Conflict Resolution - Not taking sides!

I'm pretty sure everyone's had to deal with major conflicts before in their lifetime, and I'm also pretty sure everyone else, like me, detests them. Some resolve them by facing and dealing with it aggressively, others deal with it passively, or just plain ignore it.

I fall into the latter category.

Taking as an example, a common conflict between two parties who are dear and close to you. When they are fighting amongst themselves, what do you do?

The natural reaction for the two parties is to look to you to take sides. "Well? Who's right? Aren't you going to support me on this?" They look to you for support. And for me, well I just don't give it to any party. I stay out of the way, choose not to get involved, and let them duel it out themselves.

I seriously HATE choosing sides, and hate it more when I'm forced to. And if I am, I STILL won't choose sides. If you see your parents arguing, eventhough you may have your own opinion on who is right, and who is wrong, would you back one parent up over another? I definitely won't, I love both equally and siding one just adds fuel to the fire, plus builds contempt between yourself and the party you didn't support.

I have often been blamed and frowned upon by not taking sides. But so what? I still choose not to, and I won't ever choose sides, so don't make me, and don't blame me for keeping quiet.

Campfire Legends: The Hookman

I downloaded this game just a couple of days ago. With a few days left to Halloween, the timing couldn't be more perfect! This is a GameHouse game, and with so many great titles under their belt, I knew I couldn't be disappointed.

And I wasn't.

This is a hidden object game infused with some great puzzles, based on the infamous Urban Legend of The Hookman. Don't expect it to follow the Urban Legend exactly; it has it's own little intriguing story line to it. That being said, this is one hidden object game that has a strong storyline - you actually become the main character, Christine, and help her in her exploits.

What's best about this game, is that the graphics are pretty good, with the sound and music matching perfectly with the mood of the game. It's eerie and creepy, and for the very first time since I started playing PC games (almost 17 years ago!) elements of this game really scared me. I was practically jumping out of my seat, I had to actually turn down the sound effects in order to refrain from crapping in my pants. Seriously.

The objects are actually pretty difficult to find, so it does pose a challenge. However, for once, you're supposed to find objects relevant to the game (ie. the things you need to change a flat tyre) and not some random objects like saxophones and barber poles. The puzzles were definitely challenging - I had to practically wring my brain out to even get close to some of the solutions.

There were a few minor downsides, one being that the game was way too short! It could probably be completed in an hour, which means you could probably complete it within the one hour free trial of the game. Other than that, my cursor response was horrible, but that could be due to my out-of-date laptop and specs.

All in all, I loved the game. Would rate it 5 stars, and recommend it to everyone out there. A word of caution, though; it's not for the faint hearted!

I anticipate more Campfire Legend games to be released. Can't wait!

Who IS Bringeroflite

Some people I know, must be thinking that I'm this pretentious little girl.

"Who does she think she is? A Bringer Of Light? Who does she think she's kidding?!"

Ok, they don't say it to my face, but I know some people out there do think it! So here's the history of my "nickname".

My sister gave this to me when I was a tiny tot, barely old enough to be able to read the words on this card. But it was from my sister, and boy I treasured it so!

I loved it so much, I kept this card with me wherever I went. It made me somehow feel at peace whenever I felt the world was so unfair.

And then, when it came a time when I started playing MMORPGs, finding a unique nick name for myself seemed easy as pie... "Bringeroflite" the shortened version.

The rest as they say, is history :) I now use this nick for everything!

My New E Shop!

I haven't been updating... because I've been ecstatically happy! :)
Remember in my previous post, how I said I would launch an E Shop to sell those tank tops I love so much? Well I actually created it, and after a week, I've had overwhelming response! So I've been busy with that basically.

Here it is!

Tanks For 5

Happy Shopping! :)

My Top 10 Best Bargain Buys

Who says good things can't be cheap? :)

I love bargain hunting! Even though all those books on keeping your finances in check always warn you never to buy during sales etc. I usually can't resist. Here are my Top 10 Best Bargain Buys! In no particular order of preference.

1. 3/4 length white terry cloth pants - RM25 from FOS



I have always been a fan of Juicy Couture track suits. This pair of pants, I must say, comes close to the terry cloth track pants they sell at Juicy. What I love most is that it's low waist, something that I look for in all pants I buy (I cannot stand having the waist band dig into my belly!). It's also super comfortable, being terry cloth, without it getting too hot when I wear it out. It's supposed to be Old Navy brand as well, but tags were cut so couldn't confirm.

2. Nike Sports bra - RM24.50



It's no secret that I go to the gym everyday. And for ladies, you definitely need proper support. I've tried other brands before, but I always find Nike has the nicest, most comfortable, and supportive sports bras out there.
The original price for this was RM149, and it was on 50% sale. I had an RM50 voucher, and voila! I got it for RM24.50 :)

3. Carrefour make up removing wipes - RM0.80 for a pack of 10 wipes



I'm pretty fuss free, so I don't wear make up on a daily basis. Just maybe once a week? I know, sad for someone my age. But still, when I do, it'll be on a weekend and I'll get back home late. Tired and lazy, the best make up removal option for me is to use wipes.
I've used quite a few brands prior to this and all have served its purpose relatively well, but at a price of RM16 for maybe 20 wipes?
I am totally fine using house brands, and make no mistake, this one works just as well as the other more expensive brands, at a fraction of the cost! Plus, since I don't use it often, it can stay moist even after it's been opened for a long, long time.

Note: This, and other brands, does not seem to be effective against removing waterproof make up ie. mascara, but I team it up with baby oil and it works fantastically. Will blog more on that later.

4. SK II Body Designer - RM74.40



The most expensive of my Top 10, but one of my favourites! I think this has been discontinued, but it has got to be the best body lotion ever! IMHO. I bought two 250ml bottles at 70% discount (obviously via staff sales). Original price? RM248.
What I love about it is that I have perpetually dry skin, and upon application, it immediately makes my skin really soft and supple, without it being greasy at all! It has a slight rosey fragrance to it, which is lovely, as one wouldn't want to walk around smelling like Pitera. Pitera isn't disgustingly pungent, but its fragrance does take some getting used to.

5. Bling bling hair clips - RM1 each from Shenzhen



Super huge haul! The hair clips are so blinged out, of relatively good quality and super cheap. With inflation and all, I was surprised that we could still find things this cheap in China. I got these and a ton of other things including cute butterfly and lobster magnets. If you're ever in Shenzhen, look out for the 2 Yuan shop. I can't for the life of me, remember the street the shop was on. The total damage on the hair accessories purchased above? RM11. What a steal!

6. Multi- purpose pouches - RM5 each from Jatujak Market



These were cute, I couldn't resist getting them! They're of a relatively good size, about 5 inches in length and 4 in height (though I could be wrong, amongst the many things I cannot do, accurate estimation is one of them). They come together with the dangly bits on the zip, and are currently used to store the bits and bobs I usually have scattered around my handbag. JJ market is a complete maze though, so I doubt I could find the stall that was selling this again :(

7. Over-sized bag - RM10 from Times Square



I absolutely love this bag to bits! The exterior is woven in pretty pastel colours, and the interior has ample space to throw in all the garbage I like to lug around at times. I also use it as an overnight bag, as it can store all my clothes and toiletries without being bulky. Surprisingly, it hasn't fallen apart (like the other cheap bags I've bought in the past) and is in pretty much the same condition I bought it, despite my mistreating it.

8. Casual dress - RM10 from Times Square



I bought this from Silver Trend in Times Square. It looks better on me than on the hanger, though. Silver Trend sells everything in their store for RM10, and sometimes you can find really nice buys there :) I love this dress - this is my first casual one. On its virgin outing, it already garnered some compliments from friends :) I liked this so much, I went and bought two others:


9. Low-rise, corduroy pants - RM7 from FOS Warehouse Sale



Ok, to be completely honest, I only bought these because they were cheap. I was going through the warehouse sale, and this was the first item I picked up. Saw the price tag, and 7 bucks for a pair of long pants of decent quality is DIRT CHEAP can die. So it was a no brainer, I brought it home. And tried it. AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT! Fits like a charm and is low rise (I like!). I FINALLY have another outfit option besides jeans! :)

10. Racer back singlets - RM5 each



I have like a hundred of these, in different colours and patterns. NO JOKE. Not only are they cheap, they're versatile, and they don't shrink or get screwed up in the wash. If I'm not dressed to go to the gym, chances are I'll be wearing one of these. Anyway, I have practically a 3 month supply of them, even if I wear a different one every day. I liked these SO MUCH that I now sell these at the Times Square store, AND I will be creating a shop blog specifically to sell these. Stay tuned for the link if interested. Just sharing the love for my staple clothing :)

Ok, so that's it! My Top 10 Best Bargain Buys. Just goes to show that you CAN get nice things even on a budget. In fact, my entire Top 10 are things you can get for under RM80, with 9 out of 10 things being RM25 and below :) Retail therapy is goooooooddd.......

Almost got robbed - blah!

Ever since stepping out of the corporate world (I think it's been, 4 months?) I have had yet ANOTHER slap across the face on facing reality. This time I've learnt, it's a cruel, cruel world out there. I have lots more to say on that topic, but cutting to the chase, let me share my yet another awful experience at the shop.

This time, I was at Times Square, alone.

A Middle Eastern guy came into the shop to browse some t-shirts. He looked pretty well off, was wearing a nice long sleeved button shirt, almost business man like. But then again, looks can be deceiving. The weird thing was, he kept panning the shop, concentrating most on the ceiling.

"Gee, he looks like he's looking for a CCTV" I thought to myself.

I couldn't be more correct, and my suspicions were proven awhile later.

He pulled a shirt off the rack, and said he wanted to buy it. BUT he only just landed in Malaysia, and had ONLY USD. He then opened his wallet, showing a nicely rubber-banded stack of $100 notes (which I suspect were fake). So then he asked whether if he could pay me $100, could I give him the balance in Ringgit?

I said no. And asked him to go to a money changer.

He then said he wanted to see what Malaysian money looked like (wtf?!)

Feeling even MORE suspicious, but decided not to be too paranoid, I pulled out RM10 out of my pouch, and held onto it tightly for him to examine. He asked to see a RM50 note, and I showed it to him, holding onto it tightly again. He then asked me to show him a NEW RM50 note, while tugging at the old one in my hand.

He found out the hard way I wasn't going to let go of it, and proceeded to stuff his hand into my pouch and grab the stack of cash inside. I was outraged! Who on Earth has the audacity to do such a thing??

He started speaking in Arabic to me, trying to point out some things on the RM50 note he "supposedly" wanted me to see. And while distracting me, carefully stuffed RM300 from my stack into his pocket.

But not quick enough. I noticed, and since I was in a shopping mall, I wasn't afraid this time.

I pointed at his pocket and demanded loudly, "Give me back my money".

Luckily, he gave it back, and insisted he wanted only to exchange his USD with me. I asked him yet again to go to a money changer.

Apologizing profusely, he left.

I wonder how many other people he scammed. 3 things this time, tripped the alarm bells in my head:

1. Who checks out the damn ceiling in a shop?
2. If he JUST landed in Malaysia with no Ringgit, how on Earth did he end up in Times Square? Fly there? As far as I remember, technology here isn't that advanced that taxi cabs can accept credit cards.
3. A foreigner that has NEVER seen Malaysian money before, knows that there's a new RM50 note out. Wow, way to go, you psychic or something?

I was lucky this time, that I got my money back. And this lesson made me realize that I need to take more precautionary measures to prevent this and other unwanted things from happening in the future. For all small boutique owners out there, PLEASE take note and learn from my lesson.

Theft in our store - left me traumatised.

*Warning, long ass rant ahead*

Ok, I'm now going to relate to anyone who would listen, exactly what happened yesterday which has haunted me vividly until now. (Plus, writing is very therapeutic so yay for me!)

Two guys from Sabah, Malaysia came up to the shop.



A mish-mash of pictures. The shop doesn't look like this now, layout has changed.

Coincidentally, Gwee had to run off to the post office. It's Puasa month; they close at 5pm. So these two guys looked around, and one of them passed me two tee shirts - he wanted to buy them and paid on the spot and said,"I'll look around some more, but give me a big plastic bag. I'm going back hometown tomorrow and I want to carry clothes".

That was warning bell number one.

So I did. He went around and picked up another t-shirt, and this time paid too much for it. He asked me to keep the change first, as he'll pick out another shirt. He finally did so, but asked for me to put this last shirt in a different bag - it was for his friend. He took the big bag and proceeded to browse.

He then went behind a rack where he knew I couldn't see him from where I was and proceeded to open the plastic bag (rustling sounds, can tell) and supposedly "count off" how many shirts he had bought.

Warning bell number two.

I quickly rushed over to him, and found an empty hanger on the rack with "RM330" printed on it. I wasn't too sure what to do, and to make matters worse, a couple of his other friends came up at that time. I was sooo itching and dying to say "Let me look in your bag, I know you took my hoodie". But because I was worried about losing more than the hoodie (Maybe they would get violent? Rob me? Run away? I don't know but I didn't think at THAT time it was worth the risk), I didn't confront the idiot. A slight distraction by his friends asking about other clothes was enough for the guy to slip the empty hanger off the rack, pretending it wasn't there in the first place.

But it was too late. I knew he stole my hoodie.

They left. I contemplated chasing after them, confronting them in public to avoid any probable bodily harm, but I was in shock. I was still unsure of what tot do. And because of that shock, it prevented me from preventing a theft. I don't know whether it was out of self-preservation, or stupidity that I had let them get away with it.

I was alone in a 2nd floor shoplot with no one occupying the floors below, and workers occupying the floor above. I was alone, with 3-4 guys who were taller, and stronger than me. I did what I thought best at that time.

But that wasn't enough...I could have prevented it.

I will never stop hating myself for that, and I doubt I ever could. Gwee reassures me that the theft wasn't too big and at least I wasn't hurt, so that's alright. It doesn't, however, stop the deep, fiery rage that is slowly, but surely building deep inside of me. My dreams are filled with violence; my fury so blinding that I am only satisfied when these guys get their well-deserved retribution.

I understand there are several stages you go through when you have experienced something like this ie. trauma, but it looks like acceptance will be something I will never achieve. I am still distraught, and to be honest, I know this is a small and petty thing, but I WANT to see those guys get what they deserve, and I will stop at NOTHING to prove to them that they shouldn't have messed with me...

Video viewing til late at night

Sorry for the hiatus - been super busy viewing the video entries (and counting unique votes AND judging for creativity) for our "HeatWave Raving Gear Global Dance Competition". It's my first initiative since taking on this business full time, and I'm madly excited!

The response has been really fantastic; we've received maybe 100-200 entries from all over the globe, and it's been great viewing them all. Well, I've not actually gone through all of them as of yet, but from what I've seen.

I find it super touching that so many people of all ages and nationalities can find common passion in a not so common dance :) Videos are available for public viewing on YouTube, just search for the phrase above (in red).

Will resume blogging once results are out! :)

BOYCOTT - Ai Yi Ping Seaweed Jelly!!!

You know how the "pasar malam"s (night markets) in Malaysia (or maybe Selangor, I don't know) usually have the same vendors, rotating to different locations on different days of the week? Well, there was this one incident that occured with one of those vendors maybe 4-5 years ago which I've never forgotten, leading to this post.

There is this one particular stall that sells maybe the best tasting "ai yi ping" lime flavoured seaweed jelly drink around. I've been searching all over the net for at least a picture of the stall, but either there isn't one available, or my Googling skills are awful.

Anyway, back to the story and the reason for my boycott.

One fine day, my family and I were walking around the SS13, Subang Jaya pasar malam, and as usual we wanted to get our jelly fix. Now this stall sells their drinks in styrofoam bowls only, and not in cups (do you know which one yet?) as they say you can't enjoy it as much by slurping it through a straw, something about not getting the right amount of each ingredient in each sip.

So my mum orders two bowls, from a man that was working there. Maybe a relative or the husband of the lady that's usually there.

Then my mum looks up and sees their sign, with all their prices on it, "Wait! There's an option to have it in a cup!" so she asks the guy to change the order to just one cup, easier to bring away and drink. However, in fine print, it says that the cup is for "Green tea flavoured seaweed jelly".

I pointed this out to mum, who obviously doesn't want green tea flavoured, as we came for the original, told the guy to change back to the original order.

With that, the guy threw a bloody tantrum. He said my mum was being difficult, REFUSED to serve her and asked her to get lost.

Being young and naive (and very timid during that time), I did nothing. I wish I had said something to him at that time, I wish I had made a big fuss in front of every single one of their customers back then. But I didn't, and I regret that.

Obviously, we both were pissed. Here was this stupid, fat man, waving his finger rudely at my mum, red-faced and telling her to go away. The lady boss quietly asked the man to not be so angry, but besides that, she did nothing.

Thus, the reason for my boycott. If you know which stall this is, PLEASE do not buy your drinks from them (they are the ones that sell the green tea ones in the cup!)

Being in my line of business, I know how important it is to keep a good reputation. Customers are always right. What on EARTH was this man doing? Who did he think he was? There was a long queue behind us, for goodness sakes, if we didn't want what he had already made, then someone else would have wanted it - no wastage involved.

I feel that my mum was not in the wrong - she was merely trying to order something that she wanted. Isn't that a consumers' right?

MAS Stewardess - The Stereotype

Over the past few years, I have seriously made a conscious effort to not judge people based on their stereotype, nor their looks. I have realized that stereotyping all blondes as "dumb" is dumb in itself (not like many Malaysians are blonde, but oh well I hope you get my drift) as many gorgeous and well-groomed people out there tend to smart and successful as well.

Anyway, back on topic. The MAS Stewardess stereotype - in my experience, the common thing that happens when they are mentioned, is "Oh. Pretty girls looking for a rich husband, get paid to travel & love bonking the pilot". Probably because of all the sex scandal stories which had been circulated about the MAS cabin crew. Huge detriment to their image, eh.

I don't get to travel much, but over the past year or so I did my bit of business travels. I had always found most of the stewardesses of the airlines I used pretty much friendly and willing to assist - as well as being pretty strict when it comes to adhering to airline safety upon take off and landing. Which is definitely what you want in an employee. Plus, there never seemed to be any extra special attention thrown on the obviously rich businessmen.

So far so good, I felt proud of myself that I didn't subconsciously label the stewardesses as air-headed gold diggers. To be frank, I had heard that to be selected as a stewardess, you had to go through a pretty rigorous selection process, so not everyone would be able to make the cut.

But seriously, it only took one flight to change my mind.

I was on a short flight back from Jakarta one day, sitting at the aisle, next to some middle aged European guy (I do not know of what nationality, it really did not matter). He was trying to be friendly and tried to make casual conversation, as most people sitting next to you on a plane do.

However, his conversation turned towards his "conquests". He was telling me about all the girls he meets on his business trips, and how he had some really sweet girls in Malaysia. How one of the sweet girls cried when he left, and wrote him a really touching note, which in turned made him cry. And of their travels to beautiful islands such as Redang together.

It was all getting a little uncomfortable, and as I usually do, I avoid further conversation by turning my head away, plugging in my earphones and pretending to sleep. The only times I ever got disturbed by this guy after that was when he got out of his seat.

He only came back just as the plane was about to land - seriously, when the wheels were extended and it was just less than 5 minutes to landing. He probably violated all the safety measures possible then and there:

1. Chair reclined.
2. Tray table down, with cup of red wine still sitting on it.
3. Not wearing seat belt.
4. Stands up every few seconds to look out the window.
5. Messes with his handphone / PDA.

So this stewardess came over. "Great, PLEASE give this guy a warning," I was thinking to myself. The red wine on the tray table next to me was making me nervous, ok. I didn't want the damned thing spilling on me! Well the guy picked up his drink (phew!) and smiled at the stewardess.

"Hah! He's going to get it!" <--- yes, me again. So she stones for awhile, standing on the aisle, then reaches her arm past me, and strokes this man's arm and purred, "Nice meeting you, sir. You have my number; keep in touch." Then walks off. Just. Like. That.

All credibility. All assurance that we will be kept safe from harm. Baboom!! Bye bye. Out the bloody window, never to be seen again.

And I really did try hard to disprove the stereotype. Honest.

I am such a noob...

My switch from my previous Blogdrive to Blogger, has taken some getting used to. It has taken me two whole days to figure out how this thing works, find a relatively simple template to use without all the fancy - schmancy tabs which I will never for the life of me, be able to edit or personalize. Can someone please tell me how do I remove the "Contact Me" link from the top of the page? And how on Earth do I underline stuff? I am so confused.

And I haven't even begun to personalize it yet. +_+ <---(What?! No smilies? Where can I get me some smilies?)