Tom Yum Soup for the Soul

Rest In Peace, Michael Jackson

2009-07-09T12:56:00.004+12:00

"Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone."

I think I echo everyone else when I say that his death is still very surreal. As I watched the memorial yesterday, as I stared at the golden coffin adorned with roses, it still doesn't feel real.

It's such a great shame that it had to happen right before his comeback tour, but I am a believer that God's timing is perfect and we are not always meant to understand why. Even though to us his time on earth was cut short, it seems he had done what he was meant to do here and God has other plans for him.

I think what the world is feeling at the moment is guilt for not "taking advantage" of Michael's time on earth, especially the last decade or so when he had retired and lived as a recluse due to the aftermath of those crazy child sexual abuse charges.

Strangely enough, I am not particularly affected or upset that he's gone. Sure I was a fan of his music and I definitely grew up with it, but I am not greatly devastated by his death. I am, however, incredibly saddened for the family and close friends. While the world mourns the loss of the "King Of Pop", they have lost a son, a brother, a father, a friend.

Brooke Shields' testimony and his daughter's tearful last words were what tugged at my heartstrings - what they said really humanized Michael Jackson. The world knew him as this great entertainer, but he was also a human, just like all of us. It is this close friend and this child that have truly lost someone (they really love), not us.

For me, yes he may no longer be with us physically, but I daresay his music will live on forever and ever and ever. And his signature dance moves, of course - who could ever forget them?!

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. It definitely is the end of an era.

I've watched Harry!!!

2009-07-01T02:16:00.005+12:00

Apologies for the lack of posts to anyone who still bothers to check on this page!!

I have been busy, of course, and I have also recently finally caught the winter flu bug that has been floating about. No, I swear I don't have swine flu.

I do have one thing that I have to gloat about.

Last Friday, thanks to my very awesome boss (I have now declared my love to him, to Eddie's dismay tee hee), I scored a very exclusive invite to the distributor screening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

I got to watch Harry just over TWO WEEKS before the rest of the world!!! Feel the jealousy people!!!

Take THAT all my mates in Malaysia who always bragged to me when they had watched past Harry's before me!! :P

(Harry always released in M'sia a week before NZ)

Obviously as it has not officially released worldwide I have to keep my mouth shut and not give anything away but what I will say is I enjoyed it tremendously. :) Can't wait to see it again!!

I am now desperately hoping the projectionists at work will organize a print test of the IMAX version as suffice it to say Harry in 3D will be so much more AWESOME!!

For those who have been wondering, I've just found out that it's 25 minutes worth of 3D scenes - 13 minutes of the opening sequence and 12 minutes near the end. Definitely more generous this time round and very clever on the filmmaker's part, I reckon!!

It was just the final 20 minutes that was in 3D in the last one and you would not believe the amount of complaints we got from patrons, arguing that we had ripped them off...because apparently we were the ones who made the film ourselves you see!! *rolls eyes*

15 more days to go now - I'm soooo excited!!

But yeah, watch this space, folks. Once it has released, I will, as soon as I can, write up a review. :)

Happy Birthday, Markus

2009-05-06T13:42:00.003+12:00

Happy Birthday, Markus - you would have been 24 today.

I still can't really believe that you are no longer here, that I will never see you again. My heart still aches when I think about it.

I do hope you are partying up a storm up there in Heaven ;)

Shameless Plug!!

2009-05-01T13:11:00.005+12:00

If you are in Auckland and enjoy plays then I strongly suggest you make your way to the Maidment Theatre to catch The Libertine. Full details and synopsis here.

The Libertine is the directorial debut of Oliver Page who so happens to be a workmate and also good friend of Eddie's, which is part of the reason for the plug. ;)

But all biased-ness aside, the play really is a neat little production (especially considering it was put together in a mere 6 weeks!!). It has all the makings of what make a good play, in my opinion. The cast put on a strong, convincing and effortless performance and the script is aptly dramatic but enjoyably witty. The two live musicians onstage added a nice element to the production too. I was hooked and sucked in to the world from start to finish.

Now I want to watch the film version starring the oh-so-yummy Johnny Depp ;)

Anyways, good job well done, Oliver!! :) (and no, I wasn't offended by the sexy-ness, LOL) I wish you the best for the rest of the performances and look forward to reading the reviews!!

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-04-22T23:33:00.003+12:00

I turned 26 today.

I can't believe I've surpassed the mid-20's mark.

I FEEL SO OLD!!!! *starts freaking out*

I am still very much a big kid at heart but at the same time I know I am at the age where I should be somewhere in my life.

I'm still lost without any sign of a map for directions and there are no good Samaritans around either.

This year I was adamant that I was not going to celebrate my birthday. In previous years I always organized a big dinner with a group of choice workmates to celebrate the occasion.

This year I just didn't feel like doing anything fancy or extravagant. So no advance plans were made.

So the day started off with having brunch with the family (yum cha - YUM!!) and then I spent the entire afternoon spoiling myself silly with retail therapy. It felt goood ^_^

Eddie took me out to Opium later for dinner which was such a treat!! The food was absolutely scrumptious, I'm so stuffed right now!! Definitely felt very spoilt - which doesn't happen often mind you!! Thanks for the surprise flowers at the end, sweetie ;)

Pictures to come soon, I'm too tired right now... Going to have a cuppa now before it's off to bed, I think!! (I'm such an old lady aye)

PS - Apologies for the lack of updates, BTW. Been extremely flat out at work these past couple of weeks doing 6 shifts a week - the other week I actually did TWELVE days straight, can you believe it?!! I pretty much live at work at the moment. It's very sad, I know.

I heart John Grogan ^_^

2009-03-25T22:15:00.007+13:00

I just returned from an absolutely awesome night out. I've been having a rough time and I had an especially horrid weekend as y'all know from my previous post so this was something I REALLY needed and I'm soooo glad I went.

It was by pure chance that I noticed the tiny A4 sign stuck on the shop window of Glengarry's advertising that John Grogan will be doing a book signing on Wednesday the 25th at the city library.

For those of you who don't know, John Grogan is the author of the hugely successful book Marley & Me ^_^ A must-read for all animal lovers, that and MY personal favorite, Dewey ;)

Lucky I knew Katrina was a huge fan of the book as well so I had her for company. She was absolutely beside herself with excitement and I definitely was pretty pumped too!! And YAY we got a complimentary glass of wine on arrival compliments of Glengarry's.

Anyway, what an awesome man, John Grogan!! He was just so down-to-earth, personable and he had a great sense of humor too. Apart from talking about Marley & Me, he also spoke of his latest book The Longest Trip Home. He read an excerpt from it and it was absolutely hilarious - I'm definitely going to buy it now!!

After his talk and a brief Q&A, we got to get our books signed - the most exciting part!! Katrina and I were like so starstruck, we were like a pair of giggly teenage girls, LOL. He was incredibly nice and friendly face-to-face, something you never really expect "celebrities" to be. I even asked if I could get a picture with him which he graciously obliged. :)

Isn't it so awesome that he signs his books with a "Woof!!" :D

In DESPERATE Need of a Career Change

2009-03-24T12:41:00.000+13:00

I am SO OVER my job.

I'm sick of being shouted and sworn at. I'm sick of being disrespected, ridiculed and insulted. I'm sick of being looked down on just because I'm Asian. And I am MOST SICK of having to deal with rude and stupid people all the time.

Not to mention the ongoing crappy office politics that I have to constantly endure which is so deeply etched into the system that I can't cry out for help or justice because it would just be a losing battle.

I am worth so much more than this, I know I am.

But I am just wasting away right now. This job is wasting my time, my efforts, my character, my strengths - it is wasting my life. I work hard, I do what is expected of me and sometimes even go the extra mile. But for what? For lousy pay doing the worst shifts, a boss who doesn't appreciate me and patrons who treat me like I am dirt on the bottom of their shoe.

I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!!

What's most frustrating about this whole predicament that I have found myself in is it seems that I am in a permanent rut. I can't get out no matter how hard I try.

Because nobody in this damn country will hire me!! Doesn't help with the current economic climate either.

I am starting to panic because time is not on my side, and I feel like the year 2009 seems to be on fast forward. It's almost April, 2 months after that marks the middle of the year. Yikes.

I used to always pride myself for being the kind of person who always had a direction, a path already all planned and laid out. I was headstrong and sure of myself. I knew what I wanted in life and where - and who - I wanted to be.

But now I'm lost. Just utterly and completely lost.

This is dedicated to Markus

2009-03-14T23:30:00.001+13:00

I hate that life always gets the better of me. I get so easily distracted with all the material things that life throws at me. I passively ride both the mundane and torrential waves that make up my life making no effort to steer in a particular direction. Because of this, I often lose sight of what (and who) really matters.

I have been unhappy for a long time. Okay maybe not so much unhappy but more...discontented. I am nowhere near where I imagined myself to be. I have not achieved the goals I had planned to reach by the time I was this age. I am disappointed by the deck of cards life has handed me but mostly I am disappointed at myself.

When I found out Markus, a friend whom I had known for most of my teenage years, had suddenly passed away in his sleep, I was hit by such an immense sadness. It rocked me to my very core which surprised me because I was never close to Markus. The time we did spend together was always in a group setting. Now, of course, I regret not making more of an effort.

It's funny how we always only think to appreciate something once it's gone. Markus' death really made me look deep into myself. And I don't like what I see. I look at Markus' legacy and I wonder WHY. He had so much more to offer, so much more to bring to this earth. He achieved so much and touched countless of lives in the short time he had - something many of us would probably not get to do even if we had a lifetime.

If I died tomorrow what would I have to show for my life? What sort of impact would I have made to the people around me?

I look at my life and I feel like I am wasting it. Markus never wasted a moment of his life, he took each and every opportunity to make a difference. I just feel so undeserving.

I recently moved and I was utterly embarrassed by what a ridiculous hoarder I am (or have become? I am uncertain.) But yet, I cannot part with all the mountains of crap that now clutter my apartment. I always saw being sentimental as a good personality trait but now I'm not so sure. What is the point of holding on to all these material things? When it is your time to go, you leave them all behind.

I decided to start blogging again because I wanted to leave a part of me behind for my friends and loved ones to continue to (hopefully) enjoy when I have left this earth. When I read Markus' posts again in his blog, my heart is heavy because I know I will never see him again, but at the same time I get this sense of comfort because I feel his spirit come alive through his words.

On a slightly less somber note, I also feel like I've lost touch with so many people over the past few years, especially ever since I moved to NZ. I have crossed paths with so many people over the years through the different chapters of my life. Who knows, maybe somehow some of you will stumble upon this blog, and we could "pick up where we left off"...or maybe not so much like that, but you get what I mean!!

So I want to dedicate this post, and this blog really, to my friend Markus. I looked up to you back in the YF days and I still do to this very day. I am grateful our paths crossed; even though it was considerably brief, you have impacted me in a great way. Thank you for reminding me that life is indeed volatile and thus I should live each day as if it were my last.

I hope I can really learn to do that.