Bridging Fantasy & Reality

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The year has gone by so far with many uncertainties on my part. First it was the issue of beginning a life in Auckland. Well that was until I found out how job demand in the country was against the good intentions of many job seekers that even my boyfriend had fled to find greener pastures in a more economically stable country. Then came the decision to stay at home and find a job versus go abroad on a work and travel visa and experience an independent albeit lonely life. I grappled with this decision for a while. Toyed with the idea and then decided that maybe at least a year at home wouldn’t be so bad now, would it? After all, I’m 23, if I really wanted to travel the world and start anew elsewhere, I should not be rushing to do it. Rather, I should give home a chance for a bit and see where it would take me. Only then, when I finally decide to leave home would I get to say that I truly experienced a work life that did not place utmost priority on work life balance.

Speaking of work, I have finally landed a position in a company that I am pretty excited to work for. Groupon, a multinational company that generates its income from the power of group buying has hired me as a business consultant responsible for negotiating some of the most interesting deals that we see on their website to date. The company is so young and dynamic and being the fastest growing company in the world, I don’t think there should be any reason to dispute my excitement. Since I’m only starting in July, I will leave all further comments/laments/rants/praises about my new position for future updates and cross my fingers that my first real job is everything that I dreamt it would be. For further information about Groupon in Malaysia, please feel free to browse the following: http://www.groupsmore.com/

A few significant events occurred in those many months during which I kept away from my blog. Or more precisely, events which I was too lazy to blog about because I was having too much fun savoring every moment of it. I finally set foot into Melbourne, Australia. The land that many deem to be a student paradise with its all too many trams and night life and entertainment. Truth to be told, I found Melbourne pleasant in all its wonders. The shopping would have been good if I had the money. The weather was very impressive throughout our entire week there. The company was splendid most of the time. The food was average - some too indulgent, others too large in proportion and others failed to live up to their name. But what Melbourne had in food was a variety. From Greek to Indian to Turkish. You name it, they have it. I can't say too much about the people because the city was a little too overpopulated for my liking and the people did not appear friendly. But perhaps that was because we came across some of the bad apples during our stay there. All in all I would sum up Melbourne to be a place you HAVE to visit but not one conducive enough for a person like me to choose to stay in. I'd happily settle and grow old in Auckland if I had to choose.

I summarize Melbourne with five of my favorite pictures or more precisely put, reasons why I would want to go back to the bustling city:

for the love of flea markets.

friends!!!

Artistic buildings ala Flinders Street Station

Graffiti Art

Food.Glorious Food.

Auckland was my next destination. I was greeted in Auckland by the familiarity that I had grown to love throughout all those years that I spent there. The friendly atmosphere, the ability to roam about without a care in the world, the abundance of friends who put a gigantic smile on my face. It was the perfect place to graduate, the perfect moments to bask in pride with the perfect people who made three years feel like three very precious minutes. Yes. I am finally A graduate. Hat on my head, scroll in my hands the whole works. And I could not have asked for a better way to receive the honour. My graduation day plays in my head with such clarity, I don't think even a diagnosis of dementia can take that away from me.

On the night before my graduation, I discovered that I had failed to do one of the most important things - make a booking and secure my graduation regalia. I initially thought that the university would provide this which was pretty silly of me really. Luckily insightful Andrew rang me up the night before and informed me of this very important piece of information. So there I was on the morning of my graduation rushing about trying to push my luck and secure a gown just in time to graduate. I missed the graduation parade on Queen Street and dragged my mom with me from the university to Aotea Square and to the Graduate Dress Hire place near the ASB tennis court where I was fortunate enough to secure the appropriate regalia with more than ample time before my ceremony. My mother fell sick shortly after but she was ever so supportive and was present in a pretty purple dress to watch me receive my scroll. It was definitely a proud moment for her to watch me go up there to receive a certificate that she had worked almost all her life to pay for and a prouder moment for me to prove that all that money, sweat and tears was well spent. But more than anything, it was a day that will forever be engraved in my mind because of all the people who came to celebrate it with me, because of the sheer panic in the morning that was followed by relief, pride and joy after and ultimately because I was with the people I loved in a city that I had grown to love and one that eventually helped me find love.

I will let these photos speak for themselves but I can honestly say that I have never seen a wider smile plastered on my face before.

me and the gorgeous fluffy pink hood signifying a Bachelor of Arts degree qualification.

in front of the business building where I spent many days and some nights all in the name of getting my degree.

some of the lovely people that came to take a picture with me. Uni would have been so dull without the people who made my days lively.

with my gorgeous mother who dons the same adoring smile on her face that I have on mine.

The entire family excluding sis who had to stay back in Melbourne due to uni obligations. Truly the happiest day of my life.

I also proudly celebrated Akash's graduation day with him while we were in Auckland.

Blue - the colour of his hood - signifies a Bachelor of Science qualification. I was only too proud being his photographer, running around taking pictures of him and all his friends on HIS day. Save to say, my boyfriend is definitely more popular than I am. Shucks!

As much as I wanted to stay with Akash for a while in Auckland, my mom, aunt and I dashed off to Queenstown soon after. And boy was I glad I went. Queenstown has some of the most amazing views in the world. Or at least in those parts of the world in which I've travelled to so far. The water is amazingly clear and the hills that encompass the lake makes the view even more interesting compared to any other location. I enjoyed strolling through the scenic parks and felt time slowing down right before my very eyes. It slowed down to the point that sometimes I (and my mother) found it hard to deal with. Especially in an uber small town like Queenstown.

Some of the popular destinations we visited were Aoraki Mount Cook and Milford Sound. Seen up here, even the damp weather failed to dampen our mood but it would really have helped if the rain cleared up a bit so that our view of the mountain was not as impeded.

We took the cable cars to the look out point in Queenstown. Felt like we were swimming amidst the clouds. And we managed to get many pretty pictures. I've uploaded a lot more pictures on Facebook if you're interested. :)

And finally, just like everywhere else, food in Queenstown is just as awesome. If you're headed down that way, I'd totally recommend the burger place right across the road from Base backpackers, the name has completely slipped my mind at the moment. And also for yummylicious desserts like the churros pictured above, one word : Patagonia!!! The churros were warm and served with warm chocolate/caramel. Perfect on a cold winters day. And tastes even better when it's shared :D

Heading back home after such an amazing holiday was both a relief and a let down. We used to joke about having a holiday from the holiday when we were there and boy did we actually need one. But at the same time, thinking about having to apply for jobs and being stuck in a daily routine of waking up and bumming around dampened my mood to head home. Plus, I was in a dilemma of my own on whether or not to work in malaysia or abroad.

Little did I know that I was headed to Perth just a few weeks after I returned to Malaysia. And much to my satisfaction as well. A romantic getaway with Akash was what I felt like I really needed and if Perth was a place that he was thinking about settling in, then I definitely felt like I had to scan the waters a little just to make sure that I could live there and make ends meet.

I found Perth to be a wonderful city despite all that is said of it. It's definitely not as buzzy as Melbourne but neither is it as laid back as Auckland. Which leaves it at.... perfection. With it's fair share of buildings in the CBD and scenic parks to feed my hunger for morning/evening walks, I deem Perth to be a wonderful place to settle down in.

Take at Rottnest Island where the sky was clear blue and the sun shone brightly. Akash and I explored the island on bicycles. Seriously, I never thought I had it in me to cycle up and down those strolling hills but we had a good work out and slept peacefully during the nights.

Clear blue waters at Parker Point. Definitely rewarding after a cycling marathon.

Being with my man again. Every moment was bliss particularly because those moments don't come easy. To my surprise, this trip was unlike any other trip where we talked senselessly about annoying the heck out of each other and playing house. This trip saw us talking seriously about future prospects. One conversation in particular struck me. The one where we sat in the blistering cold in front of the beach with it's waves rolling in, I heard him talk about all the dreams that he had in mind, for him, for his family and for us. And for the first time I felt so sure that I wanted to be a part of something. I love how we have both grown in this relationship and how we keep growing everyday.

Of course I didn't miss out on meeting up with this sexy miss while I was there. Feels just the same when I'm around her. Two years down the road and we still have a lot in common.

Had breakfast with Hoss by the lake where I had the best fruit toast ever. I love little eateries with sceneries. In fact, I'd like to open one if my finances allow it in the future.

All in all Perth was a balanced package in terms of everything. I returned with a heavy heart but also with excitement of where life would lead me in the future. If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that I never wanted to sit in a plane again any time soon.... Out.

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Where do rainbows end? And is there really a pot of gold where the reflection of colours dissolves into transparency? What if a rainbow came a full circle and joint itself at it's ends? I know science wouldn't make that a plausible thought but hey, we human beings once thought the earth was flat didn't we?

I am three weeks past the end of my internship. And a week away from what I'd like to think of as a beautiful vacation in Melbourne and New Zealand. And on top of my delightful palate, I have a tonne of other things to do. Like my visa to apply for. A JOB to look for. A graduation pending. A new home to look for. I wish I had a time machine. So I could travel into the future and see what it has in store for me. Maybe that will help me save so much more time.

My trip to the New Zealand embassy in Singapore last week made me realize how I had once again left everything to the last moment. It would take ten working days to apply for a graduate job search visa. And I already had less than ten days during that point in time to provide proof as well as all the documentation required. A conversation with a friend who applied for her graduate job search visa in NZ a few days ago again opened my eyes to how applying for the visa overseas was no easy feat. It would require medical checks, police checks and ultimately a flight to Wellington combined with two weeks of wait time. Clearly I was not prepared for all this and after more discussion with mum, we decided that it would be better for me to head back to Malaysia and apply for the visa here and then fly back again to New Zealand. How could I have let contempt get the better of me. People keep telling me that I'm young and there is much room for exploration, so why do I feel like everyday that I spend doing nothing and discovering something more is time wasted??

Which leads me back to the rainbow. There's something calming and miraculous about them. Whenever I see one my heart leaps out and I have to prevent myself from exclaiming in enthusiasm "look! rainbow!". Sometimes I go all paparazzi on them and belt out my camera in a snapping fury. I think I just need to take a chill pill about life a little bit. Live it on a rainbow pace. For me it's always been BAM kindergarten BAM primary school BAM high school BAM A Levels BAM university BAM internship and now it's BAM JOB JOB JOB. The only thing about this BAM is that I finally get to choose. Of course I got to choose my internship and which uni I wanted to go to and the like but this BAM is a massive one. Because this decision is so much more daunting. It makes me question the things that I want a hundred times a day and in the speed of a million times per second (exaggeration). And I try to keep going with my gut but try as I may, my gut - it aint that helpful coz I fail to feel anything. Which makes me want to lash out and go on more holidays and discover a temple and look for jobs in three different places simultaneously.

As aforementioned, I made a short trip to Singapore to see Akash recently. It wasn't really short, five days, but it felt like time just whipped by (like it always does). Still. These five days was a serious eye opener in terms of the sort of development that Singapore had undergone in just a matter of a few years. There were more museams, entertainment parks, hotels, and as usual the central business district was a picture of awe.

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It was my last day interning at LV today and I simply have to blog about it because I'm still reeling from the sense of fulfillment that the day bestowed upon me. It started off with me expecting not very much. Last day. Just do the deed and let it be. Plus I was watching over the new intern, Simone, who was to replace me when my stint ended. But what started off as a normal day turned out to be spectacular in tiny little ways that leaves me at a loss for words as to why they resulted in such elation in the first place.

I received an e mail from the regional coordinator in HK commending me on a job well done in terms of smooth flow of press samples to and from Malaysia. My boss gave me a little pep talk and she had very few negative things to say which somehow instilled a subtle yet empowering enough sense of confidence within me. And some of my colleagues took me out for lunch as a farewell. Having been just a simpleton in the office who strove to complete my tasks and ensure that with every passing day, I learnt a little bit more about the working world, I was really taken aback by the attention I received. Overjoyed that my work did not go unrecognized. Elated that despite my attempt to sometimes be personal and less open, people will be missing me and missing my quality of work. Ecstatic that I was in the presence of so many fabulous people who had inspired me and paved a way for me to venture out in the open.

What was even more fulfilling was that days before my internship ended, I felt like I finally got my biggest break within the company. On a whim, my boss decided to ask me and Simone to write a cover letter about two different launches by Vuitton. Simone was off to training so I tried incorporating my ideas and coming up with a piece which was not the hardest task for me because I am the sort of person who is seriously passionate about being inspired and writing about anything in the world when I really am. But I took it seriously enough and my boss was impressed with what I had to offer. Some minor editing and my contribution was sent out to the majority of the Malaysian press. It's probably a tiny little achievement but for this I am ever so grateful. So overjoyed that my piece was worth distributing that I can feel my heart thumping in excitement as I type away now.

I suppose being afraid of the future is normal. Uncertainty can breed fear and fear may cloud your judgement and abstain you from truly reaching your potential. But it's moments like these. Moments where your confidence feels like it's on a booster pill that makes the future seem a little more secure. I will bask in this moment as long as it lasts. Thank you God for the wonders that you do!

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"there's no place for truth in the working world". Such simple words got me thinking today about the truth that really stemmed from what was lamented in the spur of the moment. If this was really the case, I suppose that I really am much too naive for a world filled with lying possums. And then I thought some more, and I suppose what made sense was that the working involved lots of complicated manipulations of the truth. Twists of words and the rolls of tongues. And here I was thinking that you can never go wrong with honesty. Everyday I learn a little bit more and life becomes less of a fairy tale. At this rate, I wonder if there will be any glitter left when I am old and part of my grand childrens' very own fairy tale-d lives.

And while I'm scouring at the edge of the 'grand children' topic, I wonder if I will actually live to that age at all.. Look what happened to Tokyo, Japan. And before that what had happened to Christchurch and the other mother nature protests that erupted in Australia even before the Christchurch earth quake. I have to admit that I am no newspaper queen. I only read the weekend STAR and even then I conveniently miss out on sections that do not interest me. But you have to be actually non existent to not know about what's happening with the world these days. Word of mouth delivers the goods. And I felt a pang of fear as I saw how the now infamous tsunami tide in Japan swept along the coast and wasted away everything that lay in it's way. It's times like these that I am grateful to be in Malaysia. But even so I stumbled upon an article in the news stating that a quake in Indonesia could agitate Malaysian parameters and then we may suffer similar faith. It all comes down to uncertainty. It pains me to think that if we were in a similar situation what kind of consequences we would suffer in contrast to the Japanese. I respect the Japanese for their tolerance and I know if one nation could stoop and build itself up from scratch, Japan would be first on the list.

Disasters aside, I will be ending my stint at Louis Vuitton soon. 3 months in a reputable organization and I managed to land more than what I had bargained for. No. Free bags were/are not on the list. No price tag can be put on what I have gained from the experience. And I can only be too honest when I say this. I could go on and on about my loves and hates for certain things but everyone is entitled to an opinion. My only regret is perhaps not opening up a little more to my colleagues. I am convinced that, just like an oblivion to my full name, no one really knows me for me. And perhaps if I added a bit more personality to the role, I would have had an even better experience. But I suppose that's just me. It takes time for me to open up and show my very own true colors to certain people. Regardless, LV opened me up to many new, exciting and challenging ventures that I naturally would have never stumbled across.

All I can say now is bring on April. I am excited for april. For graduation. For the trip to Melbourne and then to Auckland. And to finally embrace my guy in a big hug again. And to see my best friend who will be heading back from the US again. The future holds much promise and much uncertainty.

I have not been engaging in many creative things of late. But just to whet your appetite:-

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I was transported by an armored vehicle with three armored personnel to a shoot location in Damansara today. I thought the entire thing was made too much of a commotion of even though the task at hand was pretty non complex. But I was carrying thousands of dollars worth of precious jewellery. And it was company policy to be escorted with such care if someone was carrying that much worth to a shoot. Anyhoo, as soon I stepped into the shoot, I was greeted by a very chatty crowd which was pretty refreshing to be quite honest. Sometimes when you're an intern, people start treating you like one and I am glad that this was one group that came across as pretty real to me, not some flashy mob on their high and mighty horse. *Makes mental note to seek professional position at The Peak*

The big bosses daughter was the head photographer me thinks. I judge from observation. What struck me the most was how she ruled the room with her loud personality just like her mother did at the office. And yet how different this little minx of a lady was in comparison to her mother. For one, she seemed completely disinterested in everything that LV cherished. And she did not even try to hide it which I thought was really impressive by the way. Tattoos donned on her torso, ciggie in hand and a spunky haircut to boot I could tell that this little missy swore she would never turn into her mother from the very day she was born. I swear she almost tumbled in laughter when I told her that I had arrived in an armored car with three armed security personnel.

Funny how people either really try and emulate their parents. Or try to be someone completely different.

The days are passing by so fast! What the hell. It's almost March for goodness sake. Perhaps it is a good thing because the year of the rabbit is apparently not the best for the rabbit born. But at times I feel like my youth is being snatched away from me. Soon I will be walking around with a tongkat wondering to myself where the hell all that time went.

It's really not that I don't feel like I am achieving much everyday. Just today I learnt what the 'bcc' column in your email allows you to do. Yes. I never knew. Believe it or not. And my lovely boss gave me my very own big break today, which is coincidently small in the life of any other but significant in the life of an intern. I would explain it here but as it is, people don't really get the physics of my job, so explaining a big break that would bring chemistry into the picture will not really settle well. I don't really know what I am talking about so I will stop bickering about this. So back to point one, I think my achievements range from large to miniscule everyday. But I hold on to the believe that you only actually live when you are completely oblivious to the passing of time. Completely unaware if it's fast or slow. And these days, I am constantly aware. Because I am constantly looking forward for different phases of my life to begin.

I don't even know what to do once my internship at Louis Vuitton has timed out. One month to go. Should I decide to work in Auckland? Should I just reside here for a couple more months and accompany my mother? I guess the bigger question is will the opportunities come flowing or would I be overcome by hardship. It's a tough life. And if it were any easier I would have lost interest a long time ago.

Now on to more important matters. I feel like getting a tattoo

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I don't like this inconsistency. But I have learnt that sometimes inconsistency may be a good thing. Like how some singer comes up with a really popular hit once and then takes a few years to come up with another really popular hit. Celebrities consistently breaking the rules is boring. Another thing that is so yesterday is me consistently trying to come up with reasons why I blog so inconsistently.

Oh well. Consistent or inconsistent. My last few months have been pretty interesting.

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