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Buh bye 2007, hello 2008! December 31, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , comments closed

Pelf is right. With so many bloggers posting their personal summaries of what happened throughout the year 2007, it really saves a lot of time blog-hopping because I can simply devour what their blog was all about in a one-leg-kick reading action. In fact, I have also learnt some new things which I didn’t know about certain bloggers by reading their year-end recaps.

So now, as the year 2007 draws to a close, I too would like to reflect on what has happened in the year that was…’twas a giddy one at times, made all the more giddier with all the new friendships I have made through blogging.

I began the year by getting a domain of my own. After several months being a blogspot blogger on Ethan’s blog, I decided that I love writing so much I wanted a personal blog of my own too. Hence the birth of Giddy Tigers in the blogosphere… at the same time, I also migrated Ethan’s blog to its own subdomain as well. And I’ve never looked back since. Blogging has proven to be an avenue for me to express my thoughts and feelings and also say nonsensical things without anyone telling me not to. I truly enjoyed writing every post, absolutely adored blog-hopping and of course, leaving my two or three cents worth of comments on other blogs, unashamedly chupping along the way. As if juggling two blogs was not too mind-blogging to fathom, something possessed me to kickstart a third blog, solely dedicated to shopping. Without a doubt, my blogging responsibilities have increased tremendously with three *babies* to care for now.

It wasn’t all a bed of roses for me though, no sireee… for the first time ever in my life, I put my life on the line and played paintball! Okay, that was an exaggeration, but hey, when that paint pallet hit my head, and I saw the red paint all over my hands, I almost fainted.

This year saw me acquiring a new toy too, the hot spanking Nokia N73. It has brought me countless hours of pleasure and thrills of photo-snapping and video-recording, all because of the disease which still, to this day, plagues me.. Will the year 2008 present me with a DSLR instead? Hehe….time can only tell.

I also did many an interesting tag this year, a somewhat controversial one being one where I had to put myself in hubbs’ shoes and pretend to be my own critique. Certainly didn’t know I could write so many annoying things about myself! Heh. Very unusual of me, being an optimist and all… I did have a couple of self-reflection moments too, moments where I paused to think about the whole big picture of life. Or moments when things just weren’t going my way, and I felt really really down in the doldrums. These have certainly made me stronger and taught me perseverance.

Of course, life is never complete without food. Sometimes I wonder if I do indeed live to eat. Be it the authentic original Old Town white coffee in Ipoh, or homecooked meals, the past year has been an exceptional culinary experience worth savoring. In retrospect, I did fulfill my resolution to cook more often though. Well, sorta. My favorite memories were of me cooking the claypot chicken rice and the Sarawak Laksa, oh…and who could forget that assam fish curry we had for Merdeka too?

In July, we made a very enjoyable family trip to Singapore, where we had a blast visiting the zoo, the Underwaterworld, shopping and yes, of course eating goody stuff there too. Made a few trips to KL also, a very memorable one being the one we had during the Raya break. Too bad I couldn’t make it when my brother’s song was performed during the recent MRSC finals though, but I heard it was a blast! Well, my infected ear has recovered nicely, so I can listen to his song in a crystal clear manner.


Thanks to Facebook, 2007 saw me reuniting, albeit virtually, with several old classmates and acquaintances. Ah, old petty squabbles were forgotten as I found it liberating to be able to communicate with them miles away. And oh yes, friendships were made stronger with this social utility that certainly has a very bright and promising future ahead!

Finally, to end the year on a high falsetto note, we got ourselves a beautiful Christmas tree. I think I’ll let it stay up till after the New Year :)

Bon Année 2008 everyone! May the New Year bring you all you have ever dreamed of!

I’ll be home for Christmas.. December 27, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Memes & Tags, Relax & Celebrate , comments closed

First off, a very merry and blessed Christmas to everyone who has taken the trouble to wish me and my family good tidings for the festive season! May peace, goodwill and God’s blessings be with all of you throughout the coming New Year! And now here’s my Christmas story…

Right before I scooted off for the Christmas holidays, I received an early Christmas present in the form of a tag from Healy. Initially I had planned on getting it done before Christmas but that didn’t materialize, owing to inevitable circumstances.

The Saturday before Christmas, my brother and his wife came to Penang for a visit, so we took them to the E&O for lunch. Well well, whaddya know… they were serving fresh oysters on the buffet spread! It had been ages since I had indulged in oysters so I wolfed down half a dozen…and a couple more. But that turned out to be a disastrous decision because in the afternoon, I felt really giddy and had to take a long afternoon siesta. Woke up with a fever of 37.9°C, took two Paracetamol tablets and prayed the fever would go down down down. I was still nursing a slight cough then too, and so I proceeded to make myself a cup of warm Manuka honey with lemon.

After dinner, my head was really heavy and I went to bed as soon as I can. I felt better in the morning: fever had subsided but my whole body was aching all over. Then in the afternoon, my tummy was grumbling, tossing and turning. Evening came and dealt me a severe blow of stomach flu. Although I felt weak and dehydrated, I still had to pack for our road trip the next day.

Anyway, Christmas eve in Taiping and then Christmas day in my hometown of Ipoh was a rollercoaster of *thinking* I was getting better and then making an about-turn for the worst. All these amid the gift exchanges, fruit cake and red wine. My lower back was also hurting so bad I had to lie down as often as I could. Not a very easy feat to do with a toddler who demands your attention at all times, I tell you…

Finally, I woke up on Boxing Day feeling way better than I had felt in days. Up till now, I don’t know if it were the oysters that caused it because hubbs took them too and he felt fine. But thank goodness, I felt good enough on the 26th to savor the famous Ipoh kai-see-hor-fun, with lots and lots of kow-choy. Wouldn’t have missed that for a thing, even though we had to take turns carrying Ethan whilst eating because the shop did not have any baby chairs available. After lunch it was back to Penang, where more Christmas presents awaited us, well most of them were for Ethan actually. Two more Christmas cards arrived in the mailbox; a handmade one from Mei Lee and a card with a cute gift in it from Rinnah. Thank you darlings! You gals rock!

So today it is back to the humdrum of work. The past week of battling illness has worn me out so much that I booked myself a facial today, just so I could get some me-time in the equation. And so, after my longwinded story of how I spent Christmas, here’s the Christmas tag, as promised. Still done within the 12 days of Christmas… hehe… so enough about me… how was YOUR Christmas?

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate… because I don’t even know what egg nog tastes like.
2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree? Methinks his elves wrap the presents. Santa just delivers them, no?
3. Colored or white lights? Whitish amber lights. And blinking ones.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Not this year, but I would love to. Next year, perhaps?
5. When do you put your decorations up? I already did… two weeks ago. And they are still up…maybe till after New Year comes and goes.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Mom’s homecooked food.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Spending Christmas with my family, writing long lists of presents for Santa and hoping he’ll bring them :)
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I can’t remember… but I really really thought I heard him and his sleigh on the roof some Christmases ago.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Nah…it has to be past midnight, i.e. really really Christmas.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? With my bare hands, and of course, this year, with silver and blue ornaments.
11. Snow: Love it or hate it? Love love love! But must have awesome boots to parade in la.
12. Can you ice skate? Not if you call skating falling on my butt! O-U-C-H!!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? The gift of salvation, when I was baptized on Christmas day many many years ago.
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spreading love and cheer to everyone dear.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Cheese cake, with a strawberry on top. Had it at the E&O that fateful day… no strawberry on top of that one though.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Singing Christmas carols together as a family.
17. What is on top of your tree? A silver star

18. Which do you like best giving or receiving? Both. I also like shopping :)
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Away in a Manger, O Little Town of Bethlehem, The Christmas Song, O Holy Night…okay, I love all the Christmas songs…
20. Do you like candy canes? Not really, but I’ll take them if I get them :)

Sending Christmas cheer, peace and goodwill in the form of a tag to Rinnah!… also because she announced she is tag-free! hehe…

And heaven and nature sing December 21, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Christianity, Relax & Celebrate , comments closed

Joy joy joy because my Christmas holidays start now!
Joy joy joy because the roads are all clear as most people have already made the exodus back to their kampungs.
Joy joy joy because I get to spend the FULL five days with people I love and care about most in the world…
Joy joy joy because it’s Christmas season, and we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us. And it is the perfect time to remember that!

Have a blessed Christmas everyone! And happy holidays!

By the way, thanks for the pretty silver gift wrapped in pretty red ribbon, Paris! That will go right under my Christmas tree, not to be opened till Christmas! And here’s the song that has been playing in my head the whole day long today:

Joy to the world – Mariah Carey


Joy to the world
The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing

Joy to the world
The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing

Joy to the earth
The Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the people everywhere you see
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the people everywhere you see
Joy to you and me

He rules the world
With truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders and wonders of His love

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the people everywhere you see
Joy to you and me

Joy to the people everywhere you see
Joy to you and me

Across the oceans and seas December 19, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Relax & Celebrate , comments closed

Pretty little surprises greeted me in my mailbox today. I’m talking physical mailboxes okay, not the email-boxes… Miray, our sponsored child, sent us a short note that doubled up as a Christmas greeting card and a 2008 calendar all in one. And then there was also a cute red Christmas card (what a coincidence eh? *wink*) that goes oh-so-well with my blog, sent all the way from Australia by May! Thank you for being so thoughtful! I have to admit, this year I began sending Christmas cards again. After so many years of e-cards, I have always felt snail mail cards are just so much more personal. But that’s just me! :) The two cards I received today will add to my Christmas card collection this year, the first one being the one I received from Mom and Dad last week, all the way from Ipoh.

In the final 5-day countdown to Christmas, the foot of our tree is certainly gearing up for the festivities. Last weekend we found a silver star to complete the look at the top of our tree, and it’s perfect. I still have some Christmas shopping left undone and of course some more Christmas gift wrapping to complete. With tomorrow a holiday and just one more working day left on Friday before the Christmas break, I am certainly more-than-ever filled with the Christmas spirit…

“Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now….. “

Perfectly groomed arches December 18, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers, The Fairer Sex , comments closed

Hands up who has never plucked their eyebrows? I’m sure men too would have at one time or another tweezed a stray hair here and there before. For women however, I feel it is essential that they maintain a perfectly groomed pair of eyebrows, because the bushy look ala Brooke Shields from the 80s just don’t cut it anymore.

Eyebrow embroidery has always fascinated me. After just a few minutes of *work* on the eyebrows, there is no need to use an eyebrow pencil every day to draw in your eyebrows. Certainly saves a load of time, eh? Unlike eyebrow tattoos which are permanent, eyebrow embroidery will last for about a year or so only. So if you do not like the resulting eyebrow arch, you only have to live with it for about a year… So is eyebrow embroidery is the perfect solution for someone with sparse eyebrows? Well it depends… embroidering the eyebrows will result in your eyebrows looking drawn in, i.e. it’s like permanently having brow liner on your face; but if you want a more natural look I’d say get an eyebrow hair transplant. Yep, transplants are now not only limited to the head, you can have it done on the eyebrow region too, because you know, eyebrows can also suffer from hair loss.

Don’t look at me though…I am for now perfectly contented with tweezing and plucking my brows. But you may want to check out the American Hair Loss Association for more pertinent information. I was amazed to find many eye-opening pieces of information there, including options for eyelash transplants and potential dangers of hair transplants.

Sweet honey baby please… December 18, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Relax & Celebrate , comments closed


Photo credits: 2 Tasty Ladies

My department will be holding our annual Christmas party tomorrow afternoon. Yeah, we get paid to partay tomorrow – whooopeeee! And guess what? I just found out that I have to lead the Christmas caroling session then. Of course I will have backup music provided, i.e. guitar. This year instead of passing out song sheets, I suggested putting the lyrics up on the projector. Saves the environment by not having to print them out, no?

So I just finished preparing the slide show of all the Christmas carols we are to sing tomorrow, and verified the key to be played on the guitar for me to sing (I sing in G). Well, everything looks set except for my poor throat. I’ve been nursing a sore and dry throat for the past two days, drinking water by the gallons and going to the loo more often that normal. I hope it will feel better tomorrow. Won’t be very nice to hear a croaky “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” now, would it? I think it’s time I made myself a cup of warm honey to soothe my throat, eh? I hear that works wonders… Makes for a much sweeter voice too. :P

In any case, I can still sing along in tune to All I Want For Christmas Is You, one of my favoritest songs for Christmas! *starts singing* “Won’t you please bring my baby to me….”

‘Tis the season to be mobile December 17, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , comments closed

Deck my phone with boughs of holly,
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!
‘Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!
Cool new graphics, Christmas carols
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!
Awesome tunes created by the barrel
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Making tunes and pics your own,
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!
All for free, you get all kinds of tones,
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!
Head on over to Mobile17
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!
Turn your phone into the coolest ever seen
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Ask me now, ask me quick! December 17, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Memes & Tags , comments closed


Photo Credits: GetWorksheets.com

There’s an old popular game called 20 Questions where the questionee thinks of something and the questioner asks the questionee 20 questions answerable by a Yes or No just so he can guess what the object the questionee is thinking about. In fact, you can even play this game online now. I tried it just now, and heh heh… I won! That site was not able to guess what I was thinking of. Ahh…the little things that make me glad.

The 20-Question tag that Paik Ling and Chinnee have tagged me with however, is nothing like the 20-Question game. But it is an interesting one nonetheless.

Instructions:
Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged. Whoever does this tag will have the blessing from all.

1. What puts an instant smile on your face? The sight of Ethan with his cheeky grin

2. What color do you like the most? Blue, for now. I have no idea why I chose a red backdrop for my blog for Christmas though. It was just a spur of the moment thingy..

3. You like rainy or sunny day? Why? Rainy days in bed, under the covers, listening to the pattering of raindrops outside. Because I just do.

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most? Why? I want to go home now… Because I just do.

5. Which part of you that you hate the most? My Beyonce-looking hips, but they help me dance to Bootilicious, no?

6. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do? I’d most probably cry a little and then try to talk it out to get it off my chest.

7. What is it that you are afraid to lose the most? The people I care about and love.

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do? Scream out in bewilderment, then pengsan, and when I come to, I will do these things.

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her? Or would you keep it to yourself and observe from afar? Definitely confess. And make a big deal out of it.

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you. These three traits are common ones for both Paik Ling and Chinnee: Amicable, devoted and have great smiles!

11. What are the requirements that you wish for your other half? He must have a sense of humor, must understand me through and through and must know what YATTTTAAAAA means.

12. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most? Not being able to spend as much time with Ethan as I would love to because I am still a full-time working mom.

13. Which type of person that you hate the most? Hypocrites.

14. What is your ambition? I’ve said it countless times already. To be a SAHM.

15. What is the thing that will make you think he/she is bad? If he/she does not keep to his/her word.

16. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be? To attain financial freedom, so I don’t have to work anymore.

17. Christmas is coming, who do you like to celebrate with? Of course with my family and loved ones, and if possible with a well-roasted stuffed turkey.

18. What do you think it’s the most important thing in your life? Love. (”And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” ~1 Corinthians 13:13~)

19. If you have a choice to choose your gender, which would you choose to be? I would choose to remain a woman, because as a woman, I get to experience childbirth, and that is the most fulfilling experience in the world, pain not included.

20. My question: What is your perfect theme song, based on this quizlet? Don’t Cha by Pussycat Dolls

The lucky people who get to do this meme are….:

LB
Rinnah
Paris
Pinkelle
May
Hijack Queen
Ehon
Simple American

 

Choosing is no daunting task December 17, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , comments closed

About two weeks ago, I received an email from my web hosting provider that they were having a promotion where if I were to renew my web hosting for another two years, I would get an additional year of hosting free! I was tempted to take this offer but upon weighing the pros and cons, decided against it for now, at least. I was already signed up for a two-year package which had not even completed it’s one-year run yet, and also, there might be a repeat of this promotion in time to come. Who knows, there could also be better promotions such as “renew one year and get one year free”?! One can but hope…. Well, should I ever want to change my web host, I know I can always rely on http://www.webhostingchoice.com for recommendations and advice.

Hair affair to share and bare December 14, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : The Fairer Sex , comments closed

Photo Credits: eBeauty Daily

Got my hair highlighted today. Yay me. Believe it or not, it was my first time getting highlights done. In fact, it was my first time getting a salon to put any color in my hair. Some years ago, I colored my hair using the DIY method (save money ma), which turned out quite all right, by my standards. I have very fine hair and quite little hair too, so home coloring meant it was not a problem for me to cover my entire head of hair. Well, most of it anyway. The result of my DIY coloring was akin to highlights too, because there were a few stray portions that were left uncolored. This time, however, I thought I would treat myself to some professional highlights at the salon. A good friend of mine once told me that if I wanted to get highlights for my hair, to never every do it myself. So, that’s what I did. In any case, I desperately needed a hair cut too.

Off I trudged to the D’View hair salon recommended by Susan, who coincidentally also wanted to get her hair colored. We chose our colors after a brief discussion with Cindy, the hair stylist and then sat back and watched as the *magic* began. I chose a slightly dark blonde color, which Cindy said would set off my fair complexion beautifully. She told me that the color I see in the sample would appear one shade darker after being applied on the hair.  She also mentioned that since my hair was fine, the blonde highlights would suit me well. I have no idea what the rationale behind this was, by the way, but trusted her judgement nonetheless. The only thing I told her was that I wanted the highlights to be subtle and yet to be visible too, whatever that meant. It certainly made sense to Cindy, anyway.

The highlighting process began with the application of the hair color to individual sections of my hair. A piece of aluminum sheet was inserted below a hair section, and the color paste was brushed on. Then the aluminum sheet was folded to cover the colored hair section and pinned aside. Following that, another section of my hair was combed aside, untouched and uncolored. This entire process was repeated till my entire head was covered in sheets of aluminum, hair pins and hair color. No way was I gonna take a picture of me with my hair sticking out like that all over the place! Then a heater-like apparatus was placed over my head, providing heat to the top of my head and also the right and left sides. After about 15-20 minutes, the sheets were removed and the color on my hair was rinsed out.

Next came the color treatment. Something that looked very much like hair mousse was applied generously to my entire head and then it was heater-time again. 15 minutes later, my hair was left to cool, and then the hair treatment mousse was rinsed off. At this point, I could see the highlights showing subtlely when my hair caught the light, and it look good :)

Cindy then gave me a hair cut. I asked her to trim and convert my fringe into a side-parting one, and also to cut off roughly an inch from the back of my hair. I have to admit she was pretty good at it. It helped that she too had fine and little hair like me. And I was very satisfied with the results. I now have a new haircut for Christmas and the New Year, I love my new hair highlights.. and well, the only thing is that it has left a hole in my pocket :(

I initially thought the quoted RM140 price for highlighting my hair included the haircut and the treatment, but I found out that it did not. In the end, I parted with RM270++. Sob sob… but the upside is that I’ve got a great new head of hair now to show off :) Here’s the obligatory before and after photos (back view only) :P

The change doesn’t look too drastic, eh?  Well, hubbs loves it and so do I, so that hole in the pocket seems worthwhile after all!  :) 

I do need to refrain from washing my hair till Sunday though, which I honestly do not think I can tahan because I am used to washing my hair every day. AaargggHhhhhhh!!!! How now brown cow?