before the official goodbye

After exactly 8 months & 13 days since I quit, I've yet to unpack my last flight's mamasan bag or cleared my handbag and toolkit (okay, I have been really busy....or just plain lazy)

So I decided today be the day I bid farewell to all these stuff. Every little thing brings back memories of my flying days. If my bursting junk box has no place for them, at least I have a photo to remind me of these memorabilias in my later years.

Now that I've eventually convinced myself to get around with the clearing, it has finally sunk in that my flying days are officially behind me. I've probably been unconsciously thinking that I'm still on a LONGGGG medical leave that it took me at least 3 months to unpack my last cabin bag...and almost 9 months now, to clear the remaining bags of covered shoes - still in the shoebag wrapped in a shower cap (yes, i'm guilty. no, it doesn't smell like dead rat), loads of documents (I don't even remember what we use to call them; bar ...., yes, bar order pads), post-it pads, and the yellow/green seals etc. Erm, *hands up* a set of my uniform is still hanging in my closet (not intending to do anything to it just yet)

With all that needs to be disposed off, disposed, and all that needs to be kept for remembrance, stored; I am left with one last task that is to go back to the airport and office to obtain clearance after my resignation. Huge huge task that is, cuz I have to lug with me all the training notes that weighs a ton, out of my hall, into the corridor, to the lift, down the void deck, into the cab, all the way to the airport, up the lift, down the escalator, along the corridor, to the department in-charge, back from where I came, into another cab, all the way to the traning centre, up and down to various departments to return this 10-tons-weighing notes and files.

So, the question is...when am I going to strike this one task off my to-do list?

the red nails

Was running through my junks last night, and stumbled upon my long lost ziplock bag of red nail polish, sally hansen mega shine and the base coat.

So guess what I did?

(Yes, I painted my toe nails RED - something I dreaded doing in the past)

I remember when it was compulsory for us to paint our nails BRIGHT RED everyday after our grooming class during training almost 5-years back; and that was the first time in my life I learn to paint my right hand nails with my left (duh)...IT WAS A STRUGGLE. I battled with my fingers painting and removing the colors and repainting and removing and repainting to make sure all fingernails looked "perfect" in RED.

Even after 3 to 4 years of routined practise, I have never welcomed the task of nail painting before flights.

And I have now surprised myself by volunteeringly doing so.

Am planning to also keep a pair of my new sandals, handbag and an old set of uniform as a memento.

photo of my new pair of sandals complemented with red toe nails...nostalgic :)

'So this is how "happy" feels, I thought'

Eversince I got started on this new path towards a clearer career goal, I've put aside all my novels, and even put off the idea of going to the libraries...

Today, I've decided to put aside work instead, and once again dig my nose into a novel I've always wanted to re-read - Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson.

Having stumble upon this line in the novel: 'So this is how "happy" feels' makes me discover yet another passion in my life.

I'm feeling AWESOME!

the secret to health

We've got a thousand different diagnoses and diseases out there. They're just the weak link. They're all the result of one thing: stress. If you put enough stress on the chain and you put enough stress on the system, then one of the links break.

- dr. B.J

All stress begins with one negative thought. One thought that went unchecked, and then more thoughts came and more, until stress manifested. The effect is stress, but the cause was negative thinking, and it all began with one negative thought. No matter what you mght have manifested, you can change it...with one small positive thought and then another.

- R.B

when life throws you lemons...

make honey lemon juice out of 'em. it helps sooth the throat in seasons like this.

tonight's weather report: clear skies...

with stars dotting the milky way & a light sea breeze blowing at 15mph southwesterly.

*smiles* thank you *smiles*

ahhh~ no more burnin' the midnight oil

...for the time being

it's been an exhausting week

resistance is futile

just when i needed to focus for one last night, my mind had to drift towards the temptation of the soft pillows and cozy bed

...i'm so tired today - both mind and body

six days, and the clock is ticking...

feels like time is flying.

why won't it slow down for me.

it's 5 o'clock now.

the last i saw, it was 4 o'clock.

in a blink of an eye, one hour has past.

in a blink of an eye, it's 2010, January the 24th.

so many things has changed.

now, i'm running.

sometimes, i slow down to take breather.

sometimes, i sit down by the side, watching others run past me.

then my mind tells me;

you don't want to lose the race.

you don't want to be left behind.

i get up on my feet.

and i continue the race.

now, there's a clear picture before me.

i see people running towards different directions.

i see some crowding on the same route.

i see my destination.

i see that this is not a race.

i will be where i want myself to be next.

"was that a self-proclaimed day-off???"

..., asks guilt-ridden me

yes, i'm asking for it

gimme more stress! bring it on!

i've been deprived of it over the past 3yrs or so.

and now i'm out with both arms stretch-out wide ready to be thrown with S.T.R.E.S.S!

this is just what the heart and brain needed; extra workout eg: pumping, sprinting/racing for the heart, and overhauling for the rusty, mushy brain to reboot and start reprocessing, after having been in the idle state for a fairly long period of time.

it's just not enough that i'm an over-thinker already. i'm asking for more to think about and worry for.

i signed up for S.T.R.E.S.S in nov'09 so that my days will not only revolve around:

- flights (where i'm heading next)

- rosters (when i'm heading where)

- passengers & colleagues (people i meet, say my hi's and bye's)

- nail-painting

- face-coloring and...

- bun-tying

so, instead of just the above, i'm now juggling between all-the-above, with road shows, briefings, meetings, discussions, brochure-editting, presentation file preparation, market research, presentation speech preparation, marketting, printing & lamination, and running about to run these errands. how interesting! and i don't mean this with any sarcasm. it has indeed been interesting knowing that my intel core i processors are not shelved away to collect dust.

so, no complains here...for the time being...except that it has never occurred to me/never had it crossed my mind that this part of my life - i've had to be walking under the burning 3pm sun in a 3-inches high heels for several hours, and that i have, on a few occasions, had to munch a sausage bread for dinner, while sitting by a roadside pavement in a carpark. and, i have to repeat, i'm not complaining. i'm just sharing the things i'm going through, the events in my life i never pictured myself in.

just wish me the best of luck, will ya

tonight is one of the nights...

...when you dig into the pits of your memory, and indulge in reminiscence