OH MY GAWD

SO MANY PHOTOS TO GO THROUGH FROM EUROPE. 3000 photos and I wanna blog about it so bad. What am I gonna do?

Well, you go through it one by one of course, Jeremy Chang.

Watch this space for more updates on my Europe trip. It'll be slow, but still better than nothing! I'll be doing it destination by destination!

New Year's

Celebrating new year's eve with people you love is always a treat and I had the privilege of doing so. As I go through another new year, what I tend to do is to reflect on what I have done the past year. Have I achieved what I needed to achieve? What about the accomplishment of my resolutions? Of course as does everyone, my resolutions were lost somewhere in the process but I think I've accomplished the main ones, i.e. scoring a good job, travel more often, spend more time with friends and family, and also, having a healthier lifestyle.

I'm trying to pick out a few highlights of 2012. Here are eight of which I can pull out from the top of my head.

1. Consulting Job

I scored a pretty solid job at an international consulting firm: Accenture. I had an offer to another company but I think I've made the right decision. Some things I have learnt in this firm are really essential for my future if I ever plan to start a business of my own. And the one thing which I have gained which I will never trade off with any other company out there are my colleagues here.

They're the most wonderful people I've met in a very long time.


2. Loved & Lost

This year started with heartbreak for me. Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess probably describes it best. It was a difficult period stretching from April to June. Not a day goes by without me regretting what I have done. Sometimes when I think back, I cry and die a little inside. But what happened, happened already and it was for a very good reason. I trusted God and He helped me through my times of need. During this time, I found two women who would change my life for good. Today, I still thank them for all the great things they have done for me. You girls know who you are.

3. Falling Back into Love

I think it was only until the tail end of the year where I started finding my feet back again. Things were going pretty okay at work, with my friends and my family as well. It was then when I could start falling again without any hesitation and today, things are going pretty well. I'm taking things real slow and no matter where and how this goes, I know I'm glad to have her here right now :).

4. The Last of Last Minutes

This year saw the Last Minutes playing for the last time on stage during the 2012 Music Talent Quest in the University of Nottingham Malaysia campus. We came in second that night but I thought we were pretty damn awesome and anyone who watched the performances could tell that we deserved the number one spot. Also, not forgetting our winning moments in 2010. To those of you who have yet to watch us perform, I can say that you did miss out on something. I think we were really great on stage. We had plenty of chemistry and I would love to reform the band again whenever the chance arises.

5. Company Annual Dinner

It was my first time dressing up for an event. Like really dressed up. Rented a costume and all that. Theme was Burlesque and that's me 2nd from right. That night was pretty crazy! Met a lot of new people and eventually, from there I got the opportunity to be a part of an organising committee for another company event in Penang.

6. Cousin's Wedding

My cousin got married and it was such a privilege to be a part of his entourage and his ring bearer. I cried during the wedding. Obviously. And I was just thinking to myself, how on earth am I gonna go through my wedding without crying? I should cry it all out during the rehearsals the night before. Lol.

7. Reconnecting

This year saw me reconnecting with two of my university mates. We didn't talk much during our time there. Mainly because we were in different courses and they went to the UK for their last two years. But we got a lot closer this year. No idea how it happened, but it did! Even went on a trip to Singapore together not too long ago. I love these two girls to bits. Albeit a bit late, but as they say, better late than never. Today, they're the two girls friends I cherish the most.

8. Europe

Lastly, and certainly not least, my Europe trip with the family. It was THE highlight of the year for me. Spent a good 17 days there. Met new friends, got to see a little bit of history here and there, tasted and explored the different cultures. Details in my later posts. I gotta sort my photos out first. This was taken during my brother's 21st birthday in Paris. We had dinner at a restaurant which had a view of the opera house. Lovely.

I guess 2012 was pretty eventful! I'm looking forward to 2013. I'm currently now working on my first resolution of the year, which is to cut down 5kgs by June. I'm gonna strive for it! Healthy lifestyle, here I come! To those of you who have yet to set any resolutions, please do set achievable ones. Don't go saying things like, "I'm gonna invest in property this year" when you can barely afford to scrap through a month. Then you wouldn't be so bummed or disappointed at the end of the year. The smaller resolutions are the ones more rewarding.

So here's to 2013. May it truly be the year of the snake. Cos I might need that little bit of luck and hopefully a miracle in whatever it is that I do. Happy new year :)

Merry Christmas!

Hello people! Sorry I've been hiatus for so long. Been in Europe you see, and there ain't many wifi spots here. Been doing plenty of shopping and sightseeing, meeting new people from all walks of life. Loving this holidays.

 

I'll give a much more detail update from my trip as soon as I get my photos sorted out. I can't wait to get home. I miss the people back there. Sigh!

 

Merry Christmas everyone! :)

All the Small Things

I've recently been told by a very good friend of mine that I have a big heart. I always put others before me. Everyone else's welfare is more important than my own because when I see everyone else smiling and laughing, I naturally get very happy as well.

Sure, there are times when I feel under-appreciated and that I don't get the right treatment. But God has taught me well to not expect anything in return when we do good onto others. What goes around, always comes back around. Eventually, everyone gets rewarded for the good deeds that they do.

To those of you who complain to your loved ones that they don't do as much as you do, don't be calculative. If you're gonna keep score on who did what, it's never gonna work out. Both parties don't usually give their all at the same point of time. But be patient and do all the small little things for your loved one without expecting anything in return. Eventually, they'll see that you're worth investing their emotions in and that's when they give you the best and the rest of themselves.

Start small. A little bit goes a very long way when it comes to the matters of the heart.

Cheeky Maxis

I've recently been invited to the iPhone5 launch by Maxis but I can't attend it since I'll be in Europe this weekend. And I was pretty adamant about buying a Samsung Galaxy Note II.

But Maxis is smart.

They sent me a second notification and I seem to get better rates because I have Maxis One Club (MOC) privileges. You cheeky baskets. I might, MIGHT, just consider buying the iPhone5.

Damn my fickled mind.

Europe!

Things are getting crazy at work. To those of you who don't know yet, I've been transferred to another client. Not as friendly as the previous one but the challenge is there I suppose. Either way, at least I have something to look forward to this time around - Europe! Can't wait! Family time and a white Christmas; what more can I ask for. My euro trail starts at:

Destination 1: London, England

If I'm lucky, I'll get to see Harry and the half-bald prince.

Destination 2: Paris, France

No, I would not like my food to be cooked by a rat.

Destination 3: Lucerne, Switzerland

I would love my face on a Switzerland stamp too.

Destination 4: Venice, Italy

Visit the Palazzo Ducale and feed the pigeons. Oh wait, winter.

Destination 5: Florence, Italy

Gotta love Michelangelo. I'll be coming to touch you, David.

Destination 6: Rome, Italy

Trevi Fountain. I'm gonna take a dip there.
Oh wait. Again, winter.

I'm gonna be looking out for a few friends in London. Hopefully we'll be able to meet. Europe's gonna be awesome I bet. I'll be home for new year's. Time for new year resolutions :)

Phone Dilemma

I know I've said I wanted to get the Note II, but it seems like the more I think about it, the more confused I get. I'm not too sure which I would need.

iPhone5

The iPhone5 is thinner, lighter and faster as compared to the previous ones. Best iPhone yet for sure. Outlook is very pretty indeed. Sleek and sexy. Colours are really nice as well. Love the whole black/slate thing going on there. One thing awesome about having an iPhone is the AppStore that Apple has to offer. Robust and huge as compared to the Android's. I also like how the iOS has Facebook and Twitter integration, making it easier for tweet whores like me to post pictures on my social media.

But in terms of functionality, this phone isn't as good obviously. It's so static. I also don't like the fact that they've decided to remove all Google apps and incorporate their horrible Apple maps which sucks so bad. Mines Wonderland was apparently near One Utama according to one of my colleagues who recently got upgraded to the iOS6. Thinner is awesome. But to keep the same width and make it taller, that's just.. I don't know. What about the iPhone6 and 7 then? Make it taller than the previous one I suppose, Tim Cook? You guys can check the specs out here.

Samsung Galaxy Note II

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is probably the most powerful smartphone out there. Functionality of the Android OS is much better than the iOS for sure. Display is beautiful and having a dynamic display as compared to iPhone's static one, really displays the lovely graphics that it has to offer. With the stylus, some functions can be easily done: from cropping a photo to writing notes (rather than typing them). There's so much to do on the artistic side of things. Because of it's huge display, watching videos and viewing photos becomes a very enjoyable thing to do.

But the Google Play store is obviously not as great as the Apple AppStore. The huge phone doesn't fit into many pockets nicely and it might deter movement when you're walking (as explained by one of my friends). Functionality beats iOS for sure, but do I need all those? Do I need so many functions and endless customization on my phone? I do want to keep it simple after all. As compared to the iPhone, it isn't as user friendly. Specs here.

I suppose no matter how you look at it, one phone is always going to be better than the other for any given field. But as a whole, which is? I'll let you guys decide! Poll on the right!