WAO

Friends, the best kind of support. They share, talk and listen. So, break the silence on domestic violence, talk to a friend.

In order to carry out our company's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, the Treasury Sales & Marketing department made a courtesy visit to the Women's Aid Organization (WAO) yesterday to learn more about their operations as well as to provide some funding. It's nice to know that our philanthropic exercise was positively received by the organization and our company.

The WAO Refuge in Kuala Lumpur shelters an average of 100 women and 100 children per year (the children usually come with their mothers). The background of these women ranges from being battered wives, unwed mothers to abused foreign domestic workers and trafficked women. These women usually come to seek shelter for a period of one to three months.

During their stay at the Refuge, these women receive counselling, legal advice and help in restarting their lives. The WAO social workers occasionally organize weekly programmes and sessions that will impart to the residents not only legal advice but self-confidence, self-worth and job skills to help them lead better lives independently.

I am writing this post to raise awareness to those women who are exposed to such acts of violence. This organization will offer a safe haven and counselling to women in crisis as well as their children. If you need more details or would like to help someone who is suffering from abuse, please call (03) 7956 3488.

 The spirit of giving continues for Treasury Sales and Marketing. :)

A Cry For Help

Malaysia is in dire need of an effective way to eliminate crime as crime is perceived to be one of the most pressing problems in society nowadays. Currently, Malaysia is the preferred destination for tourists and unfortunately, criminals. And it definitely does not help when feebleminded policemen, instead of carrying out their lawful duties to mitigate crime, set up unnecessary road blocks in order to make a living by blatantly demanding the public to contribute to corruption through paying bribes.

It does not help either if the government permits the employment of cheap, foreign labour, which also partially contributes to simple thefts, physical injuries caused by direct confrontation and simple wayward robbery. However, I suppose criminals have recently managed to take the progressive road to enhance themselves with investigative knowledge thus making the work of the police more arduous and difficult.

The reason why I decided to highlight this issue is because my boss just recently encountered an unfortunate theft episode in broad daylight, which involved two men on a motorcycle and herself, in her BMW. She happened to be stationary at the traffic lights of a busy crossroad in central Kuala Lumpur, when two men on a motorcycle casually approached the passenger side of her vehicle. Without warning, the backseat rider repeatedly thrust his elbow forcefully against the front passenger window until it shattered. And within the blink of an eye, he skillfully and swiftly grabbed her MYR8,000.00 Louis Vuitton handbag (the bag of course, costing more than its contents) and sped off instantaneously without even showing any signs of remorse. My boss was, of course, too stunned and petrified to react. If I am not mistaken, his arm was probably sheathed in something solid and strong enough to break the window of a BMW, some kind of tool.

Even though she was surrounded by other vehicles and onlookers, nobody was willing to help. Typical Malaysian mentality. Anyway, how can one ever expect lowlife criminals to show pangs of conscience? I suppose it does not take much effort to separate criminals from animals.

The moral of the story is anyhow: Ladies, do not leave your handbags on the passenger seat EVER and always be vigilant of your surroundings wherever you are.

Singapore Sling

Am currently basking in the glory of good ol' Singaporean sun with my old peers. Random walks and random chats with affable companions ignite the whole sense of familiarity and comfort despite the fact that I am on foreign shores. It's amazing how some have matured like fine wine into affluent individuals. Conversations like these are worth a king's ransom and I like this feeling of pure contentment; where people just laugh about silly things they did in the past without having to worry about being judged. Yes, humans do eventually learn to forgive, forget and move on. :)

Perhaps this complacent state of mind is also due to the fact that I just tendered my resignation and will soon feel absolutely liberalised from the overly-political and tiresome corporate world. As a result, I am now gradually acclimatizing myself to the long-forgotten days of being a student.

Hence, the oldfangled Summer days have now returned and am mentally, physically and spiritually ready to embark on another exciting journey to Hong Kong come August pronto!

 Sex On The Beach shots. Taken in Butter, Singapore on Friday, 16th July 2010.

Paradise Perhentian

 Exactly one month ago, my girlfriends and I ventured to the timeless island located along east Peninsular Malaysia, called Perhentian Island. This island hideaway offers beaches with stunning rock formations and fascinating caves and lush green forests. Let me highlight what makes this luscious island so irresistible.

The amazing crystal clear water.

Bubu Long Beach Resort, the resort which contributed to one of our comfortable hideouts for deep slumbers.
 

The perfect getaway for swimming, water sports and tanning. The setting was perfect - a little cabana on the beach, sand between our toes and cool breeze upon our faces.

  And of course, hilly hikes to the top most point of the island for a breathtaking view of the surroundings and neighbouring islands.

Jumping jacks during sunset.

Our fantastic barbeque seafood dinner.

The Sex and The City cast is complete. :) Just the girls and cocktails were sufficient to make this escapade a holiday to remember. Loving the homemade Caipirinhas, courtesy of Miss Cai Mei Khoo.

We met some backpackers along the way and had some memorable conversations/ humourous tales of their journeys around the globe. One British bloke had his belongings stolen from his shady accommodation on Perhentian Island, at least they had the courtesy to compensate him with several nights of free lodging and food. From Day I, luck was never on his side as this young chap even managed to run into several pickpockets at his other destinations around Asia, losing his camera twice and money thrice. Poor fella. 

Mysterious midnight sightings, ranging from turtles nesting by the sandy shores of Perhentian Island to tantalizing fire-breathing performances.

This island paradise is a perfect mix of simple, modern luxury with the great outdoors. Then there's the rustic charm of the timber villas within lush tropical greenery and secluded inlets that offer absolute privacy. Perhentian Island is definitely an island worth visiting.

Malaysia, truly Asia. :)

Malaysian Polo Open 2010

Yesterday, Miss Cai Mei Khoo, the Fashion and Features Writer of Harper's Bazaar, invited Mandy and I to the Malaysian Polo Open 2010 held at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park.

Surrounded by enthusiastic polo fanatics, scrumptious array of local Malaysian delights, free flow of Veuve Cliquot bubbly and accompanied by my awesome girlfriends was the beginning to an eventful Saturday afternoon. We even manage to catch glimpse of the Sultan of Pahang, who glamourously arrived in his private helicopter and was immediately ushered up to his VIP podium.

It's interesting how global Malaysia is becoming day by day. The expat community has been rapidly growing and is evident at yesterday's event as many of the supporters were primarily expats. Well, I suppose it's also because polo is more of white-man's game. Moreover, I even had a chance to chat to some who were very fond of living in Malaysia because of the lovely weather (Really? In this humidity?) and the fact that the standard of living is relatively inexpensive compared to their country of origin (Well, of course, cause they're earning expat wages!).

My highlight of the day was getting the opportunity to try out the awesome Segway i2. The Segway is a two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle invented by Dean Kamen. My original perception of steering the Segway would somewhat be similar to the steering of a motorcycle. Boy, was I wrong when I found out that all you had to do to steer is to merely lean forward to go forward, lean back to go backward and turn by using the "lean steer" handlebar, leaning it left or right.

If I recall correctly, the salesperson mentioned the price of one unit is approximately MYR33,700.00. Segways have success in niche markets such as transportation for police departments, military bases, warehouses, corporate campuses or industrial sites. The legal road worthiness of the Segway varies with different jurisdictions' classifications of the device as a motor vehicle.

However, as a warning to females, please do not try this vehicle in 5-inch heels. :)

The Pampered Princess

There are two important bags that one, who is literate to the world of fashion, must be aware of - the Birken by Hermes and the other, the Chanel 2.55. The iconic Chanel 2.55 was made known to the world when Coco Chanel introduced this bag in February 1955 (hence, the 2.55). The quilts were inspired by jackets work by jockeys. For the collectors out there, this classic bag of all time is definitely a MUST. 

 

Mummy pleasantly surprised me with a black Chanel 2.55 when I returned home from work on a tormenting and tiring Tuesday. She definitely made my day, no wait, my year!

The Chanel 2.55 features have all a piece of tale to tell. From the inside out:

• The lining – The lining’s brown colour represents the colour of the uniforms from the convent where she grew up.
• The inside compartment – there’s a zippered compartment at the inside of the front flap. That’s where Coco Chanel hid her love letters (from her lover at the time).
• The backside – there’s a back outside flap on the handbag – that’s where Ms Chanel stashed extra money.
• The shoulder strap – as I said before, Coco Chanel grew up in an convent, at the orphanage. The caretakers hold the keys at their waist dangling from the same type of chains as the 2.55 shoulder strap chains.
• The front lock – the 2.55 front lock is different from the classic double CC logo. It’s logo is called “the Mademoiselle Lock” (because Ms Chanel was never married).

How fascinating, yes?

Scarred For Life?

So, I have had several conversations with those who have been emotionally hurt from previous relationships and a small number remains or prefers to stay emotionally detached from their new encounters, considering them as pawns for fun OR perhaps they might be constantly questioning the other party's motives once they have proceeded past the first stage of the relationship - are they treating me genuinely or are they merely taking me for a joy ride?

These insecurities originate from the failed relationships of the past and they fear the recurrence of such hurtful events. They say they will never love again, nor trust again, yet they end up with many new situations. Hence, the question is - Does bitterness or hate really change someone?

Personally, I feel that it's all part of a learning curve. Each experience teaches somebody something different. Bitterness develops because the person cannot comprehend the reason behind why the relationship has failed - we were so happy, why did it end? And the feeling usually persists for a while. Nonetheless, you will eventually realise that the experience has taught you something and you can put it to use in your next relationship. Bitterness should not last forever.

Hence, you have to learn how to:

1) ACCEPT. Promises have been broken, marriages dissolve and friends disappear. This is all part and parcel of life and life is too short. It is not worth mourning over a breakup, wallowing in self pity or living in memories of the past for an extended period of time.

2) FORGIVE. Sometimes it’s difficult to forgive if you feel that forgiveness leaves you vulnerable to future repeats of the same negative treatment. But learning how to gives one the sense of dignity and emotional liberation.

3) WRITE. Writing about a situation where you were hurt or wronged can help you process what happened and move on; however, the way you write about it and what you choose to focus on can make all the difference in how easy it becomes to forgive.

4) OCCUPY YOURSELF. The solution is to change your focus of attention - physical activities, hanging out with friends, getting a job or in my case, it would be retail therapy.

I love to shop after a bad relationship. I don't know. I buy a new outfit and it makes me feel better. It just does. Sometimes I see a really great outfit, I'll break up with someone on purpose. - Rita Rudner.