I registered my company!

Hey peeps! Today's a momentous day for me! Since now I'm offering writing, editing and translation services full-time and professionally, I've registered my business :)

Cue fireworks!

Circle of life

After the festive season, I jumped right back into work at the office, and kept myself busy with various writing and crafting projects. While I like having things to do and challenging myself with creative projects, strangely, these past few weeks have been somewhat 'muddled' by a series of emotional ups and downs. Such is life, I suppose, but I am determined to make something positive come out of this mental 'haze'.

I think this picture I took a few days ago, of my son playing with a sparkler and 'drawing' a circle in the air, sums things up quite well. It suggests to me that the moments in our lives are fleeting. They may burn bright if we let them, but eventually, everything fades away. We're left with the experience. A memory. It is what we do with the fleeting moments in our lives that count.

Shocked: London riots

Like the rest of the world, I am absolutely shocked by the sudden outbreak of violence in London. It looks absolutely terrifying on television, and to think I was there just a few months ago! Ashraf Haziq Rossli, now the inadvertent "face" of the London riots, was attacked in Hackney, which was not far from where I was. It's crazy scary how people can just turn violent all of the sudden, clearly there are many unhappy people in London, and they have a bone to pick with "Big Brother." Still, their frustration is no excuse for violent and destructive behaviour. I pray that peace will be restored soon and that everyone there will be okay. My prayers also go out to Ashraf and his family. 

Image via Sydney Morning Herald.

Looking forward to reading Neverwhere in London:)

I'll be visiting London for 10 days at the end of the month for work, and on the top of my to do list is - reading Neverwhere and immersing myself in London Below while I'm there! 

I can't stand excitement...

Some people thrive on excitement, I, for one, despise it. Unfortunately for me, the past week has been punctuated by a whole lot of "exciting" things, including: H1N1 cases at my son's school, my convocation, receiving my degree from the Agong, meeting Martha Stewart, dented cars, seeing dark sides of people, bloody termites... and then some. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for all these experiences, good and bad, but I long to go somewhere peaceful and quiet, and stay there for a while. Right now, I wish I was sitting on a bench and reading a book in Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens during Spring. I took the picture below during such a time last year.

Image by yours truly from my Flickr page.

 Ms Stewart's autograph, it says, "For Adline, You were a great guide. Many thanks!! Your scholarly tour was appreciated." :)

  

A reason to smile!

Today was a day filled with waking up before the break of dawn, bathing with as little water as possible, reaching the office before the sun rose, a military air base, uniformed people, long car rides, eating in strange places, irksome emails, even more irksome lawyers, loan officers and project management teams, sleepy heads, looming deadlines, dark skies, traffic jams, chicken pox and pizzas. I kid you not.

But on a brighter note...

Here's my name in the list of UiTM post graduate students who are graduating in the 72nd convocation ceremony this semester! Yay! *Patting myself on the back*

Also, my day has been made so much brighter by truly WONDERFUL EDITORS and CLIENTS (my saviours), hurray for you guys!

Tasty tomatoes

I'm not usually very active on Flickr, but I logged in this morning to add my photo to the Earth Hour 2010 pool, and that's when I realised that someone had liked my picture of vine tomatoes enough to use it on the Quick Free Recipes website :) Check it out:

I really like this website, there's lots of simple, healthy recipes! 
You can check out my Flickr photostream here.

Playhouse Disney Dinner Party for bloggers @ Bijou

A few weeks ago, I received an online invitation to a dinner Party by Playhouse Disney at Bjiou. I had never received such an invitation before (from someone I didn't know), so I was a bit wary. I later discovered that Best Buds magazine's editor had told the organisers about me, and so with that sorted out, I looked forward to the evening of March 19th.

I made my way to Bijou from work by taxi, and was one of the early ones to arrive. Like me, I think most of the mummy bloggers there had apprehensions about the event, but that quickly dissipated the moment we met the lovely people from IN.Deed Communications and Playhouse Disney.

With goody bags in hand, we took our seats at the table and started to get to know each other. As we had our main course, Mai from Playhouse Disney gave us a presentation on the channel's brand name, promise, personality and key attributes, as well as the show formats.

Check out the pictures:

Playhouse Disney everywhere!

On the placemats...

On the beverages...

On the napkins...

Why, if it isn't Ms Daisy Duck!

The buttons strewn across the pinewood table was cute :)

The menu.

The main course.

Mai from Playhouse Disney Singapore giving a presentation.

Dessert :) Boy, that espresso packed a punch!

Bloggers hanging out at Bijou.

Incidentally, Bijou restaurant is co-owned by Debbra Lee, founder of Fit For 2 studio. I wrote an article about her and her studio for Mother & Baby magazine back in March 2009!

It was a wonderful evening and I met lots of wonderful people, including Merryn of Crafty Crafted Studio, Zaid Mohamad of SmartParents and Hanz of The Honey Bunch. Please do check out their blogs :) Thanks very much to the organisers for inviting us! It was fabulous!

PS: I'll be writing about Playhouse Disney, Bijou restaurant and my fellow bloggers on Writing by Moonlight and Venusbuzz.com soon, stay tuned for that! Cheers!

Happy new year!

I'd like to wish everyone out there a very happy and prosperous new year, and thank you to my family and friends, as well as editors, clients, fellow writers, publishers and my blog followers for a very memorable 2009. Thank you for your support and for helping make writing my passion! Here's to more exciting writing projects and achievements in 2010! ;)

TV programme addict

Can one be a TV addict while not actually watching TV? Yes, one can, and I am a living example of it. My husband and I hardly get to watch TV, because our son has to go to bed at around 8.30 to 9.00 pm. Plus, our tiny home and family dynamic doesn't allow for him to go to sleep while the TV's on.

Recently, however, the ever-resourceful husband had gotten his hands on Law & Order and Criminal Minds, which we watch on the computer, and needless to say... I am addicted to them. For one, it provides us with some well-needed grown up relief to the seemingly endless exposure to Spongebob Squarepants, and secondly, they do make you feel a wee bit more intelligent than usual. It's nice to feel smart.

Of course, these shows won't be watchable without the great actors, but the writers? OMG!

Thankful

Goodness... I'm a little bleary eyed for watching marathon sessions of Season 4 of Heroes in the last few days. That stuff is addictive man! My favourite character this season has got to be Samuel, the mysterious and villanous gypsy troupe leader. His narration is fantabulous, whoever is responsible for that man's dialogue should get a freakin' raise!! Plus, that guy can sure act!

Anyway, I'm really excited about the new year. I get like this every December. So far, the end of the year has been pretty good to me. I feel so blessed. Thank you God. Sometimes, all I can say is, "Wow!" 2010 is looking promising. Hey, I'm a bit of a pessimist, so optimism is a big deal for me!

I'll still be writing for Venusbuzz.com next year, so do look out for me there. They have a new editor, and I'm sure lots of exciting new things will happen as we grow from strength to strength. I am aiming to write more personal articles, because sharing my thoughts and feelings with others can help me put things in persepective, and I think that's what people like to read.

I'm also working on a super secret project, poised to launch next year. I can't tell you about it yet, but I can say that I'm really happy to be on board. I think it's important for a freelance writer like me to take on new and challenging writing projects to broaden one's horizons. There's always room for learning and improvement!

It also seems like there's a good chance that I'll be published in a children's/tweens magazine starting January 2010. Hurray! I love writing for kids! Stay tuned for that, I can't wait to show it to you!

On the flip side, I've had to turn down one or two writing jobs due to my hectic schedule and pressing personal matters, but that's okay, I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

This year, I've had the great pleasure of meeting many wonderful people and making new friends through my blog and writing, which is the most wonderful blessing of all. I love working with passionate, professional and friendly people. I love being able to work hard and provide for my family. For my son. They are so worth it.

So, thank you God for blessing me.

PS: I procrastinated and missed out on submitting something for last week's Weekly Art Project. I am kicking myself. Anyway, here's what other people did. Good fun. Looks like I'm going to have to pass on the next project as well, there's no way I can create mail art and get it to the US in time for the deadline. Meh.

Big Bad Wolf Book Sale thing... and 6 year olds

Hang on... is that what's it's called? Anyway, I bought 6 or 7 books, all for RM30. I would've bought more, but was practicing restraint. Among the stuff I got was a pocket thesaurus, a steal at RM2 and a small book by Gideon Defoe entitled "The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists." I've read a few pages, and it looks tremendously fun!

Also, I gave tours to groups of 6-year olds for 2 consecutive days and discovered that they ask better questions than most academics and VIPs I've met :)

Oprah's adieu

Here's something I wrote today... thought I'd share...

My colleague let out a blood curdling scream from her desk. At first, I thought she might have impaled herself with a letter opener, but as I ran over, tripping over wastepaper baskets, I saw that she was staring transfixed at her computer screen. Her eyes were bulging and she seemed short of breath. “What’s wrong?!” I asked. She pointed to the screen… The title of the article read, “Oprah Decides to End Show After Much Prayer.” My jaw dropped...

PS: I exaggerated, my colleague did not scream, she merely gasped... loudly.

Random rambling

Today's random ramblings:

1) I cannot sufficiently explain my current inordinate interest in Katy Perry's songs... although I cringe whenever I hear her sing live.

2) I am as close to floating on cloud nine that I've been in a loooong while.

3) I am very thankful that God has answered my prayers and has given me a way to get out of the deep hole that I've dug myself into.

4) After a brief bout of depression, believing that the thesis I wrote was utter crap... I've learnt to accept and realise that I've done a pretty good job after all...

5) It's always nice to be given a new writing gig, and it seems I will be landing a new one! Yaay!

Tough times

It's been a tough couple of weeks for me, and recent events have forced me to re-evaluate where I am in life, and who I can trust. A lot has been on my mind lately, so my husband surprised me yesterday with the desktop wallpaper you see above . The image is so much like me, it's hilarious. I'm always hunched over my computer, writing in the dark by a tiny light, glasses falling off my face, with a head full of problems and ideas. Thanks for helping me see the humour in my situation hun :)

Image via Vladstudio

Negative vibes

I've been getting a lot of negative vibes from my surroundings lately, but in retrospect, maybe the negative energy has been emanating from me... Anyway, I've trying my best to keep my chin up, as I am a firm believer in dusting oneself off and trying again. I WILL get over these challenging times, and even when the going gets tough... the tough keeps on writing.

Home is where the heart is

Got home from Sydney early yesterday morning. Arrived at KLIA at some ungodly hour. Stumbled onto a train... then a taxi... homeward bound. Sydney was cold (temperature wise) and cool at the same time. I'm happy to be home though. Missed my family very much.

I am unhappy with the state of my home... my hubby did try his best to keep the house in order, but I have been itching to clean up the place since I first got home. Problem is, I'm exhausted , still rather jetlagged and for some reason, my body's covered in bruises...

I tell myself I will try and get something done this weekend.. but I have my Viva Voce next week, it's the big verbal exam for my Masters degree that I've been waiting for - for, like, ever. I hope it goes well. I'm sure it will. If it does, it'll be P.A.R.T.Y time!

Today I started picking up where I left off on my ongoing writing projects. My brain is still befuddled, but it hasn't let me down.

Red haze blankets Sydney

When I got the chance to visit Sydney back in June to bring an exhibition to the Art Gallery of NSW, I was so very happy to be shot of the filthy gray haze that was blanketing my hometown. Although it rained non-stop for about the first 3 days after we arrived Down Under, I didn't mind one bit. The air was clean and so sweet, my lungs felt like they were in heaven.

I was shocked, therefore, to learn that the tables have been turned. Just as the skies over the Klang Valley have cleared up, Sydney's skies have turned an awful - RED! The Boston reports that, "A pall of red dust blown in from the Outback clogged the skies over Sydney on Wednesday, diverting international flights, disrupting ferries and prompting a spike in emergency calls from people suffering breathing difficulties."

Is this armageddon-like event a natural occurence or another sign that the earth is in trouble due to global warming? I can't wait to hear how the experts will weigh in on this one. There's a good chance that I might get to return to Sydney in less than a month's time to bring the exhibition home, and I find that I actually 'want' to experience this red-sky phenomenon for myself, although I hope for the sake of Sydneysiders that this will soon pass. It can't be fun living that way... I live in PJ and work in KL after all, so I've experienced quite a few (forest-fire induced) hazes which were downright awful and depressing.

Twinkle toes

I'm turning 33 this month, and as an early birthday present to myself, and to usher in Hari Raya, I went and bought myself some new clothes and 2 pairs of skimmer shoes. To be honest, I'm not one of those girls who's crazy about shoes and handbags, but I've been wearing the same old worn out pair of black sandals everywhere... so it's time that I gave these poor tired feet the TLC they deserve.

I've been working so very hard too... so I think this is a good splurge, but, don't get me wrong, I'm ever the thrifty girl, so these shoes aren't that very expensive or anything. I like them, they're cute, and they make me feel young. I've been dressing up like an old frump for God knows how long :P

Clear skies...

On my way to work yesterday morning, I noticed that the sun was out and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful blue and the clouds were fluffy and a brilliant white... like they've been through the wash or something. This is such a blessing because we've had months and months of haze, and we've been choking on toxic fumes. I was so depressed when the haze was around, but now I'm feeling happier. The snapshot above is a view from my living room window at around 6.10 pm today.