Guys' Guide to Gifts for their Gals

Wanted to write this post for some time but never got down to it til now. I know that February & March is a stressful season for my hubby in the area of gift-giving... Valentine's Day, my birthday then our wedding anniversary all in the span of a little over a month. The fact that he IS stressed is already very sweet. :* So, this post is pretty much dedicated to him to help him ease that stress whenever this season comes by. This guide may not be effective for all women out there unless they are the same species as me...hehehe.  the problem with women is, no two are exactly the same. Yes, we are complicated. :p I will only cover 4 occasions; Valentines, Birthdays, Anniversaries and Christmas. All gifts should be planned ahead, it shows sincerity and effort. The monetary value of the gift is insignificant.

Valentine's Day

A day I suspect marketeers of the Floral and Chocolate industry probably created to boost sales. But thankfully, hubby has never been a victim of this marketing ploy... coz erm, I don't like flowers and I don't like chocolates. I'm weird as chocolates will end up expiring in my fridge, even the best kind. For this non-personal commercially created day, the gift need not be very personal but should be something romantic that both persons can enjoy. Eg. sexy lingerie on a bed with rose-petals and aromatherapy candles lit up, or a night in a hotel with a big jacuzzi for 2, etc. Get the picture? Anyway, since this is just a commercial holiday, we have decided to take responsibility for planning it alternate-yearly.

Birthday

This is her day. It's all about her and her alone. This gift should be something she has been eyeing for weeks or months. The longer she has been looking for it without finding it, the better the effect of the gift. It should not be something practical, not a need. It should be something she wants. Go stalk her computer for stuff she left in her favourite online shop's "shopping-cart" or stalk her facebook for any wall conversations with her girlfriends about stuff she is looking for. Or call her bestie or sister. In this case, stalking is a good thing. 

Anniversary

This is a celebration of your union. This is the significant day when 2 became 1. Like Valentine's Day, it should also be a gift that both persons can enjoy. But unlike Valentine's Day, this day is personal... it is close to the heart and it is only significant and important to the 2 of you. So, just like the day, the gift must be personal... something both of you share. Eg. a vacation to the place you had your honeymoon, a class learning about something you are both passionate about, reenact your wedding proposal, etc.

Christmas

This is the easiest, as this is not a personal holiday or a romantic one. It where you give presents to all the human beings close to you; mother, father, sister, best friend, church mates, etc etc and of course your partner. So, this gift can be practically anything... for me, it would be anything practical. I hate receiving generic gifts like photo-frames and paper-weights which is why I refrain from being involved in any gift-exchange activities. I think it is a waste of the Earth's resources. At least those secret santa / secret guardian angel type of activities will have everyone ending up with gifts they can actually use.

I hope this helps to eliminate the need for mind-reading and alleviate the pain of gift-planning for hubbies out there! =)

Cheers to sistahood

Some years ago, I wrote a post about besties or chi muis in each phase of my life?? My first ever best friend from Primary School was the only one whom I had lost touch with when she migrated to the UK. Recently, in a very random and coincidental way... I stumbled upon her on Facebook!!! Yvonne had moved around several times across the European continent and if social networking site were never invented, it would have been completely impossible to have made contact ever again in this lifetime.

It's also amazing the we both still remember each other after 20 over years!! We are now keeping in touch via Facebook. Doesn't Facebook make the world a much smaller place???

As for the bestfriend that I had just met at the time of the post...... Hazel and I are still the bestest of friends until now. In a blink of an eye, it's been 4 years of sistahood... been through thick & thin together.  :D

Shared some mini-moments of fame

News Straits Times - 16 Feb 2011

The Star - 9 Feb 2011

Starved together (for a good cause k?? we are not anorexic coz we love our food! :p)

Run a marathon together

Cheers to all the chi muis of my life!!!

Slumber party

Hazel & I had a chimui slumber party last night. With a 3 week gap between the semester, this is the closest we can get to a school-holiday. Though we have to work, weekends are precious!!! So we decided to use it wisely.

Started with some snacks and movies. Chick-flicks of course!! Complete with love, romance and heartwarming scenes to make you go "aaawwww..."




Then there's our beauty regime...

Had a bit of a chimui heart-to-heart chat and slept late last night. Woke up pretty late this morning and went for a dim sum brunch!! Mmmmm... I still feel kinda full from that now. :p

After a gluttony session, it was time for some pampering. We didn't have much time as she was going back to her hometown this afternoon. So we went for just a short upper-body massage here...


The masseur suggested we do a back scrub detox thingy. Hmmm... "would it be painful?" "would we end up with red raw backs?"

The masseurs said no lah... we stupid stupid believed them. It didn't feel painful to me but it did to my Sista. And the outcome?

OMG!! Ugly red raw back!!

Guess no wearing bareback tops for a week eh? :( Hope my toxins are all out and this ugliness is worth it... hehehe. The massage was good though, felt so relaxed I nearly fell asleep.

Next weekend? The new semester starts and it's back to the books!! :(

Chi-mui! Sorority sisters Malaysian style

A girl should never be without a good chi-mui. At every point in her life, she must have a good chi-mui she can share her ups and downs with, bitch about things, share steamy secret, go on retail therapy together and etc. I've had a very good chi-mui for almost every phase in my life!!

Just like the spark and chemistry you feel when you find the man of your dreams, you can instantly click with this chi-mui like it's predestined!

Primary School: Yvonne Lea
Who migrated to the UK and lost touch after many years of letter-writing... couldn't find any photos :(

Secondary School and Undergraduate days: Reese Loh a.k.a. Sui Poh

From high-school gals, graduating university together, there for each other through a couple of boyfriends and heartbreaks, blossoming into young working women together... our friendship has really lasted through everything! Even survived through distance! We are close friend now although she has migrated to the U.S. thanx to technology! She's having an exchange program in Japan now and I will be visiting her there next month! I can't wait!

Out of nowhere: Joyce Chong a.k.a. Budak Gile

We met in a church camp and the chemistry was just so strong, we became BFFs since then. We've had lunches, dinners, shopping sprees, bitch-fit throwing sessions, sleep-overs, strange double dates, jobs together, drunken sessions together, vacations together, and God knows what else! We've known each other for ages and have seen each other through a lot in life.

1st job, BBraun: Melanie Nyam

From ular-sessions, bitching about bosses and sharing heart-to-heart talks about boyfriends and crushes. We're still close friends till now but since we're no longer colleagues and we do not get to meet that often anymore. In fact we're competitors at work now. ;) We still have the occasional lunches together to catch up.

2nd job, Baxter: Shahrul Niza Esa????

Er... close but not quite in the chi-mui category eh?? Unless, he decides to switch "sides" and starts to wear dresses & make-up but fat chance as he's happily married wt 3 kids! Hehehe...
Oh well, my current company's culture is that everyone has their own life to live. We rarely spend any genuine personal time together. They're all nice but not close enough to reach BFF level.

Post-graduate degree, MBA: Hazel Hor

How long have I known her? About a month or so... but somehow I trust her enough to share everything from personal relationships, emotions, work, studies, and etc with her. It's like we're in some kind of Strathclyde-MacRitchie intake sorority. Go sorority sisters!!

Isn't it funny how friendships form? It's such a beautiful thing... how can a girl live without her chi-mui's eh? :)
Here's the tribute entry to all my chi-mui's!! I love you! Muaks!