Tuesday, March 31

10 Questions You May Be Too Shy To Ask Me

So I'll do you a favour and ask myself those questions:

1. What was your pre-GST splurge?

Panties from Pierre Cardin at Aeon. They're a necessity, and truth be told, tip No. 1 to prevent leakages during your period is to wear slightly tighter underwear. Ladies, really. 

2. What was your achievement of the day?

It was going to be surviving my PT session. But, I ordered my post workout smoothie from Boost and they must've mixed the orders up so there was a Gym Junkie left (I ordered a Melon something with whey protein) so I graciously took the Gym Junkie instead KNOWING FULL WELL THAT IT HAS BANANA IN IT. And I've finished it!

3. What would be your goal one month from today?

To do ONE pull up, on my own.

4. What thoughts are you currently excited about?

Of possibly travelling to the States year end for the lil bro's graduation!

5. What are your hopes for tonight?

That I won't cough myself to sleep.

6. What are your hopes for the rest of the week?

That my eye "problem" isn't really a problem and that I'm just tired.

7. Who are you thinking of right now, at this very moment?

My doctor. Because my vision is slightly blurry at this point and I think I should really go in for a consultation.

8. What are your hopes for tomorrow?

That I can leave work on time to go climbing.

9. What are you going to have for breakfast tomorrow?

Maybe my leftover bacon from this morning. Or that tuna I made from last night. 

10. Who do I want to tag to answer the questions above?

Ms Cheam and Ms MW - because I think the both of you are the only consistent readers I think I still have. And since both of you don't blog, you can post your answers on any social media but tag me so I can read them!

Good night, pray for my eyes and health, thank you! x

Monday, March 30

A Case of Monday Blues

Am I not eating proper. It cannot be though.

And by the way, I've reintroduced carbs into my diet, because my trainer (I don't know why I kept referring to my trainer as Coach but anyway) said that if I'm going to be working out, I'm going to need some carbs and good fats in my diet.

And today is one of those days where I cannot see other fit people on social media because my esteem is on the low side.

Perhaps just a side effect of Monday blues. I hope.

I was determined to lay off caffeine for a bit. Thinking that it may help my very severe bout of acne on my jaw/chin area, which according to this site, means the following:

  • Reduce the habit of eating before bed 
  • Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables 
  • Get more rest 
  • Get your hormones checked for imbalances 
  • Get 20 minutes of exercise each day 
  • Sleep early and wake up early, getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night
  • Reduce stress as much as possible (yoga, meditating, listening to music, writing in a journal, etc.)
  • Massage your body for relaxation, particularly the abdomen
  • Practice proper hygiene
  • Check toothpaste, mouthwash, and chapsticks
  • Drink spearmint tea
  • Take omega-3s to help regulate hormones

I had tea in the morning instead before I left for work, and had my hopes up since I was doing okay until lunch. But after that I just crashed. Haha. So I've given up on my self imposed caffeine ban, and maybe just more veg for now.

I tried to have some tuna I mixed with light mayo after my home workout since gym was cancelled because my trainer was not available today, but I really didn't have the appetite to swallow.

Maybe I'll feed myself just a little bit of icecream after this.

Yeah. Maybe I will.

Sunday, March 29

Status Update

It is already 6.30pm, it's pouring outside with streaks of very frequent lightning, which is why I am still here and not working out.

However, I really didn't have to eat that fish cake with deep fried garlic which was over the top spicy because I had poured the chili sauce over it to re-heat not knowing that it was so spicy, and this insanely yummy but excessively sweet Ipoh Old Town 3-in-1 white coffee with cane sugar which I am now sipping as I am writing this. #sosinful #unnecessarycalories

And that is on top of my Mahalo burger for lunch at the newly opened Fat Boy's in Telawi, woots woots! Pricey though. And for the record, I am low on cash, lunch was bought by dad.

Considering all that I've fed myself with today, I should probably still do some exercise in the confined space of my room. In a bit.

In all fairness, it is that time of the month, soon. I think. *checks app*

Hm. I guess it's just me stress eating. T__T

No Surprises


No Surprises - Daughtry

Ephesians 4:26-32
New International Version (NIV)

26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

I've been pissy lately about a lot of stuff. Specifically when it comes to people not respecting my time and taking it for granted. It annoys the daylights out of me. And I complain about it a lot to others. I probably shouldn't.

My previous post states that I've plans the whole entire week. Much of it didn't quite go as planned. Wednesday night climb was cancelled because I had to work late. And today's sailing was cancelled too, which ideally is good for me because I'm supposed to get some work done.

We've got this new account that we want to pitch for and it's kinda last minute and our deadline is Monday. I was reluctant to cancel my plans for Saturday to finish the work because well, I already made plans. So now that I'm sitting in front of my computer, my mind is drawing a blank and I have no clue on how to get started. Zzz.

I am in the right mind to just end up submitting nothing for my part and face my boss's wrath. I had better get to work so that I can spend some time running / skipping in the later part of the evening.

I read not too long ago (I can't remember where from) but it said that insanity is repeating the same actions and expecting different results.

I tend to do that when it comes to people I 'fall for'. I think that's me self handicapping myself. Fall for the people you know it'll never work out with, and then when it really doesn't work, you can just use "I knew it wasn't going to work" as an exit. And by that, I wouldn't invest too much into it to begin with. Win - win.

But that's kinda wrong right? Lol

Tuesday, March 24

Tonight I Wonder

Where on Earth do people find the time to date?


The Nights - Avicii

Woots!

"One day you'll leave this world behind, so live a life you will remember."

So coming back, no, it's not because I'm bitter. But I genuinely don't see how people are able to fit dating into their daily lives.

Case study. Let's take a look at my schedule this week:

Monday's to Friday's are 9am to 6pm workdays. So that's a constant.

Monday night was spent at the gym for my personal training session. Tuesday is Bible Study Fellowship. Wednesday night is (by right) meant for climbing but I just found out that I've got to attend the meeting in Bangi and I am quite confident we'll not be ending early, so even if I have some time post-meeting, I'd probably go run in the gym for a bit to burn some calories. Thursday night is dinner with a friend visiting from Singapore and Friday night will be spent with the girlfriends from highschool. Saturday will be spent climbing, Sunday will be spent at church in the morning and sailing afterwards.

Where do you fit dating into that?

Moment of serendipity! 
Note to self: That's why you're still hopelessly single Ng Ai Li!

To be fair, my previous (non) relationships were all long distance, so I never had to think much about fitting dating time into my schedule.

But I am really curious now. Shed some light?

I have a confession to make before I end.

I ate bakwa when I got home from BSF earlier. And I'm trying to wash it down with Earl Grey + milk now but I suspect I'll have bakwa chasing me down in my dreams.

Night night! xx

Monday, March 23

Reasons Why I am Awesome Just By Being Me

I should really be doing my Bible study while waiting for the little bro to call me instead of being here and writing this, but I'll sacrifice a bit of my sleep time tonight so that I can pen this down.

I was just thinking to myself, "Girl, you're.. magnificently special!"

For starters, I am the only female Malaysian sailor, who climbs for fun, paid a bomb for personal training, is in Public Relations, studied Psychology, who has a pet dog who loves hiding under my bed. I also happen to be the only person I know of, who very bravely tried jumping over a wall and ended up with 5 stitches on her shin. I also am the only 155cm girl who weighs approximately 54kg's who prefers reading dramas to watching them. In as much as I like the outdoors, I have my fair share of girly moments like painting my nails and getting highly agitated when it smudges and I too enjoy wearing dresses. And while many people I know would not associate me as being anything close to feminine, I love pink, and flowers, and fluffy teddy bears and all things pretty. I also love to travel and see the world but because I also am highly shrewd when it comes to spending money, it takes me a long time to decide on buying that plane ticket. I also completed my entire degree on full scholarship (total bragging rights there), and I spent a good two years away from home back in high school, failing most (if not all) of my Science papers and amazingly getting decent to somewhat good results. I also am amused that people assume I don't know Chinese when I actually can read, write and speak multiple dialects. I also have really cool parents who of course can be difficult when they want to be, and two younger brothers who are really special beings themselves.

I reckon this list would never end. And there's just too many valid reasons as to why I'm special. And I think if you took the time (really, it took me 1 min while waiting in line from buying my Boost juice after my workout), you'll see how you're amazingly special too.

Therefore my friend, if you really have to overthink things, spend that 1 min thinking about just how awesome you are. I'm sure you'll find some pretty good reasons. /wink

On a side note, maybe I shouldn't have had that post workout smoothie. I am on the verge of coughing out some abs. 

Sunday, March 22

I Have One Pressing Question On My Mind This Very Moment

Would my life be any different had I gone abroad to study? I think I know the answer to that. The correct question should perhaps be, how much different would life be for me had I gone abroad?

I wonder.

Thursday, March 19

Counting 1 to 10

I still cannot get enough of that sweet tune from my last post. Love love it.

But anyway, you can scroll down to listen to it if you haven't yet. Here's a tune that I quite enjoy as well, but have resisted posting it because of it's relation to the book/movie.


Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding

And because being random is sometimes therapeutic. Here goes:

1. I like Ellie's name. I could be an Ellie too. Ellie Ng Ai Li. Whatchu think?

2. To say that I've never dated before would be inaccurate. To say that I've had tremendous success at dating would be inaccurate too. But if anything, the one thing I really miss from those days were daily "Good morning sunshine" texts, and "Good night, sweet dreams" ones.

3. Mission hot bod shall, if not already, officially commence. 2015, I'll show you I can be a hot babe too!

4. Ever since I started receiving my paycheque starting this year, after my 3 months of voluntary unemployment, I've been spending quite a sum on my lunches. Well, not quite a sum per say, but I managed RM5 - RM8 lunches with ease in my first month of work, which works out to be less than RM50 per week. But now that has almost doubled, how do I control this.

5. I told Mom yesterday that the slice of carrot cake I got from Delicious (since it was on 50%) was edible although I am on my no carb diet plan because, carrots are vege, pineapple is a fruit and walnuts are protein. So it's not carbs! It didn't state anywhere on the menu (as far as I can recall) that it had cream cheese frosting, so that don't count. Lol

6. I am so cute sometimes.

7. I was jokingly telling my colleague about how I used to be called a flower pot, and she went on to say, you are now a flower! Upgraded!

8. My throat is still kind of weird. I was coughing again last night and it's mildly sore today. I had better not be falling sick again.

9. It is not that I am playing hard to get. And I am also not fond of hard-selling. People will come if they want to. And likewise, they should [leave if not welcomed] - I want to phrase this in a nicer tone but I can't think of anything else to convey the meaning.

10. What is the one thing you absolutely cannot tolerate? :)

Honestly, there are many things that I cannot tolerate, I am not the most patient of people. So having to pick one is tough. Thinking about it now, it would be people who say one thing and do another. Especially with the intention to cause harm.

12am sharp. Night, sweet dreams! x

Monday, March 16

学着爱


學著愛 - 周興哲

I was driving to work when I heard this on the radio. I fell in love instantly.

I am not the kind of girl who'd splurge on luxury brands, but a lot of my money does go towards buying unnecessary stuff, like that extra pair of cute earrings, or that lip balm because I left all 7 of mine at home. I also spend a lot on food, and on hipster cafes. Without really realizing it. I am hereby pledging to stop spending on things I don't need. Things I do need, ie, a black work skirt, a chalk bag, and my climbing shoes, I will save up by cutting down on all those unnecessarily pricey coffee. At least for the next 6 months.

So if you wanna ask me out for coffee, it better be at a mamak, or you can be prepared to pay for my drink. Hahaha. I figured if I want good coffee, I can just go back to my office since we have an amazing coffee machine there. And my boss strictly survives on coffee or Coke, so we'd never have a shortage of beans in the office. Though I am constantly telling him how both of that aren't particularly healthy options.

I also really want to travel. Itching to go places but not only does my bank account not permit me to do so, taking leave is another source of meh-ness lies in the fact that I have very limited leave days, and I really want do one more sailing event this year since I DIDN'T GET TO SAIL IN BORACAY.

Good problems though these are. Because at least if I keep working, I'll have the means to travel, and if I plan well, I'll be able to travel some. Thank God for good health, and kudos to myself for *cough* taking good care of myself.

My hands are no longer itchy by the way! But I've still got some spots, think the scabies are taking awhile to clear but I am happy nonetheless, no more scary looking hands and I can confidently shake people's hands and give them high fives!

Can someone fly me to Korea, or Taiwan, or Bangkok. Or to Singapore for that matter because I have something to pick up from there. And can someone get Boost juice to sponsor me healthy shakes after each of my workouts too? And can anybody please stop all the depressing events that are happening around the world? Please pretty please.

There is one thing I dislike as much as a sloppy or smudged manicure. A manicure that is chipping all over. But I am too sore from my double workout today to move even my fingers, and I typing this still because I love my readers, yes, that's you.

To be honest, it's also because the more traffic I get, the more money I make, hopefully.

So if I keep this up, please visit more often ok?

I am inclined to do a series of Q and A, so readers can leave comments anonymously (if you wish), asking me stuff that you want to know. Maybe that's a way for me to discover myself too, in asking myself questions that I've not thought of asking.

Hmm, I wonder if I'll get any questions..

Sunday, March 15

Make The Crowd Go


Make The Crowd Go - ALVARO

When you text multiple people / groups and don't get an immediate reply, what do you do? I restart my phone because I conclude that something is wrong with my line.

My office mouse is wonky. (-__-)

I should probably do some stretching tonight.

I just watched The Technicians (or The Con Artist) starring my man crush Kim Woo Bin. Oppa yaaaa! Oh wait, he's actually younger than I am. (-__-)

I may have put in too much garlic into my mushroom dish earlier, garlic breath.

I changed my sheets and I am in love with it. Which basically works to make me shower before I go lie on it and breed germs and bacteria.

Work weekend wasn't so bad after all. I mean, I had time to watch a couple of stuff, listen to songs, sleep in and miss church this morning because I just couldn't get myself out of bed, and finish off stuff on my to do list. Yay!

Great week ahead peeps, let's go! x

Friday, March 13

Papers, Peppers, Paradise


 Paradise (파라다이스) Today’s Love OST - Lee Ji Hoon (이지훈)

I really am the kind of person who likes just being on my own. And Friday nights are nice, just like this.

My palms are still filled with little bubbles, but they don't itch as much anymore. Thank you for your prayers and for those who contacted me separately about it. Thank you God for hearing my prayers!

It's gonna be a weekend spent doing some work, which I am not particularly fond of, however, work's still work. Least I am already rewarding myself with a quiet and peaceful evening.

Too lazy to shower.

Also, bestie took up the challenge with me to go on a carb free diet and we're gonna start working out starting next week, hopefully I'll be cured of my cold by then. And let's see if I'll stick to this long enough to actually shed some kilo's.

Alrights, good weekend peeps! x

Tuesday, March 10

Long, Longer, Longest

I can assure you that today's post is going to be long. But how long I don't know yet, it depends on how much I can write before I get tired of my own writing. Which based on past experience, can take awhile.

Miss MW, this post is especially for you.

You ready?

1. I don't know who told me this, but basically, he/she said that when you are having your period, you can eat all the chocolates, and you won't gain weight. I am probably old enough to know that that's a lie, but my inner child wants to believe it. So I had 2 cubes of White Chocolate Macadamia. To be fair, macadamia is a nut, and nuts are proteins.

2. I also did my fair share of workout today, which I made sure to exceed 30 minutes in duration. I also somehow dunno how managed to complete 5 unbroken double unders. And then that was it, I couldn't repeat another 3 no matter how hard I tried.

3. Also, I came home from Boracay sick. It started with a sore throat while I was still there, and then it became a full blown cough when I got back. I've tried flying with a hangover, not fun. Flying with an onset of a cold, same feeling as a hangover.

4. I coughed so much last night I was convinced I'd wake up with abs. Of course, that didn't happen. I checked.

5. Speaking of Boracay. I know I raved about it on and on and funnily enough, having been there a second time, I no longer think it's that fantastic. Maybe it is partially due to the fact that I hadn't been able to race (we had some major damage on the boat that forbade us from racing, boohoo, but I won't go into the technicalities of it). And having so much "free" time, I realized that there's really not much to do on that island. Also didn't help that there was a spillover of algae on the beach this time around. The theory by the crew was that because Boracay doesn't have proper sewage systems, they pump all their waste into the sea, and with now being one of the hottest and sunniest season, fertilizer + sunlight promotes algae growth. Smelly.

6. Kalibo airport is mad chaotic. Evidently, I didn't enjoy my arrival nor departure all that much. I'd go with KL - Manila - Caticlan (Boracay) (Cebu airlines connecting flight) over KL - Kalibo (Boracay) (AirAsia route) any day. In terms of travel time, it'll likely end up being the same if you manage to match a flight out from Manila to Caticlan as soon as you touch down in Manila.

7. "We made a promise to never get old.."


The Days - Avicii

Stomach ache, be right back!

8. It is either an age thing, or my immune system is just weakening. As if coughing my lungs out isn't enough, I've also been attacked by a bout of mites. I know right. According to my favourite doctor (no sarcasm intended), I've got scabies. And excuse the profanity coming up next, but it really is fucking itchy. And while I am pretty sure all of us at some point will have one or two scabi? (for singular), the mites have decided to take over my ENTIRE palms, both of them. I was whining about it to my mom earlier and her one mention of "Do you want to go and get a blood test?" made the itch go away for just about as long as the distance it is from her room to mine.

On this note, please pray that whatever is causing this condition to quickly go away and that I'll be cured soon because apart from it being extra inconvenient, I'm even afraid to show people my hands now, let alone shake their hands, it's also causing me a certain level of anxiety because it's actually pretty bad. Thank you for your kind prayers in advance.

9. I suspect I may have touched something while I was in the Philippines because I realized the onset of it while I was there, but I didn't think too much of it then, and it worsen yesterday which was when I decided to go the doctor and unfortunately, it seems to have gone from bad to worse since yesterday. Hopefully, it's one of those it'll-have-to-get-worse-before-it-gets-better thing, otherwise, I just might actually need that blood test. /wails

10. Also, while I was in the Philippines, the hotel I was staying at, despite its' horrendous customer service, one of the worst seriously coughCasaPilarcough, they had a decent choice of songs playing at their breakfast venue. This was one I really really liked - and for that matter, every subsequent song on the same album was amazing!


The Show - acoustic cover by
Gail Blanco, Kajiwara, Emmanuelle Camcam & Gereon Arcay

11. Itttttttttccccchy hands. Gah. It's really not funny. =(

12. On Sunday, a part of the sermon talked about the atmosphere of your heart. And that kind of clicked with me because the whole week I spent in the Philippines was a testing time for me. Not only did I not get to sail, but on several accounts, I had struggled with judging others, and then condemning myself for doing so, and then I lost interest in trying to socialise, and pretty much preferred my own company over spending time with people. It was also extra difficult because I am aware that my actions are observed by the people around me and they talk, and I don't like it. But I also told myself that if I force myself to sit through an unpleasant situation, I'd end up saying things I'd regret, so I might as well excuse myself before it's all too late.

13. At this juncture, I'm not sure if is hormonal, but perhaps it's a bit of everything. Basically, what I am trying to say is that when your heart is thinking / feeling negatively, you are bound to perceive everything negatively, likewise, if you heart is thinking / feeling positively, your thoughts and actions will bound to reflect that state. I guess in other words, it's self fulfilling prophecy, which by the way, is definitely one of my all time favourite theories. So at the end of the day, in all that we do, let us have a pure and kind heart.

14. I meant to do a few things tonight, for instance, pay off my credit cards, search for cheap flights, and the rest I can't remember but I am guessing it'll probably be time for bed my nighttime coughing spree once I am done with this post.

15. Reviewing some notes I wrote on my phone, one reads perky butt. LOL. I remember why I wrote that and I'm gonna explain it here. Prior to leaving for the Philippines, I had bought a Groupon for personal training (I may have mentioned this in my previous postings but anyway), so I was working out quite regularly and the sessions was relatively intense too. It came to a point where one day, I was checking myself out in the mirror, and all of you do that too so don't judge, and I thought to myself, Hmm, your butt has gotten perkier Ng Ai Li, well done! All those squats and lunges paid off, I thought to myself.

16. And then as soon as I had made a mental note to write about it, "Did you put on weight?" comments from friends started flooding my inflated esteem which basically resulted in a deflated esteem. But my esteem levels are healthy so the inflation and deflation isn't a cause for worry. So I am basically back to square one of thinking if I should continue working out or not.

17. And if you're gonna ask me if I watch what I eat while I work out, of course I do. I don't necessarily eat cleaner than usual, but my food intake, is pretty healthy generally. I've even cut out icecream which explains why my tub of awesome Vanilla is still taunting me in the face everytime I open the freezer.

18. On that note too, I am contemplating if I should pay for one on one sessions after my Groupon trial is over, which is pretty soon. My options are a) go back to crossfit - which I am reluctant to do because I think I don't have my basics right and carrying weights is going to do me more harm than good, b) pay for a gym membership - which I am also reluctant to do because I know I am not the kind of motivated person who would voluntarily go run on the treadmill beyond 2 minutes, c) One on one personal training - which is highly expensive but will work because I am a lazy bum who needs external influences to exercise.

19. And the reason I am entertaining that thought still is because I am certain that at some point last year, while I was planning my 2015 resolutions, one of them was to join a gym and workout more consistently. And if you're an avid reader of my blog (which if you've made it this far down this post, I'm quite sure you are), then you'd know that I've decided to not have any resolutions this year after all. Though that's not to say that there's nothing I want to achieve. Other things that were on my no-longer-in-existence list include purchasing an IPL package - which I've done, and learning Korean so that I'll be fluent for our next trip to Jeju - which I've not done.

20. I think I am quite done for the day and if you've not felt like you've read enough, I applaud you sincerely, and then I give myself a pat on the back for being able to keep my readers entertained until the very last bit.

Good job, you and I both. xx

P/s: I usually am in the habit of proofreading my posts before I publish them to ensure that there are no mistakes, but I myself can't bear to re-read what I've just written so you can either leave a comment and alert me on any errors, or you can just read and laugh to yourself. Either way, I'm happy if you are. Tata!