I read this article and LOVE IT!

I haven't been on LJ for a while now but I just have to get this off my chest. It's my secret sin. Well, to me at least it is. I have never quite been the squee fangirl person. Not even when Cin and I had our tug of war over Lestat. Yes, yes, you know where this is leading to.

I couldn't sleep the 22 odd hours in flight. No reason why. Typically, I arranged my flight to be when I am exhausted as hell and all I can do is stuff my clothes into the bags and board the plane. This time, I actually gave me some time to wind down from work stress, argue over what to pack with hubben (he hates it when I pack my whole wardrobe with me when we travel), get all the banking squared of, submit my taxes etc etc. I am guessing that getting relaxed before a flight is a bad idea.

There I was flipping entertainment channels. Getting over my takeoff rush (I LOVE TAKEOFF!!). We agreed to watch a movie together and the least painful one to watch was Twilight. Oh boy! I fell hard for the movie. Cheesey/lame lines aside, I liked the story. So what is a girl to do but watch the movie twice! Eeeeeee......... Edward is so... sexy in a totally fictionally way. I saw the dude playing Edward IRL on megazines etc and he was totally not my type. See... I even rationalize my fan girl squee. Of course... Lestat was my long time fictional crush... Other then Jean March Anderas as some friends like to make fun of my blond blue eyes crush.

So I bought all 4 books in the series. I felt sick.... It's like a sickness... I dislike to writing, it was poorly wrote and book 2 and 3 was stupid as far as I was concerned. I <3 the final installment despite the semi-illogical plot. My main grouse with the book is that the whole saga's "mood swings are kinda giving me whiplash" All in all the Twilight movie was better then book overall in my opinion.

But the movie.... I totally have to buy the movie and moon over it... Sadly it all started with the soundtrack. Ros had it on her shared drived and I copied it to my phone only to be obsessed with the music on the track. OMG! The music is so addictive... It made me thought that the movie would potentially be harmless... Harmless? BAH! BAH!

My husband in general is your average dude who minds his own business. Unlike me, he rarely goes to the doctor and when he does need to go, I would have to drag him kicking and screaming to the doctor's office.

Which was what happened yesterday. At approximately 3 pm, he started having dizzy spells and his tummy acted up. Typical male, he shrugs it as, "I haven't eaten in a long time, that is why." What he forgot was all the snacks that was eaten while we caught up on our favorite series (right now it's Bones). So after lunch, he was acting all quiet and relaxed (not typical Cory) and actually resting while we watch shows. In the evening, when he was suppose to go for his golf practice, he told my dad that he wasn't feeling well and would prefer to take a rain check.

Later that evening, my brother came over with his family. We had dinner like usual with the family and at 10 decided to make it an early evening. I jokingly asked him, "Are you ok as in really fine or are you ok as in I am sick but you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to the doctors." He as per Cory's standard said, "I be ok." To call him evasive... was an understatement. So I jokingly warned him, "I have to carry your sorry ass down the steps to the emergency, I am going to be pissed."

True enough by my words, by 10++ at night, my strong kick ass husband was reduced to barfing his guts out and was unable to lay down as when he does, the room spins and sweating by the buckets all the while complaining that the room was too cold. Malaysia is to cold for my mat salleh? Crazy talk! By 11ish, we are on our way to the emergency room. My dad was driving and I sat with Cory to make sure he was ok. Poor man, all the while apologized for being such a trouble to us =_=; I felt like crap for saying what I did earlier that evening.

We arrived slightly after midnight, as luck would have it, traffic was crappy to get to Ampang. RAWR! At the hospital I was much relieved when the lady at registration accepted my medical card (Way to go Talisman's medical benefit! w00t w00t!) and immediately sent him to be treated. The official diagnosis was.... vertigo... Oh, noes we would never have guessed that... *rolls eyes*

The nurses and doctor was lovely. Really nice people with great bedside manner. They had humor even in the wee hours of the morning. He was admitted to the ward for observation. By 2 a.m. we were settled into a private room. Lovely... lovely... Did I mention that my company's medical benefit is KICK ASS? Yes, I am sure I have said that.

The head nurse or matron (I couldn't figure who is who, it was pretty late or early depending on your definition), was a lovely lady who helped us settled, giving bed mechanism instruction, remote instruction (for lights and call button), their procedure, handed me extra blanket for my use, flasks of drinking water (hot and room temp), a glass, tissue paper, told me where the fridge was and was very efficient about it. We both settled down by 3 am half asleep. Did I mention that I was sleeping on a chair?

The nurses was in and out a few times but seriously, my brains and eyes rejected their presence and kept on sleeping each time I've assured myself that they needed to do some medical procedure/test.

Finish.... until part 2.

I've been off LJ for more then a month during my work craze and still am offline for the past 2 weeks. I used to read LJ ALL THE TIME! Now... I don't really care :( That just makes me sad.

I read this article and am glad that someone wrote it so clearly what I spend a lot of time trying to explain my experience to my girl pals.

I've been offline like whoa... lately. Came back and caught up with _ml_ and read the below list. Some I agree with, some I go, "WTF?" but it's interesting to read. Taken from here

What Every Woman Should Have:
One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to (even if you wouldn't) and one who reminds you of how far you've come.

Enough money within your control to move out and rent a place on your own, even if you never want or need to.

Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.

A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you're not ashamed to be seen carrying.

A youth you're content to move beyond.

A past juicy enough that you're looking forward to retelling it in your old age.

A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.

One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.

A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.

Eight matching plates, wineglasses with stems and a recipe for a meal that will make your guests feel honored.

A resume that is not even the slightest bit padded.

A feeling of control over your destiny.

A skin care regime, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don't get better after 30.

A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.

Every Woman Should Know:
How to fall in love without losing yourself.

How you feel about having kids.

How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.

When to try harder and when to walk away.

How to kiss a man in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn't like to happen next.

How to have a good time at a party you'd never choose to attend.

How to ask for what you want in a way that makes it most likely you'll get it.

That you can't change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.

That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it's over.

What you would and wouldn't do for love or money.

How to live alone, even if you don't like it.

Who you can trust, who you can't, and why you shouldn't take it personally.

Where to go - be it your best friend's kitchen table or a charming inn hidden in the woods - when your soul needs soothing.

What you can and can't accomplish in a day, a month, and a year.

Why they say life begins at 30.

.... ladies and gents, I'll be out of office till Tuesday. YEEEHAW!

I am visiting the Amarika this year again! YEY! YEY! YEY!

I would like to thank MAS for making this possible... :D It slashed my estimated airfare cost to half making it possible to go back again this year *_*

A huge thank you to my bosses for being flexible and letting me go for so long! I know I'll be carrying BlueBlackberry but it shall not dampen my pleasure of being away for a month! Heeee....

Read this and get some clue on what would increase your chances of being recruited.

I miss feeling happy. Really really happy. Turns out, I am way behind on point #4, #5, #6 and #7. Even huge presentation to the top global HR person in my company didn't seem like an accomplishment. I need to rethink my schedules and priorities. I miss having time for a regular facials, manicure, pedicure and hair done.

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True joy — not quickie mood boosts but that totally stoked mental state — boils down to these surprising essentials. Behold, your ticket to bliss.

Add page to favoritesBy Meaghan Buchan



Loading...We live in a world where there are endless possibilities. Think about it: As women, we have a billion options when it comes to careers, relationships, clothes...hell, even groovy exercise classes. And yet, we’re more bummed out than ever before. Proof: When Americans were surveyed in the 1950s, 53 percent said they were “very happy,” but by the late 1990s, it was down to 30 percent. “Intuitively, having so many choices should make you happier, but it can actually make you feel worse,” says Barry Schwartz, PhD, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. “The more options you have, the higher your expectations, and when your expectations are sky-high, you’re destined for disappointment...no matter how good things get.”


So if such abundance doesn’t make us happy, then what does flip our bliss switch? Is it adopting the lifestyle before we had so many life options? Not entirely. Our parents grew up with fewer choices to make, but assuming their life goals isn’t the answer, because the world isn’t the same place today. The key is actually a mix of things, some timeless and some that relate to this generation. Here, the essential elements.



1. You Need a Solid Core Group of Friends

Look at Carrie from Sex and the City. Through everything from Post-it Note breakups to snapped stilettos, she is generally one happy camper. Why? She has her posse. “Friendship is one of life’s main joys,” says David Niven, PhD, author of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People. “Spending time with people who really know you affords you the freedom to be yourself, which increases contentment.”


But you don’t need to be the founding member of your own fab four to be happy. “You can have a small close-knit gang or various friends that factor into different areas of your life but aren’t necessarily part of the same group,” says Niven. “What matters most is that you feel open with them and they can be open with you.”


Of course, establishing openness doesn’t just happen. Friendships need nurturing. “In order for the relationship to grow, you have to share bits of your more private thoughts,” says Niven. Maybe that means spilling your secret desire to, say, audition for American Idol. “Once you reveal more of yourself and see that these friends accept you for who you really are, you’ll feel connected and therefore happier,” adds Niven.



2. You Gotta Have Adventures

Quick: Recall your favorite college memory. A hundred bucks says it wasn’t that time you studied really, really hard and got an A minus on your Chem 101 exam. The, um, yum incident with the teacher’s assistant in the lab after class ranks a little higher, no? Thought so. And that’s the point. “If everything you did in life was safe, you’d never have any exhilarating moments or crazy experiences to recall, both of which give you the sense that you’re truly living,” explains Brian Luke Seaward, PhD, author of Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart.


Now, we’re not suggesting that you totally hurl caution to the wind, but don’t get hung up on always staying on the straight and narrow. “People assume that doing the right thing leads to happiness, but actually taking risks does,” says Seaward. For you, that might entail going off on a three-day weekend with a new guy or just wearing that extraslinky minidress.





3. It’s Time to Toss Excess Stuff

If you can barely scrape together enough change to spring for that $4 latte, you’ll love this: Money (and all the crap that you can buy with it) won’t bring you happiness. In fact, when wealthy Americans were surveyed, they reported being only marginally happier than the general public. “When you have limitless funds, you tend to be hellbent on accumulating more,” says New York clinical psychiatrist Janet Taylor. “In the process, you lose the ability to appreciate what you do own and have difficulty feeling fulfilled.”


And you don’t need to be a gazillionaire to get caught in this trap. The problem might be that you just can’t seem to throw anything out. Like your favorite sweater from your high school days, that (hello!) is from the damn Gap, not specially knit by Grandma. “Extra belongings weigh us down and crowd our space, making us feel overwhelmed and disorganized,” says Dr. Taylor. “Lightening up will help you regain control and, therefore, happiness.”


On that lighter note, now is the perfect moment to purge. You don’t have to clean house completely, but you should hold on only to stuff you Love (with a capital L). “If you haven’t used or admired something in six months, part with it. No guilt allowed,” she insists. To be clear: That doesn’t mean stacking things in a giveaway pile in the corner of your room. It entails bagging up the items and disposing of them ASAP — whether you donate them to Goodwill or swap ’em on eBay.



4. A Balance of Busy and Dead Time Is Key

Always zipping around in spaz mode without a second to spare for even a pee break is bound to take a toll on your mood. But so is idling the day away on the couch. “Overextending yourself induces stress, yet it also makes you feel productive, like you’re contributing something, which is very important to happiness,” says Niven. “Similarly, inactivity breeds boredom, which inspires feelings of uselessness and discontent, but lulls are vital.” Essentially, all go-go-go will wipe you out, as will a solid diet of nada, but a mix of both? Bingo!


Okay, so how do you strike the perfect balance? Fill your days with stuff you love (your Tuesday-night step class) and stuff you have to do (balancing your checkbook). Just keep in mind that at the end of the day, you want to feel like “you’ve accomplished something but that you’ve also relaxed,” says Niven. Of course, the toughest part for most of us is learning to let go. For you, it might be enough to vow not to dwell on work after-hours or to schedule regular vacations. Others find meditation helpful. No, you don’t need to lie in the dark, chanting om for 10 hours. A quick eight minutes is all it takes, according to Victor Davich, author of 8 Minute Meditation. To do: Start by sitting upright with your hands on your thighs, palms up. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Hold it for a two second count, then release, letting your breath ease into its natural rhythm. Focus on keeping this concentration for the eight-minute span and you’ll feel lighter instantly. Really.



5. It’s Crucial to Give in to Temptation

You log overtime at work, hit the gym religiously, stick to a low-fat, no-fun diet, and even remember birthdays. Or maybe you aren’t quite so type A. But you still get to work on time, kiss your boss’s ass when you’d rather kick it, and play nice to your folks. Face it, making it in this world takes some serious discipline, regardless of your personality profile. “The pressure to keep up is so exhausting that it would seem like the payoff for showing such restraint would be great,” says Seaward. “But if you don’t stop to savor something pleasurable, you’re going to wind up miserable.”


Clearly, you must indulge. Some thoughts: Splurge on a gourmet sandwich one day for lunch instead of brown bagging it. Surf the Web rather than returning that hundredth e-mail. Get the deluxe spa pedicure. “When you feel completely overwhelmed, that’s actually when you need to treat yourself the most,” says Seaward.



6. Liking Yourself Is Nonnegotiable

Since you’re human, you have no doubt had one of those “Omigod! I can’t believe I said that” moments, followed by a “Stupid, stupid, stupid” fist to the forehead. Like, say, the time you introduced your guy to Bob the CEO at the office barbecue, only Bob’s name is actually Bill. Then you spent the rest of the night harping on what an idiot you are. “We tend to beat ourselves up, but it’s necessary to let ourselves off the hook,” says Ed Diener, PhD, professor of psychology and leading happiness researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Inevitably, you’re going to make mistakes, and yet you still have to like yourself.”


The same holds true for those so-called physical imperfections that you let deflate you. You know, the slight crook in your nose that you swear makes you a prime candidate for The Swan. We can all point to 10 things that are wrong with us, but the key to happiness is appreciating yourself despite them, adds Diener.


And that ain’t easy. But it’s important to learn to keep your inner critic in check. So for every time you get down on yourself, remind yourself of something you excel at and get comfortable talking yourself up by tossing one positive thing (e.g., props from your boss or a sweet e-mail from your boyfriend) into conversation. “We tend to downplay our successes because we don’t want to sound like a braggart, but sharing good news is uplifting,” says Diener. “Not only are you reflecting on something that made you feel awesome, but the other person is going to get excited for you, which gives you an even bigger lift.”



7. You Must Stop Mentally Browsing

We know you’ve been here: You’re sitting at a restaurant, menu in hand, when the deliberation begins: Chicken or fish? Chicken or fish? After angsting for 20 minutes, you go with the fish... and then sit there until the meal comes, wondering if you should’ve gone with the chicken. Okay, maybe this is a very mild version, but in life, we do this on a larger scale all the time. “We convince ourselves that there must be something better out there, but ‘mental browsing’ is a recipe for dissatisfaction,” says Schwartz. “You’re wasting time and energy on doubting a good move just because there was another option, or 10, that you didn’t choose. You’ll never be happy if you live like this.”


The solution? Whenever a decision is in doubt — like whether your current guy is The One — pick two characteristics that are important to you (in this case, maybe it’s a sense of humor and a close-knit family). Once your criteria are established, ask yourself if they’re being met. If so, forget other options and move on. You’ll know if another option is better for you because it’ll nag at you. So relax, you’ve made the right choice...or at least one that’s going to make you happy.

Taken from MSN