"You are not simple. Nobody is simple. We live in a complicated world and so, we are complicated as well. To me, complicated sounds fun. We get to meet people from all walks of life, get to learn new things from these people. In other words, we're like riding a roller coaster with different types of track layouts and in fact, we're riding one now. Life is a roller coaster!"

One month ago, I encountered one of the most unforgettable moments when I'm in Hokkaido, Japan. When people asked, "How's Hokkaido? Which place do you like the most? What do you like the most?", I can only answer them this, "All the places are beautiful and fun but I had an unforgettable moment there.".

There was this morning where we were scheduled to visit Usuzan Ropeway, whereby it is an observation deck on top of a mountain which offers panoramic views of Lake Toya, Mt. Showa Shinzan and Mount Usu's largest crater. Mount Usu is a volcano which has erupted four times in 100 years with its most recent eruption in 2000. Lake Toya, on the other hand, was formed when a huge underground volcano erupted and tore open a massive crater which filled in with water and become the lake we see today. Google it if you are interested. :)

We were supposed to walk 7 minutes of 300m high just to see the panoramic views but luck was not on our side that day. It was drizzling that morning and the whole mountain was covered with mist. The tour guide gave hope when we reached the top (as in the start point of 7 minutes walk) and suggested not to walk further because the wind was so strong and it was 2˚C. Most of them gave up and went back to the summit while the 6 of us (me, my bro and 2 married couples) continued our walk even though we knew that we won't be seeing anything because of the mist.

These are what we are supposed to see (taken from a random website):

We were given an extra jacket just to keep ourselves warm and an umbrella. With 3 jackets covering my body and an umbrella, 6 of us walked up the mountain. The steps ahead were covered with mist and we were not sure what was in front of us but with determination, we reached the observation deck. As expected, we saw nothing but mist around us with cold wind. However, it was an unforgettable experience to me because I'd never experience something like that before. Climbing up a mountain step by step with 3 jackets, an umbrella, a strong and cold wind blowing our face and umbrella, shivering and anticipating what lies ahead of us. 15 minutes worth of experience. Thumbs up!

And these are what we saw:

Lesson of the day:

Do not give up even though you knew you won't get the results you expect to get because it's the experience that counts.



In two weeks time, I'm officially a confirmed staff. No longer under probation. It was a fun learning curve for the past two months. I was so lucky to work with an awesome senior and awesome team mates who took care of me no matter how badly I performed, taught me every single thing from scratch and taught me in a way that I will not face any problem in any engagement I was assigned to. In other words, they want me to be perfect and at the same time, facing no stress.

People said that our first job is the most important because it gives an impression on whether we are in the right path or the wrong one. And the one that influenced us are those people whom we worked with. If they are optimistic, you will enjoy working but if they are pessimistic, you will have a very hard time.

I, once, faced a dilemma, whether to follow my senior or request for a change in the industry I wanted to audit. In the end, I chose to follow my senior and I did not regret at all. I am not ready to let go of my senior who taught me from day one. How can I abandon him after all the hard work he put on me? They are the one who made me love my job. They are the one who made me realised that work can be fun. They are the one whom I can act childish with. They are the one whom I willingly showed the happy side of me and made our work surrounding more lively. (that's what they said about me. haha. not self praise) 

There was once where we were in the office and other colleagues asked why are we so happy and having so much fun. And we replied them, 'We are always this happy and crazy.' Deep down in my heart, I was so grateful to be part of them and thanks to them, I seldom complain about my work.

This is for you guys and I will not let all of you down. Let's be more crazy in the coming peak. *My signature yawn face*     

If the Mayans were right, we have exactly 71 days left. 

You will never know what will happen tomorrow and you will never know what will happen in the next 2 hours. It's the same as people. You will never know what they think about you. There were nice to you today and they will stab you the next day. It's hard to predict what will happen in the future.

I finally experience the real working life with all the complaints, back stabbing, hatred, worries, stress, anger, etc. It's not something I'm proud of but it's something that I need to prepare myself for the worse. Work is definitely more challenging than studies or exams because you are dealing with people from all walks of life. They have different personalities and all you can do is try to find a way to fit with them instead of running away. What I mean here is that do not try to be the one they want you to be but try to convince them and make them accept who you really are. That's the real challenge.
 

It might be the last 71 days of work. Who knows? Just enjoy as much as you can.

Welcome to the working world! Welcome to the hectic lifestyle!

And yes, I just started working last week. Everything went smoothly for now. Learnt new things, met new people, experienced the new working environment both in the office and client's place, juggled with the work life balance, got a new roommate and house mate, spent less time social networking, and lost track with the world especially my favourite entertainment news.

It was quite hectic for the first week because I'm still trying to adapt to the new environment. Everything seems so new to me and it'll be hard for the next few weeks. But hey, if you want success, you have to challenge yourself to every single thing no matter how tough it is. So, all the best to myself and be prepared to face the tough and bumpy road ahead.

Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. 

- Winston Churchill -

9 months ago, I promised to make a photo book for both of them as a birthday present. 

9 months later, the book is still in progress. I kept delaying because I was too lazy to make one. Somehow, I manage to finish it in a week in order to take advantage of the discount. The promo is the best way to kick my butt and start making one. Without the promo, I think the book is still in progress. 

Sometimes, I regret making that promise (I am that lazy, I know) but promise is still a promise. I am just glad that they didn't keep rushing me or put pressure on me to finish it. Maybe because they already lost their hopes in getting one from me. But then I promised that they will get one before their next birthday and so, they choose to remain silent until then.

Anyway, it's finally done! Here's a sneak peak if you are too excited to wait for another month.   

Loves. xoxo

It was a Saturday night, right before my parent's usual bed time, my dad came to me and asked, 'Do you want to go Pangkor tomorrow?'

With a shocked face, I asked, 'Why, all of a sudden?'

He told me that I haven't been to Pangkor before and he wanted to bring me there.

Deep down my heart said YES, LET'S GO but instead, I told him, 'As you like!'. And that answer left me hanging because my dad went to bed without confirming me. I was excited the whole night but at the same time, I was worried that we won't be going tomorrow.

I woke up as usual the next morning and when I saw a few bottles filled with water, my first thought was: Yes! I'll be seeing Pangkor in few hours time.

And off we go to the beach!!!

I always love beach. The last beach I went was Miami beach which was 1 year ago. I miss every single thing from the smell of the salt water to the salt water itself, the sand, the wind and the sound of the waves. It calms me down and gives me peace.  It was a perfect timing given all the heartache and problems faced lately. So, thanks dad!