The holiday that didn't leave much impact

So, Chinese New Year holidays came and left without much fanfare.....well, at least to me.  Much of the holidays were spent hanging out with family members at home.  The weather was just too scorching hot to be doing anything outside anyway.  As much as I didn't want to celebrate CNY, I felt that I have to observe it, for tradition's sake. There wasn't much preparation of snacks at my home, not only because I didn't want to celebrate CNY but a lot of times, those snacks are either fried or sugary.  I wasn't paranoid about the caloric intake but more of being mindful about unhealthy ingredients.  Besides, from past experience, I was always left with lots of unfinished snacks which would eventually be thrown away.  So, in order not to waste food this year, I did minimal snack shopping.   Even then, I have a feeling I will be tossing out unfinished food again this year. No more buying next year....

I do admit that I am guilty of indulging in some of them at my sister's home though, as much as I tried to restrict myself. My face didn't agree with my food intake either because at last count, 4 pimples popped out within days.


My biggest regret this CNY was eating fast food again!  After 6 mths of shedding myself clean, damnit, I could really strangle myself for this one.  I was at the airport with sister and family....sending mom and bro off.  Everyone automatically kinda walked towards KFC for dinner and I didn't want to be petty about it so I went along...well, at least I could go for the salad garden......but damnit, the outlet didn't have that available. I settled on nuggets and a couple of potato wedges instead....felt real guilty the whole time about eating food fried in hydrogenated oils....bad bad bad.  I know...I caved in.  There goes my clean record....

My fitness bucket list

Have you ever dream of doing certain fitness challenges but are scared to do so?  Maybe you've thought of swimming or  running marathon or triathlon or perhaps climbing Mt. Everest or taking up martial arts, etc etc.  I certainly have these thoughts for the longest time ever. 

However, those thoughts are never executed either because
1) I can't find a partner friend who shares the same interest OR 
2) I have fears OR
3) I'm just a procrastinor

So, here I have my fitness bucket list...things that I hope to accomplish before I die.  Mind you, I've done some homework too...although god only knows when I will actually accomplish them.

Wall Climbing. Camp5 @ 1U offers indoor climbing facility with many different types of courses for beginners and advance climbers.  Here's one that I like...Basic Wall Course. Fee is RM100, excl. gym entry fee.  Duration - 4 hours.

Kettlebell Training.  I am very intriqued by this.  There are so many benefits from kettlebell training -- muscle toning, endurance & stamina, power.  I can see this as an alternative to weight training classes.  Unlike dumbbell exercises, kettlebell is best done under supervision as any carelessness can lead to head injuries.  It's too bad that my gym do not offer such classes.

I contacted KDT Academy, one of the pioneer offering kettlebell training in Malaysia and was invited by its owner, Vince Choo to drop in to the Academy for further consultation.

Being a pracrastinator, I have yet to do so......

Climbing Mt. Kinabalu -- the tallest summit in South East Asia.  I have wanted to climb Mt. Kinabalu since a while while back but never have the guts to do so.  A year ago, an acquaintance actually brought up this subject but the discussion failed to progress on due to unforeseen circumstances (lame but true).  Well, anyway, this is still in my bucket list and hopefully someday I will climb this mountain. The truth is, part of me is and has always been scared of descending down a slippery mountain or hill.  My trip to Mt. Sorak, South Korea a few years ago further validated this great phobia of mine. 

Self defence class.  Another one which I had wanted to learn since a long time ago, for obvious reasons. I doubt that my Body Combat sessions at the gym prepares me for any dangerous and life threatening encounters. I have not done much research on this subject matter (shame on me) but from now on, I will keep an eye out for places that do offer such services.

Swimming.  Well....this one is in my list simply because I have stopped swimming for a number of years.  I am not a great swimmer but I am able to swim laps (I hope I still can...).  I have access to a swimming pool, that is not an issue.  I need a new swimsuit though....and for this reason alone, I have not really pushed myself to start back on swimming.  Oh well..someday.  

When will I actually accomplish any of the above remains to be seen.  Perhaps I should get the ball rolling considering that I am at my fittest now.  I mean, who knows what kind of fitness level I will be in later on......

My personal review of a netbook

What do I think of a Netbook?  It's great if you are using it mainly for browsing the Web, accessing emails, participating in forums, blogging or if you are someone who are constantly on the move and you need to accomplish tasks on the run, yeah...netbook is great becos it is extremely lightweight and can fit into a handbag easily. However, for me.....

                                                   

3 days into using this piece of crap machine, I feel like I want to poke my eyes out. Steams are coming out of my ears each time I attempt to do work with it. 

The display is small. I have to keep scrolling down just to read one page of document.

It is fucking slow...but then again, what can one expect from a machine that uses Atom processor.

It does not come with an optical drive.

The battery is great when it's new but we'll see how it performs 6 mths down the line.

The pointing device ia fuckingly annoying.  Sometimes I try to place the cursor on the screen, the page will just runs up or down automatically.  Damn annoying especially when one is rushing to get work done.

Sometimes need to click more than twice to open up a file.

Limited RAM and HDD size.

Forget about watching videos online.  A snail can crawl to China and back and I still don't get to watch the video.

In short, a Netbook is not for business use.  Great for a directors, maybe, cos let's face it, they delegate more than they actually do work.  Not so great for the Executives who need to do work on a computer for hours.  If you are someone who is easily stressed, for goodness sake, never ever get a netbook...not  unless you want your blood pressure to go thru the roof.

I don't understand how my moron team leader can get us a netbook considering that we deal with proposals on a frequent basis and a CD/DVD drive is very much an important necessity than a luxury.  This is what I call...making decision without utilising the brain. Personally, this is an insult.

Another to the book collection

It arrives today! 8 days earlier than anticipated.  

I wanted to get this book for the longest time ever but I kept putting it off...till now.  Got it from Amazon.com.  First time buying anything online.  This book is gonna keep me busy for awhile, which is a good thing...as it can keep my mind occupied with quality positive stuff. 

Make this a belated Christmas gift from me to me....haha.

Lady Luck, where are you?

I turned down a couple of interviews recently because of location and job category.  It's not that I am being picky but if I don't feel that those interviews are suitable for me, I don't see how I will like the job if I am offered the position later.  I don't want to end my current misery by putting myself into a new misery loop. 

However, I am also superstitiously fearing that my actions of turning down interviews is gonna set me up for failure in my job hunting mission. Why is it that I keep getting calls for interviews for positions which I don't want but I get no calls for jobs that I had applied for? It's really baffling...and frustrating, to say the least.  It's not like I'm aiming for the sky and the stars.

My friend assured me that this will only open up ample upcoming interview opportunities.  As much as I like to comfort myself with that thought, I am starting to worry about any possible karma back slash. I guess the sensible thing to do now is to stay calm and not get overly stressed, and hopefully something positive will out come of all the dramas and stress that I had to endure of late.

Workouts have become a part of life

2 more months to enjoy gym and then it's decision time.  Honest be told, I'm not ready to give it up yet but I don't see what other choice I have.  Every cut is crucial to survival.  I guess that means I will have to make the most out of my workouts while I still have access to classes.  Learn and absorb as much as possible because every minute counts from now on. Golden opportunity, precious classes. Tolerate every muscle burn and body aches.  Appreciate that....

Just minding my own business

January started off full of rants......so, what the hell, might as well continue riding on the bandwagon.
 
I think I've reached a point in my life where I don't care about anything else aside from my own wellbeing.  Label me selfish, label me self centered, label me unfriendly, whatever.....either way, I couldn't really care less about others' perception. 

These days I'm no longer as initiative at work as I once was, I no longer care about people's feelings, I no longer care if I have no friends, I no longer care if somebody hates me and I certainly couldn't care less what is happening around me.  In short, I'm simply minding my business.  All I care about is me, what is happening to me and what is going to happen to me.  I am done trying to understand people's feelings or wondering if I have done enough to help whomever or feeling the guilt whenever I think I've not done the right thing.  I'm not perfect but I believe I have done my fair share of righteousness and I have endured a fair share of punishments for sins.  I have tried, that is all I can say. 

The truth of the matter is, once upon a time, I care.  But being caring, being supportive, being helpful, being nice did nothing for me in return.  Instead I'm constantly on the receiving end of stress, pressures, woes, misunderstandings, frustrations.  Is it worth it? 

Of late, I just want to crawl and hide in a cave, but really, that's not a good way to live life. Yes, it is indeed true that I can either make things better for myself or I can continue living in misery. I do not have any magic wand or special mantra to make all my woes go away but if I have to stop caring in order to make my situation bearable, then that is what I will do....and that is what I am doing.  I'm minding my own business.