Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Jazz and blues

I love Jazz and blues. I even thought about using jazz as a background music in my Chinese style wedding banquet, but I gave up this idea as it is just like sport shoes with fish net pantyhose - you will embarrasse yourself if it doesn't look hippy but freaky.

Recently, Katie Melua is my favourite Jazz an blues singer. Her heavenly voice, double chin and hypontic eyes are stunning, and her childhood life in Geogeria, former USSR makes her more extraordinary. 19-year-old Katie is named as 'second Norah Jones', but I'm sure she wishes people perceive her as her ownself.

What is the music in your MP3 players recently?

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Poet Time!!!

Get stuck in my cubicle from 9 to 8,
Let the air con to make me dehydrated,
Attach my eyes on that silly computer all the day,
With my little hand on something called 'mouse' sliding its own way...

How come I work so hard salary still not raised,
Every month I could make a buy list with only 3 little things,
If I decide to buy a pair of shoes I have no money left from a lipstick,
Is it what people call 'Pathetic'?
I bet there are many other things can still make me amazed,
Wear my sneakers and running to Kowloon Bay,
Hugging my family everyday,
I'm sure I will feel great,
I'm sure I will feel great!!!

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Alright, can anyone put some melody in it to make it a song??


Friday, June 17, 2005

Customer Loyalty – about beautifying yourself

Don’t know why skin care/cosmetic brands hardly develop customer loyalty among Asian customers. Is it because there are too many new choices and excitements bombarding them all the time?

I am quite a devotee of Clarins and Fancl, but I did not stick in any single product of these two brands more than two years. For example, I would shift using face cleansers within a single brand or among different brands – after finished the whole tube of Clarins facial cleanser for all skin type, then I will interest to use that Clarins grapefruit scent whitening facial bar, later on, I will go after Fancl cleansing powder. Currently, I am using Origins brightening facial cleaning cream. =P

Frankly, the consumption of cosmetic products is strongly influenced by advertising campaigns and those cross selling strategy. For example, I bought that Origins brightening facial cleaning cream just because I wanted to have a jar of Origins Modern Fiction face exfoliator; which print ad attracted me for awhile. So when I stepped in the store and decided to by Modern Fiction, I was influenced by the ‘stamp collecting’ policy’ – i.e. the shop assistant persuaded me that I could get one more stamp for extra $100 purchase, etc. Then I was convinced to try its facial cleanser which I planned to buy from other brands, say Clarins. As a typical customer, I feel that the whole strategy of ad campaign, cross selling and stamp collection is very successful. It surely could capture the ‘consumer surplus.

However, there is a hidden weakness behind. Supposingly those cross selling and stamp collecting policy aim to establish the customer loyalty. The more you bought from one brand then the more reward you could receive by the end of the year or by the time you get certain amount of stamps. Different brands offer various types of rewards, like offering VIP membership with benefit of 20% off of each time purchase, or redeeming products or cash coupon right after you get 10 stamps etc. However, I find that most ladies got at least 2 stamp collection cards from different brands in their wallets. And whenever there are any foreign brands or new products launche in Hong Kong, girls are gone crazy and rushed to try the products in the first hand.

Poorly the outcome of shifting skincare products frequently is having allergic skin, because you have to get used to different kind of products with totally different set of ingredients. Even though, girls are very adventurous of trying new things that supposed to make you more charming and radiant
Girls talk

Recently one of our secondary school classmates had to had an operation, luckily she recovered well and now is taking rest in home.

Such 'unfortunate' event ironically let all we young ladies stayed together again. We visited this friend and had gathering in the hospital, we had lots of girls talks, like what we did frequently during secondary school period. One of us teased that we just took this excuse (someone's operation) to meet each others.

Then I was updated that our classmates are working in various fields, like social workers, business, mass media, flight attendants, insurance, etc. Not many of us got married, some are having stable boyfriends, several of them are strugging in chaotic love affairs, quiet a number of them work quite well in their jobs, others decided to live or study oversea to explore the plaent. I feel so amazed that we were still schoolmates from the same school 10 years ago, now all of us are having diversified life path.

Ladies, hope you all the best. God loves you and have a wonderful plan in your life!!

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Singing in the rain

It keeps raining for several weeks. I feel so hungry! (Yes, there is no correlation between the first and second sentence).

I love cooking. After we moved out from our parent's home, Jeff and I rarely dine out, especially during the weekends. We love to cook whatever we love to eat, for example, I always make soup with apple.

I just realize that I also have potentials to be a good mother, at least I know how to cook.
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People in different life stage will have different thought about life. A person in 28 years old could have endless possibilities. You could be surprised by countless things in this world because you are still very young and embrace curiosity. I want to think out of the box and act out of the box, I want to explore my endless possibility.
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Life is not dull, only what you think make yourself dull, remember that perception is actually a self-constructed subjective feeling, it helps you to understand the world, but it is not a reality or an absolute truth. Widen your heart and you could embrace the whole world.

Monday, June 06, 2005

Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering

~From Master Yoda, Star Wars Episode

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Be faithful to myself

I supposed to have a really work-free and relaxing weekend, but a phone call from 'someone' almost ruined it.

She phoned me in the afternoon and told me to be careful as I had not signed up for an extra work. She sounded so helpful and caring, but I did wonder her intention. After I finished the phone call, I felt so upset and miserable, I wondered if it is my fault for not signing up that extra work.

Jeff saw that I was so depressed, actually I had been pressurized for quite a long time. I had my own thought and my own philosophy, but suddenly I started to think if my philosophy is not applicable in this real world. When I started crying, Jeff asked me to stop. He urged me to believe myself, to trust my talent, and to listen to my own thought, don't compromise with other's ridiculous expectation, otherwise I will lost myself, and people will torture me more.

And I know that job is not everything of my life. Rather, job is the least important things comparing with my family, my health and my wisdom. I don't want my family to be upset because I ignore him and only concentrate on my work.

I found that I discuss such kind of topic in this diary for almost a year, a bit pathetic, isn't it?

I should be faithful to myself, to believe the 'force', like what Jedi do.