What to write, What to write  

Posted by: Audrey in

I seem to have a cacophony of thoughts in my head and want to blog about, but each time that I sit down and actually TRY to write it down, it all flies out of my head. Go figure.

Procrastination seems to be the order of the day for me...I always tell myself to finally start getting my lazy bum to do stuff, but it always seem to lead to other things. Self-discipline - zilch. *sigh* Maybe it's something to do with me not exactly enjoying what I do, but at the moment, it's not something I can get out of just yet...which makes it an unending spiral I guess. Work just for the pay, but the pay's not that good anyways, and yet can't get out of it coz of the stupid bond...yadda yadda yadda.

Got into a little 'debate' with a friend the other day about me hating my job and the possibility of changing fields/careers. While I'm quite sure about myself not being able to continue in my current field (due to lack of interest), but I'm not sure where I want to head to. All I know is I don't really like what I do now, and yet I can't seem to think of where do I branch off next...enters said friend who talked about the one thing that I disliked most: SALES. When people talk to me about sales, the only thing that always spring to mind is this well-dressed person with a huge suitcase, going about to convince other people to buy their products. That, or you know those people standing at the mall, getting people to subscribe to their services? Those were my impressions on sales.

I can't seem to put myself in those shoes because:
  1. I don't have the gift of the gab to talk to people effortlessly and make them comfortable enough to listen and eventually get my points on why my products/services are worth their time and money. People who know me thinks I'm too quiet and up to some point, almost invisible...how does THAT sell stuff?
  2. I don't have the 'look' to go with it. Let's face it, how many people in sales look like me? I'm not saying that sales people have to be pretty, but they are at least easy on the eyes...so unlike me, warts, pimples and all. And before anybody says that looks do not play a part, let me ask you a question: Compare between two sales people - 1 is a good-looking, slim and well-dressed person. The other: not-so-good-looking, has acne all over the face, wears glasses, fat by Asian standards, and couldn't dress as well as the first sales person. Who do you think you would veer towards more?
  3. It is not that I haven't tried...I did try to do sales. AIESEC projects in uni got me going around like an idiot selling tickets and what not. Did about a couple of MLM ventures too, to no success (never got a single person to sign up). I even did a stint at a festival booth, trying to sell digital cameras. I never got re-offered the same job. 'Nuff said.


And then, said friend talked about us being sales people even when we're working office jobs. We're selling our time and effort for a pay. Yes, I've heard it all before...I guess I'm probably stubborn. Probably coz I got all these bad experiences from doing the actual door-to-door kind of sales as opposed to other companies. Or maybe I'm just not convicted enough with my products to make me want to sell it....dunno. I guess time will tell if I can venture into sales again. As of now, I shudder at the thought.

Arm's feeling a little better...it doesn't hurt that much when I do my exercises, but I still can't lift the hand up high without feeling it's SOOOO heavy or me feeling pain and looking at the awkward curvature of the arm before stopping. Been going to a Chinese sensei for herbal wraps to make sure the bones are mending properly. Seems to be working, but it felt quite expensive after a few times...can you imagine paying about RM40 every 3-4 days? That's a heck lot of money! But I guess as my Mom says, 'We cannot be frugal with healing'.

Oh, and physiotherapy session is coming up....more stretching and new exercises to help me get my arm use back. Can't help but wonder how come after each therapy session, I would feel extremely sore for the next 2 days...literally can't lift my arm a lot! So scary sometimes that I feel I might have overdone it with the sessions, but I guess the therapists know best. Next week I go for an x-ray to see if my bones are  mending properly. Looking at my arm condition, it doesn't seem to be (it feels curved instead of straight like my right arm!) and I'm a little worried about that. Fingers crossed that I won't need surgery or something drastic.

I seem to be blabbing more than I wanted to. Will stop now to see if I can organize my thoughts further...heh!

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P. Ramlee the Musical Live Cast Recording  

Posted by: Audrey in

Here's another CD that I got along with my PGLM CD. I have not been to watch the musical myself, but listening to the CD makes me wish I did go. *sigh* One wonders how one can manage to miss all these wonderful things...

This recording comprised of 2 CDs, with so many songs that I feel are ALL the songs sung in the musical. Too bad some had such a short duration (like Getaran Jiwa). Infused together into the songs were snippets of dialogue...which I think is cool for a person like me who didn't watch the musical. At least I get a little gist of what the story was about.

Loved the singers' voices in it...who knew Malaysia has so many hidden gems? The actor who played P. Ramlee sounded quite like the real thing, it's kind of freaky! The actors who played his wives were also very cool...you could hear demure, some angry and depressed, and contentment in the voices.

Awesome job done by the production team who came up with great quality musicals! Now, if only their tickets weren't that expensive to go to, I might just go and watch local productions more often...heh!

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Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical Season 3 Live Cast Recording  

Posted by: Audrey in

Well, I finally got my hands on a copy of this after going through desperate attempts of looking for it in stores and 'stuff'! Am really bummed that I didn't get to watch Season 3 of this lovely musical when it was showing way back in February, but I guess this is the next best thing eh?

First things first, my likes...I loved that they included (almost) all the songs in the musical, and it flowed like it should have been in the musical. One of my favourites was the duet between the Bayan and the Puteri (Moga Temui Cinta). That song wasn't featured in their Season 2 recording, so I'm really stoked that Moga Temui Cinta was released in this recording!

The main characters' voices are still great...loved Stephen Rahman-Hughes strong voice, and Tiara Jacquelina's innocence that she brings to the table. Although in one or two songs you can hear some weird notes, but I guess it's all part and parcel of being a live recording, no? We can't expect a perfect rendition every single time...=)

It was also really nice to hear more of the other characters, like the Bayan who was not included in the previous recording. Plus, there were some different arrangements to the songs which worked very well. Some of them include Cinta Atau Setia, Dewa Perang, Malam Saksi Cinta and Pengorbanan Abadi.

Now I go to some of my little dislikes...maybe it's just me, but I feel that this season's recording was not as clear compared to last season's. It was mentioned that the recordings were taken from the sound manager's booth, but it somehow didn't reflect the full sounds that came from the last season's recording. Sometimes, it seems like I was listening to slightly muffled songs. Still, it's not really a big deal, but I feel if the recordings were clearer, it would give a bigger impact.

Although some of the arrangements were very cool, some I feel were a bit 'overdone'? I didn't like the way they sped up the tempo a little for the romantic songs like Di Puncak Tertinggi, Keranamu Kekasih and Katakan...I mean, I love the lyrics and melody to the songs! They make me feel so good and mushy, but to rush it like that seems to be playing down the 'romantic-ness' of the songs. Maybe it's just me...I'm a sucker for love songs, but I felt that sometimes, slow is not such a bad thing *wink*

I enjoyed this CD loads because it's from one of my favourite musicals, but somehow I can't help comparing it to the previous season's recording (who wouldn't?) which I also loved. I don't really know...probably the faster song works with their additions to the special effects and illusions, but just listening to the CD on its own doesn't really do it for me. I hope they release a video format of the musical so I can enjoy it to the fullest! *crosses fingers*

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Back On Track....??!!  

Posted by: Audrey in

Wow, finally back in the office. Not much has changed, except that some of my intern colleagues have left. All seems to be normal, except me....first day back and I'm blogging away. -____-" Still, it's kind of weird typing with two hands now that I've gotten used to typing with one. Arm's still a bummer (read: aching pains with humerus bent...eep!) so am taking it slow I guess...

I guess I'm 'supposed' to update on what happened the past few days. Quite exciting days, but let's see if I can organize my thoughts...hehe!

  • I FINALLY MANAGED TO GET SOME CAROB! Woohoo! I can finally make some faux chocolate stuff for Scottie...from the recipes I found, I think they might even taste nicer than normal chocolate stuff (or maybe I'm just hyping myself out). The thing is, it (carob powder) is not so expensive, but I guess importing loads from overseas and me purchasing that one packet or two is a big difference. Meh. Now, to get my hands on some carob chips....now THAT would be totally awesome! hehe!
  •  Watched 'The Private Lives of Pippa Lee' on Monday...so totally bummed out because I missed the beginning of the show. And it's not my fault either! *pouts* The tickets stated it starts showing at 11.30am, and we reached the hall at 11.25am just to learn that it had already started for maybe 10-15 mins already (with no one else in it, mind you!) As such I didn't really know what happened in the beginning...*sigh* I like to believe that the introduction of the movie sets the tone for the entire duration...because I didn't get that, I guess I can't make a fair 'judgement' on the movie. I'll probably go get a download or something so I can watch it in its entirety. But from what I've watched so far, it feels kind of like a small, intimate portrayal of a woman and her many pasts (wild, unloved in the beginning but found it in the end?, rebellion, etc etc). Kind of nostalgic in that we get to see Pippa from her point of view. But I digressed...will maybe talk about it more after I've watched it properly =)
  • Am currently re-reading Eclipse (of the Twilight Saga) for probably the umpteenth time...LOL! Don't know why, but the mood and the characters in the saga always takes me somewhere different, surreal, and full of hope. Which is probably the author's goal, but I can't really describe it. I guess I just would like to BE Bella or something (though the vampire thingy is weird, but if there really was an Edward Cullen around, wouldn't that be fun? LOL!). Nyeah, most girls probably think like me too, but oh well...it's one of my guilty pleasures, I guess. Pretend that I'm someone else and not this hideous, fat girl with a bum arm. =)
  • Played Guitar Hero on the Nintendo DS the past 2 days...YAYY! Technically it's not mine, but my sister got it and was gracious enough to lend it to me. I quite like it, though it's rather uncomfortable to hold your wrist out at an angle (and with my left arm being in that position for a long time...can you say 'stiff'??!) but still...I enjoyed it! Makes me feel like I could play guitar...though it's a poor simulation of it, but meh. Who's arguing with it when there are so many people hooked on it right? 
  • Am attempting to bake a number of doggie cupcakes and biscuits for a party this week...so far, family members are not very happy with it (what with rising electricity costs and me working with my bum arm) but I thought I'd give it a go to see if I can turn this into something. Looking back at the projects I've done before...I quite enjoy baking. It definitely beats working in an office...although I work more per se at baking (moving and cleaning and beating, you get the picture) I feel a better sense of satisfaction knowing that I'm making SOMETHING (albeit sometimes there are failures, but still...I tried) and to see that the results (of the successful projects) are pretty and tasty. Plus, to know that my dogs (and hopefully other dogs...some day) enjoy the treats I made for them. Sure, the recipes are not created by myself, but most people I know don't bake coz it's so tedious and they don't know what they're missing out! Oh well, hopefully I'll get around it sometime. Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy the process...=) 
  • Did I mention I got a new (-ish) phone? *grins* It's a Nokia N80...a gift from my uncle. He already got an iPhone (which I'm totally jealous of....it feels like every member of the family that I talked to about the iPhone gets to have one, but me, the first one to learn about it didn't have one. *sigh*), so he asked if I wanted his old phone. I thought, since my old phone is already SOOOO darn old (almost 6 years now...can you believe it?!!) and I have no way of getting an iPhone in the near future, why not right? I'm still getting used to sliding the phone up to type (and not having a comprehensive dictionary function in SMS-ing like my old phone) and playing with the functions, but it's definitely a big step up from my old phone. For one, the camera is a 3 megapixel camera (YAYY!), and it has WIFI and 3G functions...not to mention a bigger memory capacity and it being a smartphone (I still don't really know what it does, but it sounds awesome...'I have a SMARTphone' LOL!) All in all, a very cool phone for a giveaway =D

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OMG...  

Posted by: Audrey in

I just spent like, 5 hours to get back Scottie's original layout. >.<" I was so freaked out that I had replaced Scottie's blog layout with my layout (and in that process losing all the widgets put on the blog too...EEP!) All thanks to my 'ingenius' tactic of opening two different browsers with two dashboards open at one go. That'll teach me a lesson to not mess with many things at one go. *makes mental note*

Thank goodness I got this blog layout with the way I want it, and Scottie's blog the way it was previously. *sigh of relief* Arm's still a little aching from moving up and down, but I guess that's a good thing. Aching means that my muscles are working and on its way to regaining its flexibility. I just hope this aching thing won't last too long...it's really uncomfortable. Lesson two: Always try to break a fall by other means, and not just fall like an idiot. You'll probably end up with a complex humerus break, and like Scottie's friends said - It's not humorous at all to break the humerus.

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Like Water For Chocolate (Audiobook)  

Posted by: Audrey in

(Backdated post)
I actually have never 'read' many audiobooks (this is my second one), but after the exposure of experiencing audiobooks, I am hooked. Narrators - I think - play an important role in fleshing out the characters, as well as the pacing of the story and tone of the book.


The story basically tells about Tita, the youngest daughter in a very influential family, who is not allowed to marry because she has to take care of her mother until she dies (a family tradition, apparently). This would be hard for her, as she already has a suitor by the name of Pedro. He does everything he can to be near her, albeit through some weird, unnecessary and outlandish ways. Along the way too, Tita finds herself being in a position where she finds her experiences becoming miraculous (or, to put it bluntly, magical) up till the end.


The whole story itself seems such an outlandish thing once you have read it (like, how weird it is for people to start throwing up simultaneously and create this whole 'river' of it at a wedding? Read it, and you'll get what I mean), but aside from the many magical events, the story - I think - is rather cool, interlaced with some Mexican traditions (which I hope are real!!) and lip-smacking delicious recipes. The pace of the book comes off rather slow at first, but towards the middle,you'll find yourself immersed into the whole love story of Tita and Pedro. By the end, you might find the ending a little anti-climatic, but it is in line with the whole fantasy-meets-real-world theme that I think the author is trying to achieve.


I like the fact that there are recipes interwoven in between parts of the story. Makes it very tempting, because from the way the recipes are prepared (I don't know, maybe I have an overactive imagination!), I always find myself imagining how it would look like, and how tasty it would be once it is prepared....makes my mouth water sometimes, especially the Christmas Bread.


All in all, I quite enjoy this audiobook. Although rather weird and illogical at times, the book has some rather cool and sexy twists in it. The voice of Yareli Arizmendi is great, with her Mexican accent just right to set the tone of the book and fleshing out the characters in the book. I especially liked the way she potrayed Mama Elena (who in my mind is this huge, quite old-ish woman with a constant frown in her face) to perfection. She certainly made Mama Elena come to life like that woman in my mind..Go and get the audiobook if you can, or if you want to settle for the cheaper alternative, read the book!



Rating:

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Horton Hears A Who....woohoo!!  

Posted by: Audrey in

(Backdated post)
First review today...yayy! LOL!



First off, I do not have a profession as a reviewer (how I wish I did though!), and neither do I write like them, going all philosophical and the whole nine yards. I write based on what I feel, and if I like it or not. So, basically, it's just my opinion. If you don't like it, go watch it yourself and judge..


Ok, back to the review. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who is a darn funny movie, if I dare say so. Granted, it's supposedly made for the kids (what with the animation and all), but there are quite a few lines that - I think - only adults will get. So, it does kind of cater to both kids and adults.

For those who are still living in a coconut / nut shell, Horton Hears A Who is about an elephant named Horton who hears an entire colony (or should I say, country) of people living in a - wait for it - speck(!!!!) on a clover (Now, don't ask me how the heck an animal with the proportion of that have ears sensitive enough to do that. Beats me...but hey, it's just a story,ok? Don't read so much into it!). Being the kind-hearted, ever-so-nice, and ever-remembering animal is Horton, he sets out on a journey to find a safe place for this little country of a speck, and of course, meeting with some unexpected and hillarious obstacles along the way.


Jim Carrey voices the character of Horton, and Steve Carell does the voice of the Mayor of Who-Ville (that's the name of the country...and guess what? The citizens are called The Whos...go figure). Both did excellent jobs in carrying out their characters; Jim Carrey so much in his element that sometimes it kind of reminds me of The Mask. I can't say that I've watched many of Steve Carell's movies, but he also did a great job with The Mayor, making him such a lovable, yet wildly ridiculous kind of Mayor. There are also more characters that I LURRRRVE, such as Katie (watch it,and you'll know what I mean), Morton, and even the vulture Vlad...all bring such colour and variety into the movie.


Trying to cut it short, but it's hard when a movie is good. It has been a while since nice animated movies come out, so I HIGHLY recommend it for people who just want to enjoy a feel-good movie with their family, or just wanting to have a good laugh. Go see it! LOL!


Rating:

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Blogging: Trying to stay in it  

Posted by: Audrey in

Well, it's been a while since I've actually kept up a blog very long, but after creating and maintaining Scottie's blog (which I love) for a year now, I guess it's time to have a blog to keep for my own thoughts...thoughts that are not necessarily relevant to Scottie (perhaps pertaining to Scottie but in MY own words...LOL!), thoughts about what I've seen, read, watched or listened to, or whatever I have in mind that particular day. I'm posting some backdated reviews here too, coz I like them. Haha! I'm hoping to post more of those kind of reviews soon too. 


Here's hoping that this blog stays that long too! *crosses fingers*

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