Tetris

Breakfast at corner shop last week while waiting for aunt who was at the clinic

Last few days was really havoc schedule... yeah, it was a continuation of my previous post situation. I was so busy and it wasn't just about working long hours, it was about having to do a few things at the same time, and everything becomes priority. Normally, once I start with my cake decorations, it will take all the time from me, but meanwhile, the other urgent stuff becomes more urgent! But if I don't start with my decorations, I will have nightmare that I have nothing to deliver to my customers!!

So at one point it felt like I was playing a game of Tetris, and I was clearing space at the top last 2 rows, and I don't know what will be thrown at me adding to the already limited space to breath. And at a certain point I wonder if I should just game over it and start fresh - ya, I wish I can start fresh with real life games. You know that feeling? MC certainly will. :)

Today, I skipped my routine morning RPM just to get a few extra bonus hours, I managed to clear 1.5 out of 3 items that I need to urgently do today - the 0.5 because I have left out the heads of my 3 figurines, to be completed tomorrow. I am doing 5 figurines for 1 cake, can you believe it? It is really hectic, these human figurines. I hope the frogs will be easier on me (finger crossed).

I have delivery tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday. 2 meetings on Wednesday and all deliveries require me to go out of the way to deliver. One customer called me at 10pm Sunday wanting to order for Tuesday. I really wish I could but I had to tell him I cannot make it. My friend who ordered from me for Wednesday told me this morning miscommunication, she wants her cake on Tuesday. "Miscommunication" between who and who?? Tuesday is fine but I have to change my plan from full day concentration on orders to perhaps a 2 hour outing just to deliver a cake... sigh.

I am getting orders for next week, and the week after. I feel so blessed, but this means I most certainly am not able to take Raya orders. I don't feel like baking pineapple tarts this Raya but that means I won't be able to give that out as Raya gift! Argghhh... Seems like friends and family are always the ones to be sacrifice for business.

I won't be seeing MFG this week but I hope I will see him in HK :)

So busy

I am soooo tired. So busy with orders - either I am slow, or the designs got more complicated - till I have to work until midnight. Then again, the project has gotten onto fast pace, so there are a lot of tasks. One of my friends asked me to help with his business paper. Although I don't know how much he will be paying me for my job, but I already said yes. BUT suddenly he said deadline is 31 August!!! Quite impossible, but still I told him I will try my best.

I was working on my TeaRoom proposal, waiting for floor plans and drawings from cousin and it's ready to be submitted.

Hey... aren't I suppose to prioritize TeaRoom at any one time??

Amidst all these havoc deadlines and tasks, I got fever last 2 days. You don't know how crazy I got. Fever at such busy hours are just too much off a curse. Luckily I got well after a day. 4 boxes of cakes to deliver tomorrow and it doesn't look like I can take a break as there is a confirmed order with 5 figurines.

Help! Why do customers like ordering cakes with human figurines?? Can we stick to cute teddies? I suppose not...

I am blaberring, just so that I put up one blog post. :p

Pushing the limits

Picture heading looking more like I wanted to blog about "taking a break" instead of limits and challenges. Haha...

Okay, I finally moved on from "my current life" to a new post. Got a comment from MC asking for new post and only when I signed in that I realized I haven't blogged for more than a week. I was so busy...

It all started with putting on weights, and I finally MUST put a stop to whatever that caused that. First of all, of course all the not so healthy eating. The ever so convenient instant noodles when one is busy. Since I am vegetarian, I am mainly on egg-y and carbo food. To top it up, I am a lover of creamy stuff.

So I had stopped the instant noodle bit, I have been replacing one of my meals with fruit juices last week, no more creamer/ milk in my coffee, no ice cream for the whole week, had more vege, tofu and cut down on carbo...

I was also that crazy till I was considering PT, but of course it is a bit too expensive (as it always had been) and it is not my priority now. However, one of my conversation with ex-PT had made me realize that perhaps my 1 hour per gym visit workout is not enough. He suggested that if I were to take up PT of sorts, I should be having 2 hour sessions. Geeezzz... how tough is that?!

Anyhow, I decided to push my limits and started doing 2 classes, and increased the weights I carry in pump class again. (Although I remember telling Carebear that I will be doing lighter weights "forever").

So it was like this:

Mon - RPM & Pump
Weds - Pump & cardio machine
Fri - almost balance but free weights & RPM challenge
Sun - Combat & RPM

It was tiring, but actually I made it! And I almost "died" but didn't, in back track increasing the weights back to 7.5kg. Extra 5kg for lunges and back to 5kg for triceps and 3.5kg for biceps. I actually can if I endure the pain. I think I needed the extra bit of push towards my metabolism rate. It worked, got 1kg off last week. Haven't measure for this week but bad start of the week lah actually. Not to mention the hi-tea on Saturday!

But it was MC and BIL's birthday celebration, so it was worth the 1kg :)

Today, I actually worked (on project) for more than 15 hours. Started work at 9pm and finished my last email at midnight. So tired but imagine how much I've got done just in one day!

I wonder if I will achieve better results in the other areas if I push the limits...

I think not, and better not try. In some topics, results appear to be better sometimes if you leave things alone, like wine...

My current life...

My job

It has been almost 2 months now. To put it nicely it will be 2 months of being my own boss "si tao po" as one of my gym friend-customer described last night. Or I'd call it 2 months of unemployment.

So how did I like it?

Strictly speaking, I do have a project in hand, so cannot say that I am really unemployed. Without the project, I think life is going to be tough until I make more money. I guess I can not say steady income until TeaRoom is up and running stable.

I have to work more on weekends now because orders are normally for delivery end of the week. As I speak, MC and family has gone to Melacca for a short holiday but I am at home, just finished with preparing tomorrow's delivery.

But other than money matters and longer, odd working hours, life is good and actually my time can be very flexible depending how I manage it.

Nevertheless, lets put it this way - life cannot go on or rather will not go one like now even if I wish to. I will certainly miss the time when I can just go tea with MFG, arrange for massage session anytime I want with sis, go to gym for the "tai tai" slot...

But for now, lets just enjoy my life as much as I can.

Everything but that...

We met at Old Town today instead, for a change from the green apron place because I find it impossible to log on to my hotmail most of the time at Starbucks

I overslept this morning.

Okay, technically speaking, there was nothing to oversleep over because I didn't have to go to work, and I didn't miss any appointments. It was just me not waking up at the time that I planned the night before. Can I blame it on working late the night before? I have been sleeping later lately, and I am afraid that if that becomes a habit, I will have even tougher time falling asleep.

Having said that I overslept, I think I've achieved all planned "goals" today... I went to, though hesitated, EPF this morning even though at almost noon time. I knew that EPF has been very efficient these few years, but I didn't expect it to be that smooth today. I had gotten my forms and attachments checked and by the time I enter the hall to submit the actual application, they were already calling my number. And the counter in question calling my number was far end, so I practically had to run to the counter the moment I stepped into the hall. And the officer was super friendly, besides being super efficient of course, and actually complimented my complexion and when I told her that it was foundation, she said I must be an expert in applying makeup. I know, a bit not true, but hey, a gal can be happy with any compliments :).

After that was a stop at baking supply shop, got me some luster and petal dust for some future orders and also for my cake decoration competition. And I was early to lunch with LGM. But the wifi service kept me entertained while waiting, and I actually managed to reply some emails for work. After lunch, I made a mental note that I must go back to that place for the roasted pork loin with wine sauce! :) That one hour lunch was too short when there were so much to talk about with LGM.

Got the supplies that I needed from another supply shop after lunch and was early to tea "date" with MFG. I was telling LGM about my meeting up with MFG and that he is one of the persons who can really entertain my tai-tai schedule. It is actually quite a perfect arrangement if we were dating.

Sigh...

I know, a sigh escaped LGM too when I mentioned that...

Finished drinks, and I had to go, a peck on the cheek as goodbye kiss, but I actually hope I could stay all night. Sigh...

I left by 6pm to go for a 7pm RPM class and MFG stayed on for his dinner appointment. Not that I was crazy about RPM class, but I wanted to beat the rush hour traffic and also needed to pass Lady N in pink the brownies and a belated birthday present for Little Bro, so there I was at TC. There were some guest instructor for RPM today from Indonesia and Singapore. Frankly, I cannot engage with their style of instructing and the song selections. I still like my usual RPM instructors by faaaar :)

Bumped into Carebear after my shower, if I knew you were going to be there, I'd kept you some brownies. But most probably you won't enjoy it, MFG feedback to say that it's too sweet even for him. ("even" for him? hmm) Anyways, lets arrange for an evening hangout one of these days ya...

Pet shop, tao pao dinner, supermarket (to get my beloved MC the pork sausages that she had planned for tomorrow's dinner but had forgotten to buy) followed after gym and work until now. I was on MSN with MFG just now, not only he's the perfect tea-date, he's also great support for work.

Sigh... yet again.

But he didn't say the usual good night tonight though before he went offline...

Last Week of July

One of my breakfasts at Starbucks TC

I think I can be considered quite busy this week. I've got 3 orders one each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The one on Sunday being a big and very decorative cake. ^^

Managed to do a lot of project work today, tomorrow should be concentrating in finishing the toppers for all my cake deliveries because Wednesday will be a rather busy day. It started with my arrangements to get the brownies over to my volunteers at TC. Then it diverted to lunch with LGM, one of the tasters, at PJ instead, no TC. Then afternoon tea with MFG, another taster, at 1U, still no TC. So decided that I had to go to TC after tea to drop off brownies for another taster, which will be rush hour to go home after that. So perhaps I should join a gym class before going home I thought. Therefore, decided to do a 7.00pm RPM. Shouldn't be too late after that but hopefully will be able to beat the jam already. And looks like I better go to the baking supply shop in Section 23 before all the meal appointments on Wednesday. If I have time, perhaps drop by at baking supply shop at Jaya 33 before lunch at Jaya One.

Do I sound too ambitious up there? Which also mean I better go to EPF tomorrow instead of Wednesday morning... Geezz... suddenly sound like I do not have enough time!

Friday cake delivery to TD at PJ before lunch with ex-colleagues from ex, ex company at KL. Another brownies volunteer tasters there.

Other than these, I will be busy with cake orders all other times until after last delivery on Sunday, after 2.30pm! I can foresee late nights again this week.

Sounded like I'm just blabbering to myself here - can you imagine how much stuff goes through my mind every minute??

Birthday Month

MFG was about to make me my latte at Starbucks ^^. At the side, a bag containing chocolate cupcakes from me to MFG :)

This is the last week of my "birthday month", there have been a few belated birthday treats and I love belated celebrations because they make my birthday seem like a one month festive celebration hehe...

I was really busy last week but like a lot of people had told me, they said once self-employed and pursuing own passion, I will find myself working harder but happier. I was practically working no less than 10 hours all the time but it was really satisfying especially when I receive nice feedback from customers.

I was quite free last few days, expected myself to be blogging more, but there have been a few last minute events. One of them was a last minute order (originally no orders, that's why I'd planned for quite many outings) for a corporate client. I was really glad I was able to secure that plus confirming a good charge for the delivery - since I had to work round my prior engagements, I had asked my cousin sis to help with the baking and cousin brother to send the cupcakes. This also gave them some extra pocket money.

The other event which I did not expect to join was the RPM marathon. PiC was the reason I went to the class. I didn't think I can last through 2 hours without a good company, so since those were good instructors, and PiC told me good songs were promised so I went! It was great and I felt great to have joined the class. It wasn't too bad doing 2 hour of RPM except for my really uncomfortable toes. I feasted myself, with the company of PiC, an creamy pasta. Happy me ^^. However, I had problem falling asleep that night though my body was really tired and eye lids couldn't stay open. I think the mind was too hyper after not working out in the evenings for so long.

On Friday, I was supposed to meet ex-colleagues for lunch, but the lunch was postponed, so I decided last minute to visit some baking supply shops, and ended up at PWTC for the Food and Drink fair because one of the suppliers was there and offering 10% discount on purchase. So ended up walking around the exhibition for a while. Only for a while because I got bored with the items... it was really food, and there was nothing much I couldn't eat. Besides, without good company, it's boring.

Among my outings, of course I love the afternoon tea with MFG most. :) Also got to meet one of his friends which I've heard a lot about and him me. It is really great to stay in touch and in really good friendship with MFG but it always gave me big sigh. Ohh... PiC actually took the time to drop by Starbucks so that she can be introduced to the "famous" MFG haha... glad you did gal! And isn't it so true that he's such a nice guy? :)

Sigh...

I wonder if my birthday wish can come true this year ^^