Our love

Look not for beauty
Nor whiteness of skin
But look for the heart
That is loyal within

For beauty may fade
And white skin grow old
But the heart that is loyal
Will never grow cold

- Marie Davis -

And this is just us.

Simple

True

Loyal

Forever

That is our love.

Are we thinking too much?

Sometimes I do think that life is much happier when we think less. Are we thinking too much?

Take this as an example; Friends made a remark on your dress “Hey! Short skirt…looks ok..”

If this friend is a good friend then this remark would be taken lightly. However, if this friend is someone you have a bad history with; the remark would be translated as “Cute skirt… on elephant legs!”…

Or maybe… just maybe… her comment is “Hey! Short skirt… looks ok..”. Really, that’s it!

Most of the time, we tend to group people up in categories or as a certain stereotypes. And then a lot of times, we interpret conversations based on their categories.  

Why would our brains work this way? I’ve seen people who are blind to what’s going on around them. Well, are they really blind or they just simply don’t think about it? Maybe they just don’t want to know what’s going on and move on with their own life. 

You see, most people care less about what you do because they spend most of it caring about themselves and what others think of them. In other words, they are busy just minding their own business.

I want to learn from the innocently blinded people who seem to flow through the day not caring about what’s going on in the background. They just moved on and be happy. Life will certainly be happier!

Well, because you've read this... now is time to move on and enjoy a wonderful Sunday spent with loved ones... Cheers!

Time for me to play with my doggy!

Autumn getaway to Hong Kong and Macau!

Another autumn spent in Hong Kong and a little in Macau. Although it is not my first time there but lots have changed since the last time I've been there. I'm not talking about the place but myself that has changed tremendously.

I would say the highlights of this trip would definitely be Disneyland (my childhood dream to be there!), Madame Tussauds, the transportation & the busiest streets of Hong Kong, and of course not forgetting all the delicious cuisine we tried during out stay in both Hong Kong and Macau.

We spent the first day in Macau and the last day before we end our journey... 

So, let's start with Macau...

 Just the three of us.

We reached Macau at about 4-5pm by AirAsia and took a free shuttle to the grand Venetian Hotel located at Taipa, Macau. The interior of the hotel is so unique and the ceilings are almost like a huge painting. 

 The gorgeous ceiling of the Venetian Hotel

The first night we tried their local Portuguese food, which is pretty much like a baked of everything. Not exactly my cup of tea I would say...

 This is the Portuguese restaurant we went to that apparently lots of famous people would recommend. According to the walls full of photos of celebrities. Among them was Coco from Coco Cooks (a taiwanese beauty going around Asia trying out local cuisines and pretending to cook some herself)

 This is one of their special dish; Baked Chicken Rice, which is very famous among their locals. The waitress told us that people purposely came to their place for this... 

The taste is just like another dish of cheese baked rice, with a few small pieces of chinese sausages (lap cheong) on the surface. Nothing much to shout about really.

Another of their must try dish. Baked Cod fish.

I can not actually taste any cod fish for each bite was full of thick creamy cheese and potatoes. Only occasionally do I bite into tiny broken pieces of unrecognized fish.
After this meal, we could not drop another grain of rice into our mouth without feeling like the rest of dinner might pour out of our stomach!

The price was kinda on the high side. Hmm... not a worthy meal.

On the same street, we tried this place the next day before we left for Hong Kong. It was recommended by Diana's friend and the Crab Porridge is the must-try dish...

 The porridge was full of the crab's sweetness and I like the way they cooked the porridge. The texture is smooth and the not too watery. Although the crab is not easy to eat this way and we skipped the crab meat!

As for sight seeing, nothing much to do in Macau if you're not a casino person. We went to the Ruins of St. Paul early in the morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of the beautifully burnt building. It truly looks as what it promises... beautifully ruined building. 

If you want to read more on the history of the Ruins of St. Paul, click here.

Senado Square is a paved area in the centre of the former Portuguese colony of Macau, enclosed by the buildings of the Leal Senado, the General Post Office, and St. Dominic's Church. The square is paved in the traditional Portuguese pavement.

It is also located just a corner from the Ruins of St. Paul and where we tried Wong Chi Kei's famous Wan Tan (Dumpling) Noodles. They also have a branch in Hong Kong located at Central.
Click here for more info!

If you want to see more delicious mouth-watering photos of their food, click here.

 The noodles was alright, a little too dry for me :P The soup was better with a tinge of ginseng taste.

 We also went to Mount Fortress which is located just next to the Ruins of St. Paul.

 Mount Fortress, built in 1617-26, occupies a hilltop to the east of the ruins of St. Paul′ s. It was constructed by the Jesuits as part of a complex which also included the college and church of St. Paul′ s. The canons were used only once, when the Dutch invaded Macau in 1622. This was also the first residence of the governors of Macau.

 The night view of the luxury Grand Lisboa Hotel + Casino

If you've got the money, try staying at this hotel. The price of the room is amazing!

Check it out here!

Do check out the 360 degrees Virtual tour in their website...

I see alot of casinos along the road...

 We were lured into this restaurant by a woman who is about my grandmother's age but with eyes as smoky as a runway model.

She claimed that if we did not step into her shop, we will be robbed by other restaurants because her price is no doubt the cheapest and the food is the best!

So we stepped in...

 We tried talking to her... but her personality is as scary as her overdone smoky eyes...

 The food... it was yummy!
This plate of sweet + sour pork rice can feed at least 2 person.

The price was certainly reasonable, comparing to the rest we have browsed.

The last day of our stay in Macau, we decided to leave in style...

 Sharksfin rice...

With an abalone!

A word of advice, Macau is not a very huge island. Get some of these guides from any hotel and follow your instinct. It will never go wrong!

Coming up next! 

Disneyland & Madame Tussauds adventure! 

Stay tuned...

Fairy-tale Wedding

On Linh's pre-wedding photoshoot day...

Make-up artist  : Joselyn Lee (myself) *wink*

Hair styling       : Joselyn Lee

Photographer  : Yeh from Wondrous Vision

Woke up at 6am and started our make-up session at about 7am... it was truly a tiring day but a happy one! Seeing her getting married to a wonderful guy... it is truly a blessing!

For me, weddings are always like a fairy tale. Gorgeous bride... happy and handsome groom... lovely memories to last a lifetime... It is also about closing an old existing chapter and opening a new chapter that is full of love, hope and joy. But most importantly is able to spend a meaningful lifetime with that special someone. The one and only soul mate in our life.

It's the wedding season again this time round and I have received never ending invitations to weddings for the past months and the months to come as well. Some people I know are getting married because it is always the 'time' to do so... indeed getting married should be in the agenda, however getting married for the wrong reason is certainly a sad thing to do. Marriage should never be forced. Marriage should indeed not be pressured to happen...

For me... I will only be married when someday my prince appeared in front of me... telling me he wants to be my husband because I am the only woman he feels could complete him and he wants to share the rest of his life next to the one and only who has his heart. His soul mate. His best friend. His love. His woman.

I will melt and most probably slap myself to see if I am dreaming... Haha!

Look at my make-up set! 
Someone said I look like a painter :P

 Linh is looking so radiant and gorgeous... 

 A happy bride indeed :) so sweet....

 Yeh is a fantastic photographer... catch his work at

Wondrous Vision

 Bubbles was there too... 

he sacrificed his sleeping hours to be there for me because I needed him... *muaks*

 Both of us looking very good... although we only slept a mere 2-3 hours!

Colmar Tropicale, Berjaya Hills

One Life; One Joselyn

Change is the most common phenomena in the world. My dad used to say that to me all the time. Although he is not with us anymore, his advice will always be relevant in my life.

Change, I do believe that I need that right now. 

Change, is all I can think of at every second because I have been stagnant for a long time.

Looking at my life, I have everything that people fight very hard for. A job that pays well, a guy who loves me for who I am, a family who provides for me, etc. I am grateful for all and I can say my prayers and thank god for it all. 

And then, I look at my life’s philosophy and there is still something missing. A life that is meant to be lived with passion and love. The passion is still missing at work, causing endless sorrow and unhappiness almost every day. 

‎"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
“Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.”

By Coco Chanel

Posted by Michelle Kong in Facebook

I don’t want to regret anything in life when I leave the world. I want a life that is meaningful, well-lived, happy and passionate. Which only means one thing, I need a change and I need to take my chances. Believing in my own ability and believing I can do it!

One life; One Joselyn. Live life according to yourself and no one else.

Now I sound like our PM :P "Satu Malaysia"....

My first achievement

I always wanted to win a beauty pageant when I was young. My dream was achieved at age 24.

My life was never the same again.

How to live a simpler and happy life?

Life is hard, isn’t it true? Did anyone already pre-warned you before you jump into the realm of reborn?

I bet you wouldn’t have believed them anyway, not unless you have already experienced living life as a human.

For me, I have seen enough, witnessed my share of depression or anxiety outburst from my closest family to friends. Believe me, I rather eat a rat alive than experiencing another anxiety outburst from people I care about. 

First, they tend to be truly obsessive and will not stop thinking or talking about it. Second, they are never at peace thus will have difficulty falling asleep at night. Thirdly, they will start to visualize the worst of the situation and will be too stubborn to let go of their thoughts. It could be a colleague that you hated at work and can’t stop bitching about to every human that is kind enough to listen to you. It could also be the husband that did not live up to your expectation or did something once to disappoint you. It could also be your boss who kept breathing down your neck and won’t stop giving you a hard time at work.

In any situation, there could be nails lying around to keep you on your toes. 

Blame it on the busy city life that is always so fast that you don’t have time to catch up to analyze the good in any situation. Blame it on everyone that speak to you on a bad day to keep you from having a quiet moment to re-examine your day. Blame it on the sun for only rising in the morning and disappearing at night, if the sun stay where it is then you will have more time, right?

Why not, overlook the negative and always keep the sunshine in your heart everyday of your life?

Life will always be imperfect, or rather put it another way… Life will be perfect depending on how we approach life. Do you see the glass half full… or half empty? It is how you CHOOSE to see it.

See it as half full and be happy that you have something in the glass. Appreciate what you already have in life. Be grateful for every person that cared for you or flashed you a smile on your way to work. Keep life simple. More importantly, keep your thoughts simple. Life is simple, it is only human that made life complicated. I have gathered a few easy ways for a simpler and happier life:

1.       Appreciate people who love you, give them a hug everyday

2.       Don’t sweat the small stuffs, smile and be grateful that you’re still alive

3.       Spend a few quiet minutes a day to smell the flowers or observe your surroundings; be grateful that you’re alive

4.       Stay away from people who spread evil-ness, stay with people who are happy and will share a good laugh

5.       Laugh more, play with children or your pet

6.       No matter how busy life is, be sure to spend quality moment with loved ones

7    Spend time with orphans or at the old folks home;  spread compassion

8.       Appreciate nature; learn from our ancestors on how to live a simpler life before our time. If they can do it, why can’t we?

9.       Look into the mirror every morning and night and say to yourself  “I’m so proud of you”

10.   Love yourself; be who you are always!

Life is too short to be lived in misery.
Life is meant to be lived happily. Be happy. Be simple. Be alive.

Knowing myself and loving it!

Today, while surfing blindly on the internet, I found a website that provides quizzes to test your personality and the first one I did was pretty interesting. Why interesting? Hmm... because what it reveals about my personality was almost 90% true.

Check out the website http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

The result:
 

Your view on yourself:

Other people find you very interesting, but you are really hiding your true self. Your friends love you because you are a good listener. They'll probably still love you if you learn to be yourself with them.

 

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

 

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

 

The seriousness of your love:

You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that's why you'll always have admirers hanging off your arms.

 

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

 

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

 

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

 

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

 

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

 What the quiz did not reveal is that I am a person who is true to herself and live life as if there is no tomorrow. Only at times being influenced by negative environment and lost focus, but she will always come back to her life's vision; which is to "Love What I Do & Do What I Love"

I'm numb

No emotion

No pain
No happiness

No shame

Is this depression, I don't know
An evil monster in my shadow

Changing me into someone

I have never seen

Everythings a daze

Each day’s a dream

I can’t run away

It’s impossible to scream

I’m trapped

In someone I don’t even know

Too lost to find myself

Too afraid to show

I could end it all,

Make the drama stop

But to start it all over again?

I don't know how

I’m too afraid of the unknown

What’s on the other side?

Is it worth finding out?

What happens if a part of you died?

So I stay

The numbness appears

There are no emotions

There are no feelings

It’s a world of blank

No pain, No happiness

No real laughter

Am I going insane?

What’s the point anymore?

I’ve got nothing left to give

I can’t stay on like this,

Life is meant to be lived

I promise to try,

I guess I don’t want to die alive,

I know I can do this

I told myself with a sigh

A little story about forgotten love

No matter how many times I read this story, I will experience the same sadness and heartache. This is truly a touching story that teaches all of us to appreciate precious moments with our soulmate. Read on...

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly.

Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again. In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce.

She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request. I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her. On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad.

On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head.

Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your soulmate's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy life with your soulmate!

Perfection in the imperfect world

Everyone have expectations. Most of these people have the expectation to be perfect. Perfection is seen as ideal to the world. The truth is; why is everyone chasing perfection when life is known to be imperfect?

Every product in the market favors marketing and branding because these are the tools to portray perfection to the targeted audience. 

1. The image of the product has to be perfect; with the use of technology, any imperfections can be altered.

2. The positioning of the product has to be perfectly right; with the use of the right marketing strategy and tools, it will target the perfect audience. 

3. The awareness of the product has to be perfectly in lined with the launching date; the PR people have to brush with the right channels and of course, the right people too.

The generation of branding; the building block of all brands

So now the product is perfectly launched to the market and people are buying. Analysis will be carried out to monitor the imperfections and areas for improvements. Sales are being compared to competition. Every single product in the market is aiming to rise above competition in ranking and sales. Nothing is perfect yet until it is sitting comfortably at the number one spot in ranking and hitting sales target after target. Ideally, in these situations, it is already perfect.

But what more can be super-perfect when you are already perfect? 

Don't forget that thousands and millions of new products are being launched all over the world and people are learning from one another to do just another great launch and branding. 

Competitions are never ending, thus the fight to stay on the top spot is never easy. Everyone is trapped in the same never ending cycle.

Being #1 FOREVER

Ideally, it helps to stay as an optimist and try as hard as possible to remain enthusiastic and hope to be able to continue working for perfection. However, chasing a never ending cycle is never easy. In this case, the chase includes expectations to always stay above competition is even harder.

So, the question would be “Are you game for the chase of perfection?”

FYI:

The product above could be anything; including people, fashion, technology, entertainment, etc

Paris Hilton is the perfect example of branding; the rich gal who earns her fame through self-branding

so when is your turn?