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Gong Xi Fa Chai

Welcome year of the golden peeeeeg. 

Its been a great couple of days so far.

Caught up on the snooze, ate a housefull of steamboat yummies, caught up with some gels over cheese and chardonnay, had the inaugural yee sang for the year, made rm2 on blackjack, hustled at poker,  got through half of  'on beauty' and housed alot of stray pix in its rightful home.

Mused about the on beauty prose  (at p.153) crafted according to the malay pantun.

Completed season1 of prison break and decided we will not purchase/watch anymore of this serial. (will just have to google and read the spoilers). Also had some good walks, carried out meaningful discussion(s) with SFM on priorities in life,  future plans and geography. Made some headway on wedding plans in Vic Falls.

Thought alot about lessons learnt in life, managing expectations and going with the flow.

Not to take things sooooo seriously and to laugh (esp at self) abit more.

GONG XI FA CHAI everyone. May the year of the golden peeeeeg bring us an abundance of  hope, laughter and happiness.

branding yourself

whilst we were walking back from KLCC to work at lunchtime last week, a thinker friend, SA posed a question to me: "if you were a known brand, what would you be?" 

i was allowed 5 minutes to answer. whilst sieving through all the brands catalogued in my mind, i asked him 3 questions of my own:  i) which label he would choose; ii) his reasoning; and iii) why the  sudden line of question.

i) he said he was a swatch.

ii) practical, simple, seemingly down to earth and yet it houses a stable of other brands.

iii) he was thinking about this because his wife had asked him what kind of watch he would like as a present for his getting the new job (in a high flying bank). she had displayed disappointment when he chose swatch (as he has done in all previous watch-present moments) and he had taken umbrage at his wife's reaction.  he later worked out why he had reacted so strongly to her disappointment and realised that it was because he identified so much with the brand and felt that he was swatch personified.

SA had derived some pleasure out of the analysis and so decided to canvas an opinion on the perception of self and branding.  his smooth talking friend Z  was asked the question. not surprisingly, he heard Z describing himself as a 'maserati': expensive; kind of strange looking on the outside, a ferrari machine within.  hahaha, i was his second victim.

we had almost reached the workplace and my 5 minutes were up. 

i told him, if i was a known brand, then i would definitely be the bodyshop. good intentions, passion and ambition to help communites in need, ethically minded and love for natural product but, in substance really,  a business and a commercial enterprise.  in other words: well meaning socialist in theory, in reality, a capitalist slut just like the others eh.

xxx

i like this game and had fun coming up with a brand. and so now, i forward this question to you - if you were a well known brand - what would you be?

rules of the game

• no more than 5 and a half minutes to think of a response;
• it has to be a well known brand, or at least somewhat known. no obscure ones por favor;
• youre not allowed to plead 'no logo'.

women with balls

i love women with balls.  independent feisty women who are so out there, leading their lives the way they want to,  doing the things they love, saying what they feel and think,  thinking and feeling what they love. ruling the world. phwoar. 

xxx

i also love fortune tellers. even though i take what they say with a sackful of salt. i mean, really, how wonderful is it to sit in front of a mystical meg/reg and hear in advance through  random runes/ choice of cards/upturned palms/times and birthdates/shifting eyebrows and dimples/turn of ankles/shadows in crystal balls/balls in crystals  how the coming years will turn out... AS LONG AS THE NEWS IS GOOD eh?

xxx

My last fortune teller (engineer turned astronomer) was really excellent*.  Recommended by a super source of mystical goodies, Ms. Scoot.  I was recently separated then (wondering whether I should make a last stab at getting back together),  por as a churchmouse and terribly sad.  and he said, the astronomer who didnt know anything about me  (save an intimate knowledge on my birthtime and date), "i dont normally advocate divorce and am for reconcilliation but oich, unfortunately with your (then) husband, there can be no peace. make your own way. things will get better but be forewarned. these 8 years are challenging times for you. no matter how hard you try,  there will be hard and trying moments. in your personal and professional life.  the clouds will only shift in 2008."

xxx

and really isnt it great? now, with every setback i face,  i just know not to take it too hard. because i am convinced (like the diehard gamblers sitting on many a roulette table in monte carlo) that with the next spin of the wheel and turn of numbers, i am closer to winning the bundle. Come 2008, it will all be blue skies and sunshine for me baby. and I will be one of those women with balls,  flying around, RULING THE WORLD.

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* fortune teller one just before the astronomer was stupendous suzie from buenos aires. boy, she was excellent and alot of fun. shame that the reading was all done in spanish (she didnt speak theenglish) as i didnt habla espanyol beyond por favour and gracias amiga.

ever wonder why we dont feel the urge to see fortune tellers when things are good?