Quote of the Day

I found this one over the net~ ;)

It's easy when you are in pain to want to hide from the world. But friends aren't friends because they are "fun in good times". ANYBODY can be fun in good times. Friends are friends because they are THERE FOR YOU in bad times. That is what they are there for! So don't push them away. Tell them you're sad. Go out to dinner with them! Go out dancing with them. Sit home and play Scrabble with them. Watch a movie with them. The more you are out doing things you love, the less you will have time to mope. Remind yourself of the fun things in life, and let life move on.

This is so true...

Enjoy reading ;)


5 Women Break Their Own Rules
By Marisa Cohen


Breaking Personal Boundaries
My Aunt Lucille has given me a lot of advice over the years, but one bit has always stuck with me: When I announced at age 12 that I would never eat red meat again, she said to me, "Why say never? Why not just say you won't eat red meat today? Then you won't have to go back on your word." And a year later, as I gave in to my overwhelming desire for a cheeseburger, I realized she was right.

I've thought about that conversation often -- especially when I hear someone make a bold statement like "I will never have children," or "I will never live on the West Coast." There's a real difference between declaring your principles ("I would never take drugs or cheat on my husband" are pretty good ones) and setting up nonnegotiable boundaries based on what's right for you at that particular moment in your life. After all, the things that would seem unimaginable at age 25 may become exactly what you want at 35. "Life is a work in progress," explains Patricia A. Farrell, PhD, a psychologist in New Jersey and author of How to Be Your Own Therapist (McGraw-Hill, 2004). "You need to leave yourself some flexibility, because you don't know when a job opportunity, a love connection, or the discovery of a new talent will totally change your perspective."

Here, five women who absolutely, positively swore they would never do something explain how going back on their word helped them move up and move on to a life they had never imagined possible.

"I will never marry someone who doesn't fit my checklist."

"I swore I would never date -- much less marry -- a man who was shorter than me," says five-foot-eight-and-a-half Jennifer Toth, a 31-year-old grad student in Weehawken, New Jersey. "The idea drilled into my head by my friends and my mom was: The guy has to be taller than the girl." Jennifer dated a series of lanky men in college, but when it came to intelligence and personality, none of them measured up to her platonic friend Joseph, who at five feet three inches barely grazed her shoulders. "Joseph was compassionate and funny and had beautiful brown eyes," Jennifer says. "But I couldn't quiet the voice in my head saying, 'What will people think?'"

After six months of friendship, Jennifer and Joseph began a cautious romance. Even as their relationship grew, Jennifer admits that it took at least two years for her to completely banish her misgivings about their height difference. "Eventually I realized that Joseph was everything I had ever wanted, just in a smaller package." So in the fall of 2001, towering over him in heels and poufy hair, Jennifer married Joseph. "Standing at the altar, I thought, This is the greatest thing I've ever done. I knew his height no longer mattered."

Lesson Learned: Don't try to please everyone else. Some nevers grow from a deep place within your soul, but others are implanted early on by outside forces, like the media, your friends and, yes, your mother -- and those are the most negotiable. So how do you clear out the clutter and focus on what's right for you? "Ask yourself, 'If I lived on another planet where no one else would ever see me, would I want to marry this man or take this job or live this life?'" suggests Dana Lightman, PhD, a psychotherapist in Philadelphia and author of POWER Optimism (Power Optimism, 2004). "If the answer is yes, then you should take that path and focus on what makes you happy."

"I will never live in the suburbs."

Kathleen Hands-DiNonno, 38, grew up in the land of minivans and malls, counting the days until she could leave for the nonstop buzz of New York City. "I moved to the city right after college and swore I would never live anywhere else," she recalls. Kathleen even chose the city over her career: When she was 30, her position as an event planner, a job she truly enjoyed, was transferred to Atlanta. "Even though I signed a lease for an apartment there, a couple of weeks before moving, I panicked and backed out."

A few years later, she got married and had a baby, and suddenly her vow never to leave the city felt more like an obstacle. "My husband and I talked about opening our own business and buying a house, and we knew we couldn't afford to do both in New York," she says.
She reluctantly agreed to check out Charlotte, North Carolina, and was surprised to discover that her assumptions about the burbs were false. "The people we met were interesting, and there was great shopping and theater," she says. Kathleen and her husband bought a house with a yard in the suburbs and settled into their new life. "My time in New York City was right for me then," she says. "But this is right for me now."

Lesson Learned: Having children can change your priorities. Swearing everlasting allegiance to a certain lifestyle is common when you're young and eager to define yourself. "But as you get older, you need to reevaluate your situation," says Farrell. "Ask yourself, 'What prompted me to make that vow, and is that still my main concern?'" Making accommodations for a new family doesn't mean you have to completely forsake everything you loved about your single life. "It's important to revisit that old lifestyle in energizing little bits," she says. That can mean getting together with friends for a monthly girls' night out or taking a weekend trip back to New York for a marathon of theatergoing and shoe shopping.

"I will never take financial risks."

Throughout her 20s and 30s, Therese Shechter was all about financial security. She had a good job as a graphic designer at a big Chicago newspaper, a cozy condo, and a membership at an upscale gym. "I used to hire freelancers, and I would always think, How can they live not knowing where their next paycheck is coming from?" recalls Therese, now 44. When a friend invited her to teach journalism in Eastern Europe, she declined. "I had always dreamed of living abroad, but now I owned a condo for crying out loud! I couldn't just pick up and leave!"

Fast-forward a few years, when a breakup with a longtime boyfriend and a rapidly approaching 40th birthday caused Therese to reassess her focus on material comfort. "I didn't want to be on my deathbed regretting things I hadn't done just so I would have enough money to redo my kitchen," she says. A self-proclaimed film geek, Therese decided to attend film school at night. "When I finished, I realized that if I didn't quit and pursue filmmaking, I would be stuck in a job that was 'just okay' for the rest of my life." So she did what she swore she'd never do: She gave up the steady paycheck and began freelancing in design to support herself while she completed her first documentary.

Coming to terms with her new cash-poor lifestyle was one thing -- convincing her friends and family that she hadn't lost her marbles was another matter. "For the first year, I think they were all waiting for me to come to my senses," Therese admits. But trading the fancy gym for workouts at the Y and gourmet dinners for take-out Chinese has paid off in personal satisfaction. "I am infinitely happier now," says Therese. "Who knows? Maybe I'll wind up in Europe after all."

Lesson Learned: Sometimes you have to sacrifice security to achieve happiness. Though you may think that you are mentally prepared to live with diminished resources, you may find it difficult, initially, to get by on less. To cushion the blow, make sure that you have all the details covered, including a workable strategy for paying your rent, a nest egg of savings to cover your living expenses for the first few months, and a fallback plan in case things don't go as expected.
You may also find that you have to constantly reassure skeptical friends and worried relatives that you're making a sound decision. As annoying as this may be, it can actually help, says Dan Neuharth, PhD, a San Francisco-based therapist and author of Secrets You Keep from Yourself (St. Martin's Griffin, 2005). "Not only will it prove you're passionate about your new life plan, but each time you make your case, the dream will become more real for you."

"I will never get married."

Some girls dream of their wedding day. For Jennie Dunham, 37, that dream was more like a recurring nightmare. "Ever since I was little, I was adamant that I was never going to get married," says Jennie, a literary agent in New York City. "I was convinced that the only reason a man would want to get married was to have someone cook and clean for him."

When she fell in love with a musician, "I couldn't make that commitment," Jennie recalls. Eventually, they split. A few years later she met Craig, a computer engineer who loved Jennie's independence but also wanted to get married and start a family. Whenever Jennie brought up the reasons she didn't want to get hitched, Craig countered with the ways they could make marriage work for them. She didn't want a church service? They could write their own ceremony. She didn't want to be a stay-at-home mom? They'd hire an au pair. "I realized it wasn't marriage that I was against, but the traditional role of a wife."

Six years and one child later, Jennie has become a big fan of her own marriage: "Every anniversary, we repeat our vows to reinforce the idea that we chose to be together."

Lesson Learned: Marriage doesn't have to fit a certain mold. "Our goals are usually a combination of what we want to achieve and what we wish to avoid," says Neuharth. But you don't want to let your fears keep you from pursuing the good stuff in life, so experts suggest you list the things that turn you off from an institution such as marriage or parenthood, and then look at each item for acceptable alternatives. If you still see more negatives than positives, then it might be best to stick to your never -- at least until someone inspires you enough to revisit it.

"I will never take a job where I have to wear a suit."

When Kim McWaters was in high school, she imagined her future would involve spangles, tutus, and Broadway lights, not a briefcase and sensible heels. "The corporate world seemed regimented and boring," says the 42-year-old mother of three in Glendale, Arizona. "I wanted to do something I was passionate about." Kim was talented enough to win a musical-theater scholarship, but a pregnancy threw a hitch into her plans. She stayed home to have the baby and enrolled part time in the local college.

To make extra money, Kim took a job answering phones at Universal Technical Institute, an automotive school. But then a funny thing happened. Kim found that she loved talking to the people who called the school. "I started thinking, I could actually like this," she recalls. She stayed at the company, moving to sales and marketing, where she put her theatrical chops to good use creating commercials and videos for the school. Twenty years later, she is the president and CEO of the company.

Kim says the fact that she made the right decision became clear one day when she was talking to an old theater friend who was starring in a Broadway show. "I asked him what it was like, and he said, 'It's just a job.' I have never once thought of my career as being just a job. It makes me think that this is my true calling."

Lesson Learned: Take a good look at the big picture. When you're in the process of switching destinies, you may experience moments of doubt, but if the choice truly makes sense for you, then those feelings will be short-lived. "Imagine yourself 10 years in the future," suggests Neuharth. "By then, the discomfort of going back on your never will have faded, so picture what all the long-run benefits are. Focusing on the positives will help your adjustment."
Best of all, once you knock down that first never, you'll see new opportunities everywhere you look. "When you step out of your traditional role, you open yourself up to completely new adventures in life," says Lightman.

Originally published in Fitness magazine, May 2006.

As busy as a bee~

Hey,

just the thought that I wont be posting for quite some time due to exams around the corner. Will get back on track when it's over..tata~

Bon Voyage

Life goes on~

Say Goodbye

by Chris Brown

Baby come here and sit down, let's talk

I got a lot to say so I guess I'll start by

Saying that I love you,

But you know, this thing ain't been

No walk in the park for us

I swear it'll only take a minute

You'll understand when I finish, yeah

And I don't wanna see you cry

But I don't wanna be the one to tell you a lie so

[HOOK]

How do you let it go?

When you, You just don't know? What's on,

The other side of the door

When you're walking out, talk about it

Everything I tried to remember to say

Just went out my head

So I'ma do the best I can to get you to understand

[CHORUS]

There's never a right time to say goodbye

But I gotta make the first move

'Cause if I don't you gonna start hating me

Cause I really don't feel the way I once felt about you

Girl it's not you, it's me

I gotta gotta figure out what I need (oh)

There's never a right time to say goodbye

But we know that we gotta go

Our separate ways

And I know it's hard but I gotta do it,

And it's killing me

Cause there's never a right time

Right time to say goodbye

But now your heart is breaking

And a thousand times I

Found myself asking, "Why? Why?"

Why am I taking so long to say this?

But trust me, girl I never

Meant to crush your world

And I never

Thought I would see the day we grew apart

And I wanna know

[HOOK]

How do you let it go?

When you, You just don't know?

What's on,

The other side of the door

When you're walking out, talk about it

Girl I hope you understand

What I'm trying to say.

We just can't go on

Pretending that we get along

Girl how you not gonna see it?

[CHORUS]

There's never a right time to say goodbye

But I gotta make the first move

'Cause if I don't you gonna start hating me

Cause I really don't feel the way I once felt about you

Girl it's not you it's me.

I gotta gotta figure out what I need (oh)

There's never a right time to say goodbye

But we know that we gotta go

Our separate ways

And I know it's hard but I gotta do it,

And it's killing me

Cause there's never a right time

Right time to say goodbye

Listen to your heart

Girl you know,

We should be apart,

baby I I just can't do it I,

I just can't do it

Listen to your heart

Girl you know,

We should be apart, baby I

I just can't do it

And sometimes it makes me wanna cry

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh [4x]

Do you hear me crying?

[CHORUS]

There's never a right time to say goodbye

But I gotta make the first move

'Cause if I don't you gonna start hating me

Cause I really don't feel the way I once felt about you

Girl it's not you it's me.

I gotta gotta figure out what I need (oh)

There's never a right time to say goodbye

But we know that we gotta go

Our separate ways

And I know it's hard but I gotta do it,

And it's killing me

Cause there's never a right time

Right time to say goodbye

[CHORUS]

There's never a right time to say goodbye

But I gotta make the first move

'Cause if I don't you gonna start hating me

Cause I really don't feel the way I once felt about you

Girl it's not you it's me.

I gotta gotta figure out what I need (oh)

There's never a right time to say goodbye

But we know that we gotta go

Our separate ways

And I know it's hard but I gotta do it,

And it's killing me

Cause there's never a right time

Right time to say goodbye

It has been finalised!!

Recently I discuss with my manager regarding on my holidays. This week, I work 3 days because last monday was bank holiday and this friday is revision day. Then about my annual leave, it has been granted since i already booked my flight. But in 1 condition, i cannot take leave till sep 2007 after my holidays. well, it's a no problemo to me as I've got my vacation earlier.huhu

For now, i need to study hard for the exams since i got 1 week for study leave.gonna nail that 2 papers this time!aja aja fighting!