Eternal bloom

April 2005 : His first incentive trip overseas and this is what he bought back for me.

May 2005 : My first try at gardening, not knowing it'd turn out to be so beautiful.

Dec 2008 : It's still beautiful - gives me a few flowers every other month. They die rather quickly in a few days, reminding me of why he deems it unnecessary to buy me flowers. But I'm glad that today, I'm reminded he does give me flowers :)

Gossip Girl : O Brother, Where Bart Thou?

There's nothing like spending a Saturday morning watching the latest episode of Gossip Girl while the hubby is still knocked out in bed.

This has GOT to be the best episode of the season ever! It rivals the best episodes of The O.C. in emotional drama. A death, blackmail, betrayal, confession, sacrifice, secrets, love. The writer outdid herself this time. (Go on only if you can't wait to find out what happens, but if you're not a follower, do read on to just jumble up your brain for fun.)

Death - Bart Bass (who apparently has more towers than Trump) dies in an accident on the way to looking for his wife Lily to tell her he knows her secret.

Blackmail - Lily's mum and Chuck (Bart's son) try to be the highest bidder to find out (or keep in the former's case) Lily's secret, which is the last thing that Bart found out from his private investigator before the accident happened.

Betrayal - Lily's mum said she settled the issue with the P.I., Lily believes she has shut the guy's mouth with money, but in fact, Lily's mum did no such thing and Chuck wins the envelope of secrets. But does Lily's mum end it there? Nooo, she had to divulge the secret to the one person Lily did not want to tell.

Confession - Blair and Chuck. Chuck and Blair. Never one. Never together. Always tango-ing that dysfunctional dance of theirs. She finally confesses her love for him. He pushes her away in his drunken stupor. But finally returns to her in a heart-rending hug. And then leaves her again with 3 lines on a note that says she deserves better.

Sacrifice - Lily admits to Serena that she loves Rufus, and the reason why she married Bart was because Serena said she couldn't live without Dan. Serena, torn between Dan and Aaron, decides on following Aaron to Buenos Aires for Christmas, and forgo Dan, just to allow her mum this time to be with Rufus.

Secrets - Lily's big secret in the envelope was Rufus' child. Is it Serena or is it Eric, or is it someone else?

Love - Eleanor marries Cyrus, that short little man (not enough!) with Blair's blessing, in a beautiful private ceremony. Rufus leaves Lily - they were never meant to be. (But I'm betting on this couple making it in the end.)

The most outstanding actor in this episode was Chuck. My god, his drunken walk, his bloodshot eyes, his heartbroken sneer/drawl (only Chuck does this the Chuck way). He should win an award for his performance, seriously.

And this is the last episode for the year. The new one's supposedly in early January. I can't wait. I hope Hollywood continues churning out similar O.C.-like TV series - nothing like teen soap opera to kick off a weekend.

Sweet or sour?

"When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade."

Dale Carnegie

It's amazing how AIESEC has changed my life. Or more like, how much AIESEC features in my life-changing moments. So cliche, I know! But it's true.

If I had not made the decision to attend APXLDS 2000 in Manila, I wouldn't have met KF - of which at that time, I never thought we'd be good friends, let alone become life partners.

If my hostel-mate hadn't told me about AIESEC, exchange being the key word here, I wouldn't have met so many people from other universities (some of which are now my closest group of friends), and my life in uni wouldn't have been as wonderfully-filled. And to think that I cried after finding out I'd been accepted (or more like banished) to UTM in the ulu place called Skudai - having tasted how wonderfully superficially Hollywood-like Taylors' College can be and at that time looking forward to 3-whole years overseas in Auckland Uni.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can safely say that I'm glad life threw me lemons ... and although I had not intended to make any lemonade, I somehow did - and a sweet great-tasting one at that! :)

And so, I never thought AIESEC would still feature in my life after uni. But last week, a group of us dropped by to the national conference in UPM and contributed to their alumni day agenda. I enjoyed the sessions, talking to the young people (I still can't believe they're 10 years younger, where did the time go?) and feeling young once again, cringing at the jingles but laughing at the same time because I remember those days, and most of all, I met an inspiring woman.

She's a trainee here from Estonia (yes, that is one country I must go to one day because a country that has so many wonderful women must be a really beautiful country).

And she's here with her 5-year old boy.

Who is a really super adorable kid - I am in love :P

A single mum who travelled halfway around the world with her kid in tow, knowing not what lies ahead, but determined to make the best of everything. (She was president of AIESEC Estonia last year - and yes her little boy tagged along for those endless conferences.) It's been a long while since I've met such an optimist, but when you meet her, you'll know that whatever lemons has been thrown at her has not made her sour one bit. The fact that she's younger than I am, and being so much more mature, really puts me to shame. I don't think I'd ever be able to do what she is doing. But I'm glad I met her.

Her clear thoughts are portrayed in her words and actions. I am inspired. Not to have kids, no. But inspired to know that there are people in the world who pull through wonderfully, with lemonade in hand.

Marjam (pronounced like Mariam) is aspiring to learn as much as she can about internet marketing while pursuing her traineeship and seeing the world with Maru.

Lemonade or limau ais - inspiration comes in many forms and I'm glad to be jolted towards optimists every once in a while.

How was your weekend?

Mine was great - inspired and inspired. Tell you more about it later. Right now, I've got work up to my eyeballs. Thank goodness it's only for 2 days before the Sultan's birthday (long live the Sultan!).

Meanwhile, for those who are actually wasting away at home clearing annual leaves, pop by to Alicewonders, currently my favourite haven for bags - of all kinds! I'll speak more about this soon.

Legend Water Chalets

Malaysia seriously lacks good resorts. The best one I ever went to was Avillion in PD. But now, I think Legend Water Chalets trumps it. Why?

• Their lobby is proper with high ceilings and nice flooring. I was impressed.
• The pathways to the sea-facing chalets were proper stable concrete walkways, finished with textured concrete. Very nice.
• They have all kinds of facilities, including 2 little jacuzzi pools, private karaoke rooms (like the Redbox kind), a pretty large pool (although I think Avillion is better in the pool aspect because I absolutely loved Avillion's 24-hour adults-only pool!), a proper well-kept gym, and pretty nice landscaping.

It was really easy to drive there too - only 1 hour 15 minutes (slowpoke driving) from PJ city centre! It's located right next to Glory Beach Resort, and is nearer to Lukut town (which is now really thriving due to Legend) than it is to PD town. It's a pretty well-managed resort.

And the rooms. I only got a chance to look at the premium water chalet, facing the Malacca straits, apparently one of their best rooms. It's made for romantic escapades. Or more like, for couples. The door opens to the open concept bathroom, which pretty much has no doors. The standing shower area has a roof that opens up to the sky (a real rain shower) and a window that looks into the bedroom (or otherwise). It has a jacuzzi tub in the room (a big one). And it has a balcony where you can sit and watch sampans go by, or big ships in the horizon - or more particularly, you can watch the sun set! The rooms also have a sturdy glass panel on the floor that looks down to the sea at the bottom of the chalet - not much to see, as it's mostly just swirling murky water (the Straits has never been known for its azure waters).

Of course, if compared to Avillion, Avillion is more the rustic kind of chalet - timber everywhere. Avillion has a great big bathroom too, but I like Legend's more. However, Avillion has a romantic 4-poster bed, which I guess wouldn't fit in with the contemporary Balinese-Thai deco in Legend.

These Legend premium water chalets don't come cheap. A night there can set you back anywhere between RM460 to RM667 (depending on the period). Of course, there are cheaper alternatives. Their website has more comprehensive info.

What's amazing though, is that there's more to come! They are currently working on Phase 2, of which (okay, wait for this) ...

every single chalet will have its own private plunge pool!

Now there's a first for Malaysia, eh? I'm so looking forward to the completion of the 2nd phase. And for those who have lotsa cash to splash, they still have some units of this 2nd phase left for sale (it's already more than 90% sold and due to complete end of 2009).

PD is now starting to look like a really attractive holiday destination ;)