Another suitcase in another hall?

Its a rainy Sunday afternoon here in Brussels.

I am sitting in my living room here, with 4 open suitcases in the hallway, and trying to sort out my clothes and come to some order to how I organise my wardrobe. With the frequent travelling, I have now resorted to shifting from one suitcase to another, and then some more of my clothes are still hanging out to dry on the clothes dryer. You may ask - why so many suitcases? well, I have been commuting almost on a weekly basis between London and Brussels. While I am trying to keep my stuff to the minimum in my London flat, still there are many `extra' sets of materials which I have no use of here in Brussels, and of which I am slowly bringing over to adorn my almost empty London flat. These go along of those placemats, throw for the sofa, etc. I just don't see the point of why I should spend my funds in getting another new set in London, when it is just a temporary accommodation for those days when I am there. It helps to declutter around my Brussels apartment as well, so why not?

Second suitcase is a larger case, which carried my belongings for my last trip to Malaysia and China. Going on a longer trip usually requires more items to be carried, and a larger case also allows more shopping to be done and carried back. I do find that of late, I am buying less and less stuff from Asia to carry back, guess I am now much more settled in here, and basically either learnt to live without some stuff, or already acquired the knowledge of where to find those items (particularly food items) if so needed.

Third + fourth suitcases are more of the "changing of the season", and of which the in-between-season/sizes/I-can't-decide-if-I-still-want-them clothes. I just stuffed them all into these suitcases, and hopefully one day soon, I would know what I am to do with them. periodically, as of now, I am trying to see what are some of the clothes which i could perhaps give away.

In conclusion, I definitely have too many clothes and too many shoes. Travelling all the time is a way of life for me now and that is certainly adding to all this massive clutter. I really wished for those good old days when I am more `grounded", and my life is not shifting from one place to another. I guess basically I am a pretty homely person, and would be happy to just be in my cosy little apartment, with a good company or two.... someday soon, I hope to have my own little cottage in the countryside and a place called home, and no more travelling !

Epilogue to "A Night when there was almost no tomorrow"

(earlier unpublished post, just dug out from the draft archives)

A friend of mine has reminded me that I never went on to close off the earlier blog entry regarding my anaphylactic shock (I.e. Severe allergic reaction in lay man's language) and it was left hanging. So I will attempt to do that now.

.....

To continue from where I left off, after spending 2 days and 2 nights in the ICU , I was removed to a normal patients ward. At that time the seriousness of my attack had passed, and after 2 days of being hooked up to the machines, pumped with steroids to bring down the inflammation, plugged in to a breathing tube supplying me with oxygen and a saline drip, I was happily wheeled down to a sunny room, but still attached to the oxygen and drip.

It was also at this point in time when it was discovered that I had unfortunately developed a bad bed sore, and the wound was seriously infected due to my lying down on the bed all the time in the ICU. this was, of course, treated over the next few days. I have never had a wound that i can't see or touch (since it was in my lower back), but which hurts a lot.

Interestingly as well, my kidneys decided not to work at this time, or in my doctor's words "your kidneys have forgotten their function". This was worrying as during the anaphylactic shock, the internal organs were impacted and some of these were just invisible but only when there are symptoms, then only we will know. As mentioned before, this is not surprising since the airways were shutting down, the heart was beating at an accelerated pace that a cardiac arrest was a certain risk, so other reactions from other organs were to be expected. Fortunately, after 3 days or so, my kidneys regained its `memory' and went back into normal function, which was a great relief!

After I was discharged from the hospital a week later, I wasn't allowed to go back to work for another 2 weeks or so. Mainly as my immune system has been severely affected, the doctors were worried that I might be too vulnerable to be mixing back with people and will have a high risk of exposure to infections, hence i had to be kept in isolation, and homebound. I also had to be very very careful with my food intake, particularly as I was deemed as already sensitised to the allergens which brought on this infection. I became a temporary vegetarian for those weeks then, since I was too afraid to be eating the `normal' food, in case of any cross contamination, or any hidden ingredients which may contained any of those seafood elements which I am allergic to.

Since then, I have become very careful on what I consume, and will always indicate during order taking that I am allergic to seafood, and that the restaurant be careful on their food preparation, plus to confirm if the food i am ordering is considered a `safe' option.

Life is fragile, but I am really thankful that I have escaped death's door and lived to tell the tale. Life is meant to be lived - what happened next had been a whirlwind - which was the opportunity to relocate to Europe, and heralded a whole new adventure altogether, of which is still ongoing as we speak.

We may never know whats round the corner

(this blog entry was on 19th July, right after the crash of MH17, but have not published it then)

It is with great shock and sadness to learn about the tragic events of MH17.

It is also particularly surreal, as this is usually the flight that I would normally take, when I am going home to Malaysia. In fact, my parents took the exact flight 1 month ago, after their trip to Europe to visit me.

Life is certainly very uncertain. You can buy the best insurance policy that is available, ensure you check every single detail of your journey, properly look left and right before crossing the road, and yet, sometimes, life can deal a fatal twist, and suddenly a stray bullet appearing from nowhere guns you down.

I have always appreciate the fact that life is simply too precious and fragile to allow it to just pass like that. I will cherish those around me, but unfortunately this is not always a sentiment of those around me.

You may ask me if I know anyone personally on board the fated aircraft. Honestly, I don’t think I do, although I probably can only confirm once I see the passenger manifesto. However, no matter of whether I do or not, the fact remains that this event has deeply touched the core of my being. I feel so saddened, and so disturbed. Being a patriotic Malaysian, I feel the pain of my fellow Malaysians that once again we have a mishap with our national carrier. I know we are the butt of jokes of many all over the whole, over the disappearance of MH370, and how it was not properly media handled. However, I do not think anyone in Malaysia should be blamed for this tragic event, as everything was according to plan, everything was in compliance, there was nothing fishy or dodgy at all, and yet, MH17 was shot down from the sky, poof, just like that. I can only say that MH17 was very unfortunate and happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

My heartfelt condolences go out to all the grieving families, relatives and friends of passengers of the fated airplane. I pray that courage, strength and fortitude for them in this hour of duress. For the rest of the Malaysians, let’s unite in this time of national grief and not be bickering over the political squabbles or racial tension. For the rest of the world, support and patience are really what you can provide in this difficult times, and be sensitive to the needs of the grieving families, and not make this as a cause of a joke. Losing a loved one is of unimaginable pain, but to lose someone so tragically, is beyond unimagible.

A sprint back into the past few months

So what did happen in the months that I didn’t come around to blog about?
I will now attempt to take a sprint flashback to record the key highlights of my first year, hence will start from the 5th month onwards till my anniversary. At least that would encapsulate all the things that I want to be reminded of, later on this life.

5th Month (July’13)
• Had my first birthday in Belgium – received a nice bunch of flowers from a colleague (and boss, few months later)
• Over here, you are expected to buy a cake and bring to office for all during your birthday, for people to celebrate with you. This is the total opposite – as back home, you are feted like a Princess, and you don’t have to pay anything at all during your golden day
• The frenzy of summer’s sales! There are only 2 sales period/months in Belgium, and people here really take advantage of that, and keep their money till then!
• Went to Antwerp with friends on first of many `shopping’/`girls only’ outings
• My first taste of Summer aperos ! – which is basically : do nothing but gather after work to have a drink and enjoy the sun

6th Month (Aug’13)
• had my first taste of the European summer holidays in the office – nearly everyone is gone! Office is always half empty. Our Italian office officially close down for 1 month. How’s that for Asia?
• Booked my last minute holiday too – to Montpellier for a weeklong French study cum holiday. People thought I was crazy to be studying during summer….
• Montpellier – stayed with a host family for an immersion experience. Verdict : I think I am too old for this kind of stuff…plus my French at that time was very atrociously limited, and they don’t speak any other language at all except French…so…. It gets rather challenging sometimes. While it was a memorable experience, I would definitely not do it again. Next time I’d just book a hotel. 
• Intensive French class in Montpellier – helped to kick start my study of the difficult language called French again.

7th Month (Sept’13)
• Started my lessons in CCLM for French – and my week is no longer the same. Every Tues and Thurs, from this point onwards, I spend them in class
• Saying good bye to a dear sweet friend – who left after her rotation in Belgium ended.
• Hosting my bestie from primary school, L and D, her other half!! We had a fun time going on beer tours, and checking out some of the attractions in town
• Collected my new car- yippee – a Mercedes beauty 

8th Month (Oct’13)
• Brussels marathon! Ok, so it was only 4km, but it was a fun activity to be doing. I went with a friend, and the joke of it all is that our anonymous `pacer’ is that of an old lady (who looks 80ish), and we were so slow that we were on a mission to always stay ahead of her. But sometimes when she catches up, which made we having to sprint again. Her consistency and persistence is very admirable!! Way to go girl!
• Went back home for my brother Rich’s wedding – all the galore, jazz and the descend of all relatives near and far! Had a fabulous time! Of course, waist expanding as well – who could helped it with all the good feast around.

9th Month (Nov’13)
• Rushed back in time to fly over to Florence, Italy for a conference
• Had the opportunity to experience a long long Italian dinner – and pasta is only a starters! Too much meat for my liking though, and surprisingly they don’t eat tiramisu for dessert, I wonder why ?
• Crazy month at work as we rushed to prepare a campaign
• Trying time at work as well with changes to the team, and the new boss, and pressures to conform
• Sent my car to change to winter tires – yeah, winter, I am now ready for you, bring it on!

10th Month (Dec’13)
• Things are winding down at work generally but for the campaign, it was the most critical time, hence it was not such a relaxing time for me
• People are leaving on holidays! Leaving me working alone in the office !
• Lesson learnt – next year, I want to leave early too, so I shall plan my leave early
• I was hoping for an invite to spend a white Christmas somewhere, which would be my dream, but alas, in the end, this didn’t happen. No invites came, and there was also no snow – so with disappointment, I headed home for the holidays

11th Month (Jan’13)
• Sales time again! Woohoo….
• Temperatures dipped and it was getting colder, but…there was still no snow…
• Started the year by revisiting my bucket list – I have managed to scratch off some in the last year (yeah!! Sense of accomplishment ), but there are still many more to go. Some, I am coming to realize, would probably never happen in this life, and wonder should I still keep them, or just delete? Oh well… let’s see…
• Celebrated Chinese new year on the 1st day, with sushi for lunch. Delicious! Happy to have found a sushi place in town, that serves sushis which are fresh and yet with an affordable price. Arigato gozaimasu!
• Also used the occasion to introduce friends to steamboat 

1 year anniversary (18th Feb’14)
• Again…no snow during winter? is it even possible?
• Celebrating my 1 year anniversary in Belgium – I made it!
• However it was a double whammy month – after a few weeks of uncertainty, I finally confirm that I will be moving on to another team, and also, the month ended with the heartbreak of realizing that what I thought to be, just wasn’t going to be.

Nearly 11 months have passed....

...since my last blog entry!!

Not that nothing exciting has been happening, in fact it was the contrary. However, me being me, I am always so lazy to be thinking of what to say, and write in my blog, and the ideas are quite a few. And then I will be bitten by the lazy bug again, plus be so embroiled with the rest of the activities of the week that I hardly have the chance to be sitting behind my laptop at home.

I suppose I could be more laissez-faire about all this, and just write and shoot ahead. Sometimes I believe I do think too much, cos end of the day, I think I only have at most 2 readers (and you know who you are!!). No one else really reads this blog..hahah...

I have thought about closing this blog down, but then felt that whatever entries for the past years would then be lost, and that would really be a shame. After all, all these blog entries, while not my diaries but they do chronicle how I have been living my life, snippets of it here and there. I do think I might be able to look back all these scarce entries with much joy and sweet reminiscence, when I am an old lady rocking in a chair, waiting for the sunset in an old folks home.

So, I will keep on writing/blogging as much as I can - and try to preserve these whimsicals, and whatnots of my life for the `older me' in future.

The night when there was almost no tomorrow....Part 2

After what seemed like hours (which in actual fact, I think it was only an hour), seemed that the heaviness had passed and when I opened my eyes, the world looked colourful once again. Phew!

However, when the nurse came to ask for my identity card, i realised that my fingers were all so swollen probably due to edema, that I had trouble unzipping my handbag. I passed the whole bag to her, and just told her that I trusted her to just take whatever she needs for registration(which she did) before passing back my bag. Aside the itchiness caused by a body full of red furious looking weals, and the swollen fingers, I felt better than earlier, and I thought to myself, this probably would be just a night's stay in the ward, for the swelling to subside. In the midst of this all, while lying on the stretcher bed in the ER, I called the first couple of numbers on my phone, on the redial screen (those I called earlier that day)...one was to a colleague to inform the company, another to my brother. Couldnt really text anyone or call anyone else as my big swollen fingers cannot be sensed by my touchscreen phone... the irony of having the latest touchscreen...but yet it was not sensitive enough to recognize the attempts from swollen unfeeling fingers!

Nonetheless when the physician came, she arranged for me to be sent to the ICU ward. Naively, I started to protest. I mean, do I really need to be there? thats for very serious cases! But she insisted and I ended up being wheeled up to this secluded area, which was cordoned off with high security (i.e. you need to ring a bell for someone inside to open the steel doors for you). I was put in a bed, and then they hooked me up on some machines - to monitor my heart rate, my blood oxygen (oh yeah, I was put on the oxygen tube as well), etc, and a saline drip as well. Too tired by then to argue with the doctor, and I couldnt understand still why the ICU? Anyhow, I only realised how serious my condition was, when -
1) during the doctor's examination, I couldnt take any deep breathe without choking away and coughing incessantly
2) I was given one small white pill to swallow (i.e. montelukast), but it was oh so painful to swallow that tiny little pill...
Then only it dawned to me that internally, my airways are probably badly swollen as well! and that started to get me worried...

That night, I was put on the nebuliser - and pumped with all the inhaled corticosteroids available - from ventolin to pulmicort and a couple more. Every couple of hours, the nurse would come and check my blood pressure. And the various machines in the ICU, plus the nurses's station just in front meant that there were always people around me all the time, really didnt help me to get any rest. In the middle of the night, I also needed to go pee, and called the nurse. A group came in! But they would not allow me to get down from the bed to get to the toilet...so they wheeled in a portable toilet. Then they all waited for me to pee....how does one pee when the `whole world" (in this case, 3 nurses) is watching you?? I started to complain, and so they left me for a while...thank god!

The night when there was almost no tomorrow....Part 1

I have often being asked of what really happened when I mentioned I have had a bad allergic attack previously. Thought I'd better start writing that before memories start to fade, since it had been such a significant event in my life. And no, till now, though it happened last year, my memories on this had surprisingly been very intact and I remember every detail vividly....so...flashback.... 13 months ago....

One night in mid July 2012.. I went for dinner with bella after having an extremely tough and emotional day at work. I ordered a very commonly available seafood noodle soup, which wasnt spectacular and didint taste nice but I finished it off nevertheless. In the midst of dinner, I started to get discomfort in the stomach, with a growing bloated feeling, and hence, ended dinner early to go home. Thats when things started going weird. I felt flushed when I reached home, and then started to feel itchy here and there. Thought to myself, its probably my usual reaction to food, nothing to worry myself about. then the "avalanche" started...
* Felt itch starting from the base of my feet and moving up quickly like a swarm of ants climbing up my legs..
* weals started appearing on my legs, and trunk...
* my face looked very red and flushed
* my eyes looked bloodshot..which was scary
Thats when I decided to drive to the nearby clinic, and then another scary symptom - I started to get blurred and distorted vision. I thanked my lucky stars that night that I was able to get my friend staying upstairs my apartment to fetch me to the hospital on time!

I could barely walked straight when I got to the ER dept, and the scariest part was that my vision had by then lost all elements of colours, and suddenly what I could see was just black and white (like those days of black and white TV). Everything felt so surreal..I remember being directed to the treatment room, and thats what i could feel the slow motion of me falling to the ground as my brain and my limb motions seemed to have become disconnected...and it was at this moment, that a question suddenly hit me...."Is this...it (i.e. the end)?? as I felt darkness was about to engulf me, and I was about to lose consciousness..

No! I hear an inner voice telling me firmly..."don't give in..this shouldn't be `it'...this isnt my time yet"... I willed myself not to give in and to continue to fight...the main thing at that time was that I didnt want to lose consciousness, and hence fought to stay conscious and awake... as a part of me was really afraid that should I become unconscious, what if i don't wake up anymore??... I then remembered being helped up from the floor and then put on the hospital bed...all this time I had my eyes closed as it was really difficult to see properly and it was really exhausting... a flurried of activities as the medics started giving me injections and setting up IV lines...the beeping of the machines in ER, always a sound in the background..

What keeps me awake at night

Its 2.25am.. nursing a nagging toothache, and having panic attacks that are keeping me from a good night of slumber...

Both are inter-related... as I have not yet started to use the healthcare system here in Brussels, I still have to figure out how to get an appointment at the dentist. Googling for an English speaking one is the first step, and of which I have already done so, but having yet to receive my health insurance card, am not sure whether I am eligible to see the dentist yet, hence the many questions in my mind.

Of course the fact that i need to see a dentist also would mean that I might have to have some treatments to alleviate the pain/situation, and where I will need to consume painkillers. And thats where the 2nd bit is related.

Am allergic to a number of common painkillers available, making me highly susceptible for an allergic reaction, or having to endure without the painkillers. what worries me most would be more of going into an unexpected allergic reaction, as severe as my last experience. And this now in this strange new land of Belgium, where I am away from my family and die-hard friends.

I know now I have a few names of new friends here that I have already alerted them to this, and whom I can (I hope) call during emergencies to bring me to the hospital, if not an ambulance, but the issue now is that in case I collapsed, would I still be able to list them as emergency contacts for the hospital? That would involve more responsibilities from them, and would they be ok?  Would they know who to call e.g. my family back home etc? would they be there as well in the first place - this unfortunately I do not have the confidence, given that they are only starting to know me, and whatever friendship/relationship we have are not that deep..would they even care enough to want to be bothered or inconvenienced?  how much would people be willing to do for you, when they know you less than 5 months? is time the real measure of friendship, or does the depth of the friendship matters in this instance ?

So as not to paint them unfavourably, let me qualify by saying that they are good and kind people. I just am not sure of the level of inconvenience they would put themselves through on my behalf, whether they care enough about me. Given the different cultural background, I really do not know what to expect. And that scares me.

Suddenly after 5 months, I feel very alone. I miss my family and my diehard friends. I miss the assurance and confidence I would have had if I were back home...

Guess there is only one thing I can do...to have more faith, in the new friends I've made... to believe in the goodness of people and faith that they would help when the time comes.

Faith -  according to the dictionary means "to have full confidence and belief without evidence in supporting"... sounds very unscientific, which explains why its difficult for someone like me, who is facts and science-driven. But at the close of tonight, and to apply to my new life here, faith would be something I need to pull upon when the inevitable happens... and just pray for the best...


 

The 4th Month in a nutshell

* finally went on a business trip to Milan
* extended the trip for a short break to Lake Como (woohoo!)
* had to surrender my driving license in exchange for a Belgian license = no driving allowed this month :(
* learnt to take public transportation to work : metro-train-shuttle bus = ~1.5 hours
* weather has turned real nice with sunny days :)
* found the Parc du Woluwe, and started to go for a run after work these days. loads of greeneries, really lovely!
* stumbled upon nude cyclists one fine Saturday afternoon in Brussels - created a lot of furore and remarks from friends when I posted on FB. Man, are we such country bumpkins that a bit of nudity is such a big talking matter! :D
* stress increases at work - resolve to go to run in the parc more! will waitlist gym membership for autumn onwards when the weather get cold

Last one standing?

(This was an old unpublished post - written 2 years ago- sometime in late May 2011)

I should be working. Its `that time of the year' again (for those uninitiated, its `brand plans' period).

However, this evening, saw a post on facebook and found out that one of my ex has just gotten married a few days ago and somehow that kinda impacted my evening.

Not that I still harbour any feelings for him. It was like really eons and eons of years ago! He is not in my immediate circle of friends anymore and in between the years, we have but met up only a few times, probably still countable with the fingers of one hand.

However, I still can't explain this strange and weird feeling that I am having. No, I don't know the bride and no, am also not jealous. I am just trying to decipher and analyse this weird potpouri of feelings that I am having.

Its a sense of loss somewhere, but wait, hold on, what `loss' am I actually referring to? when I don't `have' whatever it is to `lose'? Perhaps its the feeling of being the last one who is still `standing' in the land of singlehood, while everyone else seems to be entering matrimony by now... how fate and destiny and bad choices of men I've made in this life had collided and now this is my path...

Certainly not Vidal Sassoon

Today I finally mustered up the courage and walked into a neighbourhood hair saloon for a hair cut. Been postponing this for quite a while, making it not high up on my priority list. However as i would be going for a big meeting next week, having messy hair wouldnt really do much to help my professional image, so its now a matter of `when push comes to shove', which finally saw me out of the door to look for the next Vidal Sassoon.

Till now i don't really know the name of the saloon! anyway, I guess purple being my favourite colour, I was attracted by their exterior enough to want to walk in. And was very pleasantly surprised when the hairstylist, a young lady can actually speak English to me.

So, it began one of my bizarre hair cutting experience! I was asked to stand when she was trimming my hair! and this went on for a good 10-15 minutes... before I was finally allowed to sit. When she was done with layering my hair, she asked me if I wanted mousse, which I said `yes' and the next thing is, she pumped out a whole big glob onto a towel and proceeded to spoon off these to a comb and actually combed through my whole head! i think I have never used so much mousse before..

At the end of it, the price of the total hair do - 53 Euros! which I think is pretty expensive since I know a colleague of mine does her usual haircut at only 25 Euros...and I asked the lady..her answer, `yeah, but you agreed to use the good shampoo..and you wanted a conditioner..and then also the mousse"...waah..that means that every little bit of material used on my hair is at a cost to me, welcome to Belgium!

And how was the look? honestly, I think nothing much as changed..she just trimmed 1-2 cm off the length..my hair still looks very much pretty similar as before, only probably tidier.

This clearly ain't Vidal Sassoon...

To Brussels, to Brussels, I am finally there!

I moved over to cold and clammy Brussels one day in mid February 2013. Had meant to write all about my horrendous experience getting all the paperwork sorted and done but ..never got around to do that. Had also meant to write about all the new experiences of my new life here in the first few weeks, but..also never got around to doing that! so, how do I then quickly sum up in a nutshell then? here's my attempt:-

My move : KL to Brussels was on 17th Feb 2013

First Month -
* had the shock of my life when I was handed keys to a car to drive back from the office, on the 1st day of work! it was snowing, and the driver's seat is on the other side...
* got sick on the 1st day of work as well - probably too stressful the days before leaving warm sunny Malaysia
* learnt to drive in the snow ! it was still snowing in Feb. First day driving on my own, banged my other side mirror on a stationery truck. Lost the outer casing of the mirror..it was never replaced..
* asked for snow tires and never got it - cos was told that come March, the winter snow would be over (but it didnt!)
* learnt to start and be more vocal at work - not always the easiest when others speak faster and louder! and they are native English speakers to start with.
* stayed at flat rented by the company - was on a duplex, with the living/dining/kitchen on the basement, and only the bedroom on the ground floor. So, literally i was living in the basement. This went on for 2 months. Damn and cold, not sure if its the apartment or the weather!
* still converting Euros to Ringgit, and feeling really poor *hic* (salary not yet paid yet till end month)
* surviving on the maggi mee I brought over, and also started to buy other brands of instant noodles from the little shop in `Chinatown"
* starting to realise that my cooking skills had deteriorated tremendously, and feel that my cooking sucks..oh well, need to quickly warm up again and refind my cooking skills, else how to survive?
* started my registration at Etterbeek commune (my temp flat) as my visa is only valid for 8 days upon arrival ! need to stay legal!
* attended the Singaporean assoc's Chinese new year do, and made some new friends
* didnt attend the Malaysian assoc's Chinese new year do, as down with a bad cold

2nd Month 
* it continued to snow into whole of March (lesson: weatherman is not always right!)
* after being taken around by the relocation agent to view >20 units, finally found my home! hurray!
* started to plan for my move, and visiting Ikea, which is some distance away...
* getting more confident with my driving, but still avoiding driving if I can
* discovered that the croissants at the cafeteria is ooh so so fresh and delicious. Am having this for breakfast everyday onwards!
* started to drink more coffee - since the culture is so `hey, lets chat over coffee" ...when in Rome, need to do as the Romans do!
* starting to `couldnt care less' of how others view my dressing - which is not the trendy stylish european way. so what?
* learning that there is a `Continental' Europe..and Europe - and the people from different European countries are very different in terms of behaviour, speech and outlook
* pulling my hair out on where to find reasonably cheap curtains, and also wardrobe for my bedroom
* Ikea became my common haunt during weekends! having meatballs dinner there on Fridays, and breakfasted on scrambled eggs there on Saturday morning
* had to restart my residents registration at another commune, Woluwe Saint Lambert (where my new home is), as there had been no progress from the 1st commune
* my furniture arrives at Antwerp! hurray - now, need to clear customs before being moved to Brussels

3rd Month
* completed my move to my new home - hurray! 
* starting to see progress at work (albeit slower than anticipated), things are not so alien anymore. People are beginning to get more familiar with me, and vice versa
* realised that there are some really nice people around at work, and then again, there are also those who are not so accommodating or just plain selfish - just like any other offices
* had an impromptu `house warming' at my new place, and realised that Europeans are not used to potluck concept and everyone just brings wine and dessert, no `real' food! and drink beer like water.
* Italians are fast becoming my favourite Europeans (no offence to the others please), as I have a couple of good friends whom I can connect with, and they are Italians. Found that we share some pretty common values, e.g. tight family ties, community closeness etc. They are also the ones who understand potluck! haha.. had one friend who came and made fresh gnocchi at my home, really lovely!
* my confidence in driving in Belgium sees another achievement - I no longer feel strange driving on the right side of the road and driving is becoming natural again
* had my first 2 visitors from Malaysia - hurray! and we did a mono Belgium tour
* had the most beers of my life in 1 week, while bringing my visitors around - clearly am starting to drink beer like water too
* weather is getting lovelier by the day! spring is upon us...
* had my first bout of hayfever when spring hits..and continue to sneeze my head off..geezzz...
* starting to plan my summer holidays!


There! the key summaries of my first 3 months in Brussels...And now...I move into my 4th month!

Rose, Rose I love you

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) once said,
"Of all the flowers, me thinks a rose is best."

I, for one, have always love roses. There is just something about roses. As the symbol of love, roses have inspired many musicians, poets and authors. Shakespeare alone mentioned roses more than 50 times in his poems and plays. Now, the average person on the street would most likely know how to differentiate roses by their colours, be it red roses, pink roses, or yellow, and associated these colours with whatever meaning as heard from the media, e.g. yellow for friendship etc.

However I find that roses are beautiful not just in their colours but also in their names, variety, and characteristics. I had stumbled upon one beautiful rose garden, in the Principality of Monaco on the French Riviera, it is a charming space called the The Princess Grace Rose Garden, located in Fontvielle, Monaco. There are more than 150 varieties of roses cultivated and grown within.

I’ve managed to record down in pictures all the beautiful roses together with their unique names. Someone once said a rose is like a poem, it can say so much without saying much at all.

Henceforth, I shall write no more, and let the roses speak for themselves!

Statue of Princess Grace

Stephanie de Monaco

Johann Strauss

France Libre

Grace de Monaco

Maria Callas

Black Baccara

Amber Queen

Republic de Geneve



Last but not least, Solidor (from the 2nd picture of the same flower, where it is the solidary lone ranger in the rose bush, its no wonder it got this namesake!).

Taking Stock, Fast Forward

Today being the last day of 2010, am sure a lot of people are also like me, filled with nostalgia, and reminiscing the year that is just about to pass.

I would classify 2011 as a good year, though it came with a lot of trials and tribulations, and at times, at its darkest hours, i wasnt so sure, but yeah, looking back, think I'd just call it a good year!

Found this picture today in a dainty little place (which I will blog a bit later), which really sums up in a nutshell what I want to say tonight, as we are about to usher in the new year.

1) For 2011, I shall remember and always remind myself that my `Attitude is Everything', and that it will dictate how my year will churn out.

2) I shall be less materialistic, i.e. buy less consumer goods, and be happy with what I already have. So, no new cars although I just paid off my car loan. :) The key goal would be to build up my retirement funds adequately, and to pay off my housing loan asap; so, the less consumer goods I purchase, the more extra $$ to put into these funds.

3) I will be less of a pessimist , and try to be as optimist as I can, especially in situations which are beyond my control. We attract what we think! Must believe in the law of attraction, since this is scientifically proven, right? :P

4) Last but not least, I need to be less of a perfectionist, since being a perfectionist sometimes can be very tiring and can actually kill your spirit. And, being a perfectionist can be risky, as it is also known to build up (gulp!) to obsessive compulsion behaviour (OCD).

Happy New Year 2011 ! :)

How to Enjoy summer in Taiwan

Taiwan is a subtropical island nation with hot, wet and humid summers. These could be the best months to travel but for those unprepared, it could also be extremely and unbearably hot. These are some of the learnings I had from this trip:-

1) An umbrella is very useful
An umbrella is useful to help shade and protect against the sun. Don't worry of looking stupid, you will find many people doing so similarly. Taiwan's summer is also very wet and you will find the umbrella useful for those unexpected but short showers, which comes and goes. So, carry a foldable umbrella whenever you move about.

2) Only buy your umbrella when you reach Taiwan, else look for one `Made in Japan'.
I find that the umbrellas made in either Taiwan or Japan are specially made for strong winds as they are usually quite prone to typhoons, or pretyphoon storms. These umbrella are more sturdier, and if a gust of wind is to blow at you, the umbrella will fold upwards, but once you strongly shake it a couple of times, it will resume back to its original position! Umbrellas bought elsewhere (read: local) tends to be broken by strong winds. I find this concept pretty similar to the building design and technology behind the Taipei 101 tower, which was built like a bamboo pole, to enable it to bend slightly and sway (and not be broken in half) to the wind direction should a typhoon strikes. Umbrellas in Taiwan are not expensive, and cost from NTD80-200, you will find these easily available in MRT stations or night markets.

3) No point in bringing a raincoat. Only takes up space in your backpack especially if you already have an umbrella. But raincoat can't protect or shade you from the scorching sun.

4) Bring a foldable `chinese' fan! Summer weather is simply very hot and humid. Alternatively you can find the small battery-operated mini fan in 7-11.

5) Drink lots of water! and also replenish your ions intake with isotonic drinks. These can be easily found in 7-11, under the brands of `Pocari Sweat' or `Supau". Be careful not to buy the one which increases your metabolic rate. Yes, there are 2 types in TW, the latter is promoted as a weight loss aid because it will make you sweat even more.


6) Sunblock every part of your body! For my last trip, I remembered to apply on my face, neck, and arms. But I went out in pants reaching only mid calves and wear open sandals, and I came back with bad sunburn from my ankle to my toes! The next day, after learning my lesson, I remembered to apply all over till my toes but alas, I came back, having sunburnt ears!

7) If you have sensitive skin like me and prone to sunburns, better to bring a tube of aloe vera gel as most shops don't carry this. neither do they carry calamine lotion. I had a tough time trying to find this to relieve my sunburns.

8) Bring a small foldable shopping bag too as 7-11 don't give out plastic bags. Taiwan stresses on being environmental-friendly.

9) In some places, the mozzies are aplenty. Good to prepare some mozzie repellents. I brought along the patches instead of cream but nonetheless it was just as effective and takes up less space in my pack.

10) Last but not least, do remember your sunglasses!

Day Zero: 8-9-10. At Airport Checking-in

Finally the day of travelling! Where exactly am I heading ? Taiwan ! Had planned out an 11-day itinerary of backpacking around the island nation.

Left my house at around noon as although the flight was in mid afternoon, was worried of any raya rush at the airport. I had wanted to check in on-line the day before as well, but wasnt able to do so as an error message kept appearing. Finally I called up the airline office and found out that as my flight is a long-haul flight to Los Angeles, hence web check-in is not allowed due to tight security reasons.

When I arrived at the check-in counter, was surprised to find it all empty. Was I too eager and had arrived too early? anyway, as the counter staff was checking me in, I waited with abated breath on the weight of my check-in backpack. How much would it weigh??

As in my previous post, the weight of my pack had been of upmost preoccupation of mine for the past few weeks prior to the trip. Hence I was particularly anxious to see if all my meticulous `mathematical calculations" and "economised-packing" has paid off?

And...the counter reading says == 8.7 kg !!

Woohoo ! I had expected 11-12 kg. So it s 8.7kg for 11 days of travelling. First time in my life, I am travelling with an unbelievably light luggage (well, by my own standards-lah).

Suddenly, my shoulders felt very light. it is as if the burdens had been lifted. :) psychologically that is!

Ilha Formosa - here I come ! :)

8 - 9 - 10

All my bags are packed, am ready to go....

Yes ! it is just a few more days before the start of a long-awaited holidays! will be backpacking in a trip that will be a combination of mountains-lake-historical small towns-goodfood !

8-9-10 is the magic number! never knew the date of departure is actually a consenquential series of three numbers, but come to think of it, hey, it will make the trip even more memorable, right? at least, its a date that is very easy to remember in the future years to come. :)

Just to share how my bag looks like.. :) It looks leaner cos I've compressed it ... (notice the luggage tag? its a Fit-to-Fly luggage tag, check out www.fit2fly.com.my. And Thanks to Row for giving me extras :) )


Will be using a 35+10L Deuter bag. The last time I ever used a backpack, it was 55L, and I nearly fell over as after stashing in all my clothes and whatnots, it became simply too heavy to carry! good thing at that time, the group of friends I was with decided to rent a car instead of taking public transport. This time around, have decided to be smarter and opted for a smaller bag and made of more hi-tec lighter material (note : bag is still expandable! so, can still do some shopping if the opportunity arises)


Ah...a smaller bag also means I have to `economise' on my packing and be very efficient with what I bring. This, itself, has been a series of careful planning, thinking and surprisingly, to a certain extent, has become a somewhat mathematical equation/solution. For e.g. taking a bottle of 150ml shampoo will last for how many days? or, should i pour out into smaller containers instead? as every little morsel and milligram will add to the weight to carry around, this has suddenly become very significant. Even the type of material for my clothings, have to be carefully taken into calculation.

Anyway, the bag is all packed now. and the only thing to do now is...

Counting down to take off ! :)

There are still good people around

Spent my merdeka holiday doing nothing patriotic. Was at Sunway Pyramid in the morning to meet up with an old friend for a catch-up lunch and gossip.

When it was time to go back, I paid for my parking ticket at the autopay machine and walked to my car. It only occurred to me after I got into my car that, `hey, where's the parking ticket that I was holding in my hand earlier? ". My paid ticket had suddenly gone missing ! and scarily, I seemd to have experienced a temporary state of amnesia. I simply can't remember anything!

Searched all my pockets... searched all my shopping bags..and then turned my handbag inside-out, and then outside-in... searched as I might, still it wasnt there...

It was around this time, that I looked up and saw a family of 5, a mum with 3 children and a grandmother, hovering in front of my car and starring at the pillar (I was parked next to a pillar). The mum was looking hard at the parking ticket and discussing with the family on whether its the `right' pillar.

Ah...apparently, they found my ticket!! and...they found me because I happened to have this habit of writing the location of where I parked my car on the ticket. In this instance, I had written the pillar number on it, that was why they were trying to confirm earlier.

Phew!

So to the mum and the family who found AND took the trouble to find me just to return my parking ticket today, I would really like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Although some might argue that its no big deal to lose a ticket, you can just pay the fine and still get out of the carpark, however, what this family did was save me all the trouble and hassle of doing that.

And, they also showed that they care enough for a total stranger to go around the carpark looking for the `pillar'. Hey, suddenly, it occured to me that there are still good and kind people around after all! I am very fortunate and blessed to have met them today. Reminded me of what my own mum always tells me, `A little good deed goes a long way". This family's little deed really made my day.


And to those friends who always laugh at me for writing on my car park ticket vs taking a photo of my location with my mobile, well, looks like this old fashioned habit of mine is useful and serves me well after all ! :)

Brand Plans - The Aftermath

Its finally over...
After
- days and weeks of preparation
- sleepless nights due to an over-excited brain
- flip-flopping between references of global and regional slidesdeck
- cross referencing of other portfolios best practices
- overanalysing on market data as woulnt want to be caught `pants down' cos having not done enough analysis
- rehearsing the presentation
- anticipating possible questions
- rehearsing how to `rationalise' the lacklustre performance of certain months

Brand plan came..went by, finally, on last wed, the whole presentation was over in 1 hour !

Will have to spend another day to clean up the plans, finetune the numbers and walla! its all done for the year!

And now...the fun is about to start...its all the way to Execution!

That Time of the Year

Its THAT time of the year again...

No, its not about celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, festivities...

Its the `Oh No' for most brand managers (at least in my company). For some, its the dreaded time of the year.

Its Brand Plan time. Period.

Its about pulling out ideas, cooking up ideas, and panning it out in a plan to take through for the next 12 months.

Its about trying to put together a bunch of analysis, assumptions and `predictive future' of the marketplace and how it impacts the brand.

Its about identifying market/niche opportunities, and how to drive and convert into something tangible (i.e. sales numbers).

Its about challenges, and how you come up with a way to face up to those challenges or to circumvent it/them.

Its about getting prepared to go in for the presentation, which might sometimes turned out to be a long grilling session , comprising of intensive questions and debates, and of which you have to be on your toes and in top form, to answer as best as you can.

Its about when you have to show that you know the GUTS about your business.

Its about `Oh no, not another new template this year", whereby every year there is almost certain that there will be a new template or format to present your plans.

Some would also argue that its the very essence of a marketer's job.

Its also about `Oh no, another year has passed by....so fast ah? "

That said, after so many years, gosh, I still hate brand plans month!