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Salsa in Penang

     

 

           

Salsa Havana Merdeka Party

                        

Qbar (Pat’s Birthday)

        

My Mother’s Life

Yesterday, as I lay on my bed…I suddenly thought of my parents. They are both in Australia right now. Not retiring, or sipping coffee by the side walk cafe, but working very very hard to ensure their children are supported financially.

I’ve been there and helped out at the restaurant before. Boy..it was really draining and tiring. (i think i’ve mentioned in my previous posts). They worked very hard day and night, 7 days a week and only have a half day off on mondays.

I really loved and appreciate my parents. Their love and sacrifices is unconditionnal.

But today, I’m gonna talk more about my mother. she is really an amazing woman. as you know, everyone has a different journey of life…

I have started working full-time for the past 3 years, and some part time work for the past 5 years. I worked just to earn some little pocket money for my own expenses, and now for my own living.

But mom has been working since she was…10 years of age? yeah….

you see, my mom was born and raised in a village to a poor but a happy family. she was the second eldest among the girls…(there are 3 of them). In a typical chinese family, daughthers are considered as “temporary” family. meaning, end of the days, the daugthers will belong to someone elses family when they are married off.

so of course, priority of education or any “luxury” will be given to their sons. (and there were 9 of them in my mom’s family)

My mother started helping out my grandparents in the farms. (digging cow dangs and all), and she helped in taking care of the younger siblings, and cooked for the family. (she;s really a good cook! =))

When she was 16-17 years of age, she together with her cousin and a neighbour venture out from the village to the “city” named Klang. and together they worked for (that time) pretiged Tan Family who operated a Seafood and Steamboat restaurant.

The restaurant was really really famous at that era. Even prominant Taiwanese actors and actresses at that time came and dine with us. (I have a photograph to proof it. hehheeh)

My mom works really hard there. (to think of it, my grandma was really a tyrant back then, she really know how to make used of her workers! but she’s totally changed after she became a Christian. She’s became the funniest old woman in my life. She is in Heaven now. missing her everyday. :)) to cut the long story short, the 3 girls from the village who came together…married to the sons of the Tan Family. (there are 9 sons altogher…but the lucky 3 are son no. 5 (my dad), son no. 6 and son no.7)

yeah…the 5,6 and 7 (HAHAHA)

after marrying…my mom stayed with the in-laws…but things didn’t get better, but worsed! as part of the family member, mom don’t get any wages or paid. other than her work at the restaurant, she must also do her responsibility as a good daughther-in-law, namely cook and wash the WHOLE family.

She married at the age of 20 and of course, being a young couple…things are not that rosy down the road. My dad was away from us for a couple of years when we were young…with my mother helping at the restaurant and work in the household, she took up a second (or third) job as a cleaner for the 2 pubs nearby. I still remember that both me and my sister will help my mother carry the pail, and instead of helping we had fun splashing water at each other!

When I was 16, it was the economic crisis year. and my dad suddenly told us on a tuesday morning that he is leaving to australia. we were used to him being away to oversea trips…but that morning, the feel was different. I was dressed up in school uniform, ready to go to school. but i asked for permission to missed school that day, and it was granted without asking why. I remembered we had Bah Ku Teh that morning, then in a couple of hours we waved good-bye to my dad without knowing when we will see him again.

My mom was left alone in Malaysia, fending for her 4 children.

To cut the long story short…..after 11 years of being apart. Now finally my parents are able to be together again. Their migration process to Australia has been approved, now they are the proad Australian PR holder.

I really cannot imagine, the emotions and trauma that my mother has to go through. Where she gets the determination and strength from??

She’s really an amazing woman.

As a grown up now myself…at 26. I have lived a very happy live because of the sacrificed made by my mom and dad.

now that she is 46, she is still working together with my dad in Australia.

I have determined to work hard, and earn better money to support my parents. Although, time and time again i told my dad…i can support myself. He said that no matter how old his children is…we are still his children, and always will be under his care.

Thank you Mummy. Thank you Papa.

Please forgive me if i have failed you as a daughter.

I promise to work hard…so both of you will have a better live when you retire.

Love you forever!

Happy Independant Day!

Happy Merdeka everyone!

Have you ever thought of how or what our country will be if we are still under the ruling of british colonial? I guess, we are all be “English-Educated”. 😛

Well, I am not a frequent blogger, and i don;t expect anyone reads it…except for my canna and celina. my two faithful one. but i have a surprised today. someone actually drop an comment about how he enjoyed reading it.

(Thanks for reading my craps..:))

There is one thing i should blogged about or should i say to keep tracked in my blog. (something that is worth to remember about)…my salsa learning journey.

I went for the Merdeka Salsa Party yesterday at Salsa Havana. It was quite a fun night of salsa, bachata and merengue.

For your information, Salsa/ dancing has been a stranger to me. I only watched dancing on movies like Step Up, Dirty Dancing and etc..and has always marvel at how they moved.

3 months ago, i started my first salsa class with my 2 good friends. and am quite proud to say that we actually can dance now. we don;t have to marvel at the movies anymore, but we make it happened! HAHAHA

of course i can’t dance like those in the movie la. i am not the PRO PRO yet…(i hope it will not break bones to get there) 🙂

But boy…i’ve seen great dancers in salsa havana. My God…you will gawk at their sensual moves, and speedy spinning!

life is getting more exciting as i embarked this lifestyle.

meet more people, friends…lot’s of dancing and party! (It’s a healthy party k..)

But there is one thing lack in salsa scene….GUYS! we desperately need more guys! the ratio of guys and girls is 3:10 or maybe less.

hmmmm….

choosing a life partner

one of my friend sent me this email, and i find it very interesting and very true indeed. choosing a life partner indeed need to meet this quality or criteria. if there is a compromised involved, it minimized the chances of “Death do us Part”.

what do you think?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FINDING AND KEEPING A LIFE PARTNER
by Dov Heller, M.A.

When it comes to making the decision about choosing a life partner, no
one wants to make a mistake. Yet, with a divorce rate of close to 50%,
it appears that many are making serious mistakes in their approach to
finding Mr./Miss. Right!

If you ask most couples who are engaged why they’re getting married,
they’ll say: ‘We’re in love’; I believe this is the ..1 mistake people
make when they date. Choosing a life partner should never be based on
love. Though this may sound ‘not politically correct’, there’s a
profound truth here.

Love is not the basis for getting married. Rather, love is the result of
a good marriage. When the other ingredients are right, then the love
will come. Let me say it again: ‘You can’t build a lifetime relationship
on love alone’; You need a lot more!!!
Here are five questions you must ask yourself if you’re serious about
finding and keeping a life partner.

QUESTION ..1: Do we share a common life purpose?

Why is this so important? Let me put it this way: If you’re married for
20 or 30 years, that’s a long time to live with someone. What do you
plan to do with each other all that time? Travel, eat and jog together?
You need to share something deeper and more meaningful. You need a
common life purpose.

Two things can happen in a marriage: (1) You can grow together, or
(2)you can grow apart. 50% of the people out there are growing apart.
To make a marriage work, you need to know what you want out of life!
Bottom line; marry someone who wants the same thing.

QUESTION ..2: Do I feel safe expressing my feelings and thoughts with this person?

This question goes to the core of the quality of your relationship.
Feeling safe means you can communicate openly with this person. The
basis of having good communication is trust ‒ i.e. trust that I won’t
get ‘punished’; or hurt for expressing my honest thoughts and feelings.
A colleague of mine defines an abusive person as someone with whom you
feel afraid to express your thoughts and feelings. Be honest with
yourself on this one. Make sure you feel emotionally safe with the
person you plan to marry.

QUESTION ..3: Is he/she a mensch?

A mensch is someone who is a refined and sensitive person. How can you
test? Here are some suggestions. Do they work on personal growth on a
regular basis? Are they serious about improving themselves? A teacher of
mine defines a good person as ‘someone who is always striving to be good
and do the right ‘;. So ask about your significant other: What do they
do with their time? Is this person materialistic? Usually a
materialistic person is not someone whose top priority is character
refinement.

There are essentially two types of people in the world: (1) People who
are dedicated to personal growth and (2) people who are dedicated to
seeking comfort. Someone whose goal in life is to be comfortable will
put personal comfort ahead of doing the right thing. You need to know
that before walking down the aisle.

QUESTION ..4: How does he/she treat other people?

The one most important thing that makes any relationship work is the
ability to give. By giving, we mean the ability to give another person
pleasure.

Ask: Is this someone who enjoys giving pleasure to others or are they
wrapped up in themselves and self‒ absorbed?
To measure this, think about the following: How do they treat people
whom they do not have to be nice to, such as waiters, bus boys, taxi
drivers, etc.. How do they treat their parents and siblings? Do they
have gratitude and appreciation?
If they don’t have gratitude for the people who have given them
everything; can you do nearly as much for them? You can be sure that
someone, who treats others poorly, will eventually treat you poorly as
well.

QUESTION ..5: Is there anything I’m hoping to change about this person after we’re married?

Too many people make the mistake of marrying someone with the intention
of trying to ‘improve’; them after they’re married. As a colleague of
mine puts it: ‘You can probably expect someone to change after marriage
for the worse’ If you cannot fully accept this person the way they are
now, then you are not ready to marry them.
In conclusion, dating doesn’t have to be difficult and treacherous.
The key is to try leading a little more with your head and less with
your heart. It pays to be as objective as possible when you are dating;
to be sure to ask questions that will help you get to the key issues.
Falling in love is a great feeling, but when you wake up with a ring on
your finger, you don’t want to find yourself trouble because you didn’t
do your homework.

Another perspective…
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a
distance.. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of or at
least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible,
not‒going anywhere relationships. Observe the relationships around you.
Pay attention…Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going
downhill?
When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones dont appreciate you?
Which ones make you feel good, praises you, boosts you with loving and
caring words or annotations.

The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and
truth around you…the easier it will become for you to decide who gets
to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of your
life.

An African proverb states, ‘Before you get married, keep both eyes open,
and after you marry, close one eye’; Before you get involved and make a
commitment to someone, don’t let lust, desperation, immaturity,
ignorance, pressure from others or a low self‒esteem make you blind to
warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and don’t fool yourself that you can
change someone or that what you see as faults aren’t really that
important.
Do you bring out the best in each other?
Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete,
compare and control?
What do you bring to the relationship?
Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain?
You can’t take someone to the altar to alter them. You can’t make
someone love you or make someone stay.
If you develop self‒esteem, spiritual discernment, and ‘a life’; you
won’t find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness
or responsible for your pain. Seeking status, sex, and security are the
wrong reasons to be in a relationship.

WHAT KEEPS A RELATIONSHIP STRONG IS:
1. TRUST
2. COMMUNICATION
3. INTIMACY
4. A SENSE OF HUMOR
5. SHARING TASKS
6. DAILY EXCHANGES (meal, shared activity, hug, call, touch, notes,
etc.)
7. SHARING COMMON GOALS AND INTERESTS
8. GIVING EACH OTHER SPACE TO GROW WITHOUT FEELING INSECURE
9.GIVING EACH OTHER A SENSE OF BELONGING AND ASSURANCES OF COMMITMENT
10. CONCERN AND CARE FOR YOUR LOVER IN YOUR OWN WAYS.
If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as
resentment withdrawal, abuse, neglect, and dishonesty; and pain will
replace.

Blessings…

An unemployed  graduate woke up one morning and checked his pocket. All he had left was  $10.. He decided to use it to buy food and then wait for death as he was  too proud to go begging. He was frustrated as he could find no job, and  nobody was ready to help him.

He bought food and as he sat down to  eat, an old man and two little children came along and asked him to help  them with food as they had not eaten for almost a week. He looked at them.  They were so lean that he could see their bones coming out. Their eyes had  gone into the socket.
With the last bit  of compassion he had, he gave them the food. The old man and children  prayed that God would bless and prosper him and then gave him a very old  coin.

The young graduate said to them  “you need the prayer more than I do”.  

With no money,  no job, no food, the young graduate went under the bridge to rest and wait  for death. As he was about to sleep, he saw an old newspaper on the ground. He picked it up, and suddenly he saw an ad enticement for people  with old coins to come to a certain address.

He decided to go  there with the old coin the old man gave him. On getting to the place, he  gave the proprietor the coin. The proprietor screamed, brought out a big  book and showed the young graduate a photograph. This same old coin was  worth 3 million dollars. The young graduate was overjoyed as the  proprietor gave h im a bank draft for 3 million dollars within an hour. He   collected the Bank Draft and went in search of the old man and little  children.

By the time he got to where he left them eating, they  had gone. He asked the owner of the canteen if he knew them. He said no  but they left a note for you. He quickly opened the note thinking it would  lead him to find them.

This is what the note said: “You gave us  your all and we have rewarded you back with the coin” Signed God the  Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost. 1 Kings 17:10-16; Matthew  11:28-30

Have  you given all to Jesus Christ? If you haven’t, do so today and he will  surprise you.

Here is  your financial blessing! It’s a simple prayer, you’ve got 30  seconds.

If you need a  financial blessing, continue reading this.
 
Heavenly Father, most
Gracious and Loving God,

I pray to you that you abundantly Bless  my family and me. I know that you recognize, that a family is more than  just a mother, father, sister, brother, husband and wife, but all Who  believe and trust in you.

Father, I send up a prayer request for  financial blessing for not only the person who sent this to me, but for Me  and all that I have forwarded this message on to. And that the power of  joined prayer by those who believe and trust in you is more powerful than  anything.

I thank you in advance for your blessings.  

Father God, deliver the person reading this right now and those  who will read it in the near future from debt and debt burdens. Release  your Godly wisdom that I may be a good steward ov er all that You have  given me Father, for I know how wonderful and mig hty You are and how if we  just obey You and walk in Your word and have the faith of a Mustard seed  that You will pour out blessings.

I thank You now Lord for the  recent blessings I have received and for the blessings yet to come Because  I know You are not done with me yet.

In Jesus name, I pray,  

Amen

It’s finally over!!!

Phew!!!

the HP event is finally over!!

i’ve been planning and rushing for deadline for 1 whole month!!

why rushing? because we knew/ participate in this HP solution day 1 month before the event!

there are t-shirt embroidery and design

brochures design

file folder design and even door gifts!

well…the process was crazy…but everything ends well.

and this is only the beginning…. :S

anyways, aside from this…today i went for a job interview. Fuji Xerox actually head-hunted me and offer me a Marketing Executive position. which on the job description says that am responsible in “open up” singapore market, strategizing and bla bla bla

the interview went really well…and guess what. in the end the interview says that they are offering me as “Business Analyst” instead! well..the packages and benefits is very good..

but the dilemma now is….how to quit my current job?? :S

is not as simple as just resign…how how how how how???????

money vs relationship vs responsibility

light and easy…

Live life light and easy…

work-out light and easy…

anger comes light and easy…

managed things light and easy…

listening to light n easy…

that’s what i’ve been doing the whole day in office… 🙂

nice songs selection…it;s give me the mood to work.

don;t mind people perceive me as an “old woman”…

It’s JULY!!

scary….we have entered into the 7th month of 2008!!! O_O

i know it’s been ages since my last post. I’ve been really lazy…and who visit this blog anyways?! :p

2008 has started great…and it still great…and will be greater! 🙂

well for those who really visit/ read my blog…remember the post about vacation plans i wanted in 2008. it’s amazing when i read back the list..and i am fulfilling it!

i was in Australia from Nov 07 – March 08

When to Phuket, Thailand – March 08

had 2 short visit to Genting and Malacca

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah – July 08 (although is a short business trip…is still a trip! :))

am going to bangkok in October 08

and already book for Krabi in March 09

Salsa cruise at the end of 09!

HAHAHA…

is not that i’m getting rich…in fact getting poorer..but I AM HAPPIER!!

is amazing when you set a dream…and believing in it, it will eventually come true. DREAMS DO COME TRUE IF YOU BELIEVE.

i’m not bragging here…but more to share with you that no matter what..if you really do believe, there is no boundary or any limit that you cant achieve.

i set goals and dreams in the beginning of 2008…and i’m living it. YOU CAN TOO!

so..for those who wants some update on what’s going on in Angeline’s life.. 🙂

work is always busy…but wonderful.

i enroll myself in yoga, dance and Salsa classes.

Monday: i will attend MTV jam class + 1 hr of yogilates

Tuesday: my salsa class in Ritmo Latino

Wednesday: either yoga or basic salsa class in Salsa Havana or Yogilates

Thursday: 1 hr of yogilates + Belly Dancing

Friday: Latin dance + Yogilates Classes

alternate Saturday, i will visit salsa clubs to “practice” my dance. 🙂

 

Life can B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L…if you let them be. 🙂

Relationship

Relationship can be a wonderful thing…and yet it can be a hurtful thing.

Comprimization, communication is a must to make a relationship works.

Men says women is complicated, and always a living contradict…and women hates men that is undecidives and can’t give the sense of security (yup…sense of security is VERY important to a women, no matter she’s a career women or not!)

Women has become more and more independent. becoming the “macho-macho” women!

anways…i’m always the person who sits and listened to the problems/ issues my friends are facing in his or her relationship. hehe..having the privillege to hear from what the guy have to say, and consoling a girl on what to do.

one of my guy friend has been in an ups and downs relatioship for almost 7 years. he said that he has been “abused” in terms of money and dignity. he then said that he won’t marry this girl but yet he will not break up with her unless she break the relationship. simply because, the girl said that she will commit suicide if he does. but then again, the girl told him that he is only a “water-fish”/ “floater” for the time being until she finds another men. (HUH??…wat the?!)

there i was…listening to his story for 7 years. i was like..how stupid can u be??? or why you have to be such “gentlemen”?! since the day he whine about his relationship (yes…guys do whine!). It’s sad there are still people who abuses relationship…i think that’s why people go for same sex relationship. haha..but i hope my friend will emerged from this relationship soon. than seeing him gay. 🙂

but end of the day, if this is what he wants, he have to accept all the flaws and be happy.

another story is about one of my girl friend who is facing some issues in her relationship as well. This guy she has been dating is 4 years younger than her. 2 years into their relationship, she burst out. she says she can’t take being with him cause he can’t give her the sense of security and this guy is a follower than a decision maker. but even after they break off, she can’t stand seeing him with another girl. (hmmmm….) at the end of the day, both of them are back together now..but prefer the relationship to be communicate through smses.

every relationship goes through different path. end of the day..is all about communication, trust, ultimately to stay as “friends forever”

 

 

it’s not good to have a credit card

i realised that by owning a credit card, it will actually increase the expenditure on unnessary stuff. I used to have a little savings when i dun have a credit card. I tend to think more rasionally on my purchases. but with credit card, it became an irrational impromptu purchases! (especially when u’re a woman)

do you face the same problem?

yeh…we eventually will “own” more stuff…at the same time.. we “owe” a lot too!

I just called my bank and asked them what is the retail interest charges they charged me. i was curious with the charges as i know they will only start charging after 20 days from the transaction date. little did i realised that the 20 days comes faster than i can ever imagine!

Sigh..not good not good.

1 credit card is more than enough. and i have to tell myself is only for “Emergency” use.

1) Petrol

2) Phone Bill

3) Insurance

4) utility bill

no more shopping! no more shopping! no more shopping!