Half Empty or Half Full?

Last October, we decided to start planning for our trip to Australia (Sydney) in 2009. That time, the feud between AirAsia and MAS had just started getting interesting. The best possible deal then was MAS's super saver return ticket to Melbourne at RM1,800 (including taxes etc.). Compared to Air Asia's close to RM2,000 to Melbourne. Direct flights to Sydney were about RM4k+. So that was it, we decided to buy return tickets KL-MLB via MAS and trasit to SYD via Virgin Blue.

Yesterday, MAS in its competition frenzy, introduced super saver rates to other places including Sydney!! Return tickets KL-SYD = RM1,600. At that point, I felt like my whole universe crumbled... I coul've easily saved RM 1,100 per person... Sigh... Imagine how far that amount could've stretched in Aussie??

Called Justin, and he reminded me about a few truths (nice counseling skills dar XD) and he was supportive through it all, despite actually having to spend a whooping RM2,200 extra, he reassured me over and over that all was still good! But the most insightful thing was what Jenn Ming said to me "Sher, you're still going to Australia! Should thank God weh" That got me thinking, Half Empty or Half Full? Funny isn't it? How we easily zoom in on the half empty part, and take trips down "if-only" road, take "what-if" stops, and wallow in "I should've" pools.

I may have, on hind sight, ended up causing the darling hubby to fork out more money, but Heck, I'm still going to Aussie!!! God is still good, God still provides more than we hope for or dream! The more than I hope for part in this was a deeper understanding of just how patient, forgiving, and supporting my husband is. =D Ooo one more thing, because we're flying to MLB first, we're actually spending 2 nights there! Muahahahaha! I may be lowering cognitive dissonance, but aren't paradigm shifts partly made of that? =D

Sooooooo the glass is HALF FULL BABY!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!

Photography

As many of you know, my brother is currently into photography. This is one person who once determined, will go all out into the pursuit of his hobbies! His latest craze is photography. And I must say, is way healthier than his previous crazes like... ahem... anime... and ahem... comic books... But... that's only in my opinion lah. His skills have been improving by miles! And this year as belated birthday and Christmas presents (erm.. 2 years worth of birthday and Christmas presents to be exact), daddy bought him a Canon EOS 50-D. Too bad I wasn't there to see the silly smirk on his face he always has while he tries in vain to hide what's bursting to come out from within.

The upside of having a brother who is trying to master the art of photography is..... that he will need MODELS/subjects!!! Wahahahahahaha! We the family have been privilleged enough to be his photography subjects =D . It's a win-win situation! He gets to practice, and we get pictures!!

This CNY, more beautiful pictures were produced!

These are my favorite. He has more, shall wait for him to post it on his blog.

Online Shopping is Addictive!!

One of the great things about studying abroad was that I had my own credit card linked to my own account. Which meant, I managed my money entirely. No parents to interrogate me when the credit card bill of my supplementary card came. Nope. Nothing of that sort.

So the whole 100% personal credit card brought shopping to a whole new level! Kick started by my dad of course. See, my dad is a techie (serious techie), so one day, while chatting on MSN, he popped the question - Why don't you go buy yourself an ipod. O_O So what does one do when one's father offers the chance to purchase oneself a new ipod? TAKE THE OFFER LAH!!! So take the offer I did!! Muahahahaha! Dad found out that in Aussie, I was able to get a 20% student discount if I bought it directly from their website. I logged in, and that was my first internet purchase.

Then I wanted a proper case for the ipod, since the one I knitted just couldn't cushion it well enough. That's when I stumbled upon ebay. Heard of it previously but had never ventured into its deep dark realm. Long story short... I was hooked onto online shopping and ebay became my good friend. Sighs.

Took me a while to actually snap out of it. But when I did, THANK GOD!

It has been 4 years since I stepped foot into ebay. Last week, in his neverending quest of guitar perfection, the hubby dilligently browsed, researched, calculated, analyzed, browsed, researched, calculated, analyzed the web again and again for the best bargains on his Seymour Duncan Jazz Zebra neck pickup (yeah, heard so much bout it that I actually remember its full name). The result: A great steal from ebay.com. Since I already had an account with ebay, I did the purchasing for him... and that was it! The tightly sealed door to that dark realm was yanked open!! Since then I've been surfing online for online boutiques, beading supplies what not. =( but......Thank God! I've not made any purchases in these 2 days... there have been temptations... check that.... MANY temptations. But I'm still holding strong! Gosh, I'm going to need to get the hubby to change my password and keep it hidden from me!! Bahhhh.

Say No to Addictive online shopping! Tak Nak!

Humor!!!!

It's been a while since something tickled my funny bone this much!!! Please check out Andy's aka Momojin latest blog post here. It was really really really funny!! And what's best is the profound meaning at the end. Wisdom + humor + truth all in one short blog post, bliss!!!

Thank you Andy for posting that up!

Christmas!!! *phew*

Christmas was a BLAST! Thanks to all who labored continuously and unselfishly! *big clap and bow to you all!* The skit was a success! There were hiccups here and there, but based on feedback, it made a great impact! Thank You Jesus! All Glory be to Jesus!

Apart from preparing for the Christmas skit, I decided to try to cut cost this year while adding in a more personal touch to Christmas presents we'd give out. It's been eons since I baked cookies, and from memory, it included me slaving in the kitchen for a few whole days just for a few tins of cookies. So....... I decided to make cupcakes instead! This journey started a month back when I had to put my cup cake baking into practice, dad, mom, and the darling hubs were fed batches and batches of cupcakes.

First batch: too much coffee and too crumbly, didn't taste at all like cupcake - REJECTED!
Second batch: texture got better, no more coffee, experimented with icing for the first time and it was too dry and too sweet (250gs of icing sugar!! Madness) = REJECTED!
Third batch: just the right texture, just the right taste, icing was perfected but... they looked severely out of shape. My hypothesis was that I must've not cleaned my oven well enough, so there may have been bits of cupcake batter stuck in some corner of the oven so when the cupcake tin was rotating, the cup cake batter peeked out of the cup cake moulds to look, just like Malaysian drivers, viola.... lopsided cupcakes!! = REJECTED!
Fourth batch: by this time I was contemplating just buying cupcakes off the shelve. but they are soooo expensive compared to cost price. This time, everything turned out perfect! I added sprinkles, Hershey choco chips, and some grated white choco.... end product = PERFET!!!!!!!


Then came the even crazier part. (poor hubby can testify to this) I searched for gable boxes of the perfect size... too big = cup cakes may get bumped around, too small = can't fit cupcakes. There weren't any of the right size! So me being a craft fanatic, decided to make my own. Drafted my own template for the box and cupcake holders. Bought very beautiful double sided gold card stock, and there I went, tracing, cutting, and assembling... All this was done the day before Christmas. I thought I could finish it single handedly, but in the end, the poor hubby was dragged into it. And he never once complained, in fact, he was so sweet and cheered me up along the way, giving me shoulder rubs to reduce stress and hugs to calm the now messy-haired, frantic wife. (this is where you should go *awwwwwwww*, and guys, please learn this!) Result: 40 boxes of cupcakes (2 each), packed, decorated with ribbons, and tagged (personalized tags which the hubs had to print, cut, and label), and to bed we went at 1.30am.

All in all, it was amazing when we gave out the presents (mostly to those who helped in the skit), the look on people's faces when you hand them a present makes all the hard work pay off and stress melt away. =D I love giving gifts!!!!!!! Garghs!!!

This Christmas was indeed magical and blessed! Looking forward to Christmas in 2009!

on a side note, Thank you all who gave us presents! Thank you thank you!! And a special thanks to daddy for our new camera!!! Muahahahaha. I shall name her soon.

Christmas Props

We are 99% done with props!!! THANK GOD!!! So, now all that's left is a full rehearsal on Wednesday 9am -1pm. Please be there people!

I wish to thank God for His wonderful ideas and message... I know that this whole skit could've never came into being if it wasn't for Him. I just pray that we do Him proud and speak His word this Christmas!

I would also like to thank ALL THOSE WHO CAME AND HELPED!! You've made V2 your family, and have stuck with us through thick and thin, practices and props. I would really really like to thank you! It would've been easier standing on the sidelines, not get involved, and criticize. But you guys chose the harder path - to get on the boat and get involved. I am DEEPLY grateful and touched! We shall have a makan party later ok??? Celebrate!!!

So, 3 days to Christmas! Butterflies are finally growing in my tummy. Woooo EXCITEMENT!!!! This Christmas, V2 presents to you - No Vacancy. To God be the Glory!!

Christmas Props - Help needed

Hello hello!!

This is for all Vineyard people. If you are free this Saturday, Monday - Wednesday, PLEASE come to church at 9am - about 4pm. We need lots of help for Christmas skit props!!!
THANK YOU!!

.:.HELP Psych Annual Ball.:.

Last night was my first attending the ball not as a student of the faculty, rather as the wife of faculty staff. But it was certainly more happening than when I was a student. Organizing committee did a good job... but Justin and I were famished!! Dinner only started close to 9pm... Sigh. Malaysians and their HIGHLY rubber time.

The highlight of the evening was the one and only HELP Street Boys!! Starring lecturer of the Faculty of Psych and the HUBBY!!!!!!!!!!!! 98% of my focus was on him, leaving only 2% for the other lecturers. I've always loved listening to Justin play, but yesterday his playing was extra enchanting.. drools.

I spy a.... Gorgeous Couple! Muahahahahahaha!!!

Gosh!! I love this title!!! XD

Here are some pictures from the anniversary getaway.

* * *My favorite picture* * *

Update: I've highlighted my hair.
The hubs said: "Very nice!" and other sweet things that I shall not reveal.
Dad said: "Wah, nicest hairstyle since. Makes you look younger" Thanks dad. =D
Mom said: "Hm, not bad"

couldn't get nice pics of the hair tho... =/ But... Imma Lovin' it!!! Muahahahahhaa!!

One Year!

To celebrate one beautiful year together, we spent 2 days in Awana Genting... short I know, but we still had to work so... =) I've not felt so refreshed and stress-free for a long while (ever since we started Masters that is). So it was 2 days of no assignments, no datelines, no clients, no work, nothing but quality time with each other. Taking leisure walks with each other, reflecting on the year that was and planning for the year ahead. Guess I am more of an introvert than an extravert after all =D.

And for dinner, we ate at an amazing Italian restaurant, pricey, but worth every sen! The most amazing thing during dinner was the wine! I don't know much about wine, but I knew a sweet white would go well with my food, so I tembak-ed lah. And turns out the wine we got - Muscat, was 98% similar to our engagement wine!!! Nostalgia!! See, the wine we had for engagement was a present from Justin when we started courtship. In addition to the promise ring, he bought a bottle of Langmeil winter harvest Semillon , which I thoroughly loved. During the proposal, he sneakily had the waiter bring out that bottle, and so I knew that he was proposing! So 2 years later, on our first anniversary, the muscat was just so nostalgic! Justin bought us tickets to the Sydney next year (I AM VERY EXCITED!!!!!!!!), I am hoping that we'll be able to find that wine again! According to their website, it's sold out... =(

Ok, enough of booze. I think in a nut shell, this was how we celebrated our first year - slow, relaxed, easy, and stress-free! Just what both of us needed badly! In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we're planning more trips for next year, starting with the first quarter! Gosh, I love my husband!!!

We can hardly stand the wait, O Christmas don't be late~

Come come come!!!