CNY reunion with 6M members

It has been more than 10 years since I left my primary school. Some of us went to the same secondary school/ keep in touch with each other through MSN or email; while the rest have been lost contact ever since we bid good-bye on our graduation day... :'(

Thank god! Nowadays, we have internet technology, which helps us to connect with the rest of the world within a few clicks! Recently, SZ and I used Facebook as a tool to reunite our long lost classmates for a CNY dinner. Even though there were less than 50% of the class who turned up to the gathering, I think it was a good start... And I felt very happy to see them again. =)

At about 6.30pm, I reached the steamboat restaurant. After I parked my car, I got a call from both SZ and SY. Both of them were not there yet. As usual, Malaysian timing... LOL! While waiting for them, I stayed in my car and read my novel "Beware of Doug" by Elaine Fox. I only got down from the car when SY arrived, and we walked towards Sim Mei Steamboat Restaurant together.

I was so glad to see that about 5 of them were already there. At least not everyone follows Malaysian timing. XD We got ourselves a round table and had some casual chats while waiting for the key organiser, SZ. When she arrived, she ordered our food... 'Steamboat untuk 7 orang'... Since we didn't know who else will be turning up that night, we ordered only 7 people's share for the safe side. Guess what... We ended up with 12 people eating 7 people's share!!! LOLz! The boss must be thinking why this group of people so kiamsiap (stingy)...

While waiting for the soup to be boiled, we also catch up with each other for the latest updates... I found out that most of us have different professions. There are lecturer (SZ), tutor + Master student (HY), PhD candidate (HH), psychology student (CY), engineers (VC & HS), nurse (SY), banker (JR), etc... Besides, we got the updates about marital status too!!! LOLz!! Congrats HH on her marriage! =)

After dinner, we took a pretty group photo. Cheeseeeeeee!!!! (Yea... You can see the messy table. That was how we enjoyed our get-together dinner)

Since we didnt order enough food, we proceeded to our second round in Station 1 Cafe. This cafe was only a few steps away from our steamboat restaurant. So, it was pretty convenient. My friends were happily ordering their buckets of beer... Me? Nope... I will never drink and drive. So, I asked for my favourite Hot Chocolate... =p

 

Check out the box on the table. It was VC's 25th birthday!! So, we celebrated his birthday too! We sang him a lovely birthday song. Sweet SZ even bought him half a dozen of Secret Recipe's cupcakes!! Due to time constraint, she got him these cute CNY cupcakes. It was kind of... wrong theme... LOLz!!

VC is the only person in school who studied in the same class as me since Standard 1!!! We started from 1O>>1M>>2H>>3M>>4M>>5M>>6M.... LOLz!!! What a coincident... =) Both of us miss those days back in Standard 2. We were the pet students of our class teacher, Miss Hou... kekekekeke! We were still keeping the stamp album given by her!

After all the drinking, chatting and photo sessions, we went to KT's mansion. Yea... Mansion! Her house is huge! It looks like a holiday resort with a spacious garden area, which is able to fit at least 20 cars. All of us were amazed with her bangalow before entered into her living hall. We played cards and I lost badly in the games... sob... sob...

Anyway, that was a great gathering. I hope to see all my friends again!

*Cheers*

How to write an effective emails?

 I was reading some online business articles and I thought of sharing some information with you. The articles were about email etiquette and good practices. Since most of use are using emails daily or we can't live without emails, so I think these tips are pretty useful to us.

According to Dave Johnson, there are 5 Dos and 5 Don'ts for writing an effective email.

Top 5 Dos

1. Put important information in bold, so it’s easier to see. Likewise, if you’ve addressed an e-mail to several people and there’s an action for a certain person, bold his or her name when you address the issue. Use bold sparingly, though.
2. If action is required, say so at the start of the e-mail. Don’t tell a long story with the requested action at the bottom. This is called the BLUF method, but I also tend to call it “getting to the verb.” - BLUF stands for 'Bottom Line Up Front'. So, be straight to the point.
3. Keep your signature short and professional. Lose the pithy quote and just include your title and phone number.
4. Keep the subject line relevant. If the topic changes over the course of a long thread, update the subject so it’s relevant. - Totally agree with this! It will be much easier when I need to retrieve some old emails.
5. Proof your e-mail before you send it. And make sure your spell checker is running.

Top 5 Don’ts

1. Don’t ever type anything in ALL CAPS, even to get someone’s attention. If you need to catch someone’s eye with something important, put it in bold. - Frankly speaking, I don't like receiving emails with ALL CAPS. It sounds like I was scolded by the sender.
2. Don’t include your entire team or your boss on every e-mail you send. Be selective.
3. Don’t send large attachments unless absolutely necessary, especially to a mailing list or distribution list. If possible, upload your files to the cloud, such as DropBox or MemoPal and provide a link. - I don't have these 2 softwares at the moment. Maybe I will research more on DropBox and MemoPal for my future posts.
4. Don’t send e-mail when you’re emotional. If you’re responding to someone that has made you angry, save the message in your drafts folder until you can proof-read it more objectively, and then send the e-mail.
5. Don’t try to be funny, especially to a mixed audience. The chances of being misunderstood are astronomical.

I hope this will help us to write a more effective email. =)

Source: Bnet

*Cheers*

White Summer BBQ Party @ Izz's mansion

About 3 weeks ago, I attended my ex-colleague/friend, Izz's 'White Summer BBQ Party'... According to my limited sense of directions, it is highly unlikely for me to reach her house without getting lost (To be honest, her house is quite ulu/ far). Hahaha! Therefore, I decided to meet my colleagues at KLCC and followed them to the party.

I took monorail from Berjaya Times Square to Bukit Nanas station. The station was quite pack with people. However, most of them were waiting at the opposite platform.

 

The packed station... and...

 

... the empty station =p

When I came down from Bukit Nanas station, I was like... Where's the Putra LRT inter-change? I asked the counter officer and she told me to follow the sign in front. There was a huge crowd of people walking towards that direction. So, I followed. OMG!! It was a 10 minutes walk to the Dang Wangi Putra LRT station!!! No one tells me its so far!!! (My brother said 'Very near! Opposite only...' Yea, right!!) I was conned! LOL! I saw people just ran across the road to get to the opposite station. However, I am an obedient citizen... I followed the law... =p So, I made use of the pedestrian bridge. *More energy was consumed*

Finally, I reached Dang Wangi station and bought a ticket to KLCC.. Phew!! I reached KLCC!! I was longing for the air-con... It was so hot and humid outside. I love the air-con... When my colleague, M came to fetch me and other 2 colleagues, I told them that I was dying for the air-con. So, I got my front seat. Kekekekeke!!! It took us 10-15minutes to reach Izz's house. OMG! Izz's house was situated on a very steep hill. It took M quite some time to park her car... She was driving up and down the steep hill... And finally, she gave up. Instead of parking outside the house, she parked at the kaki bukit. LOL!

Before everyone else arrived, I helped out in the drinks preparation!! 

*Thanks Alice for the picture!!*

See!!! I was happily mixing the juice with C!! Emm... Due to lack of experiences, the juice came out to be no taste... LOL! There were tooooo much water! Then, we tried to do some magic by adding in ice-cream soda... In the end, the taste came out to be quite funny. LOL!! No matter what, everyone had to drink it because thats the only one drinks available. kekekkekeke!

Well, my other colleague has a full report and more pictures of the BBQ party. Check out her blog at Alice. 

After all the makan-makan and chit-chatting, all of us were tired. Lastly, we took a picture before heading home.

 

Here's a picture of the happy girls... XD

SL dropped me home with the help of his GPS giving directions... Left, right, straight, turn... It was a very cool gadget!!

*Cheers*

February - Live boldly, laugh loudly, love truly...

Its February 2010!! Time to flip the Motivation Calendar, which is sitting on my office monitor... My calendar says 'Live boldly, laugh loudly, love truly'. So, what are you waiting for? Let's do the necessaries that can change your life... Spend time with your friends & family and laugh loudly a.k.a be happy!! Last but not least, love everyone around you with the bottom of your heart... Love you! XD

Also, I would like to wish you Happy Lunar New Year!!! Rooooarrrr!!! (Yea! I am celebrating CNY, thats why you can see some CNY decorations on my monitor)

*Cheers*

Happy Year of Tiger 2010!!

I would like to wish all of you a happy and prosperous year of Tiger... Roooaaarrrr....!!

According to Wayangtimes, Libran Ox will do quite well this year! Hahaha!

The Ox

Those born under the influence of the Ox are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task or an objective. As we used this great creature long ago to plow the soil day after day, so do Ox people labor through their daily responsibilities either at work or at home without complaint or gripe. Oxen know they will succeed through hard work and sustained effort and find no truth or benefit in concocting get-rich-quick schemes.

Sturdy, earthy, no-nonsense – that’s the Ox. Affectionate and easy-going, the Ox can show a fierce temper when agitated. He is neat, tidy, quiet and studious, with a great love of his home. Music can be a great love. Family life and a loving partner are high on the Ox’s priorities. A wonderful loyal friend.

Forecast for 2010
The Ox loves methodical planning and everything working out in the correct time (Agree!! Agree!! XD). The Year of the Tiger will throw all this to the wind with it’s fast pace and unexpected developments! People born under this sign may find 2010 a challenge but in a good way. The Ox will have to adapt to new routines, delays and obtacles thrown in his way, but he will be well able for any task and may find new hidden talents and personal power he didn’t know existed. Hobbies, relaxing pursuits and friendships will all be beautifully highlighted during the Year of the Tiger and will provide a welcome relief to any stresses he may face. Home improvements and redecorating plans will move forward smoothly with excellent results. Career opportunities will present themselves from April to June, while exciting, intense romantic encounters are likely in July, August and December (Interesting..... LOL!!!). An important aspect for those under this sign in 2010 is to be mindful and caring of loved ones. It will be crucial to listen to them and also to accept any help they may offer during this changeable year.

Interesting Ox Facts:
Zodiac Stone: Aquamarine
Special Flower: Carnation
Best Hours: 1-3 am --> I will be sleeping away my best hours all the time... =/
Season: Winter --> There's no winter season in Malaysia!!! Horoscope Colors: Green, Yellow, Black

Chinese Zodiac Meets Western Astrology Horoscope

LIBRAN OX

These Oxen are good employers and employees because they are easy to get along with and listen to what you have to say. They like to keep the peace and don’t like to rock the boat. They are always trying to achieve perfection personally and romantically.

Check out yours at Wayangtimes.com

*Cheers*

KL Flash Mob @ Berjaya Times Square - 070210 (Added video)

Event: KL Flash Mob

Location: Berjaya Times Square

Time: 4.35pm

Theme: Valentines Day

Organiser: CausePlay

I found out about this event on last Sunday itself. There was a large group of people assembling suddenly in Times Square (Level LG), freezed for about 5 minutes, before quickly dispersing.

At first, I was not sure they are going to perform this act at where exactly at Level LG. However, when I reached this floor, I saw a large group of young people in pink/ red shirts. Some of them were even discussing and rehearsed their posses!! This is real Malaysian version of flash mob. Hahahah!

A group of them were openly discussing about what to do...

I saw one of the groups even count down for the time!! Arent they supposed to act in a sudden and surprise the people around? LOL!

At 4.35pm, all the participants freezed!! I took this opportunity to snap pictures... *Snap snap snap* All of them were funny!!

Next batch of super stars...?!?!? LOL! 

(Sorry for the blur picture)

This guy was so lost!!! He did a great job!

This guy was proposing his gf with a bear? Cheap-skate... kekekek!

I love this couple... They are so sweet! Do you think the guy is a pretty boy? LOL!

If there's a chance, I wanna participate in the next flash mob... LOL!!

*Cheers*