Welcome Stefanie!

Ms Wannabee wishes to welcome Ms Stefanie (with an 'f') Chuah another new reader to her blog.

Gosh! First Sek Hin and now you.... I am honoured of course but with more editorial people looking into this, it gets more daunting!! I have to check my grammar and spelling and make sure all t's are crossed and i's are dotted.

Oh well....this blog is purely for entertainment and of no scientific and commercial value (compared to your kind of writing). Therefore, please close one eye to any editorial inperfections and just enjoy my personal musings on mundane matters....

Happy reading!

Whaisee's Wedding Dinner

I left HK on Sat afternoon and dashed off to Whaisee's wedding banquet in the evening at PJ Hilton. It was quite a mad hurry, arrived home from the airport at 6.30, got ready within one hour and by 7.30 dashed off again and arrived just in time for the wedding couple to make their grand entrance.

But before that, there was a moment of panic when I could not find my car key, apparently my parents drove it to Kuantan for the weekend but luckily there was another car under the porch. Thanks to my bro's C200 Merc, with its single digit plate-number (which I later nonchalantly passed to the valet. I also can’t help but noticed the covert glances from people at the lobby...wink, wink....ooohhh i soo loved that moment!)

To compliment the car that I drove, I also looked HOT (even if I say so myself) in the black Club Monaco Monroe style LBD that showed lots of skin and cleavage (Karen will be envious if she were to see me that evening) but still managed to be demurely covered with the black shawl paid by my beloved buddy (thank you gift I supposed....but thanks so much!) at the airport shop.

Okay back to the wedding (being so full of myself again....), this is the final wedding for the Lee family. My dear (ex) housemate cum tuan-rumah when in HK, Whaisee Loong (as she is now should be known as) finally had her wedding reception.

After nearly a year of hearing the moans and groans (I mean the non-sexual type). More to do with frustrations of having to deal with too many debates and suggestions of interfering well-intentioned family members and new-in-laws which I guess are the normal pre-wedding dramas and rites of passage that one has to go through if one gets married. Especially if this is to be the first wedding in the groom's family and also, when the groom is the only son!

And it finally happened. Phew!!! Finally.....What a relief.....I am sure not only to the beautiful and radiant looking bride and groom, but also the close circle of friends that constantly have to hear the abovementioned complaints, moans and groans. WHAT A BIG RELIEF!!!!!!!!!! I also like the short but meaningful speech given by WC’s eldest brother. Quite touching….but that’s always the case with weddings….

Alas, it was a beautiful wedding... as any wedding ceremony should be.....any behind-the scenes dramas or hiccups could not be avoided but as long as everything went well and all guests left home fully-fed and happy and the anticipated angpows poured in, that's ALL THE MATTERS.....

(I wondered if the total angpow collection broke even the whole cost but I was too polite to ask).

Everybody left with smiles and thanks. Even yours truly...though tired that she was, left home happy....

Congratulations to Whaisee and Sze Peng!!!!!!

Service with a smile at the airports....with a few exceptions..

This is the something exciting that I wanted to write about earlier....

Okay, okay....you must be thinking what is sooo exciting about that??? Actually, it was something to be amused about. Okay, if you are a regular traveller and keen observer like err....eerrr......yours truly (imagine my gleeful smirk here), one will see this typical scenario:

When the plane lands, ....upon exiting the aircraft, most of the flight attendants will stand at the door and will wish goodbyes and thank you's as you leave the plane. Then at the first arrival door, another group of airport personnel holding flight transfer notices or those meet & greet cards with the traveller?s name and flight number. Everybody greets you with a smile.

If you are not sure where you are going to, you approach the Enquiry Desk and as expected, again the smiles and friendly hospitality. You will see smiles on most of the front liners' faces except on these small groups of airport personnel......

- Janitors/ airport cleaners. They are mostly quiet and surly....can't blame them though....who can be cheerful doing what they are doing for a living? Though one country is an exception. I met friendly and cheerful airport cleaners in Japan. But then again...this country is known for their politeness and kind hospitality. Even when they are being rude or unhelpful, they are still polite to you. But I was amaze with the Japs. One of my most memorable travel scenes was seeing the airport ground staff happily bowing, smiling and waving off to each aircraft that slowly reverse from its gate prior to take off. Being the passenger in that aircraft, I must say that was a very nice feeling and even though they cannot see you, one can't help but wave back at them. Imagine they do this every day for every aircraft that leaves. Amazing isn't it????

I was most impressed and for a few second, the Ms Wannabee in me saw myself being the a Queen or a First Lady, leaving a country after a successful official tour on that country and I did that 'WAVE'....

- Okay back to the janitors and airport cleaners.....the ones in China seems very serious about their jobs, the ones in Changi look like overworked senior citizen (that should be enjoying retirement rather than still working). It makes one feel guilty and sad for them because where I came from...these people who look like elderly relatives and grandparents should be sitting at home not slaving away washing public toilets. So sad....

The ones in KLIA are varied in age and usually sits in a corner waiting for you to finish-off your business while busy 'sms'ing on their mobiles or gossiping with each other... and the ones in Heathrow will be speaking in the kinds of English that made you wonder if you are really in England after all......Blimey...

The next unsmiling group:

- Security personnels......okay this goes without saying. Sometimes they are accompanied by scary looking canines and always made me shudder especially if I happened to bring frozen beef or chicken rendang with me at that time.

Finally, the group that is the highlight of this topic....the fearful Immigration Officers........

I often wondered if one of the requisites of being an Immigration Officer at the airport entails that each officer has to look serious and mean. Or, maybe they have to go through some training class for this.....Not mean in a bad way but mean...in a chilling, serious, 'I better like your look', 'don't piss me off' way.... and as you wait for that person to go through your passport and finally give you that chop or stamp your arrival date into that country and how long you are permitted into that country.....don't you realised that for that particular few minutes....the fate of your whole journey depends on that Immigration Officer!

Sometimes they are sooo deep in thoughts while browsing through your passport, sometimes they took such a long time to scrutinise the message on the screen and the information on your passport with the ones that you wrote on your Disembarkation Card (arrival card), there were never eye contacts unless they asked you some extra questions and I supposed, the next worst thing is when they called another officer to look into your passport while you stood on the other side of the glass wall, trying to look patient and pleasant (while inside churning with dread, trying to figure out what is wrong), holding your breath, waiting for your fate......

Do you realise that this person has the power to change your whole perspective of the country, especially if that is the first time you arrive in that particular country. This person can either make or break your holiday. He can approve you to enter that country OR, on the other hand, if something is not ?right? in his or her eyes....he will squash all your travel plans and deny your entry into that country. There goes that holiday, there goes that business deal that will be signed during this trip, there goes that meeting or conference that you will missed, there goes that visa-on-arrival that you hope to get .......This has not happened to me before and hopefully will not ever happen as long s I do my homework prior to travelling.... But unfortunately, it has happened to some unlucky people I know.

Nevertheless.....I realised that each time my turn came for my passport to be stamped, I always wait with bated breath, try to look pleasant as that officer flick his/her eyes when comparing my passport photo with my present look and I never, ever, ever forget to say 'thank you' after my passport is handed back to me. Oh...I also make sure that I write every information on my Arrival Card clearly and neatly. We don't want to cause unnecessary inconvenience or annoyance to them with illegible handwriting, do we?

In China, there is a small device at each Immigration counter. The device is a service-measurement system, there are 5 buttons to press......numbered from 1 to 5.
On that scale of 1 to 5, you are to merit the level of service given to you by that Immigration Officer with 1 for 'not happy' and 5 for 'very happy and satisfied'.

Being the kind hearted, polite girl that I am.....I always pressed button number 5 :)-

Those who always will be....

I got this poem from somewhere have scribbled it on my notebook....can't remember when or where I took it but it struck a chord somewhere....

There comes a point in your life when you realise...
who matters,
who never did,
who wont be
and who always will
So don't you worry about people from your past
There is a reason why they didn't make it to your future........

There are some individuals in your life that matters....sometimes you thought these [people will matter for a long time but situations change....and surprisingly, they fade in time. Then...just like the sand that washes to the shore with the next wave......there are others that matters. I totally relate to that 'who never did, who wont be and who always will....'

Nothing is permanent. But as long as these friends don't piss me off, don't take my friendship for granted and betray my trust, I think I will give my support AS BEST AS I COULD no matter where we are, where we will be and who we are with....

I am here again in HK trying to give some physical or moral support to my buddy who is currently not so well....
However, he's okay now and whether I have helped or not....I don't think so. I think he's okay now...being his old no-nonsense self, moving up and about (when he shouldn't be) and smoking like a chimney as he'll always be. The pain is there....he's trying to be macho about it....but like it or not, I'm being a pest here with my mom-like nagging. But hey! I'm still a companion, like it or not :)-

At the same time, it's good to use this opportunity to catch up with other friends. It was free ticket after all, and the lodging is free....and so, here I am and will be for the next few days till I go back home again.

Till then....I have another new topic coming up which I will write about, very soon. So, stay tune to Ms Wannabee agAIN....

Hari Raya Family Reunion & Penang....

My biggest and main weakness....procastination...took hold of me again and I kept on postponing updating this blog. Not for the lack of things to write about but I was just plain lazy! No other reasons....this laziness is not doing any good at all....have been sleeping more, working less and you can see that from my continuously tickening waistline and chubby face.....urgh...nevertheless, I'm still hot! (hahah!!!)

Okay, the fasting month came and went...there was that trip to Seoul, back to HK and Xian...a superb trip and big success if I may say so myself. After that, after 2 years... its back to ramadhan at home and a big raya do with my beloved family.

After more than 10 years of partial get togethers, it was full house this time. My parents finally managed to have all the 3 sons with respective daughter in-laws, daughter (still no husband), all the 7 grandsons and 1 grand-daughter for a get-together on the first day of Hari Raya. What a joyous, happy and (not to mention very noisy) occasion it was....

I contributed my part this time. yeah...it was good to have everybody under one roof. However, as much as I love my family, I still need my own time. I've was the good daughter, sister and aunty for that week and with that done and over with, I managed to slip off to Penang for a few days of frenzied eating and pampering with my 2 close buddies.

What a gastronomic trip it was....Thanks also to Azmer and Allen for showing more good places to eat. Gurney Drive was no exception of course....we went there in pouring rain and yet still managed to eat to our hearts content. Nasi kandar, nasi padang, Sawtow Lane and Penang Road ice kachang and cendols and of course, to satisfy Karen's craving, durian on the way to Balik Pulau.

Apart from eating, it was also a self-indulgent trip for 3 of us. We ate, we went to spas, we have scrubs and massages from hotel spas to beach-side massages....and the hotel...it was a marathon of luxurious hotels. I wanted to try different experiences and the 4 nights were spent at the swanky boutique G Hotel, luxurious Rasa Sayang with a bathtub in the balcony and the elegant E&O hotel with our own 'butler'...wow!!!!!! I WAS SOOOO BORN FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

After the 'high' of the past week, Ms Wannabee is slowly coming down back to earth ......

Again and again ...

I reread the contents on my previous posts and realised that I have been writing about this 're-adjustment' process over and over again. Sorry if there were too many reference to it...though I did say it was no big deal but come to think of it again, I supposed I have been harping at nothing else but this topic since coming back . Okay, that's it! No more!!!!

The re-adjustment topic is now closed and from now on I shall not touch on this topic again.

Till then, Ms Wannabee will move on with her life....

Sorry for the long silence...

Where has Ms Wannabee disappeared to??????

I know, I know…everybody has been asking that question…so sorry…I just did not have the time nor the inclination to write. The first excuse was no laptop/computer/Internet access at home but that is no longer the case….

Then next excuse and most major was the lack of inspiration….I lost interest…must be due to hectic schedules, and also that ‘not in the mood’ feeling…re-adjusting life back home is harder than expected…physically and emotionally.

Of course it is much easier here, I have the luxuries of living in a bigger space, no bills to pay, don’t have to take public transportation, there’s always home-cooked food and yet…there is this feeling of disquiet…it is just not the same.....

I missed my freedom, my singleton freedom....

I am not married and yet…the commitments, filial duties…..it may not make sense…but those who knows me and my way of life here will probably understand what I am going through…..I just return from HK again a couple of weeks ago and I realized that my life is vastly different ….I loved my single life away from home …but here….I just don’t feel like a single girl.

Oh anyway…I’m not going to dwell too much into this. Thanks to the support and understanding of my close friends…they help me to stay sane and cheerful.

The ‘pep-talk’ always helps and I just have to pull my chin up, move on and make the best of this situation….And...if push comes to shove...if things are really bad...I'll just take a few days off and fly off again. Yes...that's going to be my way of distressing myself.

Thank you my dearest friends...

You’ll hear more of me soon again….Au revior!

PS: Ms Wannabee also wishes to welcome another new reader to her small and modest fan club…Welcome Mel!!!