler Ball.  Well, how is the results after 3 weeks?  Good news! I can actually clip the top of my dress together.. unfortunately.. as I'm no contortionist.. I'm having trouble reaching behind to zip up the dress.. and I'm not about to ask for help just yet.. don't wanna have people asking me why I bought such a small size etc.. 

I'm ecstatic!  My daily regime consists of 30 minutes on the Elliptical machine and 30 to 40 minutes of jogging on the treadmill, burning about 600 Kcals a day.. and I'm glad to report that on my 3rd week of exercising, I've finally met the benchmark of 2100 Kcals a week.  In fact, last week I pushed it to 2700 Kcals a week.. doing 600 Kcals more than the recommendation set by my watch for weight loss.  This just makes me want to work out more.

You know, they say it takes 21 days to start a habit.. and just one day to break it.. and I'm glad to say that I've been exercising for more than 21 days and I actually enjoy it!  I can't believe that I was so adverse to the gym just 3 months ago.  AlanHarperIsMyIdol has been telling me to exercise for months now, as I'm forever moaning about my weight.. and I use to tell her that I'm allergic to the gym :D

It's weird, because I was a gym bunny (oppose to snow bunny) for a few years when I was in Perth and Sydney.  I used to do Body Pump every other day, with Body Jam in the days between. Sometimes I would jump from Body Pump to Body Jam back to back in one day!  My body was fit!  Then I moved to San Francisco, and the thought of finding a gym got to wary.. and I made excuses not to go to the gym anymore.. what for?  The weight was still coming off (albeit unhealthily) and since then.. I've been against the gym for weight loss.

Of course, after putting back on all these weight.. and moving back to Kuching, under the watchful eye of my parents, it's hard to go back to my unhealthy ways of skipping meals.. and restricting since the food in Kuching is oh so good!  I'm finding it hard to shed the weight.. and AlanHarperIsMyIdol is right about the gym.. although it doesn't reflect on the scale.. it's sure reflecting on how I'm able to sorta fit in my dress. 

So PrincessBling and myself have made a pact, to stay fit and keep going with the exercise.  That means no slacking off after the Tatler Ball and definitely no slacking while I'm in USA.  We're going to be gym buddies, egging each other on (not literally...)

So I've been starring at the mirror at myself and my body transformation, and when strutting the catwalk (yes.. I strut!) I can see belly jelly.. which is totally gross.. so now.. I want to get this to tone up that area..

It's an Ab-Wheel.. and I used a similar item before WAYYYYYYY back in Christchurch and I must say.. it definitely works the core muscle!  

Now having a juice bar in the gym might be a motivation for me to try some of their classes!  I heard about one class that works your core to the max.. and I'm willing to give that a try.. now only to see if I can get free membership to the gym :D
 

Doggie Love

It doesn't take a fortune teller to tell you that I LOVE dogs.. they are my babies.. as mentioned in my earlier blogs, I have 4 of them.. a Golden Retriever called Maximus, a Siburan Husky called Hunter, a Siberian Husky called Lupo, and a Border Collie called Lightning.  I love them each to bits, and I'm sorry that I haven't been updating them much on this blog but that's because all the pictures of them I have on my Blackberry, and I lost the program in which to transfer data between my phone and the computer.

Max is putting on heaps of weight.. he can barely squeeze into his favorite spot.. in the drain!

So tight and snug!!!

Look at his 'fats' spill out from the drain.. isn't that simply adorable?  He's such a lovely boy.. each night when they're all released from the cage, instead of making a mad dash around the house compound looking for places to pee and poo.. he wiggles his butt, shakes himself off.. do a downward dog pose.. then happily trots to the security guard to get a pet or two on his head.. then walks off to do his business.. such a gentleman! I love how he just waddles over to you, pushing any dogs out of the way.. and nudges your hand for a pet.

Hunter.. one of the reasons why I haven't blogged about them is because.. my poor Hunter has been shaven bald.. I'm so embarrassed by his hair cut.. he literally looks like a poodle.. rat.. rabbit.. you name it, he's been called it.  My poor little baby.. but his hair has finally grown back a few inches.. thin enough to keep him cool during the day.. and warm enough for the night chill.

I'm too sexy for my fur to sexy yeah...

Here's a good picture of him.. taken in such a way that you can't see his shaved butt.. ain't he just adorable?  He's totally being pussy-whipped by Lightning right now though.. Lightning is fighting to be Alpha-Male.. so bullies poor Hunter to bits... but he's so loving.. taking the tender moments to lick the sweat off my arm after I finish the gym.. trying to steal a kiss on the face when he can.. Ooo.. just love squeezing his nose!

Lupo has become an attention seeker as well now.. while he won't be jumping around and pushing others away.. he'll see an opportunity where he can just go in and be the only one there to be petted. He hates his nose being squeezed.. but I think he secretly enjoys getting a kiss on it.. 

Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top..

He's also a really lazy dog.. if he sees too many dogs surrounding you and realizes that the chance of getting alone time with you is not going to happen.. he sulks off and lies down and sleeps. He still howls like a lonesome wolf at night when he wanna come out and play.. his first move is to run to the other side of the house where he can pee and poo in private.. then he proceeds to run round and round the house.. only stopping at the main gate, as if waiting.. that by some miracle, it will open and he will dash for freedom..  Ain't he a gorgeous one?

Lightning... me thinks... is afraid of lightning (no.. not himself.. the real thing!)  When the night skies are flashing brightly.. he gets this look of intense fear in his eyes and hides away in his little corner.  Other than that, he's a really cheeky boy!

Coochie coochie cooo....

Lookie at that face of his.. so cheeky.  He loves to play with you.. and he's the total attention whore.  He is the first one at the fence when you come, and he's found out that if he squeezes himself into the corner of the cage.. he can look towards the side of the house to see if you're coming or not!  And he waits there.. and stares at you longingly until you can stand it no more and go and play with him.. he'll cover you with his kisses. Just wishes he will treat Hunter better!

Now with four dogs, you would think that they're a handful .. NEVER!  I love each and everyone of them like my babies and each hold a special place in my heart.  Although they are eating a hole in my pocket.. 1 and a half months worth of food costs me RM500! 

Watching movies about dogs just makes me wanna go out there and hug my babies.. but the movie Hachinko?  OMG.. I want an Akita!!!!

Isn't that totally adorable?  Reminds me of Hunter when he was a wee little boy.  They're really tame dogs who aren't temperamental, and this one is for sale from Kota Kinabalu!!! I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!  I think my parents will have a heart attack though.. so this will stay on my wishlist for now.. and stay in the back of my mind until I have my own place for more dogs :)

Til then...

Shopping for my Juice Bar!!!

Now before you all yell at me for shopping when I'm literally on a shopping ban (imposed by loved ones all around me).. this is for INVESTMENT PURPOSES.. you gotta spend to make.. no?  I love looking at all the little knick knacks that I wanna (shoulda woulda coulda?) get for the bar.. but I know I know.. only the essentials first.. I can always decorate later.

So these are the few items that I've purchased for my juice bar (that's lying in dust at my house waiting for the day that it'll be used)

Juicer
Of course.. being a juice bar, the juicer is one of the most important tool to have, which was why that was my first purchase.  I'm going for quality rather than speed, so I decided to get the latest technology of juicer that was out in the market.

Oscar Neo DA1000 Electric Juicer

Ain't that one funky looking juicer?  I had to get this specially shipped in from Kuala Lumpur because it wasn't available in Kuching (when I bought it.. it's only now being introduced in Kuching), but this is a fruits AND vegetable juicer, which means that it's perfect for wheatgrass as well.  This technology twists the fruit/vegetable instead of blending it, which means that more juice is actually extracted from the fruit/vegetable, giving you more value for your money.  The only thing is that it's slower than an actual old school juicer.

Egg Boiler
A what you ask? Egg Boilers!  I decided to serve soft boil eggs with toast for breakfast at the gym (ahh.. breakfast of champions) and can now incorporate hard boil eggs for panini sandwiches as well.  I absolutely LOVE Groupon.. this one I actually saw on Groupon Singapore, so I got a friend to help me purchase two units.

Yoei Electric Egg Boiler

Ain't it so cute?  It cooks up to 6 eggs at one time, you can choose soft boil and hard boil and you can even steam egg custards.  Not that I'll be serving that.. but you never know.  Now the problem is figuring out how to take it back to Kuching.. wondering if my bro can help me out as he's going to Singapore soon..

Griller
To toast a Panini perfectly, you need a sandwich griller.. so you get the actual toast marks on top of the bread that makes it a Panini!  So.. instead of using Groupon, my sister found a griller selling on Mydeals.com for RM88!  Bargain right?  If it spoils, no big loss.. and I'm sure it would last awhile.. unless if I'm doing VOLUMES AND VOLUMES AND VOLUMES of panini.. which I hope to be doing in time to come.. but not immediately.

3 in 1 Sandwich Griller

That's the 3 in 1 sandwich griller that I got.. I'm just going to use the flat ones to toast the Panini, as you can see in the picture most right.. a perfectly grilled panini!  In time, I want to progress to those prettier looking grillers :P

Blender
I need a blender to make my smoothies, and I know how noisy they can be and how fragile they can be, so my niece introduced me to the Buffalo brand blender which she currently uses and swears by.  She says it's quiet and it blends up a storm!  Perfect!!  Unfortunately, I can't find a picture of the Buffalo Blender online...

Blender

This is the prettiest picture of a blender that I can find online.. hahaha. I'm hoping that it'll look something like this, and I'm arranging to buy a second container so I can do two smoothies after another instead of doing one and washing and doing again.

These are the stuff that I've purchase/will purchase.. currently I'm eyeing a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker as well because I need it to make my frozen yogurt for the smoothies.. I'm just going to keep the culture and make it myself.. I mean.. one kg of yogurt from Easiyo is already going to set me back RM17.90 and 24 hours.. if I can buy plain old yogurt from Takiong and put in my flavoring while freezing it.. brilliant.. however, I found this machine is selling for RM800 in KL.. is it worth the spend?

I also bought a stick-on blackboard that I can stick to the walls of the gym and write down my menu with chalk as it changes daily.. it's so awesome.. thank you Groupon!

I will need to buy a freezer to store my frozen yogurt, and I have to make sure that my puree is not water based as it will turn to ice when I freeze it.. if it is, I'll have to get a fridge for it.

Aside from all this stuff.. I have to see if I have to get the furniture.. if I do, I want to get a comfortable couch with a low table, where people can sit and read a magazine while enjoying their juice, and a few tables and chairs where they can eat their panini and eggs n toast.  I just want a really chillax cafe environment, and I hope that I can achieve that..

Other than that.. it's manpower that I have to source, and that will be the hard part..

Stay tuned.....

Exciting.....

Hmm... not sure what's wrong with me today, but I feel so tired I can barely keep my eyes opened, let alone stand by the copy machine waiting for my stuff to get printed.. I know that I was definitely dreaming all last night, although memories of the dreams aren't as clear anymore.  Nothing can beat the scariness of dreaming about the death of a love one.. but superstitions says that that means that the 'dead person' would live a longer life.. I like to believe that.

So what's the 'exciting' title about?  Nothing much.. just wanted to pull you readers in :)  I'm kidding.. things are looking to get exciting for the rest of the year!

 TATLER BALL
Yes, that's the nearest thing that's happening.. 6th October is the date.  I've booked my ticket to fly out on Friday evening and return Sunday afternoon.  It's so exciting.. nearing to fitting my dress..  figuring out what shoes to wear, arranging things with the makeup Artiste (Good ol' reliable Frederick) and I plan to do my hair Friday afternoon so my Saturday mornings will be free for me to just relax and sleep in.  I do plan to go to Bangsar to look at some appliances IF I cannot find it in Kuching.

SAMANTHA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!
Yup, will be coming back from Tatler and straight to Samantha's party on the 7th October 2012.  Her actual birthday is on 23rd October, but that's exam time, so her parents pushed it forward.  It's going to be held at Four Points hotel and I'm freaking out because .. I don't have to to glam up!  I arrive literally at 3.45pm and the party starts at 4pm.. I will look horrible having just come off the plane.. oh well.. solution..glam up in KLIA before departing to Kuching! hahaha

BUYING BUYING BUYING
No this is not what you think.. I have to start buying for my juice bar.. that means I'll have to get the toaster, egg boiler/cooker thingimajig, plates, cups, blender etc.. I just bought my blender and I'm so excited to get it.  Can't wait to try it out.. but it won't be arriving until 1st October though.. no point in getting it so early right?

I want to get those Styrofoam cups to keep my smoothies cold (not to mention juices) and I want to do some kinda of branding on those cups, but I have to wait to see if I can name the juice bar.. or do I have to keep it in line with the Phoenix Gym.

AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes!  I'll be heading over to America on the 24th to celebrate my birthday with PrincessBling.  We already planned to drive down to Lake Tahoe for the first weekend to celebrate with friends.. craving for their seafood buffet already.. then it'll be 3 weeks of spending quality time with PrincessBling.. where we'll be exercising, eating and shopping till our legs wanna drop and our hands wanna give way (or is it the other way around?)  I can't wait!  Let the count down begin!  Only one month and one week to go! :D

JUICE BAR OPENING
I plan to open the juice bar about a week after I return from USA.. this is a little hard as the gym is opening on the 10th November.. a good week before my return.. and I'll need at least a week to set up first!  I plan to throw an opening party for my friends where they can taste the tasty morsels of my food and beverages, and hopefully I can get them to join the gym where by then it'll garner me more customers :)

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR
My how time passes so quickly.. soon it will be Christmas and New Years.. wonder what promotions I'll do at the gym.. maybe serve some Yule Tide Egg Nogs :)  Although I wouldn't have the first clue on how to make it.  Maybe get some roast turkey panini with cranberry jelly etc.. ohhh yum.. remember the one that they made in the states, with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce.. YUMMO!

Well, with all this coming up, how can you not be excited?  I'm dancing inside and soon I'll be dancing on the outside at the Tatler Ball.. and then it's AMERICA!!!!!!!!!  Sad to say it's probably my last trip to America..with it being so far away and PrincessBling is not there anymore.. 

So what's the outlook for 2013?

1. More travels (planning a trip that will take me from Melbourne to Sydney to Christchurch and back to Kuching) 
2. Expansion of the juice bar maybe?  Opening a sandwich store at The Spring?
3. Success in life.. the ultimate dream

Ahhh.. life is finally looking up..  :)

My Long Weekend Espionage

We had a long weekend due to Malaysia Day falling on a Sunday (16th September 2012), so Monday was automatically a holiday.. YAY .. I'll do anything for a 4 day work week! hahaha.. I had a full on weekend planned.. 

DRESS FITTING

Yes, it was time for another dress fitting after 2 weeks of exercise and dieting.  My weight only decreased by 1kg but I was feeling slimmer and trimmer.  This is mainly due to myself building up muscle mass and losing the fat mass.. I always have to remind myself.. muscle weighs more than fat.  So don't be discouraged by the scale!
Well, moment of truth.. I locked myself in my bedroom (for privacy) and slipped on my dress.. OMG.. what used to be a 5cm gap.. is now a 2cm gap!  I don't believe it, the workouts are working!  So my 'feeling' of being trimmer and slimmer is actually reality.  I am beyond ECSTATIC!!!  This just makes me wanna work out more.. 
I'm still aiming for 600 Kcals a day, but I'm happy with the watch's program of 300 Kcals a day to lose weight (2100 Kcals per week).

HAIR PERMING

I decided (with the recommendation of AlanHarperIsMyIdol) to perm my hair about 2 weeks prior to the Tatler Ball.. that way, the hair wouldn't be as curly as maggi mee.. and it would be nicely curled.  I had a hair cut prior to perming.. just to trim off those dead dry ends.  Not to mention the gazillion split ends that I have.  Man, the price of Richard and Iris sure gone up.. it now costs me RM450 for the wash, cut and perm!
I decided to go with the smaller curlers, and I'm so glad that I did.. the end results was terrific!  Of course, I had them blow the curls rather than let it dry naturally... and this is what I got..

Aren't the curls gorgeous???  It's not too small (as I thought it would be with smaller curlers) and it's really bouncy.. I curled from the top of the head.. don't quite know why it's still flat.. must be the way they blow dried it!

BABY SHOWER

We threw my sister a baby shower on Sunday 16th September 2012.. attended by 12 of her good friends/family.. it was held at Four Points Hotel in the VIP room.. and it was nicely decorated with ducks.  The theme of the baby shower was Blue or Yellow.. and I had no clothes in either colour.. so I wore purple/pink.. man I wish I dug deeper into my closet cos I sure stuck out like a sore thumb! hahaha.. but hey.. look at me.. I look gorgeous :P

Still having trouble with the cam-whore lenses of my new camera.. I really have no idea where to look!  But I wore my falsies (top and bottom) which I LOVE!!!  Should have put more blusher and wear a darker lipstick though.. I went pale pink to match my dress :)
Hmm.. my skin looks haggard in that picture.. don't you think?

That's me and my eldest sis.. don't we look alike :)
We all had Balloon yellow duck hairbands (except the pregnant lady - she had a party hat instead) and it was so cute!

That's Shentel (of Sereni and Shentel Headbands fame)..
Ahhh.. don't you just love cam-whoring?

Well, that's pretty much my weekend.  I went supermarket shopping yesterday looking for produce to use for my juice bar.  Then I ended up at Pizza Hut where I bought  a large pizza and took it to Shore (pub).. where I proceed to eat two slices of the pizza with 2 pints of beer.. am I ever glad that the scale did not go up when I stepped on it this morning..
What happened to the rest of the pizza?  Well George ate two slices and I took the rest home.. maybe it's what we're having for lunch today :D

Back to the exercising and less binging.. food and alcohol wise.  Maybe I better start chewing gum to get rid of that double chin in that last picture :( 

As requested by MikhaelfBlue, here are more pictures.. although I'm not sure if you can see my hair in most of them...

Sorry dude.. maybe next time I'll get a shot with my hair (After I do it at the salon!)

Shoes Shoes Shoes....

This mental disease keeps rearing it's ugly head!  So thanks to everyone who voted 'no' against buying the foot pod/mouse/taser... I decided not to spend the RM324 on it.. instead.. I'm going to spend it on my hair cut and perm which I'm gonna get tomorrow.

But now I'm bored at work.. wishing the day away.. begging for an afternoon HH session.. oh.. and waiting for the Iphone Singapore Store to 'update' so I can grab a couple and sell it! hahahaha nah, just kidding... my bro-in-law is asking for a couple for his own usage.. so I'm counting down til 12am San Francisco time.. 

Well it's 12am San Francisco time and the website is still down.. wondering what's going on.

Anyway, back to my blog title, shoes shoes shoes..... I was just reviewing my outfit for Tatler Ball when I realised that I haven't got any shoes to go with the dress.. well, I have shoes.. but I think strappy would suit the dress well.. not pumps.. and I don't want something that will kill my feet and ruin the night for me, like it did last year.. 

Alas.. trolling through websites.. I found this:

OMG is that not totally GORGEOUS????  That's like a total Princess shoe!  It's by Stuart Weitzman, and it costs USD$595.. it's a revamp of their USD$3 million shoe that was showcased (and thus had a cult following) at the Oscars in 2002!  However, this one is made of Swarovski rather than diamonds!  That's it.. I'm going to save my money for this pair of shoe..

As for my dilemma on not having shoes..I just remember, I have this totally bling pair of strappy.. also from Stuart Weitzmen, but at a fraction of the price.. bought it from a sample sale at the outlet shops..  and it doesn't really kill my feet (although I haven't put it to the real test.. ) but it's gorgeous too!  Think that will go perfect with my dress :)

Ahhh.. spending curbed!!!!
 

My Juice Bar

Something fun coming up in the pipeline is my Juice Bar.  It will be opening upon my return from San Francisco, USA, so sometime between 18th November 2012 onwards.. depending on how long it will take me to set up..  don't worry.. I'm going to be setting up before going to San Francisco.

So where exactly is the Juice Bar?  It's going to be located in Phoenix Gym, near Foochow Road.  For those wondering, its that modern looking building designed by DNA, that's black in color.  I will be located on the mezzanine floor.

So what sorta juice bar and I doing?  Well, it's more of a cafe style loungey area, where people can go and relax after a hard workout.  It's going to be open to non-gym members as well, so pretty much anyone who needs to chillax and is in need of great juice can come to enjoy.  I have so much vision for this juice bar, I'm just not sure if it's worth all the investment or not.. because let's face it, my main customers are going to be gym goers, and it all depends on the success of the gym!

But I'm going to mimic (I won't say steal!) the concept of Boost Juice (or Jamba Juice in USA), whereby I'll provide fresh juices (apple, oranges, carrots) or smoothies.  I have already ordered the following purees: Mango, passionfruit, strawberry, summer berries and blueberries.  Why puree?  Simply because they last longer, and you can't get the actual fruits here.. besides, all will be pureed in the blender anyway.

What sets me aside, is that I'm doing Cafe style.. which means that I'll be serving coffee as well... I've just made my coffee machine purchase and am putting the downpayment for it today!  Being a cafe, I have to serve food as well.  Being in a gym, healthy light food is my goal.. and what pops into mind, is a good ol ham and cheese panini, cold chicken salad panini etc.. why panini?  No idea.. just goes well in a sandwich I suppose!  I already have a panini supplier (Tom's Restaurant) and now I have to find out whether it's a Halal location.. if so.. I have to find turkey ham, and good cheese... not any old 'singles' cheese squares.  I plan to make a trip to Cold Storage one of these days to see if they can provide me with these things.. oh.. and rocket leaves and salad (sprouts) etc.. 

I'm so excited about this investment of mine.. I just hope to sustain the juice bar (hey, who wouldn't mind a couple thousand extra income per month?)  Things I still need to get includes:

1. A blender (estimate costs RM1900)
2. Tables and Chairs? (need to see if it's provided)
3. Cups for the juices/smoothies/coffee
4. Plates for the sandwiches

Not to mention finding workers... wow, it seems that I have alot to do this September and October before jetting off to the U. S. of A.!

Fun Fun Fun... right?

So, at work, what I find 'fun' at the moment is dealing with the foreign workers that we are currently employing to help us finish our projects.  We have workers from Thailand and Myanmar.  Thailand workers are pretty straight forward as I have a good relationship with the agent, Fairus who's pretty much on top of his game.  He provides us workers and we pay him.  Simple as that.. it's the paperwork that can get a bit tedious, but hey, at least it gives me something to do with my time.  Here's the procedures we have to go through:

1. Apply for AP (approval permit) for Thai Workers and Myanmar Workers.  Each has to have separate application form.  Before submitting the application, we have to:
   a. Advertise for local workers in Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo
   b. Advertise for local workers on RTM
   c. Conduct interview with local workers to see if we can hire them instead of using foreign help
   Once that is done, we fill in the application form, and submit it to the labor office where the project site is.. that is.. if we're applying for Murum, we have to go to Sungai Asap, which is about 2 hours of treacherous driving outside of Bintulu.
2. Wait for 3 months for Labor department to get their act together and approve the application and deciding how many workers they will approve.. rule of thumb is usually 50% of how many you applied.. for example, I applied for 500 Thai workers for Murum and got approval for 250 workers.
3. Submit the approval AP letter to the agent where they will get the work permits for the worker.
4. Pick up worker and drive them to project site
5. Get their permit and passport and apply for Workmen Compensation Insurance for them
6. Apply for Group PA (Personal Accident) Insurance - something I haven't done for our workers yet
7. Store their details in a safe office cabinet (preferably fireproof with lock)

See, it's a whole process that has to be done step by step.  For number 2, I have to stay on top of my game and contact Labor Department weekly to see what the progress is and whether they have approved and how many they have approved etc.. 

Once we get the Myanmar workers we have to arrange for them to open a bank account so we can deposit their paycheck.. rather than bringing in a whole lotta cash and giving it to them that way.. no one wants to be responsible for that sum of cash, seeing as now we're living in a world of theft.

So what I find fun, is that I have all these procedures to follow.  I thrive on procedures.  I have to follow structure, which is why I'm so good at following directions.. hahaha.. especially when it comes to cooking/baking.

Sorry for the boring post.. fun one coming up! :)

I NEED THIS!

As you all know, I am the proud owner of a new Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor.. I love it to bits because it tells me how much calories I've lost in an exercise session, and best of all, it tells me my heart rate, so I know how to try to exercise at 85% of maximum heart rate to burn the most calories.

I feel great after each workout as I know how much calories I have burnt (accurately) and knowing the actual figure give me a great sense of achievement.. 

But alas, my spending problem is rearing it's ugly head.  As per my blog title, I NEED THIS:

I bet many of you are wondering what the heck that is!  It's a Polar Foot Pod I say... as if that explains everything.  Hahaha.. it's a gadget (yes, I'm a gadget freak!) that you clip on to your shoe lace, and it accurately tracks your running speed and distance.  That's exactly what I need for my marathon training.

As you all know, I'll be running another 10km at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2012 on the 2nd December 2012.  I've been in training, doing 30 minutes on the elliptical (with maximum incline of 25 degrees) and 40 minutes on the treadmill (maximum incline of 7 degrees).  I'm only running at a speed of 3.5km per hour at the moment.. and I plan to increase that to 6km per hour or more.  But it's hard to track it on the machine as they're not that accurate.

This foot pod is more accurate, telling me how fast I'm running, and how far I've ran.  So now, when I run 40 mins, I can roughly estimate the distance that I've run (the treadmill tells me only 1.5km - so not true!).

I can get this Foot Pod from Lelong.com.my for RM324 with free delivery.. my fingers are telling me to get it.. but my head is telling me to not spend that money.. I don't know what to do!  I feel that it will be beneficial for my training, but is marathon something that I want to continue doing?  I training going to be a norm for me?  Am I really going to spend RM1k on my training (including the price of the heart rate monitor)?

For now, my thoughts are that I will continue going to gym for as long as it takes, though once I reach my target I probably won't be going as frequently.  Weekends are a must to work out though.

So please help me.. do I buy the Pod?

Obsession

I am obsessed with my weight right now.. it's simply too much!  I am at the epitome of my life (nearing mid-life crisis) and I'm still hung up about my weight!  What is wrong with this picture?

I weigh myself up to 3x a day.. when I first wake up, after lunch and after dinner, as if by some miracle, the weigh will decrease after meals!  But if I don't weigh myself.. I stress about what the weight 'could be'.. 

I've always been obsessed with my weight.. although most of the time I'm too lazy to do anything about it.  It started during puberty.. when I started growing hips and boobs.. I became 'curvy', and at first it was okay.. until we weighed ourselves (in front of the entire class) in Form 1.. I was the heaviest girl in class.. Who cares about the fact that I was also the tallest?  Numbers on that scale is all that matters.  From then on.. all I hear is about how fat I am.. the folds of fat around my belly.. "Why are you so fat?" I was even asked once in High School.

I did something drastic when I moved to Perth.. I decided on a brand new life.. so I adopted a new attitude, and started starving myself.  The weight fell off like butter.. and I was ecstatic!  Then it became the way I controlled my life when stress at work got too much.  I was losing control at work, so I would control my weight.  The more I loss, the greater I am.. this 'control' caused me to end up in the hospital for 2 months, where I had to put on 20 pounds before being released.  Yes, I was that skinny.

Now I'm the opposite of skinny.. I'm bordering on overweight (according to my BMI).. and it's becoming a joke to me.. "No I'm not pregnant, I'm just fat".  That's my tagline for the past few months.

I don't think I look that pregnant.. maybe it's my posture.. but by NO MEANS is my belly as huge as my sisters (she's 8 months preggars!) but I've been accused of it 4 times now.  Twice by Air Asia staff (idiots), once by a total stranger who thought I was Christine.. and once by a family friend who refused to give me wine cos "oh you're pregnant".

So now, I decided that I'm going to do something about it. The healthy way.  I'm hitting the gym daily and watching my diet.  I feel trimmer already.. and I'm not going to let the scale affect me as much.  Instead of obsessing to be thin, I will start obsessing to be fit!  Obsess about accomplishing my next marathon with a good time.. in other words, I will start a good obsession.. 

It takes 21 days to start a habit, and one day to break it.. which will it be? 

Things I want....

I had some free time today, so I thought I'll blog about the things in life that I want.. no no no.. I'm not going to go on about world peace and all that.. I'm talking about TANGIBLE THINGS that I want.. that I have made a pledge to somehow get my hands on it.. although some are just so far out of reach..

Here's a list of the top 5 things that I want to have in my life.. 

1. A Range Rover (2010 model)

OMG.. isn't that the sexiest car you've seen?  I'm totally in love in it.. however, it costs RM420,000 to purchase (including road tax, insurance etc) but it's brand new.. it's too new to have second hand models unfortunately.  They have it in white as well.. and boy is it sexy.  CryptKeeper called it a "man-car".. I'm all for man-car.. who wants a pussy-whipped looking car?  Be aggressive on the road man!  That's how you got to drive in Kuching these days .. sadly enough..

2. A House
My ideal house would be on a big land, with enough land area for my dogs to run free.. I would like a L-Shaped house really, with lots of glass.. one that pops into mind is something like this..

With an outdoor pool.. ahh.. bliss.. 

3. A 4 Carat Diamond wedding ring..
Need I say anymore about this? :P

4. A Macbook Air.. or a McAir as I so fondly call it.. I'm not fussy with size, I wouldn't mind the smallest size as well cos it's just so ceute!  But alas, I have a MacBook Pro right now.. so no view of the McAir anytime soon.

5. A new Husky Puppy
I know.. puppies grow up, but I will still love it to bits!  And why a new husky?  Cos they're so gorgeous!  Loveable and active.. I'm in love with my Hunter and Lupo.. will try adding more pictures of them to my blog now that I have my new camera :)

So why so hard to get 1 and 2?  Well, pay bracket.. prices of property and cars are ridiculous in Kuching.. finding a nice land would cost RM1 million.. another RM2 million to build the house maybe?  Where on earth am I going to find a bank that would grant me such a huge loan?  I still need to pay 10% on my own.. with my spending habits, you think I have even 1% downpayment?

That's my wishlist anyway :)  

Shopaholic & Me

I read somewhere that shopaholism is a form of mental disease too.. great.. another one to add to my repertoire!  I have this immense need to spend, and it has gotten me into trouble with my credit card.. my financials are worst than Greece.. and this is the second bail out that I have received from my parents.  I'm so blessed to have the parents that I have :)

So after my bailout, I made a pact to not spend unnecessarily again.. which means no splurges, no online shopping.. basically no buying anything until I go to USA.. that should give me sufficient spending money after saving 2 month's salary right?

Alas, it was not meant to be.  I went to The Spring on Saturday and came back oh around RM2700 poorer.  I had gone with the intention of spending money, to buy a Polar watch which I had wanted/needed for awhile now to improve my training and weight loss agenda.

 This is the Polar watch I ended up with.. FT60.  Basically, what it is.. is a heart rate monitor (that's what the black strap is for.. you strap it around your chest) and through your heart beat, it calculates how many calories you're burning as well.  It has training programs for you to follow.. and I selected weight loss.. which means I have a weekly target of 2100 Kcals and 5.25 hours of workout.  That's an average of 300 Kcals a day.. but I'm doing way more than that.. I'm aiming at doing 600 Kcals a day.  

With my brand new purchase, I hit the gym straightaway.. did my usual 20 minutes elliptical and 30 minutes treadmill.. lost a total of 458 Kcals.. not enough.. so on Sunday, I did 30 minutes elliptical and 40 minutes treadmill.. I ran and ran til I could run no more.. and lost my targeted 600 Kcals!  I was so proud of myself.

It's now week 2 of my weight loss agenda.. how did I do in week 1?  My weight was fluctuating.. ranging between -1 to 1 kgs.. but as of this morning.. after a night at The Junk restaurant gorging on MEAT.. I gained a grand total of 0.8kg.. sigh.. FML.  I'm hoping that I'm building muscle mass..and not fat mass.  But I'm working on it!  There's still 3 weeks to go!  I will not give up hope.

So did I really spend RM2700 on a watch?  Heck no!  The watch costs me RM700.. so where did the other RM2000 go?  Well, not sure if you noticed.. but my blog is starting to have pictures.. YES! I bought myself a brand spanking new camera.  It's the Sony Nex F3.. and I bought it in HOT PINK.

Well of course I couldn't take a picture of my camera.. but that's exactly what I go.. and it's the same camera that AlanHarperIsMyIdol bought for CryptKeeper for her birthday (sorry.. almost wrote down your ages :P) I had originally planned to go with the white, but totally fell in love the pink when I saw it.  And what's even better.. I bought this too!

Yes.. It's a PINK COVER!!!!  OMG.. how cute is that!!!!!  Taken with my brand new camera.. of course!  I'm so in love with my brand new purchase.. and of course.. my RM2k came with...

1. RM100 gift voucher off any lenses and accessories from Sony
2. RM10 gift voucher from Parkson
3. Sony carry case (it was huge so I bought the pink one)
4. 8GB memory card

Don't cha just love a bargain?

I made another pact now.. that this is the last purchase I do before going to America.  But I'm going to break that pact before I even started, because I'm going to KL for the Tatler Ball, and I need to purchase air tickets, hotel rooms.. not to mention pay for a hair wash and makeup artist!  Why oh why can't I seem to save money?

I can totally see how shopaholism is a mental disease.. I can't seem to break out of the cycle.. and I guess shopping replaces the void that's caused by stuff.. it gives me a sense of achievement!

But as with my weight loss agenda, I must persevere and JUST DO IT!  I will NOT buy anything until I go to America.. and by that, I mean tangible goods that I get to keep.. unlike Air Tickets and Hotel Rooms.

By the way.. wanna see the dress I'm trying to fit in? :D

Not sure if you can make it out.. don't worry.. I'll definitely have pictures of me wearing it (if I manage to lose the fat) and to make it even better.. my pink camera case matches my dress :D

Ahhh.. everything is falling into place... 

Bliss....