2011 resolutions

I make a list of resolutions almost every year since I first heard of the term and found out what it is about. I find that having goals gives us something to strive towards to in life, just my opinion. I need a direction, something to work towards to in life, a deadline, discipline.

This year, I decided to list my 2011 resolution differently. I decided to list it on 43things.com and decided to have only 3 items on the list. Well, I can have more but I think it's more achievable if I just focus on 3 instead of, say, 10.

Listing it on 43things.com also allows me to see who else have the same resolution as me so that I won't feel so alone in trying to achieve it. Reading their entry regarding their efforts towards achieving those resolutions will also sort of encourage me. Furthermore, it is connected to my Facebook so my friends who read that post will hopefully keep me accountable. The reason why I didn't achieve some of my resolutions in the past is because there is no accountability.

Anyway, here's my 3 resolutions for 2011.

1. Lose 10KG by year end.
2. Pass my exams, specifically internal exams as I would require more than a year to complete all my CIMA papers.
3. Learn a new recipe every month.

Happy new year in advance!

Vicky

How to kill a snake

I was reading the Bible this morning and the passage is Genesis 3 and as I was reading this passage aloud (I usually read the Bible aloud), I came across verse 15 which gives us a hint on how to kill a snake and if snakes could read, how a snake could kill a human, considering how dangerous a snake can be, and a bite by a snake could kill a person.

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." - Genesis 3:15, NIV.

If you're wondering who's the you in this verse, it refers to the serpent or the snake. I have never been attacked by a snake before, though I've seen many and touched some, mostly at zoos. But if I ever see a snake in the wild, I try to crush its head. Easier said than done.

Hope we never have to kill a snake,
Vicky

Langkawi: In Words

Last weekend, I went with my family to Langkawi. It's an island in Malaysia. We went there by Firefly. The plane left on time and I had a comfortable ride. The muffins served on the plane was really fresh and tasty.

The hotel we stayed in was Hotel Bahagia, a new hotel but with aggressive advertising as I see pamphlets of the hotel almost everywhere. The room was rather not too big, not too small. Anyway, I won't be expecting too much from a budget hotel. Service was excellent.

On the second day, we rented a car and drove around Langkawi. We went to a number of places such as Durian Perangin waterfalls (nice place to hike and take pictures); went to a few beaches such as black rice beach, Tanjong Rhu, Pantai Cenang; We also went to Galeri Perdana which has a collection of gifts and awards given to the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahatir Mohamad; we also went to Handicraft Cultural Complex where you can buy batik and watch a glass-blowing demonstration. After watching that demonstration, you would see the price tag on those glasses as expensive anymore. Real hard work; we also went shopping as Langkawi is a duty-free zone. Bought mostly chocolates.

On our last day there, we went for a private half-day tour organised by the hotel as part of the package we bought at Matta Fair. Since we went to most places already, the tour guide took us to some places we had not gone before like Cable Car and Canopy Walk, Mahsuri Tomb and Burnt Rice field.

Had a lot of seafood there. Food is cheap at the town area.

Hope to go to Langkawi again in the future, wish to go island hopping
Vicky

Grateful to death

I'm currently reading Like a Flowing River by Paulo Coelho. There are plenty of inspiring and profound stories in there and I'm only halfway through. I'm quite reluctant to put the book down from the moment I started reading it. But I have to, as I have tests to study for, assignments to complete and tutorial questions to do. Yeah, same old, same old, a pile of workload on my table waiting to be cleared, a weight on my shoulders waiting to be lighten.

Anyway, today as I was the story titled "My Funeral", these lines captured my attention and really got me thinking. Although I don't think of death often, however I know I'm not immortal. Certain events in my life will keep reminding me of that fact. I hope that when my time comes, I'll be ready to meet my Maker.

Those lines are:

And death is possibly the most important thing. We are all walking towards death, but we never know when death will touch us and it is our duty, therefore, to look around us, to be grateful for each minute. But we should also be grateful to death, because it makes us think about the importance of each decision we take, or fail to take; it makes us stop doing anything that keeps us stuck in the category of the "living dead" and, instead, urges us to risk everything, to bet everything on those things we always dreamed of doing, because, whether we like it or not, the angel of death is waiting for us.

Alright, got to go back to preparing for my test tomorrow.

Happy Deepavali!
Vicky

No time for movies

I have been so busy lately. Been busy with assignments, doing tutorials, attending classes etc. So busy that I find that I have hardly much time for myself or to go out with friends for coffee, to shop or for movies.

At the start of this semester, I decided to set aside all my Sundays to rest and relax. Well, I did get to relax the first 2 weeks, I think. After that,assignments kept pouring in like a heavy downpour. To prevent myself from drowning, I decided to start doing my assignments as early as possible. Hopefully, there won't be any last minute work. And since I'm can't stop thinking about my responsibilities as a student even while resting, most of my free time are filled up doing assignments, tutorials, studying, reading books recommended by lecturers etc.

Furthermore, the holiday season is coming and soon everyone will be on holiday mood. I hope I won't be a scrooge or a party pooper then.

Anyway, if I could find the time to relax, there are some movies that I would like to watch. Most probably I would end up watching them after my final exams, so I'll be watching it on DVD. Yup, my final exam as a TARC Advanced Diploma student. I don't want to resit any papers so I have to work really hard now. First on the list is, of course, Love in Disguise, for obvious reasons. Followed by Hachiko: A dog's story because I'm a dog lover and the dog in the movie is so cute and lovable. Watch the trailer here:

Finally, a movie that will be in cinemas this December - Narnia. I'm a big fan of Narnia.

That's all, have a good weekend.
Vicky

Garden of Good and Eva

I tried Garden of Good and Eva, one of the six Benefit Crescent Row fragrances. I wanted to try Laugh with me Lee Lee but there's no more perfume left in the bottle :(. So I ended I trying Garden of Good and Eva. I tried the others before, on cards given by the sales person but not on my skin yet. This time I would like to try it on my skin to test if it smells good on me.

According to Benefit, Garden of Good and Eva has a crisp and fresh citrus floral scent. I prefer scents that are fresh as it is more suitable for me. After the salesperson sprayed this scent on my wrist, I kept sniffing it because the I like the scent so much. One more good thing about it is that it lasted quite long :)

I also like the packaging of the fragrances in the Crescent Row collection. It would surely stand out when I put it on my shelf. Packaging is also one thing that I look for when buying perfume. A perfume may smell nice but if I don't like the packaging, I would not buy it.

Of course, price is important too. Since I have a budget, I would buy something within that budget and that gives value for money.

Anyway, I didn't bring that Garden of Good and Eva home with me yet. Since I'm not in a rush to buy a new fragrance, I would like to continue trying out fragrances as there are many choices available in the market today. Especially when I didn't get to try Laugh with me Lee Lee on my skin.

At the end of the day, I don't want to regret buying something.

Have a good day!

Vicky

Bukit Gambang Water Park

Last Saturday, I went with my family to Bukit Gambang Water Park. It's located near Kuantan, Pahang.

We were there from morning until closing time at 6PM. I enjoyed myself at the lazy river, wave pool and the slides. Some of the slides would give you an adrenaline rush but you would need a lot of stamina to climb the stairs to the top. And in the wave pool, it's better than swimming in some of our seas as the waves can get really big. Just make sure that you're a good swimmer when the waves gets big or hold on tight to your tube. As for the lazy river, there are certain times when it's calm and certain times where there are waves. Of course, it's more fun with the waves.

What I like about this place are the slides and the cabana (which you have to rent). There are only a few cabanas around the water park so make sure you get there early before all the cabanas are rented out.

One thing that gives this water park a competitive advantage is the cashless system. We can deposit money into our wristband which has a bar code and use it to pay for food, rental of tubes or cabana etc. At the end of the day, we can get refund on the balance of money that we did not use.

This water park is ideal for families and it's cheaper than Sunway Lagoon. Plus, if you're tired of playing at the water park, you can head over to Kuantan.

Vicky.