Wake me up before you go pro

"You know how girl's can say - oh I really like her she's great, but if I were to say the same thing  I'd cop it big time mate !!" , "yeah mate, that f@rked yeah, and then". .. Argggghhhh do I have to wake up to this verbal vomit being spouted by the tradies who are working on the finishing touches to the houses next door?   I feel for my headphones on top of my "doona". (when in Australia....) and hit play.. ahhhhh thank the goddess for music. I scoot out of bed and look out my window at the two young tradies below who have no idea that the entire street can hear this heartfelt 'woe is me' bleat... Uh grow up please! I grumble to myself.  Such is life now that we've moved house, we had no idea that the development next door would take this long. Sometimes I wake up to the sounds of drilling (the drill guys the drill... tsk) or banging (again with a hammer...sheesh) and or someone has brought along a MEGA speaker, seriously the size of luggage, ok ok not the 25 kilo bags more like the 7kg carry on ones, but still.. and has ramped up the volume to the max with everything from mumble rap to Ozzie country songs. I shall not complain.. much.. because sometimes when I hear them all laughing together it makes me smile, how wonderful to have a great day filled with such good energy.

Tradie Matey

Every time I think of setting up to video my vlog, I wonder what conversations from the tradies will be picked up on my mic ! Can you imagine? ha ha ha, mind you it would add some spice and humour to the vlog!! Something I feel has been somewhat lacking in my life for a bit, last year was pretty dark, two of my closest friends passed away suddenly within months of each other, that hated phone call when all you hear is sobbing and sharp intakes of breath as the news is broken to you. I'm no stranger to death, we have a complicated relationship, it started when death took my husband away 20 years ago. Wait! What??! 20 YEARS??? I had to count back and do some swift calculations there!! WTH? has it been that long? WOW that was unexpected , and Oi none of those black widow jokes!

 

 However it brings to mind how much life has changed, I said to my buddy Johan, why do they not tell you these things about ageing for kerist's sake! The stiff muscles, creaky joints, the GREY of hair and not only on your head, OMG ...really?... yeah (hear that lad's next door, that's what you're going to be talking about soon enough, hah!) When I called up my mentor and ex boss to get some advice on podcasting, I had asked what he was up to these days, he said " D, I turned 70, I'm supposed to be retired but I can't sit around and do nothing! so I still do some consultancy and compose music apart from going for dialysis twice a week" .. umm .. So many of us have made huge changes in our life, either due to illness, (like me), a change of countries (again I raise my hand ) early retirement, ageing, or just to step away for a total change to help with work life balance. What made you make that change? How did you handle it, what goes through your minds, and how has it turned out? 

I'ma leaving on a jet plane

For me , as I was taking another one of my long walks and nodding to the people walking their dogs or fit mums jogging behind the prams and mumbling curses at the cyclists who zip by ringing their bells , UGH! I'm turning into THAT BAG LADY! I swear I can see myself standing at the corner of the street, muttering at everyone going past and casting them evil looks and showing them many different varieties of finger signs!! Anyway I digress I was thinking, so 6 years ago, the universe tapped me on the shoulder and said "Oi, you need to make some massive changes in your life or you and death are going to have a smackdown, here's cancer deal with them first". (cancer is a bitch who needs a kick in the butt) I thought so what did I learn, and how am I now? I can say, that the stress of the lifestyle I had was not worth it, that I should have learned to meditate earlier  and done more yoga! but I should have been truer to myself, and walked away from a load of situations that I had no control over. The first time I heard Eckhart Tolle the power of now I bawled my eyes out, but you have to be in that head space to want to discover, resolve and have inner peace. 

Eckhart Tolle

They say (and please don't ask me who they are) “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” It is the box in your mind that imprisons you, those false parameters that you set for yourself, and only you can break free from them . There are some vestiges of that mindset sometimes but all in all I feel freer, that huge event in my life made me do a 190 degree turn, and forced the change for the better I feel, and so I ask.. What next?

much love

Dx

Change of Plan

In a jam again waiting to go to de Hoss Pee Tal

It's funny how sometimes life drops many little surprises into your lap.  Some good, some bad and some you kinda of scratch your head at.  So many cliches come to mind, "life never goes as you planned it"  " it's Murphy's law" "karma is a bitch"  and on it goes.

One thing I do know is that you should always be able to move laterally when a plan you've made doesn't come together due to extenuating circumstances.  I admit, I'm a stickler for plans.   I like knowing  exact dates, times, places, so much so that yeah I'm a bit of a control freak (well if you time every line for every frame that you've storyboarded for your own TV show.... ) however one of my life lessons is to learn to readjust fast ( I'm not good at that, I tend to grind a bit first before going into first gear) and go with the flow. (bobbing along on a lilo as the stream meanders to who knows where comes to mind) And that's exactly what I had to do with the Exhibition we had planned for the 13th May.

For some reason I decided to call Lisa early two days before the Scandelabra Showcase we were hosting.   Knowing artists the way I do, I knew there was some form of panic going on, the hint being we had only been communicating via e mail and texts.  She picked up the call and all I heard was a very bunged up, muffled " I'll call you back, I'm at the clinic , I can't breathe".  Yoikes!!  panic mode , and we're on Def con 3.  Eventually she texts me to say she's been admitted to hospital, hooked on to the oxygen machine and is undergoing tests.  Now here's the clincher, she's asking me if I'm OK as we text each other.  Errr hello, I'm fine, not in hospital, not hooked up to a machine,  stop asking about me, what can I do for you Darth Vader (is what she claims she sounds like at the moment)

Ms Darth Von Vader-ham

As diplomatically as I can, I ask her what she'd like to do regarding the exhibition, it's a bit sketchy because her results haven't come in.  She has a lung infection  compounded on top of her asthma and allergies and it's unclear how long she's going to be in the hospital , let alone convalesce for.  So we agree to push the Exhibition back another two weeks. I set another date on the event invitation and sent out apologies to the invitees.

In production we call it contingency dates, in real life you call it sods law.   I do recall when my husband had just passed away, a  "former" friend who had given me a ticket to a show/dinner, decided that as I was grieving,  I'd not be going, naturally.    She wanted the ticket back (to give to someone else....), but didn't have the balls to ask for it,  so she sent another friend to get the ticket back.  I call it bad taste, other people would call it practical.   There are some things you let go when another person is in a world of pain, loss, illness, hospitalisation, etc   and uh tact does come into play big time.

Anyway, Lisa's finally out of hospital, but not out of the woods yet.    I'm not sure how's she's going to be in a weeks time, so I will be ready to change dates in case she's still unwell.  Yeah, I think I'm finally learning to move from plan a to plan b without too much internal grumbling and swearing.  All I can say is in the bigger scheme of things what's more important, a friends health or her work?  I've figured it out, have you.

Friends, where would you be without them x

Thank you again for reading my blog and subscribing, I appreciate it so much , have a gorgeous week ahead and if you feel like dropping me a line it's daphnenasir@gmail.com
Toodles!

A little speed bump along the way

Sometimes when you are in the zone, and everything seems to come together like the perfect souffle, a small wrench is thrown into the well oiled cogs of your work (picture said 'perfect souffle' deflating like a... err use imagination pls!)  .  It could be family, an accident,  illness , even your pet.  What ever it is, the human side in us tends to stress and worry about it and everything else seems secondary.

I didn't bake these choc souffle myself,

but I sure helped eating them!

 Yes I've gone through those moments, in 2004 my late husband was diagnosed with lung cancer and later that year died in my arms, my teen son fell off our second floor balcony in 2008 and broke his pelvis in 3 places, and this week, my father is facing the C word. 

I love the concept of throwing yourself into your work to drown out the noise of the outside world and all that it entails ( a pair of really good BnO headphones and your fave music playlist also works!) however reality is such that we have to deal with it.  So how do you compartmentalise your feelings in order to get on with your life?  If you're like me, it takes a couple of days to digest and finally understand all angles of the problem,  then I mull it over and tend to stay in my head until I'm resolved with whatever issue has come up.  Because when you really think about it and yes it's a cliche but a truism, what will worrying do for you? (Believe me as a Virgo, my worrying is on another level altogether!)

My son and my mother doing just fine thank you!

Well for starters, it can cause a myriad of things beginning with stress which leads to panic attacks, hives, depression and this wonderful list goes on.  I recently went through something similar just before Christmas.  Everything was beginning to pile up on my shoulders, my finances, work plus friends were in town for a holiday, I was flying from one state to another helping out with events, and on the final day of what was supposed to be a girly escape I came down with chest pains so bad I thought that this was it.  As it turned out , I was having a stress attack (very similar to a panic or anxiety attack) and as my Acupuncturist says, if I didn't take it easy,  a lot worse could begin to manifest itself by way of aches/pains and eventually illness.   It certainly was a wake up call,  and I'm not ready to leave just yet!  If you think about it "worrying" is just a waste of brain power which can be utilised elsewhere .. like dreaming! which is a hell of a lot more positive then fretting about "IF's".

It is one of the reasons I always reiterate "follow your dreams"  or "passion" or "what you love", because these things can also save you.  For me, gearing down is hard but I have to do it, I've stopped pushing so hard and working against the current.  Now I go with the flow, make adjustments when needed, writing my Blog and doing my Vlog gives me pleasure.  It's a great way of also expressing myself.  When I do the things I have a passion for, more creative ideas come to me.  Hence the new concept for another show, plus an exhibition I'll be planning for a friend, some great new shopping ideas (and so much for gearing down! heh heh).  I make time for me, I've learned to say no, and be selfish with my "me" time.  I took a few days to figure out our family crisis, talk to my closest friends and family and I'm dealing with it.  Funnily enough with this type of attitude, my work is better, I have more time to spend with my family especially now that we're in a bit of a scrum to see which way the ball will go with my father.

Yes, life will be like a yoyo at times with these little "wrenches" , but if you keep your eye on the ball, stay focused, be flexible and be very positive, those speed bumps are just that, a little bump along the way. Don't be so hard on yourself, and as my dad says "Don't crumble, never let the enemy see your weakness, stay strong and hold your head up"  (errr Dad's ex military..)

Dad with his horses, I always thought he was more gaucho!

So for any of you who's going through some tough times, take it from me it will get better, we're all in this together.    Here's to life.

Moving Forward 2016 part 2

Another week, another experience! It's only the second week into the new year and it seems quieter than usual.  Everyone seems to be hitting the grindstone and also looking for greener pastures elsewhere.  The job market seems to opening up so make sure you have your resumes polished up and find yourself a good recruitment agency to help you out with your job search.  I had a look at mine, and giggled, it was a bit like this.. :

blow off the cobwebs and smarten up your CV

Word of mouth from friends and acquaintances are also a gold mine for prospective jobs, but make sure you go through the job spec carefully because sometimes the job description is completely different to what was relayed to you.

It's always important to stay positive, like my gal pal and I say when things come crashing around you, look for the positives in that experience.  Make sure in between the searching and fretting that you exercise, it helps keep those endorphins flowing, when I was feeling a bit low it was exactly what my good friend Riz did, she got me out of the house for a lovely long walk in one of our botanic parks.  It puts reality back into perspective and of course helps burns calories! its a win win situation I tell ya.

So then I walked all the way to Sydney and back  (heh heh) 

Help yourself by feeding your brain, I've been helping myself to a good dose of TedxTalks.  Here are a couple that I enjoyed  : Getting stuck in the negatives (and how to get unstuck!)  and of course there is the very forthright How to stop screwing yourself over  I especially like the part about the internal chatter! Seriously it really never stops!

Last week I was blogging about how to make immediate cash by utilising your cooking skills, or anything you do well from teaching another language to scuba diving lessons while waiting for the job you want or figuring out what you really want to do.    It's funny when people ask me what I do, I never know how to answer them, once I even said "as little as possible"... and the retort was "yes , well we all try to, but apart from that.."  My other girlfriend leans over and whispers "say you're in between jobs".. Uh.. well that seems to imply I'm not working! I do have several jobs actually, four, if you count being a mum!

After coming back from Hong Kong, it seems the universe opened and started showering me with "marketing jobs" ! And you will probably come across them too.  One of them was for real estate bonds,  since it was a good friend who had offered this opportunity,  I heard them out (I'm nice that way :-p ) .  I realised with this type of  investment,  the parties that I would have to approach would be corporate ladder climbers and those with a substantial disposable income.  So I got ahold of someone I thought who filled the criteria and who was savvy with investments.  I  sat  with her through the presentation and had her break it down in layman terms to me and at the same time She felt it was wort her time and effort.   It's quite simple really, it's a bond that will be held for 2 years, it's in pounds, the profits are paid biannually and the interest rate is pretty good.  Here's a link to their website Lifesgood Property Investment .  Just remember, it's all about your comfort zone, if you think you can do it, go for it.

A few days later , in the midst of screaming at the TV monitor during the Rugby World Cup at our regular watering hole, my friend says to me as I'm hyperventilating ,   "how about earning in USD?"  The All Black's score a try and I'm whooping loudly, I look at her and say "hell yeah". "OK" she says, "I came with you to the property investment, come with me to this network marketing launch, lets check it out".    "Fair enough" I say with my eyes glued to Sonny Bill's glutes.. sigh those Kiwis.. uh where was I?

All Blacks all the way!

Life Force

So essentially you have MLM's, Pyramid Schemes, and Network Marketing.  I've tried a few, in between my productions, one of them was Life Force ,  it's health products from power drinks, nutrition and beauty.  I first joined it was via  the New Zealand division, and then they finally brought the products to Singapore.  That was in 2009, and it cost me $440 and I only signed one person on.

 Then  in 2012, I was introduced to another called Exfuze .  This one was yummy, it was a health drink and supposed to do all sorts of beneficial things for you, so much so that my son thought it was a soft drink, and drank most of the bottle in one sitting!! Heh Heh.. and with them as well I only signed on one person. It cost me RM530.

Exfuse

I've been approached by herbalife etc but ( I can feel you all squirming in your seats) I knew I did not have have the type of personality  or interest to pursue it. Both were MLM businesses. So when I went to this networking launch, I was already in defence mode. However, once there , it was made abundantly clear it was not a MLM scheme, it was all about network marketing, it was about travelling and having fun while doing it as well as making money along the way.  Finally a product that I could understand, as I travel a lot.   When I spoke to people about this exciting product, they were so receptive towards it, because everyone travels!   I thought to myself, 'hmmnn this is also a good way to empower loads of women', friends I know who've had to downshift due to the economy, and in such a supportive environment.   Don't get me wrong,every networking program you come across has negative stories about it, and I did my research, I grilled the Regional Director and he answered all my questions and allayed my fears.  It also leaves me with loads of time to work on my production, writing and presentations.  This was a perfect match for me.

My Team!

Not only do we network together we have lunches too!

What I'm saying is, my girlfriends and I try out these different programs, some are a good fit some are not, there are  many more out there.  My aim is to impart as much information as possible about these different ventures should you decide to go for it.  If you have some experience of them, and would like me to publish it on my blog, do drop me a line and tell me about them.  My e mail is daphnenasir@yahoo.co.uk  I'd love to hear from you, we're creating a hub for women by women, I find it so exciting!

I'll cover more possibilities next week, till then remember - a dream is only a dream until you make it a reality.

The Year 2016.. in the beginning

Happy New Year everyone.  I do hope for everyone this is going to be a great year.  2015 had so many bumps in it, it seems like everyone is happy to see the back of it. I for one waved it off with close friends and a few days of recuperation!

In my last blog I was talking about empowering women and what we can do for ourselves financially and spiritually in this economic state of uncertainty. I'm not going to bog you down with figures and tech speak, but have a real heart to heart about what we can do to help ourselves.  We've been informed that there have been so many budget cuts which means a lot of people being made redundant, downsizing of departments, companies going belly up or being bought over or like the radio station I had been working for, shutting down with 2 weeks notice.

Last day at the Station!

Me and my partner in Crime on the Morning Show

Once the initial shock is over, I think the most important thing is to ensure your tribe, and that is your most faithful and most supportive friends and family rally around you.  There will be a lot of ideas being bandied about, but the most important thing I've discovered is to trust your instinct and go with your gut.

Now for some of us , it's the age factor, lets face it, more companies prefer to hire younger people and to also pay less for the inexperienced ones. Plus the younger folk can hop around from one company to another and it's quite the norm, but if you've had an established career and a defined work ethos that you've been following it can be harder.  You will come across a myriad of  work opportunities, from MLM to introductions to investing.  Lets cover them one by one shall we?

My Almond Shortbread

Firstly if you find yourself at home, going through the ads and recruitment agencies without as much luck as you'd hope to have, lets look at what you can do immediately.  Do you cook?  Is there a specialised dish that everyone ooos and ahhs over?  I've spoken to quite a few women and they do a few signature dishes that they advertise online and cater to folk who don't have the time to cook.  All it takes is a little bit of patience and PR.  Make sure you bring you signature dish to the next get together, tell your friends you're available to cater the dish you've brought , make sure you also have a price in mind of how much you will charge.  Post it on your social networks, it's the best way of being visible and word of mouth also works and make sure you take some great shots of the food (not the person holding it or eating it!!)   Also as my girl friends mentioned to me, a lot of restaurants and cafes are accepting home made goods that are up to their standards so look around your neighbourhood to these places where you can possibly promote your dish.  This is immediate cash.
I make about 4 specialised dishes, apart from my Shepard's Pie and Apple Crumble I also do

killer quiches in many flavours

I also make tasty tuna puffs!

Then there's part time work at UBER, why not, if you own your own car, have a few hours to spare and want to earn money, apply, I'm sure your network will tell you where and at what time there's the most need for public transport.

The same can be said for your actual skills, you can always offer your services on a free lance basis whilst looking for the next major job, (anything from teaching yoga, cooking, accounting, language classes etc)   just make sure you know what the going rate is and charge accordingly.  Cash money more money.

my pal Riz does dive classes in her free time

and has some pretty awesome experiences along the way!

There are many MLM, Pyramid and Networking Jobs. out there, ranging from health products to time sharing.  The most important thing about this type of work is to actually believe in the product, believe you can market the product and make the initial payment (yes there is always an initial investment starting from RM 500 upwards.)   I'll cover them all in detail in the next blog, suffice to say this is to just kick start your year with a quick patch up and to let you know that you are not alone, we're all in this boat together, and we believe with more women supporting each other and building a network together or as I love to call it a TRIBE , we can do it and there is light at the end of the tunnel.


I'm in the midst of gathering other blogs for micro financing and also investing.  If you have a topic you'd like to share please don't hesitate to let me know, I'd love to hear from you,

So What NOW - Hong Kong pt 3

I was supposed to meet everyone for the first round of drinks for the Island School reunion in Lan Kwai Fong by 7 pm ish,  The streets were teeming with people, my phone was going crazy with messages "where are you?", "are you close by?", "are you lost?".. Pfftt I can do this , I just have to get into the side roads, duck and weave, duck and weave,  and finally I think I'm on the right strip.  I look up the street and all I see are hundreds of bars, restaurants and more people, a bit winded by the uphill hike in my heels, I walk in to the diner and everyone is talking, and greeting each other, clinking glasses, hugging each other, thumping each other's backs and generally realigning the past with the present.

My buddies Lynda and Annie in Lan Kwai Fong

A couple more people come up and say hi, they're asking me how work is, telling me how proud they are of what I've achieved in broadcasting, and what I'm doing now.  " Well, I have no idea yet, it's only been a week since the last day of work so I guess I'll figure it out when I get back to KL"  I tell them, they all seem surprised.  Well no more than I was with the station closing down.

Drinks Menu!

After the meet and greet I wanted to see the place I used to hang out in and where I used to spin, AH! Club 1997 was there but it's not the same, and boy do they serve a wicked martini!!  Oh and if you're there ask them for a drink called "grenade" he he h he.. That blew me a away!!  We had to leave at a decent hour because the next day we were taking a boat out to one of the outlying islands for seafood lunch and more hanging out.

Star Ferry?

My goodness I've not walked as much since I was meandering around Stonehenge in the UK!  The next day as I drew closer to what used to be Star Ferry, I saw so many docks, and I wasn't keeling over from the smell, they've really done a great job cleaning up our Fragrant Harbour.

On De Boaattt

The boat ride was fun, the seafood lunch was stellar and afterwards we pushed off from there,  to dock at  another one of the bays for a swim. It was a tremendous day, but I had an inkling my friends were wondering what I was going to do after this trip. I was figuring it out, and  later that evening as we pulled closer to Aberdeen,  I stood at the prow of the boat to look up at the stars and thought, I've missed being here, missed having so many wonderful , loving and supportive people who knew the real me.   We docked as close as possible to the Yacht club and all of us (I'd say around 20 or so ) invaded the club.   We were told that we had to keep the noise down if we wanted to stay inside.. ha ha ha ha, that' s like saying 'here's some firecrackers, don't light them up!'  Another great night (though I was tired and sliding down the chair fast)  , without being kicked out from the club!  That's all thanks to Dod my  Rutherford classmate who organised everything for us.

Chillin after the swim

The Jumbo floating Rest

The next get together would be for dinner at the American Chinese Restaurant, an old haunt and the menu  is  still the same!  I was clutching my sides with laughter as we walked towards the restaurant after having met up at a bar opposite it, as one of the "seedier" bars that we used to sneak into as teens was still there,  the "crazy horse"!  Oh the memories!

Dinner was delicious, loud, full of fun and laughter and afterwards we headed over to a club that had live music.  Between the raucous cheers and being dragged to the dance floor, my good friend Annie asked me again what I was going to do when I got back to Malaysia.   A germ of an idea was taking place but I had a few more nights of having fun with my former classmates so I wasn't going to sweat it just yet. The next day we were going back to our school for a tour of what it looked like now.

Still sitting at the back still causing mischief!

When we walked about our former school the next day,  I thought how the attitudes of the  current students had changed, they were more studious and more inclined to do the right thing.. shudder.. whereas we were a mad bunch who had been to detention at least once!! We learned that they were gong to pull the old school down and rebuild a new one, so the trip was even more poignant.

My final day came too soon, and I wanted to have dinner with  Peter, my stepfather, Mark and Sylvia my hosts and my bestie Annie and her man Den at the best Peking Duck place ever  Peking Gardens in Star House.  I stuffed my face silly, as I knew I'd not get food this good for a while!  (what? I wore elasticated pants, I was prepared!)

Leaving Hong Kong was a tearful affair, but a really good boost to the ego and soul,  I came back more positive and determined and I think it translated into my attitude because when I returned a lot of calls started coming in for work.

Back in KL, between bouts of discussion and watching the Rugby World Cup  (GO ALL BLACKS!),  my pal Riz and I  had a chat.  She convinced me that I should talk about my experiences as that are so many women out there going through the same situation.  We formulated an idea,  and it made me feel good as it would help women in the same situation I was facing, understand that there were so many options to what they could do.

This is one of the reasons I decided to start blogging again, and with that , I'm gong to get a few contributors to also add their blogs for you women out there to help you understand the opportunities that are available, the financial aspects of your world, the products that are available and also a platform where we can talk about the products that you want to retail online, as well simplifying technology so you can optimise it and understand it without feeling like you must be the only one in the world who doesn't understand the geek speak!

So What NOW? part 1

Ahhh this post has been a long time coming, you know , you say  "I'll do it next weekend, when I've more time to spare and in a better frame of mind', well guess what, it's not the weekend, I am in a better frame of mind and I'm no longer on air! WHY you ask, lemmie fill you in.

My partner Bel on the breakfast show, which is from 6 am to 10 am weekdays on CapitalFm, and I were sorting out our holidays, we have to schedule them so at least one of us is anchoring the show with whomever that fills in.  Bel's going before me as she's got "stuff" to do overseas, so after another intense show also due to the fact that we're still under sweeps, (sweeps are the surveys done to the radio stations to see how they are performing in all categories including against each other)  we trundle down to HR to fill out our leave application.   We bump into our Station Manager who's beginning to look like a Mexican jumping bean with all the meetings she's been hopping in and out of.

"Hey Ladies" she says, "we've got an emergency meeting this afternoon, please make sure you are there, no excuses".   Bel and I look at each other and groan, we were hoping to bugger off home right quick to decompress, both of us at the end of our tethers and ready to burn out from the grueling and intense schedule .  "Ok bawse, " I retort, " I hope it's good news".  She gives us a sheepish look and says " it's about the finances",  I give her a sharp  "I hope they arent' thinking of reducing the salaries, coz it's going to be mutiny on the bounty " .  She says " well you guys will find out at the meeting".

Forward to the meeting, we're all seated around the conference table, throwing remarks at each other, taking the mickey , it's a women's station, we can get down and dirty and no one takes offence, we're essentially sisters in the hood .  Our COO walks in and without much preamble says, "the board of directors had an emergency meeting last night and have decided to shut down the station, so as of 30th Sept, the station will run on automation"... clang goes my jaw on the table, Bel's lost it, everyone is stunned and the tears are glistening on a lot of the faces around me.  Well now, that just about gives us two weeks to pack up and go... charming.

We had worked public holidays,  worked ourselves to the bone to push the station forward to make it even more successful, worked without producers, proper budgets and publicity and now this.. whoaaa.  For those who didn't smoke or drink, this was one day when all that went out the window.

Our COO invited us all out  that evening, all the announcers drifted in eventually. Though it was a sombre night, we still managed to have a few laughs.  My COO or should I say former COO,  looks at me and says "Thanks Daph, for coming on board, and I truly appreciate all that you have done to turn the station around"  I said " I did it for you Kudsia, you inspired me to come back, you wanted to make it for women, by women and that was the hook, and I'm glad I took the time out to do so, it was quite the roller coaster ride!"  She looks at me and says "lets talk some more later ok"  sure, everyone wanted a bit of her time, she was making herself available to all the announcers to discuss what was on their mind.

For the next two and a half weeks, Bel and I had to pretend to our audience on air  all was ok, we had to ensure the show was still on point, to not slip up, it was  hard, we couldn't  tell our regular contributors why we were not having them on the show, we couldn't  accept any more invitations to interview, we were not really answering our company e mails, so when the final day came and we were given the green light to say farewell on air, it was a lump in your throat, eyes glazed with tears, trembly and wobbly lower lip emotional moment.  We had established so many regular callers, contributors, NGO's , amazing people who were pushing boundaries for women, enriching our lives as women.  Bel was leaving on the same day, and we clung to each other, "gonna miss you mate" we both said at the same time. We had created such a strong bond, I feel we'll always have that special connection.

I kept waking up at 5 am in the morning for the next few days after our final day on air,  freaking out I was late for work, only to realise I didn't have to wake up!  I sat around watching my kids, reading facebook posts, scrolling through twitter and prepping for my trip to Hong Kong.  I had  previously booked and sorted my vacation to my hometown of Hong Kong for my school reunion, on one hand I was really looking forward to it, and on the other obviously I was concerned as I was now out of a job.  I spoke to my mother that evening and she said "Go Daph, enjoy yourself, relax, be with those who know you and I'm sure you'll figure out what you're gong to do next"   I also spoke to my school chum Annie as we're still close and she said the same, my other bestie said "go bonkers in Honkers!" 

As the days got closer to the big reunion date in Hong Kong,  everyone started to post frantically on our reunion wall on Facebook, I forgot about the sting of being made redundant, .... well I told myself here's to the next adventure,  Hong Kong here I come!  (you'll have to read the next blog for that little nugget!)