Coffeeholic's Hour

我們之間的感情始於你的不捨。 你的不捨在我的懵懂中是能體會到的一種情感。 你捨不得我長大，我捨不得你變老。 你捨不得我離開，我捨不得離你遠去。 你所有的不捨都在心裡，我所有的不捨都在淚裡。 你的心疼都在短短的一句，殷殷，你吃飽了嗎? 沒人比我更了解這份心疼與不捨，在多年後是一種溫馨。 那個拉拔我長大，教我念阿彌陀佛，教我要善良，要學會原諒，給我快樂童年的阿嫲，就這麼放手了，儘管我心有多不捨。這是前世修來的福氣，被你捧在手心，細細地愛着疼着。感謝你的養育之恩，包容和無私的愛，才成就今天的一切。 我們之間沒有如果，亦沒有遺憾，只有不捨。 阿嫲，感謝你的不捨，就讓我繼續守住這份情懷吧。

I'm sure many of us, including myself, can't wait to flip this year over despite everyone had high hope in the beginning. Challenging workload when your role is to travel and get things done, inconvenient habit of putting on a mask as soon as stepping out the house, abusively used the word 'virtual', and grounded for a very long period of time. So I thought to myself - why not spend some time to pen down some reflection here: 1. Working from home is about discipline and time management, and thus making you either a highly productive person or a procrastinator. 2. Breathe in a mask outside of OT is challenging - it's super suffocating under the hot sun or humid weather. Mask is new essential. 3. Delivery is SO easy for essentials, groceries, food and gift. It's new way to show love and care towards someone or on special occasions. 4. Substitute traffic and travelling time to overtimes, exercise or reading time. It makes me realise how much time I could spend wise...

I have been bragged about my weight loss journey to my husband as and when the scale shows some positive results in the last 6 months. Some people notice the difference of the overall body shape, while some just notice the face is less chubby now. Most of the people perceive my diet plan is not feasible to begin the change with when I explain about the various intermittent fasting I practiced throughout the 6-month, while some think the drastic change will cause my weight fluctuates once I stop practicing whatever I'm doing right now. What does 10kg weight loss mean to me: Weight went up when I started training twice a day without taking care of my diet and it's rather demotivating on the first month. So, that's where I attempted intermittent fasting and exercise once a day. Result kicked in fast on second month with 2kg loss.  Intermittent fasting is NOT a shortcut to weight loss - it is more like a change in eating pattern. I began with 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, and OMAD at my pe...

Life can be full of surprises or mundane. It's about choices of how you want life turns out to be. After starting my intermittent fasting and workout, this is how I create my anticipation everyday: I look forward to morning stretch after waking up; I look forward to my lunch by 1145am already; I look forward to having a cuppa after lunch; I look forward to 5pm strength training because I saved a new training video last night; I look forward to profuse perspiration at first 10mins of workout; I look forward to cooling down period and my phone moment; I look forward to good bath; I look forward to leg lifts while viewing for new video before bed; I look forward to good night's sleep; And, I still can't wait to start a day with activities listed above. How you create many small excitement in a day is how you want to be responsible for living at every moment. Totally love the change of lifestyle and new norm of living in pandemic, and count my blessings for having a job to affo...

August 6 marked my 4-month of weight loss journey. When my weight was stagnant in the last two months, I hit the plateau already, which was sooner than I thought that's it. On second thought, I was thinking I was at certain weight below what I weighed currently so there must be way to get back. 2 months later, I broke the plateau and the weight further reduced 6 kg. What's more surprising to me is the reduction of my total body fat reduced by 4% while muscle mass increased by 7%. Right now, I am at the weight from 5 years ago, with less body fat and more muscle mass. Learning: Stay motivated by changing workout plan everyday. Those YouTube fitness videos are extremely helpful without thinking how to tweak your routine. If the mood says 30-min, then pick a 30-min routine; if you feel like doing 10-min today, then split 5-min each for upper and lower body. Everything is on your mind - learn one new move every week and practice it. You can't do it today doesn't mean you ca...

心里面没有狠过一次，哪来的淡呢？ 取自〈血观音〉 经历过什么，坚持什么，向往什么，什么才是真的 -- 长大了，事实重要吗？原则重要吗？面子重要吗？赢，重要吗？ 如果能重来，初心一样吗？选择一样吗？目的一样吗？ 如果人生没有狠过，会想要回归平静淡泊的生活吗？ 不是别无选择，只是事过境迁，心态变了。 执着是一种人生态度，放下亦是。

Regular exercise always tops the chart of new year resolution of most of the people, including myself. Never got the heart to start new routine and find excuse for not working out or use workload and travel schedule as reason. Imagine how much times I have wasted on electronic device, calls, meetings and stick on couch throughout the evening.  When lockdown was announced, I took a week off after first quarter closing and lazed my ass off and did nothing. Two weeks later, I felt like potato and the fat around my thigh and belly irked me. What on earth was I thinking? How could I have the gut to sit here and do nothing about this body? I stood on the weighing scale and the number was a lot higher than I thought. This was a huge wake up call! Ditched the couch and I started my HIIT workout. 4 minutes for 1 set - I felt drained of exhaustion. Insisted for another set and I called it a day. I set the alarm for morning and evening workout for 3 weeks. Result after 3 weeks? Weigh remained...

So, recently, I have been followed the Rocky Balboa series. I must admit I wasn't a fan of Sylvester Stallone but Rocky character is inspirational from the beginning until the end of this franchise. A fearless boxer, heavyweight champion, a boxer who prioritises wife and friends, and a retiree who is never bowed to life and fate where he uses his fists to bring inspiring life to himself and people around him.  We are all born to create our values in life, and potentially bring values to other's lives. A loyal friend like Paulie is hard to find in this century. Loyalty seems like the least valuable trait but a loyal friend is whom you need the most though the ups and downs. How nice someone is stuck with you for a very long time regardless of your fame, your wealth and your influences. Life is never easy and it will keep hitting you and keep you there permanently - and pandemic effect is what the world is facing right now. We must be ready to take the hit, get up and move forwar...

Covid-19 pandemic happens since Jan 2020 as the world starts its new chapter after new year's celebration. Today, it has taken more 109,000 lives, more than 1.7 million infected with virus, around 2 billions on lockdown. Lockdown or movement control order (MCO), social distancing and face mask are the new norm in our lives right now.  Other than our healthcare workers and police force who are standing at frontline, many are required to work from home, some have lost their businesses or jobs owing to MCO, some complain about being bored at home, some enjoy the quality time spent with family, while some seize the opportunities to venture on digital platforms. In front of pandemic, we see opportunists, maturing digital platform, trending remote workplace, and blurred lines of work-life balance.  My expectation of MCO life, other than working: Read books, exercise, make drinks, binge on couch, movie marathon, maybe cooking sometimes. However, the reality is, I spend more than 10 h...

The country I live in is unique with diversities and cultures. We have high tolerance for embracing races, lifestyle, and customs. I have always loved it here for the food, the people, and the languages. It's just beautiful when the skin colour doesn't divide us apart until it's become the emotional weapon manipulated by the politicians. It would just be really beautiful when we celebrate a lot of events together until the religion extremists warn us to stay away from each others due to our 'differences'.

After experiencing one of the most confusing months in work life, I feel like losing the ability to hold casual conversations, to laugh, and to get close to the people I know I love. Exhausted and refused to get up from bed every single day. At one point I reckoned this as one of the symptoms to get into depression. They said entrepreneurs work like that but I am not them. Why should I work so hard? Passion is drained off, brain is not functioning well, fear for phone vibration, face is stern like a burnt cookies, and who am I fighting for right now? Don't you think it's just not right?  Well, then, I stay aloof for a while to have some inner conversation with the little self within. Hey, times are hard and life is short. Stay strong is the only thing to hold yourself together. Get some rest. And then, we go on and live again. I have heard some bad news from people around me and the last word coming from their families is, yes, life is short. I wish I could live longer to see t...

I am not sure if this happens to most of the Marketing graduate when you mention about your major to a stranger: Situation A Me: I majored in Marketing. Stranger: Oh, do you need to major in selling? Me: Selling is just part of marketing process. Stranger looks at you in puzzle - isn't it the same? Situation B Me: I am a Marketing graduate. Stranger: Ah. To be honest, everyone can be a marketer without graduating as one. Me: Yes, you are right. It's really about common sense most of the time but not many are privileged with that ability. People seem to misunderstand and disparage marketing profession by scoffing at how easy it is to sell with talks only. In most of the circumstances, people comment marketing is all about common sense. I have to agree to this remark wholeheartedly just because common sense is no longer common in practices nowadays. However, strategy is another part of marketing that delivers the talk. It's as easy as quoting example of ho...

距离重看《新不了情》电影，已经是十年前的事了。以前就只专注于故事的流程且感人的情节; 现在反而觉得电影里头的演员，演技，金句，是不可多得的人生演绎。 人生篇 健康从来就不是每个人来到这个世界都能理所当然拥有的。当你在埋怨世界对你有多不公时，别忘了有些人每天...

I have challenges at understanding instructions.  First, I could not register rules in list or in sequences.  Second, I stop listen to rules immediately when they sound stupid or complicated.  Third, who cares about rules? Last, who started rules in the first place? The resistant behaviour is not all about being rebellious or sign of not listening. Also, it's not about the tendency of giving commands rather than receiving one. Let's put it in this way - it's hard to follow certain rules which are creatively complicated by the one who tasks you. Make much sense? To me, it's like what do you want me to achieve; and what shouldn't I do to breach against law or compliance or just the barriers. Recently, we were participating in team-building event. The weather was hot and humid, the host was impatient while the team were too noisy and excited - so most of the time I couldn't focus on what needed to be done for each round. Our team tended to wi...

Going on a vacation is something you would always think of when work is too stressful, lunch is too bland, and clockwatching is the only hobby from work. But I am telling you this - planning a vacation can be stressful or it might trigger unnecessary arguments between 2 or more hopeful souls who have been longed for routes to the oasis. Ok little bit too far-fetched but I've made my point. Anyway, if a vacation is that stressful, why would you spend money and still worry about a lot of uncertainties ahead? Some call it adventurous but a lot of them just fear of every single step they make that would ruin their holiday. Some employers are even evil to rub the salt on your wound by instructing their employees to stay online even when the employees are entitled to get on leave. Seriously, as if expecting the uncertainties in a foreign country is just not enough. So, here I am at the airport, musing about how should I behave like I am on a stress-free vacation. First, not reacting t...

男人买了两杯咖啡 坐在靠商店一侧的座位 等待着女人购物回来。女人一心只想着找双高跟鞋 走遍了每个角落 耐心地试鞋 再站起 对着全身镜摆着姿势 努力让镜中的自己穿的好看些。殊不知 这一连串的动作看得男人发呆 深思。女人很开心地拎着一袋鞋盒往咖啡厅走去。嘴上直夸货品价廉...

In 2008, I was a year shy of being an eligible voter. Being far away from home, all I could do was following the election news update via social media. Vendetta mask was widely displayed, as well as the movie quotes were popularised in emphasising the significance of people's voice. It was also the first time I heard of a louder voice of wanting change for the country.  In 2013, the queue outside of my designated polling station was super long before sunrise. My younger, ineligible friend was so excited to feel the hype of UBAH and we waited in the line together. Restriction of journalism and speech did not hinder the people to campaign about the change we wanted. People from all over world were making an effort to cast their votes despite the physical distance. We saw unity in Bersih and felt united on election day. However, this year, we experienced the dirtiest and darkest election fraud in the history of GE. The result pained us so much we thought we could never see the chan...

曾经有个要好的女性友人 当初认识她是在同一家公司上班。我们常结伴吃午餐和喝下午茶 当然就少不了了解也聊是非。她经常埋怨自己的男友不够成熟稳重 事业不稳定 不帅 占有欲强 - 就是种种的不是。我们当然好奇 怎么啦 那当初是怎么在一起的。话说 原来是初恋 中学时代的生涩到现...

I want to write again. I stop reading when I stop writing, which decelerates learning - as if it's important to restart this habit. I used to write a lot, ranging from intelligible advice, biased perspective of society, college/office whine, daily experience, melancholy, to total gibberish, and that made me happy after clicking the Publish button. At one point of time, I was rather obsessed with customising the blog background and layout by using the basic html. I could achieve great satisfaction from writing and building website; what's more imagine it was the era without much resources from Google, 8MP phone camera, photoshop software, and widgets. Recall of when I stopped writing: After starting my second job - it was a crazily-skewed learning curve at work and at office politics. I didn't have much time to write and whine and I knew it added more negativity by writing them out. I worried I might regret one day for the outpourings of discontent with life. Bloggin...

Stripping off your salutation and professional title from your 16 active hours, have you ever wondered of how would you want to introduce yourself to a stranger again? I walked on foreign street and smiled at whoever came from the opposite. Stopped at the pier, I sat at the bench with draught beer in hand and ignited my blank mode - people watching. At one point of time, I was mentally rehearsing about what should I talk about if someone initiated a conversation. Then, I ran out of words for self introduction. First, your name. Second, your nationality? It's weird in certain occasions unless someone asks. Third, who are you? Probably you think of what you do for a living, or your corporate title, or maybe the industry you are in. Fourth, stuck in awkwardness. You think hard of what makes you an interesting person, and nothing pops up. I reckoned it's stuck at 'what do you do and how do you do it' part. Then, I ordered another beer and pondered what kind of person ...