~ New Position ~

Although you might not see me with a huge beaming smile on my face, I am looking totally like a idiot grining all day long. Why? Because I just got a new position as a Sales & Marketing Analyst!!!! Yes!!! The decision to take the offer was pretty quick for my standard, but yeah... it's a great opportunity to expand. I'll still be looking after the accounting and finance side, too. Darn... let's keep fingers crossed that I will have time for my GMAT preparation. Righty... time for me to hop to the next meeting. Leaving you with my current fav... Dolce Vita! :)

~ Daiso & Flower Garland ~

Daiso (in Thailand) is a franchise store that sells everything at 60 Bahts. From what I read on wikipedia, it has 2500 stores in Japan and another 450 overseas. Impressive huh? Anyway, I'm such a big Daiso fan. Believe it or not, if you choose the stuff you buy wisely, you actually get good stuff at only 60 Bahts. Daiso has become one of my usual supplies for gardening equipments and tools. I'll post the pictures of the plastic flower pots that I bought from Daiso a while ago up later.

Anyway, the thing is that, for the past few months, I had been saying, "As soon as my pay cheque comes out, I'll be at Daiso shopping!"... it never happened. Then something strange happened this morning while I was getting my morning chocolate shake. Daiso is there in the exhibition area in front of Starbucks at Ploenchit Center! My god! I was so excited I almost fainted. I ended up with four kitchen utencils. Lol! Seriously, I think all my pay cheques are being used in silly ways.

I don't know if you guys are required to have certain hours of training in a year or not, but I need twenty five hours as a requirement for the annual bonus. Each month, HR will come up with a list of classes for associates to pick and choose. I picked Flower Garland Workshop and Sandwich Creation Workshop... just for fun. Imagine me making flower garlands... speechless. :P Right I'm off to the workshop. I'll post some pics up later. :)

Update (9.55 pm): Here are some pics from the Flower Garland Workshop. Notice my beautiful(ish) garland? Pretty huh!?

~ Monday Goodbye ~

My boss is back in the office after spending a few weeks away in Khao Lak and Gold Coast. Though he wasn't around, I never felt like he was actually away. Every morning I would get lots and lots of emails on various things that he would like me to complete. My boss is taking on more projects. This means more work for me. Instead of complaining like usual, I feel blessed to be given more projects and tasks to handle. My boss still needs me!

Though the lay off news is not a surprise to a lot of people, I still find it hard to cope with when people you have worked with for quite sometimes are suddenly gone. Two of the expat members are being terminated. I just found out today, but their last day was last Friday. One of them came to say goodbye today before he flies back to the US. The feeling is the mixture of relief and sadness. Relief... it wasn't me. Sadness... they're gone. Just two weeks ago, William, another coworker, left for a better position in Guam. From our recent conversation, he seems happy enough. Many consider tranferring to other companies and resigning. Emails being sent to everyone from the top management explaining how hard it was for them to let them go. Beautiful stuff, but it just can't hide the horrible decision behind it. It's such a bad start for Monday. ... come to think about it, maybe it is a good time for me to move on to. *sigh*


By the way, have u seen my office look? :P Here it is.

Here is another me...

Introducing Nettie (my colleague)...

Update (5.23 PM): This morning when I asked my boss if he saw any ghost while in Khao Lak, he said, "Sure! There were just two rooms occupied! I'm promoting you to go to Khao Lak to take care of the business." (Yeah, boss. Very funny. HA HA HA) Anyway, he just checked my work and told me that I do not need to go to Khao Lak yet! Lol! I'm glad there was no mistake on the reconciliations. :P Blah.

~ Green Me ~

Been wondering where I was for the past four months? Nowhere. :) Not to worry I'm still alive and well. There is no good reason for my absence. No bumps or bruises are worth ranting about. "The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things". Things like cooking for my loved ones or tending my little green garden outside my bedroom windows which somehow comsumes more than 15% of my time in life. This brings me to my topic for the day... Plants. The happiness I get from watching them grow and bloom is so simple, yet it sticks with me for a long long time. I can't put my feelings into words, but you should try keeping a plant or two... then you'll know what I mean. :) (You can go green to help the earth... by just starting with little plants.)
Recently, I was given African Violet leaves for propagation. I put them in my glass and now I can see the roots shooting from the base of each leaf. I have to keep them in front of my computer sceen in the office during the weekday and by the big window along the corridor during the weekend. I think I'll get yellowish white flowers. I just can't wait to plot them in pots.

Credit: http://community.livejournal.com/africanviolets/14164.html#cutid1

Since I will be keeping pretty pretty African Violets, I started doing some research online and came across this amazing site <Siam Violet>. The site is, of course, in Thai. I find it filled with little tips and beautiful pics of African Violets. :) Browsing through each post in the webboard section, this post just amazed me. It shows these pictures (so the credit of these pics goes to Khun Tooh, the one who posts these pics).





Beautiful isn't it? They are called "Ranunculus". What makes the plants even more intriguing is the sweet tale behind the name.

In fairy tales frogs are apt to change into princes and it was an Asian prince in just such a story who gave his name to this flower, which grows naturally in swampy ground. The prince was so good-looking that he was loved by everyone. He also had a beautiful voice but this was his undoing. He loved the open country and sang delightful songs in the presence of nymphs. He did not have the courage to declare his love to them and this haunted him so much that he died. After his death he was changed into the flower with delicate tissuey petals which bears his name. ~ Flowers & Plants

How can I not blog about this lovely story behind the name? After reading and looking at these gorgeous flowers, how can I not fall in love with them?

PS. I'll post pics of my plants up as soon as dad decides to return my cam. :)

~ On Something Silly ~

Ok... I can say that I am officially broke. I shouldn't have gone shopping today. I mean I spent over 2,500 baht in just a few hours. I was on this shopping therapy (that's what Kitz used to always say). The 2,500 baht shopping and around a 1,000 baht on meals at Central World today really ruin my spending plan. Not that I don't have anymore cash, but I had this perfect spending plan for this month. However, today alone just blew that plan right out the window. Lol! Although the shopping therapy does help and although I'm not regretting anything I bought and spent on, I have to still fasten my belt a little so I could make it to the end of the month safely. *sigh* Daddy please do not scold me on this... I mean I know it's stupid but hey it helps me get the stress out and I did get to exercise after walking miles after miles. See! That's the upside of wasting your money on something like this shopping therapy. :)








Anyway, I'm loving my new pair of shoes.... they're just sooo sooo sooo cute! :P They go well with my little fluffy beige skirt. The scarf will be used a lot because the colour is just right for most of my stuff. I also got adorable two suede bags... one navy blue and one purple. I luv the flowery dress. It should go well with belts I have. :) I'm wearing them after the mourning period next week. :) Next month I'm going back for more dresses, but have to set a reasonable budget for this shopping spree... otherwise I'll be begging my poor parents for money. Lol!

~ Shoes & Broken Car ~

Guess who my today morning call was? The doc assistant. I was half awake when she delivered such a rather bad news to me. Apparently, the test results do not look as good as I hoped they would. She explained that my doc tried to call me earlier this week but I didn't answer and that I should not be alarmed as it is still curable. Yeah right! How can I not be alarmed!? It's my freaking life! I was scheduled to meet my doc again sometimes this upcoming week. A great way to start off your Sunday isn't it?

That's not the end of my super duper Sunday. My car broke down. I mean it shows signs, like aircon stops working, of breaking down but it never breaks down. Lol! I know I'm quite stupid for assuming it will keep running forever (at least I hope so). Anyway, the baby went on a silly strike so I had to drive around town with my windows opened!

The weird thing is I wasn't quite so upset about all these. I can still laugh and all. So tomorrow I have to leave my car for a mechanic to work on and take a taxi to work. You know... I didn't realize how many shoes I kept in my car until today. Believe it or not when I took them out and lined them up, I found 10 pairs of freaking shoes!!! See for yourself!



I guess it's a good time to polish them! Oh my! How could I not realize that I had these many pairs of shoes in my car!?

~ Stupid Flood ~

I CANNOT GO TO WORK! I AM TRAPPED!!! Oi! This is the first time I have to call in telling them I would be there by the afternoon because I cannot get out of my house! Why? It's the stupid flood. My god! How could this be?

Oh how I miss my morning cup of coffee from the expresso machine! Oi! *sigh*

Update (12 Oct 2008): I took this pic the morning I couldn't leave home for work.

~ Did I Choose The Right Person? ~

Sleeping is a luxury I cannot afford. Not that I do not have the time to, but I just can't fall asleep. That is probably why I'm up blogging around this time of the night. Crazy I know. It seems like I ponder more on things like the purpose of my own existance or why do people fall out of love when what they have is more than others could ask for. Maybe these silly questions are part of the sleeping problem (and yes, I am just pointing the finger to blame someone or something). Then today while I was slacking at work because even my usual fav from Buckie (in earth term: Starbucks)cannot help, I read a forward email from my auntie hoping that it would somehow helps me restore my faith and belief in and understand any romantic man/woman relationship. And it did. I hope this will also help you one way or another with the "Did I choose the right person?"

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, 'How do I know if I married the right person?'

I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, 'It Depends. Is that your husband?'

In all seriousness, she answered 'How do you know?'

Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.


Here's the answer:

EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies.

Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called 'falling' in love... Because it's happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, 'I was swept off my feet.' Think about the Imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience.

But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the Natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, 'Did I marry the right person?' And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.

But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it.

I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You Could. And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this):

THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't 'find' LASTING love. You have to 'make' it day in and day out. That's why we have the __expression 'the labor of love.'

Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work, and what your spouse wants. Know your spouse's likes and dislikes.

Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.

Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), There are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your Relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable... You can 'make' love.

Love in marriage is indeed a 'DECISION'... Not just a feeling.

To me, it's about being content and knowing when to stop looking for a "better" or "more suitable" one.