i shall not stop writing.

i haven't stopped writing although i may have kinda stopped touching personal issues in here. but i promise to keep updating in a more professional level HERE.

Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts

Toughcookie Receives More Awards...

Hi all... I've been a little lazy with updating this blog and I thought on this beautiful Monday morning, I should do up the tags that has been way overdue.

First of all, thank you to my fellow-MBP ambassador, Cik Lily Putih, for giving me these awards. Danke (cakap Jerman cos zee Germans won the match last night and played a brilliant game hehe)...

First one...

Questions for this award...

1. Write an entry regarding this award :
Done!

2. My efforts to make the blog cheerful :
Gosh... this is hard. Errrmmm... post lotsa cute photos and videos of little jj....?? Can that count? ;P owh, and lotsa lotsa photos of delicious food??

3. 5 words that best describe you :
Perfectionist, passionate, bold, unpretentious, simple.

4.Tag other friends for this award.

Amy, Mira, Goolymama, Nina :)

1) Copy this award to your blog.
Done.

2) Make a speech to the person who gave you this award and how you feel about this award.

Thank you so much to dearest Cik Lily Putih because she thinks I am a nice person. Then again, I am nice to her even if I may not be that nice to others. I know that there's nothing wrong about being nice but I find that many people do not deserve to be treated nicely because a lot of people loves to take advantage of people they think are nice. Hence, I guess this award is dedicated to my friends whom I am nice to... because I am sure many people do not agree with this award ;P

3) Answer these questions...

1. What is playing in your head right now?
Oh no oh no what's the time now... must get ready for lunch and then sending my eldest to school and then lunch for little jj and then bla bla bla.....

2. Your nickname?
Toughcookie / Beskot

3. Name 3 people you love most.
My husband, my children, my parents.

4. The name you call your dearest...
Will not be disclosed.

5. What is the present you've always wanted from that someone special...
Too many to mention hehe...

6. Which blogs do you like to visit that I can also follow?

Those blogs that are listed on my right side-bar, under 'My Blog List'. It can still be expandable if I do come across more blogs to read :)

7. Tag 15 more friends for this award.

Damn... don't think I have that many blogger friends since I read many but cannot really be called 'friends' as I only read them silently. So, if you think you are nice and deserve this award, go ahead and put it on your blog, ya.

My Mission: Test and Review

As per my previous post, the package arrived today! *yeayy*

Maybelline Color Sensational in Buff.

I am so excited to try it out... have opened it and seen the colour but I shall let the owner of the blog, My Women Stuff, to feature the story first.

Thank you, Paris, for this opportunity. And thanks for the lovely surprise in the package :)

My 2 sen.

I believe many bloggers are already aware about the recent development in the blogworld, particularly one that has escalated to a more serious note, involving legal procedures.

Having a blog does not give one the rights to write as he/she please. Yes, it is one's own blog and one feels they have the right to do whatever they wish as it is their own space but then again, one must realise that a blog can be read by the entire world, no matter where they are but most importantly, the world is already seemingly small and anyone can stumble upon your blog at any chance. Therefore, whatever you write may reach whomever anytime, anywhere.

These days, majority of bloggers incorporate their twitter account into their blogs and I think this is an even more powerful tool as one gets to communicate with their 'followers' and friends, still very visible to the entire world's population if one decides not to protect their tweets. Therefore, if you intend to gossip or tell a close friend, say, that you just fought with your husband, it is definitely not the most suitable platform unless you want your husband to read it and make the situation even worse.

Now, my point is, on the writing part. Most bloggers spill everything in their hearts into this small space because it is their space. But I think only a handful do not really spill everything when they're angry. Anger can be quite destructive because not only everyone else who doesn't know what's going on, will know the story eventually, but it also gives such a negative air/aura to your blog that not only you yourself will feel uncomfortable for letting such an entry linger at the top of your blog but readers mostly will also feel the same way. Furthermore, if indeed it was just a spur of the moment, the damage cannot be reversed. Fair and rational-minded readers would prefer not to know too much details if two individuals want to start a blog war, anyway..

Still, despite all that, I strongly feel that one is not able to control another person's feelings/response towards what you have done to them. I mean, if you can start calling people names, like "sundal", what makes you think that the other party cannot do the same. Of course, it is easier to tell the other party to not do anything and stoop as low as you but as I said, reflect on yourself first to understand why the other party does what he/she is doing. After all, we are in control of our own actions.

In the first place, one shouldn't be so unprofessional (if one says they're professional in the blogworld) and judge other people... I mean, why does one care so much if one blogger is so after freebies or that the person is an unemployed lazy bum? I for one do not care one bit as long as he/she doesn't come to me every other day, asking for money to support his/her lifestyle.

Well, I may not be fully aware of the entire truth but if it is out in a certain way in the blogworld, one just cannot blame other readers on their own opinions about the situation. That's why the best way is to keep mum and if it is just a small matter, let it be.

I always think that the best way to settle a dispute is to quickly apologise when one is wrong. The evidence speaks for itself. If you let the negative air continue to linger, you simply cannot blame the 'victim' to respond the way they do. What made you do what you did in the first place? Who are you to judge people? I mean, if one is so irritated or annoyed about what another blogger say about you, why don't you confront him/her instead of telling everyone in your blog/twitter space about that person, even months after? Why don't you just go to her or even tell her in an email that she blardy irritates you and you want an explanation to why he/she said what he/she said about you?

Respect is something earned not given. In order for people to give you that respect, you should respect others as well, no matter how popular you are or how much older you are. Name-calling is a no-no unless you are ready to face the consequences. I know I've done that once or twice the entire 5 years of blogging but I was very angry at the people I was aiming the entry at, but like I said, things will not happen the way they did if one is not provoked.

There's nothing wrong with being the bigger person, and I don't mean in body size. There's no need to be mean. Most importantly, there's no need to be so egoistic especially in the local blog scene because first of all, it is extremely small and secondly, if one is popular enough, there's no need to pay any attention to those small time individuals even if they are after freebies and being jobless. You can't please everyone and you cannot force every single people on earth to like you/like what you wear/like how you look. In the end, you know yourself and you are good in what you do... you have your family, and your family loves you... and friends will be there for you through thick and thin, not just because of what you can do for them.

That's what I think.

Toughcookie Hot In The News!

Hehe... not really TV or print news, but rather in the blogworld.

For one, I was featured on MomBloggersPlanet, the one and only local platform for bloggers, especially mommies alike to obtain useful information on self-development, tips on blogging and much much more.

If you haven't yet joined MomBloggersPlanet because you do not fall under the right group based on your own assumptions, think again... because this single man who's a personal trainer with a hot bod (*ahem*) wasn't even embarrassed to admit that he's a fan of MBP. He cites that he was drawn to MBP because of the valuable tips he got to further enhance his presence in the blog world and how he could be a better blogger... exactly what I first thought when I decided to register as a member with MBP.

Aaannnd.... in another news, so much for writing about lipsticks in my previous post and in my review blog, I have been awarded an opportunity to work with a renowned blog for just a minute role... small, but still something that I am very excited about - I am one of the four that has been chosen by My Women Stuff to test the latest lippie from Maybelline *yeayy*... now I know that I have not had any good experience with many drugstore brands since my hormonal changes in my first pregnancy. But I believe there have been many new developments in the market nowadays on more improved formula in cosmetics and skincare products. I am hopeful that things will be different now so that I can continue to own like 10 lippies on my vanity chest compared to only 3 to 4 of them expensive ones :)

I remembered how much I loved Maybelline in my foundation years in uni because I've just won a beauty contest that was sponsored by Maybelline and I got loads of stuff from them. I used everything Maybelline, then, and my best friends were privileged to be able to share the many shades of lippies I had. When other friends see the natural colours on my best friends, they even thought that I was using all those branded lippies and were surprised to find out that all the wearable colours I was using came from Maybelline. Oh how I miss those times when I could just use lippies that cost less than 20 bucks... at least I know that if little jj gets her finger inside the tube or use any of the lippies to draw on the wall of our apartment, I wouldn't mind it one bit ;P

hehe... it was the most beautiful experience in my teenage years ;P

*don't ask me which beauty contest this was ok! haha..*

I look forward to test it out. I've asked for a nude colour called, Buff and it will be sent over to me for me to try out. So, since I received news of this just this morning, I decided to pass on Bobbi Brown for the time being. Who knows... my prayers may have just been answered. You don't need to fork out so much dough if the cheaper brands work just as well, right? So, let's just see til then, eh?

Road Trip With My Broadband

Having a reliable and speedy broadband connection is so important to a work-at-home-mom like me. I have plenty of things to do during the day taking care of the kids while juggling work at those stolen short intervals when my children are occupied with other stuff.

I am heavily dependent on internet connection almost 20 hours a day as my work hours are erratic, where I would normally go all out to focusing on my work after 10pm when most of the house chores are done and since I am based at home, I would always need to keep in touch with the ‘outside’ world like connecting with friends via twitter and facebook during the day just to keep me sane and not be an island.

My journey with the Malaysian broadband experience is aplenty but I have yet to try out P1 W1MAX. Found out about their new W1GGY but I guess I could only test it when their coverage reaches my section in the Kelana Jaya, PJ area. I have always been intrigued by P1’s innovation ever since they started their very catchy (and, somewhat controversial) advert (ahah!) on TV and I think they have somewhat captured a big interest to their services due to this fact.

it's a tiny gizmo that allows internet connectivity without 'strings attached'. suitable for those always on the go and for mommies like me who prefer practicality.

And if you haven't yet checked them out, do visit their user-friendly website and look for the most suitable plan for you.

Well, for now, I could only hope that P1’ll arrive soon to my area. So for now, I would just have to be satisfied with whatever service that I’m using ☺

Project Alpha Season 2 is presented by Adidas Action 3 and supported by P1 and MAS.

The blog title is an affirmation.

Recently, I’ve been plagued with a downturn in my energy to post new entries. In fact, I’ve drafted several but yet to click the ‘PUBLISH POST’ button because I am hell bent on posting something sincere from the heart and they may be too much info from the heart.

After blogging for what, 4-5 years now… I think I may have reached that cycle of most bloggers. I mean, many of them bloggers whom I was associated closely then, no longer blog actively. And like them, I am also more into tweeting for a quick, simple and hassle-free update, which is almost like writing a blog post, only much shorter.

Currently, many people blog for money. I can’t say much about it because as much as I felt that I would be leaving personal blogging for good, my dwindling spirits were suddenly given a little motivation boost (if not much) after looking at the continuous increase in the amount I am getting from Nuffnang. Hence, this blog post.

I dunno… apart from the fact that the normal lifecycle of a blogger is the contributing factor for this 'downturn', many things happening and moi not getting any younger, tends to make one get very much involved in life’s turn of events. And let’s face it, I’m a passionate person. I never really realised that until the one pointed that out to me and I have come to terms with that fact, that I am passionate in whatever issues I get myself involved with… while some are very positive, those negative ones are what kept my brain working because naturally, everyone would want to improve their life experiences and I would definitely want to improve myself – to be better and to not easily fall for people with so much negative energy in them because they easily pull others down with them.

Let’s face it. This passionate woman only has the best interests to those dear to her. But not everyone knows how to appreciate a passionate person. Some would come to me probably only for affirmation and you can’t get that from me every time since this toughcookie will only tell you the truth about what she feels from it all and we all know that the truth may not be that easy to accept. But, one should hear the truth… the fact that every one else gives you that loud cheer and agrees to everything you say or do, does not necessarily make them a good friend. Same goes to when a person does something against your will, doesn’t necessarily make them an enemy because from my experience in life, one may not be on your side because they are acting on your best interest – many a times you may not even realise it because one will only believe what one wants to believe. When that happens, it’s not their loss but yours.

I like to look at many different angles about any issues. Some say I think a lot but the one could vouch that my thinking allows me to foretell statements that do not tally which most often lead to us trapping insincere people in their own web of lies. I don’t know whether this comes from just seeing things from all angle or coupled with strong female instincts… or maybe, I am just a natural “lie detector”.

And that [partly] contributed to the dwindling mood to update my personal blog because I think I’ve come to a stage where I only want to divulge my personal views, daily experiences, etc. only to those who matters to me – those really dear to me, who sincerely loves to keep abreast with what’s happening with me lately… not those who just want to read to further scrutinise what’s happening in my life, and then make calls to their friends/officemates/parents back home/[insert whatever as you please], to gossip and talk behind my back.

Yup, I do not want to give that benefit to those undeserving.

But though it’s a dilemma of sorts, I guess after seeing an increase in the amount I got from Nuffnang though I haven’t been consistently updating, I just have to brush insignificant people aside and focus on what I have long been working on.

Guess at times, even the most passionate and positive person could get a little side-tracked.

Nuffnang Friso Family Day Out: Good Family Fun To Start 2010

This update is very much overdue as I've been bogged down with so many urgent jobs *excuses, excuses*

Anyway, as a follow-up to this entry that I did, I managed to get an invitation to the Nuffnang FRISO family day out in Kizsports 1 Utama last Saturday. At first, we were a little worried since little jj fell ill earlier that week and was vomitting away by Wednesday. Thank God, she recovered on time, though not fully, as she just got back some of her appetite, while her body tires easily.

early morning just before registration... little jj was still not in the best mood ;)

Her usual Saturday morning class at Kizsports were cancelled due to this event and their receptionists were surprised when they saw us with little jj hehe...

the t-shirt given was too big but daddy made it fashionable for little jj.

abang supposedly got one too but it was too small for him :D

just a fraction of the crowd of families, while Friso's representative spoke.

how do we get little jj to sit and forget the swings?? right... mommy's boobies session!!

There were so many fun-filled activities and Kizsports also promoted their classes for babies by giving a sneak 20-minute preview to all parents with toddlers. Little jj made herself at home from the start by targeting the swing first, then the ball-pool and after that, her favourite section in the playland, just like she would each Saturday.

customary swinging in style, while abang pushes the swing...

daddies and mommies letting their babies have a go at the babies' section while their other half clicks away at the shutter...

part of the sneak preview, but in a much larger crowd...

there was even a magic show!

look at the large turn out...

was able to get a shot of us both, using the auto timer :D

All these while I eagerly await the announcement of the winning entry. Though I wasn't the least bit hopeful in the beginning, I did get a little excited when I was informed that I had been shortlisted for the final selection of entries during registration early in the morning. Of course, I already could guess that Kak Ros of MomBloggersPlanet would definitely win since her entry was seriously creative and original... and am so proud to be associated with her site.

for that entry, we won a RM100 Toys 'R' Us cash voucher.

Thank you, Nuffnang, thank you, Friso!

The Grand Prize Winner.

Since it was my first real bloggers' meet, I wasn't sure how to carry myself and a little shy when I heard the mention of so many of them recognisable bloggers... but I did get to know Amira and Zuhaini, met Kak Ros for the first time, while I said hi to several other people whom I can't truly remember their URLs. Even saw Red Mummy in person for the first time and I was so impressed by the aura that she exude that day - a true 'Celebrity-blogger' persona. I must add how happy I was for that opportunity to shake hands with her ;)

The event was pretty organised; Marcus, the emcee, did a great job in getting everyone's attention; the crowd was AMAZING; and everything in the programme line-up was truly interesting for everyone. Too bad little jj slept half way through the event but it was good that she totally enjoyed herself to the max.

a special makan section for the kids. yes, it was that organised!

Marcus, doing a good job getting all our attention :)

little jj getting all excited.

getting a go at the obstacle course in the baby gym.

flat tired and surrenderred to the worrrlddd...

the one told me that for just a simple blog entry and we had all that fun and this to bring home, blogging can be one advantageous hobby.

So... I'm hoping to blog more frequent now that the entire madness of rushing for the usual annual report/fund report deadlines from my regular clients is pretty much over... and hopefully be able to make it to many more family gatherings like this.

Merry Xmas!

So... this shall be one lazy blog post eve of Christmas as I simply cannot have this blog idle with no updates... and, since I just received 3 more jobs to be submitted this Monday, with one book-editing job that's still under way, I'll try to keep the update concise.

Well... I had a good day today. In fact, this week has been a crazy week trying to rush for that short deadline given to me by a favourite client and fitting in some quality time with the kids and my SIL, Jannah, who has been hanging out at our apartment for the school holidays. In all those hecticness, I am still recovering from the bad bad flu I got from the one last week and my mind feels so tired from juggling between ensuring that I get the proper rest vs. the much welcoming busy-ness.

As I have just received one pay cheque a couple of days ago, I decided to treat everyone in the family today and headed on to Mines Shopping Center for lunch... it's been awhile since I went there and I have always loved to sit in those restaurants along the man-made waterway that runs through Mines Resort City.

Everything went great today... although traffic was a little chaotic getting into parking at lunch time, we managed to get a parking space almost immediately after we entered the parking lot and so nearby the entrance summore... lunch was served quickly and little jj behaved really well.

I managed to do some work on my E72 with the help of my iGo universal bluetooth foldable keyboard while waiting for our lunch to arrive and the beautiful ambience made everything else just lovely.

picture taken by my SIL, Jannah, on her Satio

I also finally got that laser printer I needed for work... since I already own a 3-in-1 HP Deskjet, I felt that another black and white laser printer would help even more as I'd always need to print out completed work to proof-read it against clients' documents and I so need a speedier printer to fulfill the requirements of a busy WAHM. Plus, the fact that a laser toner lasts longer and prints much more pages than the cartridges of a deskjet printer, this purchase was so overdue.

Then, I also finally got my hands on the most gorgeous (and very reasonably priced!) 3-in-1 pen/pencil by Cross which was on 20% offer. See... I have never gotten my mind off that 3-in-1 pen/pencil/stylus I got for free at a corporate event about two years ago. It must have been my first encounter with such stationery that I fell in love with instantly... yes, it was just a pen but I never realised how different it makes between a RM3 pen to one that cost RM100plus. I used it at every occasion until it disappeared at the hospital just after I gave birth to little jj. Since then, I had always longed to get one just like that but kept on contemplating whether it is worth buying something so expensive when I could easily misplace it again. After all, it is just a pen...

most Cross were on 20% discount at every stationery shops we went...

But today, I just couldn't resist making that purchase... it is after all, 2 years since the last one disappeared. So, I took this purchase as an end-of-the-year treat for myself - a reward for whatever reasons I can find hehe... and... I am in love, again :)

Oh, I also finally found a faux leather case in the design that I wanted, for my E72 - where many shops including Nokia kept telling me that the phone is too new and that I would have to wait a few more months before the case is available - this one shop at the digital centre in Mines actually have one that fits my Vin perfectly!

After little jj woke up from her afternoon nap, we all headed over to daddy at KLCC and I further rewarded myself with more stuff but that deserves a blog post on its own.

a beautiful view, taken from Starbucks... you can see down there, a boat you can charter for massages. i do not know how it works but i guess it's like a private massage session while the boat takes a ride with you on the huge Mines lake.

It was truly a good day and Merry Christmas for myself (hehe...).

Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends, and to the rest of us, enjoy the long holiday.

Happy 11th Anniversary, Starbucks Malaysia

So... I was at Starbucks 11th Anniversary bash at Tropicana City Mall tonight with my SIL, Jannah. Their dresscode in the invitation was stated as Masquerade but I think most of them who went weren't really dressed to the theme. Lucky thing as I didn't have anything glamourous and I easily chose whatever I have that I could fit into... and that wasn't very difficult since though I am getting back into my pre-pregnancy figure, there are still many of my nicer clothes which I can't fit ;)

customary arrival photo with beloved SIL :)

Anyways, when we arrived at the venue, registration just took place as many have only arrived due to the heavy rain and bad bad traffic. Salleh, the Marketing Manager gave us a warm welcome, asked us to register and checked if we wanted to take pictures with some really gorgeous models, dressed to the theme.

We did all that and even wrote our wish on a card. Apparently, someone was going to get lucky and his wish will be granted. Though Jannah asked for a new lens for her Sony Alpha A700 which just checked-in at the service centre earlier during the day, I on the other hand, asked for something more reasonable - to have unlimited cappuccino FOC from Starbucks for the next 365 days. Well, though I had a good vibe that my card was going to get picked tonight, I didn't manage to stay on til the end since it was getting late. So, there went my chance on coffee overdose ;P

We were greeted with two large screens where they displayed their facebook page that was going to be launched later during the event and their twitter page, which got many of us twittering away, all excited to see our tweet appearing with photos and all. Hmmm... technology... at an event where you're supposed to network and mingle, many were all at their mobile haha... but it was good since we got to see those celebrity bloggers there at the partay. Ohkay...

new-age event prop - includes FB and twitter displays... a good way to engage guests to update, and a truly powerful marketing/publicity tool for followers/possible followers... it helped even more that Starbucks provide free Wifi in their outlets.

busy twittering away and realising that her mask came in twitter's colours...

The big boss came up with a welcome speech, informing us that they had just launched a drive-thru Starbucks in JB and whatnot, which they plan to also have it in KL. He also thanked all of us for the support.

good food, topped with my favourite mug of coffee...

while eating, Jannah could still send in more tweets!

Plenty of other programmes were in store for us who were present at the event and I thought they have made it really lively, fun and happening. There were dances by some show'girls', team activity (which was truly fun and we almost won, if not for the bangle that we didn't manage to find), and my friend, Nazrul, got me up on stage for one activity which truly caught us by surprise... we didn't know that they wanted us to dance a difficult routine and almost ran off from the stage before it was over. Oh, and I must mention about David the Mentalist - a cute and witty guy, who was at the event as an illusionist... he did a card trick on Jannah and I, and we were awed at the neat trick....

that's David, the Mentalist... he was truly funny and absolutely charming.

mind you, those sexy dancers are shemale *ahaks*

So, Starbucks is already 11 years old in Malaysia... which means that I am one of their first few customers, then. Please, do not calculate my age. Oh wait... you know how old I am since I just declared that some time last week ;)

I remembered after graduating from uni and hanging out with friends who love to hang out at places like Starbucks. I think at one point, we were at Starbucks @Telawi Bangsar almost every evening after work before heading out to mamak for dinner. During the weekends, we would either head there after a good time clubbing or just simply to chill and relax for a 'quieter' evening. It was great, those days when I was younger, without much worry especially since I was still staying with my parents... it felt so good to have good friends around and we always have so many things to do together... now when I think of it, I never really realised that Starbucks was quite a big influence in my social life then.

It was a good experience learning how to order their coffee... and I started out with their frappuccinos which I found a tad too mild for a coffee lover. I had always asked for an extra shot of espresso in all the fraps that I ordered. After some time, I guess I managed to try out many of their other drinks. My favourite would be their Cappuccino and Raspberry Tea.

Ahhh... such a nice feeling reminiscing the past. Wait, come to think of it, my first date with the one was at KLCC's Starbucks in 2005. Hmmm... there was magic there, definitely... with us drinking that one big mug of coffee, chatting away for three hours without even realising the time. And the day before, I was also at KLCC's Starbucks when I finally caught a glimpse of him, my 'favourite' blogger, having a discussion with his colleagues after office hours without him even realising that I was to be his favourite 'stalker' ;P

*warm feeling all over*

So, thank you, Starbucks... and congratulations on the achievements.

Ok... now back to work. I have tonnes of stuff waiting for me on my desk and it was a lovely outing. I would so like to thank my supportive other half for allowing me to party while he stays home to take care of the potty. Haha.

went home with these goodies... oh, i absolutely love the espresso shot glass.

Toughcookie has added, 'Ambassador' to her cv.

Apart from the magic mouse for my birthday, I guess turning 17 *ehem* [again!] this year has been a beautiful journey to that age transition...

Firstly, I am almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight, although not really there yet... and seeing the photos from my birthday dinner really cheered me up. As I mentioned to the one, this toughcookie is finally back and he was so thoughtful when he said that I never really 'left' hehe... *awwww*

Losing weight after giving birth was an easy-peasy task for me then, with my first-born. I could already fit into my jeans after one month. So, this time, I never really thought I would balloon that much and was so confident to repeat the same feat.

However, I was proven wrong when much of the pregnancy weight didn't come off that easily despite the old wives' tale of losing fat while breastfeeding. As much as the scientific logic of it presents some truth, I do feel that it doesn't apply to everyone. Every mommy's body work differently and I find myself eating much much more everytime I feed little jj as I keep getting hungry all the time. Well, thanks to a supportive husband, I didn't think much about my weight and all I wanted to do was eat well so that I could transfer all that nutrition to my baby through my breastmilk. I didn't care that much if I was fat as long as the baby gets everything she needs and that my milk stock is continuous.

I must admit that as much as I didn't care much about my weight, it did affect me a little since EVERYONE would ask me what's wrong with me (my weight, that is)... relatives would ask me what I am eating, my mom's neighbours would blatantly point out how huge I have become and my dad didn't help much in making me feel good about my body. Still, I had never really worked out before and so, I did nothing much to tone up.

But I guess, after little jj turned one-plus and feeds less often from me, my hunger pangs decreased and many began to tell me that I have gotten smaller. *yeayyy!*

With my body issues taking a back seat, I feel good celebrating my birthday and proud with whatever achievements I've made, no matter how small or slow they were. I am proud of my age, and not afraid to tell anyone that I have turned 34 this year.

And little did I know, that I had another surprise in my inbox, in the form of a much-awaited message... I was told that I have been selected as an ambassador for MomBloggersPlanet, one of the more successful blogsite for mommies and WAHM, which I have been following for awhile. They had a search for 5 ambassadors, listing down roles that I would be responsible for, at a perfect time when I was scratching my head on newer ideas on how I can make my presence more visible in the blogworld.

i was given this badge to display in my blog ;)

I am extremely happy with this development and I look forward to contributing whatever I can to the mommies' community.

So, yeah... I forgot to wish me, Happy Birthday! :D

Toughcookie is Malaysia's Top 500 Social Mediaphile!

This tough cookie has been selected as Malaysia's Top 500 media user ;)

*click on image to go to Project 500

Now, I am not sure how I can verify the Top 500 part out of the mass population but I know that I have been using the social media quite extensively. Among the factors that make me qualify are points such as:

1 - I can't stay off the internet, which is very true, judging from my constant updates from early in the morning til the wee hours before dawn. Heck, even my ex-colleagues used to ask me whether I do sleep at all ;)

2 - I always chat with friends on IM. Well, I won't say all the time, but there are some frequency since I am on the net, almost all the time. Can even type with my one hand while the other is busy holding the little one feeding on my boobies ;P

3 - That I refer to facebook as FB, affectionately... that, I do indeed ;)

4 - That my thoughts come in Twitter bursts of 140 characters or less. Haha... no points for guessing! Just look at the top of this blog and you can see how true that is!

There are other factors taken into consideration and I was a little skeptical about being qualified but I guess they deemed me connected enough to be specially invited to the Project 500 unveiling affair. It will be held at Cathay Cineplex Damansara this Sunday which will end with a movie screening of New Moon. Interesting...

As I am unable to attend the briefing, they have promised to send an update by Monday. I am quite curious on what Project 500 is all about and totally welcome any new developments to the broad internet social media as long as it can benefit many of us while further enhancing whatever current applications we are using. Here's hoping that it's not just a gimmick. After all, we use the net for convenience. Therefore, convenience should be one of its advantages.

And, with that new internet development, I am also happy (and comfortable enough) to share with you the birth of my new blog My Views and Reviews. Am kinda jumping on the bandwagon with other opportunity-making bloggers in the blogosphere and hoping that my current readers can help support this new venture. After all, the content will be nothing new as many friends told me how much they have benefited from the reviews I've written in this blog. Hence, why not make it a possible income-generating site while I continue to give you honest opinions, right?

From my study, many bloggers have taken advantage of the huge possibilities and opportunities from the internet and blogging - from small ideas like selling personal collections to simply responding to contest ads where one is required to blog about the item, paste lots of photos and linking to contest sponsors.

Thus, I have discovered what I can do if I put my mind to it and staying true to my promise to not stop writing. Of course, I do want to write more often and by making it a point to constantly update, who knows what the future holds...

So, feel free to visit the new site (I have 6 reviews already!) and register as followers. I will still pen my personal thoughts in here but if you have anything you'd like me to check out, test and review, do write in to suggest so that I could update it on the other blog.

And with that, I shall leave you with a Happy Hari Raya Haji wish to my Muslim friends. To the rest of you, enjoy the long weekend while we all eagerly wait for many more holidays in December ;) If you have to drive this holiday season, please be extra careful and be considerate of others.

~ technorati short code M72RZ86XS39Y

The Power of Voice through Blogging.

Ok.. it’s been almost a month since my last post as I’ve been very pre-occupied… well, mostly due to the constant Twitter updates that is just as satisfying; a little more due to facebook and their addictive games which I could always participate in between breaks; but more so because of the endless attention required of a growing toddler who has learnt to walk and always able to grab mommy at any time and every time. *phew*

Anyways, I have been very busy with work and I thought it may take me another one week or two before I have the energy to blog again but something just hit me tonight and I have this strong urge to write an entry.

See, there was this discussion on blogging and how some people could still regard blogs as an unimportant marketing tool. Really, at this age and time (and this, I meant the 21st Century – not my ‘age’) I am perplexed at such an opinion. No, it’s not because I am a blogger myself. I am saying this because anyone who’s familiar with the internet and use the internet as a source of info would know and could see how much has changed over the years… how blogs have evolved from what they were before – an avenue to voice out concerns/sharing of information to one of the most effective marketing tools nowadays.

I was even more perplexed that this opinion came from a successful entrepreneur who was taken in by the advise of her friend (also a successful entrepreneur in the same industry) that a blog is not important, and that she should focus more on revenue-generating efforts – an advise given by a person who owns a personal blog with plenty of links to reputable connections in the industry, advertisement spaces and clearly stated contact details for, what else – income generating opportunity! I was about to open my mouth wide but stopped immediately since my advise doesn’t come free that easily and I shall say no more ☺

No longer can one say that blogging is a waste of time or rubbish. Yes, you get some people who writes rubbish but who’s to judge when they have hundreds of ‘followers’ on their blogs. It’s no longer about the content… but more of the following, readership and connections on a personal level. Some say it is no longer fun blog-hopping because one tends to read too many advertorials and entries on online contests but I guess, this sort of marketing and promotions work… or else no advertisers or sponsors would venture into such tactics – it works!

One is no longer subjected to the confinements of one’s home with house chores to be completed. Instead, many housewives have now started to blog to gain additional income (although I am not sure how much one can really earn from sponsored posts/ads like nuffnang, on average). Housewives are also smarter by pursuing their hobbies and selling their products online, through their blogs, that are also filled with links to other bloggers and a huge number of online conversations.

Big corporations in Malaysia have started to open up and welcome bloggers to their events and functions, as they know how powerful it is when certain messages are exchanged in blogs. In this case, bloggers are treated somewhat similar to media practitioners because some people (moi included) do not have that much trust in paid media due to the perception that adspend always (or most of the time) influences the angle of an article unlike independent opinions of bloggers, who at most times provide an objective opinion and approachable at a more personal level through the interactive environment - be it in the comments section or ‘Shout Box’ displayed in their blogs. I, for one, was privileged to be invited by MAS to their Cabin Crew Training for bloggers as they felt that it was important for us bloggers to educate the public of their new motto of Malaysian Hospitality and that cabin crewmembers are not just pretty faces.

Many companies have adopted and accepted the concept of including bloggers into their PR and marketing acitivities. One just cannot discount the importance and strength of published information on a blog, as I learnt back in 2005 just after the Tsunami that badly hit our neighbours and some northern parts of our country. In the news sense, information traveled faster than the main news channels; footages from the catastrophe that were aired on national and international news networks were sourced from blogs; and what I remember most was how a mat saleh baby, whose family had fallen victim to the giant waves in Phuket, was identified by their relatives in Germany (I think!) from photos of him posted in blogs. These, I found out based on my research for an IT article I was required to submit for a client's newsletter. From then on, I discovered the satisfaction of blogging, made many friends through blogging, and of course, met the one from blog-hopping.

Now, almost 5 years later, companies not only welcome bloggers' opinions, many have built special blogs for employees/customers/registered bloggers to post entries/reviews on their blogs. Even politicians have accepted this fact – that opinions posted on blogs can be powerful and how many have tried to create a monitoring system for Malaysian bloggers. Of course, this ain’t easy. Hence, we can now find many blogs of our politicians, all who fell into the saying, "If you can't beat them, join them."… some write their own entries, while some probably use the services of ghost writers.

In the US alone, the acceptance of blogs as a powerful source of info is so overwhelming that even CEOs blog. Sad to say, the only CEO in Malaysia who blogs is none other than Tony Fernandes (I’m not sure… is he a Datuk Seri now?). No wonder he can be such an admired corporate figure… it’s this acceptance and moving along with the times allow him to be the pioneer of many wonderful opportunities…

I, for one, who’s an internet savvy individual – who uses the internet to find information and learns from what she discovers every time, would have to totally say that blogging is an important tool for whatever reasons – be it for marketing purposes or even branding… not necessarily branding/portraying a certain image for your products. Blogging also creates branding for yourself, through the eyes of your readers from what you write. This is because you allow people to get to know you better since what you write is usually seen as a personal opinion; you reach out a massive audience as your blog can be accessed publicly (if you do not choose to make it private) and there are millions out there, at least, who, like me, uses the net as a main source of information. Heck, just one keyword typed in a search engine will display hundreds if not thousands of blog lists that relate to a certain view or reviews that you are searching for. More often than not, those opinions count because those are the information that you obtain FOC.

Heck, I no longer buy beauty magazines as I sometimes find them with too many adverts that do not appeal to me and articles that are downright boring. For now, I am very happy to read two beauty blogs whom I have begun to trust in their suggestions and recommendations, even though I have only been following them for a couple of months. Part of my decision to try out a facial session at Lancome was due to limited information on some beauty brands that I was looking for and the Lancome Beauty Institute in Bangsar Village II was at the top of the list, written by one of them. That was enough to get me curious and how I got totally hooked after the experience under those warm, magical hands of Tiffany ;P

Same goes for you, if you have not been blogging yet. I am not persuading you to… but if you underestimate the power of blogs, get these facts:

- 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs

- 51% of blog readers shop online

- blog readers average 23 hours online each week

- 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years (this is an American survey

- there are 500,000 active bloggers in Malaysia, ranking us among the highest in the world after Indonesia and EU (70% of the election results were influenced by information found in blogs)

- more and more bloggers have garnered additional income from blogging

If you are seeking to reach your audience and brand yourself to be more approachable and accessible, this is one great way to do it. But if you can’t see that, then you lose out in the massive opportunity and just be a follower, rather than the force that you want to portray to them. Hence, you lose out to your competitor who actively blogs.

Geesh... now this is definitely a free advise, huh?

Useful links:

Squidoo - Make Money Blogging in Malaysia

Malaysia Central - Blog Directory

7 Reasons Why Blogs Are Vitally Important

If You're In Business - Get Blogging!