Saturday, November 20, 2010

Strathclyde MBA graduation Nov 2010

Finally, we've made it to the finishing line!!! Graduation!!! Woohoooo!!!!
More photos on fb... hehehe... too lazy 2 post all here.

Finally got my scroll! :)


Thanks 2 hubby for being understanding


Thanks to my whole family for their encouragement!

Thanks to Sista for sharing this wonderful journey with me!!! :)

The crazeeee MacRitchies!!!

Congratulations Class of 2010!!!

Saturday, November 06, 2010

My debut wt Six2Eight!!!

Last Thurs nite was my first ever performance with Six2Eight!! :) :)

It was a corporate function so could not ask all my gang & fans to come support me. Muahahah. Anyway, it was pretty fun to part of the team!!

Sound-check! Douglas Lim was there for a stand-up comedy act

The super beautiful & bubbly Jojo Struys was the emcee

They must have one helluva budget with all da big names performing. In fact, methinks they kinda overdid the performances by having too many performers. Dancers la, acapella singers [us, of course ;)], stand-up comedy, drummers, and lots lots more. How to fit all in one night???? Takpe la, orang terlampau banyak duit kot? :p

Six2Eight awaiting our turn to perform & snacking...teehehehe

Backstage!! Eh, d fler taking our photo menggigil ke?

Theme of the nite was... Grease!!!

This ain't no Greased-Lightning?

Va-va-vrrrrrooommmmm

Anyway, our performance was cut short due to time constraints. :( Expected pun, they had toooo many performances lined up for that night. Oh, well... it was a wonderful & fun performance anyway. Loved "We Go Together" the most!!! Wap-bap-belubap-a-Wap-Bam-Boom!!!!

Monday, November 01, 2010

Something's happening

Performing at our friend, Zen's daughter's wedding!! Can't believe little Jo's all grown up!!! :)


The march-in

Zen, with her usual creativity & sense of humour made us sang this!!!


aaa...aaaa.... tum paasse aye, yun muskurayee, tum nena jane kya, sapne dikhaye

Monday, October 11, 2010

A singing resignation?

My wedding was a musical, my life is a musical... so why not my resignation too, a musical?? ;)

I will miss her dearly... never have I ever encountered any boss-subordinate relationship like ours: such trust, such transparency & such sincerity. But sometimes in life we just have have to move on. I still love her & respect her as a friend, and will forever feel grateful to have her as part of not only my career but my life journey. :)



So, what is my song to her? Singing a Kelly Clarkson may be quite a challenge, but I'll do it for her. :)

Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window

Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray

Trying hard to reach out
But when I'd try to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me

Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I pray
I could breakaway

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes ?til I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I loved
I'll take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean

Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jet plane, far away
And breakaway

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun
I won't forget all the ones that I loved
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging 'round revolving doors
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me but
Gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, breakaway

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

New Toy!!!

Another strike off my wishlist!! Wooohooo!!

But more like a half-strike. I sacrificed having a pink camera for photo-quality!!!! Finally came to my senses & head triumphed over heart! ;)

Got new toy to play with!! Yippeee!!!!

Chun tak??? (both d owner & digicam, muahahah!)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A Bollywood Encounter

Since the completion of my thesis & the Mamak Mee Ah 2nd run in both Penang and KL, I suddenly had a lot of time in my hands. heheheh. Macam tak biasa. TV, gym, blogging, and a social life that is beyond facebook!

After years of MIA-ing from the Muhibbah Network scene, I joined this year's first mixer... ala Bollywood!

Time to get all dolled up & Indianified for the occasion...woohoo!!!

Some yummy authentic Indian grub.... mostly vegetarian. Only 3 meat dishes which were placed separately on a different section. Very good!!! Reminds me of those wonderful dinners @Anish & Gauri's.


Our wonderful hostesses, Michelle & Neera. Thanks for organizing this!!


Our very own talented & beautiful Ellyne shakin' her booteh Bollywood style.


It was nice catching up with some old friends, Ellyne & Nyza.


And making new ones, like d crazy funny Nazeen frm Hyderabad.


I love having time!!! :) :)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Playing the wrong part

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived a beautiful pianist. She was a wonderful pianist who could play beautiful music that can touch hearts of millions. The orchestra recognises that she has an outstanding musical talent. They decided to groom her to become the orchestra conductor, leading the entire team to play a beautiful symphony.

They want her to learn the other instruments in order to grow her... one of which was the violin. It was obvious her talent was not the violin. She was struggling to play the violin and was not playing well. The orchestra directors had high expectation and hopes for this talented musician. They were very patient and forgiving towards all her mistakes in playing the violin. Being a talented musician in the first place, she can still get the basic right; rhythm, notes... but there was no soul in her violin sounds.

The pianist cringed everytime she hears her own violin sounds, everytime she hears the orchestra play together when she was on the violin. The symphony did not sound beautiful like it used to. The whole symphony is spoiled by her very own violin sounds. Although her director is forgiving, she is not happy with that sound. Being a musician that demands excellence made it even worse for her to hear an orchestra sound so bad.

Therefore, no matter how nice, forgiving & encouraging her directors in this orchestra is to her, she needs to look for a new orchestra. For one where she can play the piano, where she can be groomed to be the conducter with better and wonderfully talented violinists around to complement her weaknesses. Then lead the whole orchestra to play a beautiful symphony once more.


~The most successful people are those who know their strengths and weaknesses & find a role where they can use and sharpen those strengths~

Monday, April 26, 2010

I'm a STAR!!!... Well, sort of ;)

I finally have the time to sit down and revive my poor poor blog...


Finally!! I can strike off doing a professional musical theatre production. For the first time, people are paying good money to watch me perform! It's not school, it's not church, it's not all for charity but a real life production!! Sold out the last 3 nights until they even had to add plastic chairs in the theatre to sell extra tickets!! How cool is that????

Mamak Mee-Ah, we truly rocked!!

We were in d newspapers:
The Star
- Delectable Fare
-
Simple Yummy

The New Straits Times
- Buffet of Good Music
-
Bellyful of Laughter

We were on TV(Astro Awani)

And even on d net!! With lotsa real nice photos of us too!! :D :D :D
- Dennis Lee
-
Edward Foo

We even have fans adding us on Facebook and when I googled my own name, there are many hits!! Excitednye!!!!! So this is what is feels like to be famous?? Well, ok... semi-famous... for now... ;o)

Can't wait for our road show!!! Wooohoooo!!!!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Car for Adoption

My Toyota Vios 1.5E (A) has been my trusty ride for the past...nearly 6 years. Now, it is time for me to move on and let her go. I have been her one and only guardian all these years. I am now looking for a new loving home for her.

She was born on 3rd June 2004. She is golden brown in colour (blondes have more fun rite? :p) She has been well taken care of, with all her service maintenance records filed since the day she was born. She has been very well behaved, never once did she threw a tantrum or given me any problems all these years. She has gone on many wonderful journeys with me and has walked 150xxxkm so far. I can hardly recall any day that I did not spend with her at all.

Here are some photos of her.


Good girl... *pat pat pat*


Ang gu gu...


At home


Her side profile


Inside of her


Her bootilicious booteh


Like me, she too has an artistic streak... @KLPAC


Adoption fee: RM50K or nearest offer.

Please drop me a message if you are interested to be her new guardian or you want any additional info about her.

Thank you!!! =)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Think With Your Heart

Finally have a little bit of free time 4 my much neglected blog.

Back in my school days, I used to love Debbie Gibson coz I thought she was very talented... She writes songs, plays the piano and sings. I loved her songs too as they were all about idealistic love, the kind of love that I believe in. I particularly liked the album "Think With Your Heart".

Coz I believe in thinking with your heart... well, at least as far as love is concerned. And I used to love the first song "For Better Or Worse", dreaming of singing it & playing the piano to my future husband one day.

My sister and I used to play the album really often... it was a cassette! (yeah, I'm that old...hehehe) But now, with the extinction of the cassette player, I couldn't listen to it anymore. And I was hunting around for the CD but since that album didnt quite do too well, and it is really old... it was nowhere to be found. :( Then I sorta forgot about it after a while.

This birthday, when I unwrapped the pressie hubby gave me... guess what I saw???


Now I really have someone to sing and play "For Better or Worse" to. :) :) :)

Saturday, February 27, 2010

This is my confession

Note: In my newfound addiction for Glee, please note that the title of this post is SUNG out not read. ;)

Anyway, lately there are a couple of incidences that has really got to me head and my heart. It really does bother me that most people take mistakes for granted. Rather than confessing, apologize, repent and redeem themselves for mistakes... the more popular options seem to be:

- justifying that it was right. NOT a mistake at all.
- shrug it off... "just a mistake, I didnt do it intentionally."

Do they ever think of the implications or outcome of those mistakes on others close to them? Does it have emotional impact on the young innocent mind of your child? Does it put your family in danger to crime? Do they even THINK beyond themselves when a mistake happens?

In order for us to grow into better people, we cannot think that we are already perfect. We need to be humble, admit our mistakes and work on not repeating it, consciously. Just like in Christianity, being a Christian does not mean that we are oh so holy and perfectly sinless. But being a Christian means we need to genuinely confess our sins and admit our shortcomings to God. Then can consciously take effort keep on working on being a better person because we love Him.

If we are not aware that we are wrong in the first place, how are we going to become better? How are we going to ever improve?

Unless of course, these people don't love anyone else but themselves... then by all means, justify or shrug off the mistake. Even if it affects those close to you, it doesn't matter to you, right?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A soaring kite!!

Read about the kite metaphor for the first time on Shannon's blog. I felt that it is a very good metaphor.

"I like to think that the relationship between wisdom and romance is like the one between a string and a kite. Romantic love is like the kite that catches the wind and tenaciously heads for the sky; wisdom is the string that tugs downward, holding it back. The tension is real, but healthy.

I suppose there are times when a kite feels tied down by the string. 'If this bothersome string would just let go of me, I could fly really high,' the kite might think. But that isn't true, is it? Without the string holding it in the face of the wind, the kite would quickly come crashing to the ground.

In the same way, romance without wisdom will soon take a nose-dive. It becomes selfish, indulgent, and even idolatrous. Have you been a relationship like this ? Have u witness such a relationship in the life of a friend ? what was missing ? The answer is wisdom."

I think that it is not just limited to a romantic relationship. It can be extended to other parts of our lives.

Wind = passion
String = wisdom
Kite = us

Although sometimes in the stress of my work, I feel like giving up... go full force into theatre: sing and dance for life!!! Sounds wonderful doesn't it? After all people say that if you find a work that you love and is passionate about, you don't have to work a single day of your life!! But is "not working" really healthy for you? Will you still enjoy it when your very survival depends on it?

Take me for example, if I were to pursue my hobby fulltime... would I be bored of it? Would I still always have a goal to work towards? What happens to my parents? They are retired and depend on me & my sister. What about my marriage? Would it be fair if I am completely dependent on hubby? Would he be ok about the additional burden? There are so many concerns that will affect me and the people I care the most about... would I still be happy then?

If I only do my dayjob, I may get burnt out, stressed out and demotivated. Financially I'll be ok but will I enjoy my life??? Will I look forward to another day of work? Would my work give me any meaning then? Unless there comes a day when singing and dancing is able to give me the same income and the same challenges for me to work towards, I will need a day-job to keep the "tension" in my string.

So, my hypothesis is... no matter how hard it feels to juggle and balance both right now, I need to do it. I need both. As the kite, I need both the passion and the string to fly high. And I DO wanna fly high!!


Whether in both my career AND my love-life... I shall SOAR!!! Let's all SOAR!!! The sky is the limit!! :)

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Mamak Mee anyone?

After our super memorable musical wedding last year that has got the relatives talking up to today, [chewah! ;)] both hubby & myself has ventured into something a little bit more professional and a little less SS. Hehehe.

Hubby's is something a little more serious called Adam: The Musical, highlighting awareness on HIV.

I got involve in something a little less serious and a lot more laughs... God knows we need higher doses of that in this stess-laden era. The Actor's Studio present:

Mamak Mee-Ah: The Musical Spoof!


Practices has been going on for over a month now. And we've even had our photoshoot. Some preview to wet your appetite...


Mr Director

Mrs Director / costume coordinator


Make up please!


D lawyer & his hot assistants


Our pretty choreographer



d crazy cast


d entire cast!

It's a story of... well, just come watch it when it opens on April 8th at the brand spanking new Actor's Studio, Lot 10. Come bung cheong my theatre debut! Hope to see you there!!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Dare to Dream

Every year most companies will have their annual dinner. It is the chance for people to get dressed to the nines and have a good time together outside of the office. Some have fancy themes: Bollywood night, Arabian nights, Latin Salsa, Beach Luau... etc. Others are just glamourous red-carpet-esque events.

We do that too...


Da Malaysian Dream Team


My ex-monkey :p


Every man's fantasy... hot nurses! ;-)


Me & my renal gals!!






Da man we will all miss, sobs


Charlie's angels?


Vivian & moi


da man who signs our paycheques... our finance mgr flanked by 2 pretty gals

But... instead of having dress themes, we have inpiration themes. Every year, our director shares stories about inspirational people that motivates him to be the best and in turn cascade down that inspirational feeling down to all of us at the country level as well. Last year's theme was Reaching New Heights. This year's is Dare to Dream.

Rather than setting a ridiculously high target and commanding us to do it... the leaders have put it in such a lovely way... inspiring us to achieve the company's objectives. It's not "we need to make more money to keep shareholders happy" but "we can build outstanding careers, make a meaningful difference to patients' lives & to society by creating more jobs as our business grows." Clever, very clever! Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?

We even had an inspirational guest:


Mark Inglis


Mark flanked by my boss & me

He lost both his legs from the knee down from frostbite, being stranded up an icy cold mountain for 14 days!! Did he wallow in his own self pity party? No! Did he give up his mountaineering dreams??? Absolutely NO!!

Mark conquered Mount Everest without legs!! It was not an easy task at all even for normal able bodied people like us. On the way down... his knee stumps were bleeding buckets due to the pressure of his weight on his prostetic leg sockets! He still climbed up to the summit and made it back down to share his story with his family, with the world! He even used his super inspirational story to help other people who are unfortunate and started Limbs 4 All.

What is our daily struggles compared to that???

I don't think anyone in the room felt stressed by the new sky high targets for the company. Everyone came out inspired to outdo that target set. Myself included. Eventhough I've been in the company for 5 years, I am still impressed. Here's to a great 2010 where dreams become reality!