(photo by http://jilliancat.blogspot.com/)

It has been many years I have not had a good nights’ sleep. I am what you call, a DREAMER. I dream almost the whole night and 99% of the time I can recall what I dream about.

Some people say that dreams have some connection to the days’ event or something that is bothering our mind. However, my dreams vary in so many ways. It can be just a mere daily routine stuff all the way to dreaming about snakes, killing or running away from killers etc. The only “upside” about all this is that at times, I manage to continue my dream after perhaps a toilet break in the middle of the night.

Sometimes my dream feels so real that I get it mixed up with reality. For example, in my dream I had a conversation with someone. As my day goes by, I become confused whether I really had that conversation and had to ask that particular person.

I have tried a few ways to curb this problem such as sleeping earlier, scented oil, no action movies before sleep, reading a light book instead of watching TV, short and simple exercise before sleep, and many more but the closest I get is perhaps I have a better sleep by 0.001%.

All these dreaming episodes would not have bothered me if I could wake up refreshed every morning. But more than half of the time, I wake up feeling even more tired than the night before! And what is worse, at times I get headaches. It makes my whole day unbearable.

I know I am not the only one experiencing this, as there are many similar cases as mine out there. However, so far, I have not read of any solutions yet and even some suggests that it has something to do with depression. I do not think it is this serious, but it is driving me crazy.

I am wondering whether I should go to a sleep clinic but I do not know where in Malaysia has sleep clinic and worry about how much it will cost. I did however found one Sleep Study Center who mainly does research on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) at KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital. What do you think? Should I pursue this or not? Or are there any other ways that cost less?

For the past few weeks, I have been having the same type of conversation with my senior colleagues. We realised that lots of graduates nowadays are quite different from their time (and even my time....which makes me feel old..haha). The graduates nowadays seems to be quite picky in their career choices mostly based on salary and not the sake of gaining knowledge for better advancement in the future. They would prefer to go into big corporate firms or company that can pay the most rather than think about how it would help them later.

Take civil engineering as an example. As mentioned by a very senior engineer today, being in the construction engineering line pays more than being a consultant engineer. But graduates never think that the knowledge they would gain in the consultant line in the beginning of their career will make their job in future much easier even if they jump to another line of work (contractor or developer). This senior has many years of experience and worked with many contractors and developers before, but very rare he will get someone who knows the "design engineering" world which will make things much easier for everyone to understand.

Another difference with some fresh graduates today is that they "want it all". They want a nice car, they want their own place (rented of course) and they want to shop and dine like they have all the money in the world. I still recall how I started my first few years of work. I rented a small little bedroom which only fits my mattress and my fabric cupboard. And then I moved on the a bigger room but stayed with my husband (my then boyfriend). We gradually then rent a small apartment and just two years ago, we moved in to our home.

I recalled "complaining" about my salary maybe after about 3 years of working at my first job. But now I hear graduates complaining about their salary in less than a year to a year of working.

You can call me a jealous person, but all I can say now is time has changed.

This article was out in todays' main papers here in Malaysia. The below is an extract from The Star newspaper.


I have been meaning to write on something like this, mainly due to the fact that I need HELP! I know the above article is about sugar intake. I think my sugar intake is fine. My opinion on this is that the drinks made outside are too sweet plus Malaysians love to make all those local desserts which uses too much sugar! Anyway, this is not what I wanted to talk about.

I think it all started when I was pregnant and now even after my baby is 4 months, I feel that I am so easily tempted with....FAST FOOD! I am not sure why but it may be for the convenience (annoying to think what to eat for dinner and fast food restaurants are EVERYWHERE!. Drive-thru and delivery services makes it so convenient especially when I am stuck in a jam. Fast food to me is not over the top delicious but I do get excited thinking about wedges, sundaes, and Zinger burger and Spicy McChicken and...OMG, it is a long list.

I need to stop myself now..but how? How to stop this hazardous temptation? The temptation to just drive-thru a fast food chain or the temptation to taste their food? It takes great effort from me just to pass a fast food place without stopping by especially after work. Help me!

(In my labels, I had to choose both "likes" and "dislikes". I like to eat fast food but dislike that I am so tempted by it and how it is so unhealthy)

I was on my way to work, listening to the radio (FlyFM) and one of the topic for this morning was "In your life, what thing did you do that was a risk worth taking?". As I listened to the callers stories, it brought back memories of something I did just last year, around the same time as this year which I think was worth the risk.

Ready? I went for an interview/audition to be a DJ on FlyFM! Surprised? I surprised myself too for making such a bold move. I have never/ very rare have the guts to make such decision. Most of the time it will be all talk and no action. It was nearing my wedding dinner and I have all the excuse for being very busy, needing to spend time with my family and also preparing for the wedding. However, I made my stand and just went for it.

Obviously, I did not get the job..haha. I did not even reach the top 5 (if not mistaken they chose about 4 - 5 to test them further). Many people turned up for this (young and old). I will be lying if I told you that for not one moment, I never thought of just leaving the place before my number was called. But I knew at that moment, if I were to chicken out from it, I would be left wondering for life on the "What if...?"

It was not surprising that I was a nervous wreck during the audition. Jules and Phat Fabes was there with the other FlyFM crew members. It was actually a very comfortable audition, but well, my nerves got the better of me. Phat Fabes was trying to get me to smile when reading the script given as I smiled a lot when I was just "chatting" with them before the script reading was done. How to smile when you are soooo nervous?? Hahaha.

Anyway, I think this experience is one that I will always remember and it was worth all the risk.

Last night was my second time having my dinner here. The first time, my husband and I bumped into this place while finding for a steamboat place nearby. Since their main dish is suppose to be steam fish, and has fans of steam fish, we decided to give it a try. And we liked it and decided to bring my in-laws who are from up north and usually surrounded with good cheap food.

Sorry I’ve forgotten to take some pictures of the restaurant itself (next round perhaps? :P). It is just a simple air-conditioned restaurant. On the walls, you will see pictures of plants and fishes. The fish is their main attraction (as mentioned on their billboard itself). They only serve one kind of fish which is the Red Tilapia. The difference between their fish compared to the other restaurants is that they are bred somewhere in Bukit Tinggi. This is also true for some of their vegetables too which makes their fish taste very fresh and their vegetables sweet.

If you are into foods that are cooked elaborately with lots of ingredients, this is not the place for you. They serve their food in a very simple way, just like how we would cook at home. One thing you have to be wary is that all their fishes are small-medium size. One fish (with some other dishes) will be able to feed two people.

Below are some of their dishes we had last night:
Fish- Original Sauce (RM15)
The fish is sweet and the sauce though simple but complements the fish


Fish – Ginger Sauce (this is their so-called house special) (RM15)
Those that wants more taste for their fish, this would be a better choice than the above


Vegetable – Guidou Miao (till now I do not know what is this called in English) (RM8)
This vegetable is nice but I think they cooked it with a wee bit too much oil


Vegetable – Sweet potato leave (RM8)
This dish is not as oily as the above


Soup – Wintermelon with Scallop (RM6)
I love this soup although my husband did not like it so much because of the strong taste of the scallops


Other dishes we ordered including my first visit (I did not make it on time to take any photos)
1. Steam 3-types of egg (chicken egg, salted egg & century egg) – very nice but served in small portion fit for one person only. Those that like less salt in their dishes, this would be a great dish to order
2. Herbal Chicken Soup (RM6) – Very nice but like most herbal soup, there is a layer of oil on top
3. Drink – Water chestnut + sugar cane (RM3) – recommended too

Summary:
Price per person: Around RM20

Address:
61, Jalan Medan Putra 1,
Medan Putra Business Centre

Tel:
03-6272 4492

I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel_syndrome) about three weeks ago by an Orthopedic Surgeon. His thoughts were that it was caused by my pregnancy (inflammation, water retention & weight increment). Anyway, this is not what I wanted to talk about.

Due to the above, I have to go on physiotherapy sessions and wear a wrist guard for a month before my next check-up. So for precaution, my sister introduced me this programme to be installed in my computer. It will give me reminders to “rest” after a certain period of time typing. The below pictures show three of the few types of reminders by this programme.



And, my favourite one is....


My question is….can I use this to ‘curi tulang’ (stealing time-off) during office hours? MUAHAHAHAHA

Source: http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/no-smoking-sign.htm

People who know me knows that I am a hater for smokers. This does not mean I do not have friends who smoke. I do, but when they smoke they will try to do it away from me. I have not smoke in my life and never plan to because I just hate the smell too much. I recall once I even went home to change my clothes (during lunch break on a working day) because it stunk like crazy after a meeting outside. I even told people how I would divorce my husband if he ever took up smoking. This is how much I hate it.

I am not against people who wants to smoke. Do not get me wrong. I am not saying that smokers are bad people but I just can't understand as to WHY most of these smokers must expose this hazardous smokes to others? Don't they realise that second hand smokers are also in danger when they breathe in the smoke? Don't they have love ones that they have to protect from dangerous substance (especially those with children)? Why smoke near people like me? Or worse, why smoke near your own children?

It is a good step from the government to ban smoking inside a building. But I feel they should also ban people from smoking in public places like a open food court, the park, etc. Those that want to smoke will have to go to the side of the streets to smoke or go to special rooms to smoke.

To you smokers, PLEASE I beg you. You may not think that it matters, but it matters to the rest of the public. If you can't stop smoking (for your own good), the least you can do it smoke away from people (unless in some obvious 'smoking' places eg: club, pub, etc).

Below are some of the many websites around on the dangers of smoking and how to stop:

http://www.stop-smoking-tips.com/dangers-smoking.html
http://dangersofsmokingx.com/

It’s been quite sometime I have not posted on food…one of my favourite thing. For my birthday, my husband and I decided to try something new. Our initial plan was to go to Bar.B.Q Plaza at One Utama, but we ended up trying Plus One Shabu Shabu.

First impression was that it looked like a Korean steamboat place, but then I found out it is a type of Japanese steamboat. As we went during lunch time on a weekday, hence they have a menu especially for lunch set. To our surprise, the lunch set was cheap (range between RM9.90 to RM13.90 including free orange/mango drink). Their soup base had many varieties (Herbal Soup, Fish Soup, Tom Yum Soup and many others). What caught our attention were the many types of sauces they provided. One thing that disappointed us was that the soup base was not that tasty. But it was solved with a little addition of certain sauces (trial and error).


The many types of sauces (my hubby added some fish sauce and sesame oil into his fish base soup and I added some tom yum paste into my tom yum soup)


My tom yum soup and the lunch sets


Mixed lunch set (RM 9.90). Was too hungry that I forgotten to take a photo of my hubby's lunch set. His was the fish set and the fish was really nice too (RM 13.90)


We added this dish - Pork Loin (RM 22). This was delicious. The meat was fresh, sweet and tender


Me enjoying the Pork Loin :)

All in all, I think it is a great place for those who want to try something different compared to our conventional steamboat around. One thing’s for sure, their food is fresh and this is one of the most important elements in steamboat. YUMMY!

Address:
Lot F 337-338, Rain Forest,
1st Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Centre(New Wing),
No. 1, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Business Hours:
Daily from 11:00am to 10:00pm

Contact:
603-7725 3322

I turn the big "3-0" today. Personally, it is not really a big deal but I still recall how I perceived being 30 as being so old when I was in my teenage years. So today, I get to experience it myself and I do not feel as old as I thought I would feel. Minus the being-tired- all the time, body aches, slow metabolism & low stamina, I think I still feel young (errr..if that makes any sense at all)

Anyway, I am happy how my life turned out so far especially now that I have my little baby boy with me and knowing what a loving husband and family I have. I am in a great position!

So all to the 30s' out there, yell "Hell ya' I am 30 and I am proud of it!!".

So is 30 is the new 20??? I doubt so, but at times I do feel like I am in my teens and it feels great!

Let me share with you some excerpts from the late Steven Job's speech at Stanford University (June 14, 2005):

1. "Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love, and that is as true for work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle. "


2. " Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important thing I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. "

3. " Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. "

Wow...it has been a very long time since I have posted anything in my blog. Too many things have happened since I last wrote that I do not know where to start. My last blog was in November 2010, almost a year ago. Since then, I was a newly wed bride just a month before (have not shared photos on this), I got pregnant, and now am a proud mother of a baby boy! Since so much has happened in the past year, I will just emphasize on the biggest challenge I had in this post...on my pregnancy journey.

I still remember so clearly the very first time I found out I was pregnant. Both my husband and I were esthetic about it. But all the joy in me faded away just about two weeks after that. I started getting terrible nausea (vomiting became a common thing) and the worse was I started feeling that my legs were not my legs at all. The feeling is as though I have "Restless Leg Syndrome". No doctors or gynaecologists could explain what was wrong. As time goes by, it got worst, to the fact that I could not sleep (day and night). Eventually, I was not able to think straight at all and began regretting that I got pregnant. It got so severe that killing my unborn child and myself were in my thoughts.

After about a month of battling my "sickness" and going through examinations by a few doctors (total about 6-7 doctors), I finally manage to get some professional help that got me through my dark moment. Many doctors did not know what to do with me and many did not dare to give me medications for my condition because I was pregnant. But with the help of my family and my husband, I finally got the RIGHT doctor. I was diagnosed with anxiety attack and depression that was triggered by my pregnancy. Truthfully, till now, I do not know the main reason of this but I think I can conclude that it was due to my unpreparedness for the pregnancy symptoms in the first trimester and hormonal changes.

It took me a few weeks to stabilize (in mind) and about two months to have my first trimester's symptoms decrease. It felt like I went through a mighty thunderstorm that lasted for the very longest time, but I survived it with the help of my doctor and also the tender loving care I had from my husband and my family members.

As of yesterday, I am finally free from all medications and have started enjoying my time with my 2 months plus baby. Seeing him smile at me is one of the most joyous thing that ever happened in my life. People asked me whether it was all worth it based on the fact that I had such a hard time during my pregnancy. Truthfully, I am not sure how to answer them as I really do not know how to feel about it. All I know now is how happy I am each time I think about my baby and how I miss him when he is not around.

The next BIG question will be, when will I have a second baby? Errrr....ehemmm...not at this moment.