Helen and I ate at a Portuguese/Spanish restaurant the other night. I ordered Muslitos, a dish that has crabmeat in it. But what came to our table was a dish of Octopus.

Helen and I stared at it...both looking confused.

I called the waiter over and asked him - "Is that Muslitos?" - Perhaps I ordered wrong???

"Oh, we ran out of Muslitos, so I ordered Octpus for you instead. Octpus is good. Try it."

Then he left.

Okay...thanks for letting me know that what I ordered is not available. And thanks for ordering something new for me without asking.

We just shrugged it off...kinda excused this as maybe a Portuguese thing.

Strange experience though.

After 3 flight transfers, 15+ hours on the plane, we have arrived in Berlin. It's good to see that our hotel is nice and clean, many stores around the hotel, and the entire city is a whole lot livelier than Hannover. Woot!

LV stuff is cheaper here! So I got myself a present. Haha.

It's so cute to have Pika and Mochi follow me around every time I start packing for a trip. They would just sit and stare. If I move to the other room, they'll follow. Sometimes, Pika would jump into the suitcase and roll into a ball on top of my clothes - probably hoping I would "accidentally" pack her into the suitcase.

I love my babies. 10 days without them. I'll miss them.

Helen and I are leaving Taiwan tonight for Berlin, Germany for IFA 2008 - computer show. We're exhibiting for 6 full days. Awesome huh? Yup, that's sarcasm right there.

It's my first time in Berlin, so I am hoping it will be a heck of a lot better than CeBIT in Hannover. Wish me luck on getting more clients!

My meals are pretty set during the work week.

Breakfast: Veggie sandwich, sometimes I'll add a tea boiled egg (don't eat the yolk). Oh, before breakfast, two glasses of water is consumed. I try to drink water right away after I wake up.

Lunch: Trim Milk Shake (gives me protein and carb), 2-3 servings of vegetables. If I'm lucky, I'll have some fruit after that...only if I remember to bring it to work.

Dinner: Unpredictible. I try to have dinner before 7pm though.

Hey, at least 2 out of 3 meals are set.

Surprisingly, I am not starving myself eating like this. It has become a habit for me to eat like this. So...good thing, I hope.

I'm pretty happy...my face condition has been improving with more sleep and more liquid intake (water mostly). I just need to keep this up.

Do you know that in Taiwan, they drink all these essence to keep the face healthy? Such as Q10, Hyaluronic whatever, and some Chinese herbs. Anyways, I've been drinking those also...just to see if they help...it seems to be working.

What do you do to keep your face nice-looking?

Per Phuoc's request, here is my update.

Things have been really hectic and busy for me lately, so I must say...I seriously didn't have time to update. Don't hate me. Haha.

I'll try to make this all easy to read so ya'll don't feel like you're reading a story.

WORK: Work is putting a lot of stress on me. Many times, I felt like giving up. I have been doubting my ability to do well as a leader. Can you believe that? Me, questioning my leadership skills. I'm still trying to be strong. I don't want to give up. I still suck it up and continue to work harder. I didn't try hard enough...I wasn't doing what I should...so now, I must make amends and be better.

DOGS: Pika and Mochi are getting along better now. They sleep by themselves because they get too hot when sleeping with me and I can't stand it. Pika is as fat as Mochi now I think...what can she do, it's like what Ross said about Monica --- "I grew up with Monica, if you don't eat, you'll starve!" I think that's how Pika feels. There's a video I took of them two eating...Mochi finished her food within one minute while it took Pika about 5-10 minutes to finish the same amount. I'll upload it some time to share with you guys.

HEALTH: My duodenal ulcer is getting better. Some nights, I still can't sleep because my stomach gets bloated and I felt like throwing up. I don't think I should eat a lot of BBQ stuff anymore, because I tend to not feel good every time after eating BBQ. I'm also controlling my food intake, trying to stick to my exercise routine, but it has been hard lately with my busy and unstable schedule. My weight balances between 108-113lbs - not too bad. My diet goes like this:

Everyday, eat 3 servings each of carbs, protein, fruits, and vegetables. Also, drinking lots of water.

BEAUTY: Drinking more water is working with my skin. Also, sleep helps. When I sleep well, no pimples. Not sleeping well, pimples pop out. I try to drink these drinks that help give my skin the nutrition it needs to stay moisturized as well. I'm also being more thorough on cleaning my skin...deep massages, using a face washing brush, and the right skincare. Damn those huge pores, they're still there. Still working on getting rid of them.

I'm coming back to the states soon! The stay will be short because I have many many things to do still back here in Taiwan. September 18-24. I'll be in SoCal from the 21st to the 22nd.

So if you want to do stuff...let me know. Pick a date and let's do it.

Lately, I've been really stressed. From work, from everything. Mostly work.

I can't seem to remember the last time I was smiling...a lot.

However, this one word can make me smile. During tough times like this, a word from the past can cheer me up.

Nostalgia.

Memories cheer me up. At the same time, they bring tears to my eyes.

I hope you're doing well. If you are, that news will cheer me up.

luluba

Tyhphoon season in Taiwan again. No work today in Taiwan. That is a rare case. Let's hope everyone will stay safe.

I am thankful that I have a home that will protect me during this. Also thankful that I am not alone.

It means you have less and less friends in your life. So hold dear of those who still keep in touch with you. Because on your saddest days, they may be all you have to cheer you up.

Too bad all the ones I want to see are too damn far away.

Because of that, I'm always depending on him to be around. I don't want to do that...anymore.

It's done.

I didn't let it bother me until it finally happened. My heart was beating super fast because I was so scared and nervous. The tears would not stop falling.

Afterwards, I couldn't stop tearing.

The guilt. The pain. The actual pain. The pain coming from inside.

Pain. It hurts.

What's worse. People who could understand aren't next to me. People who are around I can't talk to.

Never have I felt so alone.