The Tests of Friendship - Marriages / Weddings

After attending at least 4 weddings post-my-own-wedding, I've come to the realization that friendship is a true test of whether or not certain people deserve to be called friends in your life.

The first thing most people must be screaming is, "Simple. If they attend your wedding, then they are your friends". In actual fact, no, it's not that simple. 

A friend, in my personal opinion, is not necessarily the person who is there physically. I've come to this realization when my own best friend could not be there for my own wedding. However, what made me realize this, wasn't so much the fact that she couldn't be there. It was more of the fact that I did not kick up a fuss and when she apologized, I scolded her for apologizing to me. 

We need to be reminded that your friend also has his/her own life. If circumstances have been placed in that way, it doesn't mean that he/she does not want to attend your wedding. It's very easy to get angry or upset at them. What makes them a friend, or let me rephrase, what makes YOU a friend, is to understand their situation. Imagine the dilemma going through their heads. Being a good friend means you help to understand what is going on. If they are not giving you trouble, why are you giving them trouble? If you don't sympathize with them, my question is why don't you? 

During the process of a wedding, the bride, groom, maid of honor(s), bridesmaids, parents and if you have one, your wedding planner, are already stressed out enough. The last thing you would need from a friend is more stress. Being a true friend means not adding on the stress. During my wedding, I would call up a few friends for coffee (they need not be named because they know who they are!) to actually vent about problems and the unnecessary stress I've already been receiving. And for that, I thank you all so much. I hope I was able to de-stress some of you during your wedding prep as well, rather than contribute to the stress. 

This doesn't just apply to friendship pre-wedding. It also applies to post-wedding. Bearing in mind that upon marriage, your friend and yourself no longer are alone. We all now have an extra person (or two, or three) in our lives now. If you honestly treasure your friendship, you can no longer view it as a two-person friendship. Every newlywed couple has to start learning how to live with one another, especially couples who are living with their in laws. Regardless of how you look at it, there's always some form of stress that comes along with it. As a true friend, would you really want to contribute to that?

To be honest, in my opinion, in times of weddings and marriages, do you really see who cares for you and who deserves to be called a true friend. Someone who loves you, someone who truly treasures your friendship.

A true friend never demands attention from you, but seeks to help behind-the-scenes. A true friend does not need to show your friendship to the world, but seeks to remind you of their value to you and you alone. A true friend does not need validation from you, but seeks to remind you of your own self-worth.

At the end of the day, to me personally, friendship is a relationship. You can drift apart, you can break up, you can realize that the friend that you have isn't the one you want. It takes work, effort and time. If you realize a certain friend isn't the right one for you, it's time to rethink your friendship.

And just like a relationship, there are times when you will have to break it up.

Friendship is one topic that is very subjective and personal. I am not here to give friendship advice. I am just merely giving my thoughts on what I have gone through myself personally. To the friends who have stuck by me, I thank you. To the friends who did not make the cut, I hold no grudges and wish you all the best. At the end of the day, our own happiness matters. I'm glad I found my friends.


Love always,
Puan Sheryl Ho. 

In the Life of DancerGal: My new hobby!

Updated 150914: List of rooms played (will update) 

Hey guys! I know it's been a super long while since my last update. I promised to blog more, but I've been so busy doing so many things (yes, at the same time!) that I haven't really found the time to blog. So anyway, here's a simple and quick update about my newfound hobby: ESCAPING from rooms!

Code Factory

Escape Zone

Traphauz

Break the Code

Mission Break

Breakout

Rush Hour

Escape Room

MissionQ

Escape Dungeon

Freeing Room

When we (and by we, I mean SammoBammo and myself) heard about this, we weren't too sure about it. And then, a few of my friends attempted it for the very first time. Now, if someone doesn't know much about me, all they have to do is play one round of Escape Room with me and then they'll know how I am. I can be insanely competitive so picking the right group was essential and I'm glad we've found an amazing team :)

Anyway, back to the story, the group of friends of mine who played it didn't really make it so we thought we'd try it out. We picked a room that was just for the two of us and suitable for two people. Our first room together was "Abandoned Factory" from Escape Room, e@Curve. We lost the room, but the person who let us out gave us three options. One, leave the room and come back again. Two, he'll give us the hint of the next puzzle and then we come back again. Three, crack the room completely. I wanted to know what was the reason we didn't make it out, so we decided to crack the room. After cracking the room, I learned a couple of things including how to keep my competitiveness in check. Once that was over, we were quite confident to play with my cousin and his partner-in-crime. They have been at this quite often and even blog about each room they play! Read their blog here: http://enigmaticescape.blogspot.com

We then moved on to our second room, "Prison Break" from Escape Room, e@Curve. We had pretty good teamwork and so, we actually managed to escape. The feeling of winning was so intense, that we just had to keep going. Since then, we have been playing rather consistently and although we've only lost one room together, we substitute that horrible disappointing feeling by ensuring that we win more rooms. Here are some of the rooms we've played thus far (and their results, cos I really enjoy gloating!) :P

1. "Abandoned Factory", Escape Room, e@Curve - Lost (2 pax) - has been replaced by The Overlook Hotel: Room 13
2. "Prison Break", Escape Room, e@Curve - Win (4 pax) 
3. "Memento", Mission Q, SS15 Subang - Win (For two players only!) 
4. "Prison Break", MissionQ, SS15 Subang - Win (4 pax) 
5. "Wonderland", Escape Room, Berjaya Times Square - Win (4 pax)
6. "The Vampire Chronicles", Escape Room, Berjaya Times Square - Lost (4 pax)
7. "Up!", Escape Room, Setiawalk Mall Puchong - Win (#3 for the week - 4 pax)
8. "Dungeons of Doom", Escape Room, Setiawalk Mall Puchong - Win (#2 for the week - 4 pax)
9. "Mummy Room", Escape Room, e@Curve - Win (#1 for the week - 4 pax) 
10. "The Treasure Era", Freeing Room, Taman Connaught Cheras - Perfect (2 pax)
11. "Art Gallery", Escape Room, Berjaya Times Square - Win (3 pax)
12. "Missing Corpse", MissionQ, SS15 Subang - Win (#1 Hall of Fame - 6 pax)
13. "Unleashing the Matrix", MissionQ, SS15 Subang - Win (5 pax) - is being replaced
14. "Haunted House", Escape Room, Berjaya Times Square - Win (6 pax)
15. "Taken", Escape Room, Berjaya Times Square - Win (8 pax - #1 for the week!) 
16. "Mysterious Room", Escape Room, e@Curve - Win (4 pax)
17. "Secret Lab", Escape Room, Setiawalk Mall, Puchong - Win (6 pax - #2 for the week!) 
18. "Crime Scene", Escape Room, Setiawalk Mall Puchong - Win (6 pax - #3 for the week!) 
19. "Saving Ms. Ryan", Escape Dungeon, SS15 Subang - Win (4 pax - #1 Hall of Fame!) 
20. "Trapped", Escape Dungeon, SS15 Subang - Win (4 pax - #3 Hall of Fame!) 
21. "Ruins of Damnation", Escape Dungeon, SS15 Subang - Lost (4 pax)
22. "Curious Murder", Escape Dungeon, SS15 Subang - Win (4 pax) 
23. "Day and Night", MissionQ, SS15 Subang - Win (4 pax) 
24. "Haunted Chamber", Escape Dungeon, SS15 Subang - Win (4 pax - I quit halfway!) 
25. "Fairy Tale", Rush Hour, Setapak - Win (4 pax - no Hall of Fame yet)
26. "Prison Break", Rush Hour, Setapak - Win (4 pax) 
27. "Murder in Crime Investigation", Rush Hour, Setapak - Lost (4 pax) 
28. "The Pyramid", Rush Hour, Setapak - Win (4 pax)
29. "The Morgue", Rush Hour, Setapak - Win (4 pax) 
30. "The World Behind the Mirror", Rush Hour, Setapak - Win (4 pax) 
31. "World War 007", Freeing Room, Taman Connaught - Perfect (6 pax) 
32. "Biohazard Lab", Freeing Room, Taman Connaught - Perfect (6 pax) 
33. "Pirate Ship", Escape Room, e@Curve - Win (5 pax) 
34. "The Slaughter House", Escape Room, e@Curve - Win (5 pax) 
35. "Saw", Mission Break, Mahkota Cheras - Win (4 pax) 
36. "Identity", Mission Break, Mahkota Cheras - Win (4 pax) 
37. "The Shahara Prison", Mission Break, Mahkota Cheras - Lost (4 pax)
38. "Escape Room x Fear Factor", Escape Room, Setiawalk Mall Puchong - Win (4 pax)
39. "Heaven and Hell", Escape Room, Berjaya Times Square - Lost (4 pax) 
40. "Project Fallout", Breakout, Avenue K - Win (6 pax) 
41. "Infinity", Breakout, Avenue K - Win (6 pax) 
42. "Chamber of Hocus", Breakout, Avenue K - Lost (5 pax) 
43. "Mr Oswald's Greatest Show", Breakout, Avenue K - Win (5 pax)
44. "The Greatest Murder of Westwood", Breakout, Avenue K - Win (5 pax)
45. "The Overlook Hotel: Room 13", Escape Room, e@Curve - Win (6 pax)
46. "Kidnapped", Break The Code, Penang - Win (4 pax - 2nd place) 
47. "Crazy Lab", Break The Code, Penang - Loss (4 pax)
48. "Pirates Ship", Break The Code, Penang - Win (4 pax - 2nd place) 
49. "Detective-X", Break The Code, Penang - Win (4 pax - 1st place) 
50. "Escape Plan: Behind the Bars", Traphauz, Sunway Mentari - Win (6 pax) 
51. "Kidnapped", Traphauz, Sunway Mentari - Win (6 pax) 
52. "Back to the Future", Traphauz, Sunway Mentari - Win (7 pax) 
53. "The Egyptian Tomb", Traphauz, Sunway Mentari - Win (7 pax)
54. "Malaysia Room", Escape Room, Berjaya Times Square - Win (8 pax - #1 for the week) 
55. "Classroom", Escape Zone, Kota Damansara - Win (5 pax - record breaking time!) 
56. "Puppet House", Escape Zone, Kota Damansara - Win (5 pax - record breaking time!)
57. "Classroom Murder", Code Factory, Jaya Shopping Centre - Win (6 pax) 
58. "Lost", Code Factory, Jaya Shopping Centre - Win (6 pax) 
59. "The Asylum", Escape Zone, Kota Damansara - Win (6 pax - #3 on the Hall of Fame) 

So, a teeny background story about the "Perfect" status. Freeing Room has this thing where instead of just escaping the room, you would have to complete a mission. This mission, should you choose to accept it, will determine on whether you just "win" or achieve the "perfect" status. If you only escape the room but don't complete the mission, then you will just "win". If you manage to escape the room and complete the mission, you will achieve the "perfect" status. When we were given the briefing, we thought it was a bit tough, but pfft! 

Playing in a consistent mode (almost two rooms per week) with my cousin and his partner, allowed us to come up with a team name. Our team is called "Team SPeeDS" which has two meanings. Firstly, the word SPeeDS spells the following: Charmaine Andrew Sam Patrick Enigmatic Escape Doro Sheryl.  Secondly, the word speeds also represents the fact that we try our best to get out as fast as we can. It's been an amazing and productive teamwork and we've been accomplishing a hell-load! All hail #TeamCASPeeDS!!!

Some people might be all judgmental and shit and wondering why the heck is this woman taking this little game so seriously?! Well, here's the thing, I don't take things lightly. I love the intensity, the competitive attitude that this "little game" brings to me. I love the satisfaction of winning and the disappointment of losing, which encourages me to understand why we lost and do better the next time around. It's almost somewhat of an addiction and I can honestly tell you, it doesn't seem to be getting lighter. There are rooms that our partners have already played and we will have to catch up, but I do believe that all is well and we will prevail! :) 

So yes, that's just a quick and simple update of me. I will be doing my best to blog a bit more, and updating you on the bits and pieces of myself. If you want to get to know me better, please do not hesitate to follow me on the following social media platforms: 

Instagram: @sherylhosulynn

Twitter: @sherylhosulynn
Team Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TeamCASPeeDS (PLEASE LIKE US!)  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherylho86

Thank you for reading! 

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl! 

Self-Reflection: Relationships

I have never blogged about relationships and I've never really seen myself as a professional cos I've honestly only had two, and have been in my current relationship for the past 3 plus years. This blog post DEFINITELY isn't gonna be lovey-dovey, nor is it going to be comparing the two relationships I've had. This is just for a reminder to myself to keep my head in the game and obviously, look at the bigger picture.

So why wouldn't I give advice to other couples? Well, to be honest, unless you are a certified therapist, you shouldn't be giving any form of advice. Why do I say this? Every relationship is different. Every partner, even though you are the same person, will be different which will lead to different scenarios, different circumstances and most definitely, different personalities.

I think the difference in myself between the last relationship and the current one is definitely my maturity. I still am super "manja", but I think there's a different demand now that I am more mature. I have also learnt a lot about myself and I will continue to discover myself. My partner would have to continue to learn about me, as much as I will continue learning about my partner. In my current relationship, because we are also on the road of finding our paths in our respective careers, it can sometimes be quite frustrating. But the best part about this is, we learn more about each other, sort of at the same time. And what I like to remind myself here, is that we are not there to help solve each other's problems, but just for support. Of course, trying to help would be great, but the main deal here is to support one another. When the one you love supports what you do, that's 60% of the battle won and the frustrations gone.

To me, love isn't just about saying "I love you", but actually showing love, support, care, commitment, dedication. A relationship when you're in your teenage years, it's mostly about exploration. Learning to be responsible and accountable to and for someone. When you're my age, it's more than exploration. You don't exactly have the time. I think what took me aback was a talk that I heard by Nick Vujicic.

For those of you who know me well, I come from a family whose parents are separated and I live with my mum. My dad obviously lives with the other party. Since my first relationship, I've always been fearful of adultery because of my background. Thing is, although I wasn't cheated on technically, I would still say that I was cheated on, because three weeks after we broke up, my ex was already with someone new. But I am honestly grateful that I went through that relationship. He taught me a lot of things about relationships. Especially what NOT to do.

According to Nick, FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. This fear is a seed that will soon grow into a tree and bear fruit. I've had the fear of adultery for a very very long time. Even with my current partner. But then, Nick said something. Once the seed is planted, it will continue to grow and grow no matter how much you try to stop it. The only way is to just UPROOT the damn tree. And then, when I got a hug from him, that was when I decided that I would uproot my fear. So I did just that. I decided to take the plunge and just uproot my tree of fear. I've never been happier.

My current relationship seems a bit more on the calmer side now. Haha. Of course, my partner has been an absolute gem, helping me through so much. My insecurities and my dramas. The poor chap has suffered, I believe. So now that I've grown up (a teeny bit!), I think it's time for me to at least give this chap a smoother journey and ride it out. At the moment, we just want to enjoy our lives as single people. We know we are committed to each other, and we know that we want that future, but for now, let's just enjoy our lives. I think for me, relationships tend to be a lot easier when you remove the element of expectations. You want him to say "I love you"? Ask for it. You want him to kiss you? Ask for it. If you don't ask, you won't get and you can't get disappointed if you don't get it.

To me, and again I reiterate, this post is meant as a reminder to myself and not an "advisory" post. I am very happy in my current relationship, and as we continue to grow and learn more about each other, may we grow stronger as individuals and continue on this journey feeling more confident each day.

I love you.

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl!

In the life of DancerGal: My FIRST ever DEEJAY gig!!!

It was a bright and early Monday morning, where I had taken a one-day annual leave. Thoughts in my head?

"Tidur, Makan, Main...." 

However, I was awaken by a whatsapp message by Mr. Producer of Inspire.FM (P/S: he's one of them in the photo above!) that asks if I could come in and stand in for Mr. Host of The MotivationMY Show (also in the photo above) !!! The following feelings literally RAN THROUGH my body when I saw that message:

• Shocked
• Surprised
• Happy
• Nervous
• Excited
• Scared

I was finally getting a shot at doing something that I've always wanted to do... HOSTING! But there wasn't even a guest, so I asked if I could interview SammoBammo4 on "Creative Education". It's a topic that I am currently very interested in, and who better to ask than a teacher himself? :) So Mr Producer gave me the green light. So I thought that was it. 

I walked into the studio with SammoBammo and was a freakishly nervous wreck. I nearly wanted to punch myself. My nerves kinda got the better of me. But I am so hilariously lucky. Mr Producer made the podcast sound good, Mr Host said I did okay, and SammoBammo said I did well for a first timer! :) 

Credits: Inspire.FM

Credits: motivationMY.com

You can listen to the final product here! 

Here's my personal review of me (could this sound any less narcissistic??)

I did okay considering that it was a last minute thing, but I am glad that it happened :) This will only push me to grow more in terms of hosting and being confident of my own voice. 

I cannot thank Inspire.FM and MotivationMY.com enough for giving me this opportunity to grow, learn and hone my love for talking! I will continuously push myself to do better and my next podcast, will only be better than the one I did before :) Thank you once again for the amazing collaboration between the two best platforms that have allowed me to come to where I am today. 

It was definitely the experience of a lifetime, and I simply cannot wait to push myself to the limits and do my best to what life is willing to offer me :) 

Thanks again to the following people: 

Syafique Shuib, Founder of MotivationMY, for believing in me :) 

Kum Gheng, Producer on Inspire.FM, for guiding me through :) 

Hisham Hamzah, SammoBammo, for being my first guest :) 

Thank you so very much for the amazing opportunity. I really don't know what else to say except thank you. Gratitude beyond expression. 

Credits: Inspire.FM

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p">

In the life of DancerGal: Hitting the "Refresh" button on "LIFE"

It's almost the end of August. Here's my updates for the past month or so...

Haven't been playing SC2 for the longest time, let alone Diablo 3...
Haven't been to Bootcamp in TWO months...
Haven't been blogging, although I have THREE half-written drafts...
Haven't been running (at least 10km!) within the past two months...

My fitness is BLERGH...
My SC2 level is BLERGH...
Not to mention, feeling FAT and LETHARGIC almost everyday!

So, what exactly have I been doing the past couple of months? Working, sleeping, eating.

So what's the problem? The problem is, I AM NOT HAPPY!!!!

So, what can I do? Time to hit that "Refresh" button. Wait, what?!

Credits: blog.cachinko.com

Yes, you heard me right! I'm going to hit the "Refresh" button on my own life, and it all starts TODAY! Spent about 4 hours plus watching MLG last night (Leenock was declared the Champion :) Mr Chubby Cheeks  ♥

Credits: majorleaguegaming.com

Hence, yesterday at SammoBammo's place, I collected back ALL my gaming gear (mouse, keyboard and headphones) and decided that I would spend AT LEAST an hour a night training. Watching MLG made me realize, while I dream to be like them someday, it will never happen unless I do it myself! :)

Having being a fan of StarCraft 2 for quite some time now, it's been taking me a very long time to get to where I am... While I understand the game relatively well, my mechanics are REALLY BAD! Why? All because I never really bothered to put in the effort. Well, no more. From now on, every night, at least 2 games I will play! All in the name of self-development of eSports!

Then there's my fitness level.

It's been two whole months of Bootcamp that I have missed. Went back today. Felt like CRAP! Threw up in the middle of a circuit. But here's the thing. After throwing up (ok, maybe I should stop saying that so that you don't feel nauseous!), I felt like this wasn't me. I don't want to be like this. I want the Sheryl/DancerGal who could pull off an entire session and even go out for a movie after. I want the Sheryl who watched what she ate, so that she didn't feel lethargic/fatigued after the session! I WANT THE OLD ME BACK!!!

There is only ONE way to doing that, which is actually GOING BACK and doing all that!

Then, there's my barely updated blog.

As most of you may know, I now (should technically) be a regular contributor on the MotivationMY blog. Guess when my last post was? Pathetic.

So with that, while it may be a very tiring move, a very bold move, it's time to hit the refresh button on my life! How?

1. Starcraft 2: Make the effort to play more, train harder, and just simply not make excuses. Watch more streams (where possible) and watch more tournaments (speaking of which, I am downloading the GomTV app for Mac so that I can watch GSL! BOOYAH! :P )

2. Bootcamp/Fitness: Train harder, watch what I eat, and (DO MY BEST!) not to miss any sessions, participate in more runs, and make a conscious effort to train my runs with SammoBammo. Push myself in OBC sessions and make sure that I don't go easy on myself!

3. Regular updates and contributions: Consciously make the effort to contribute to AT LEAST one post a week! Writer's block is a LAME excuse and should not be used in Sheryl's vocabulary!!!

4. Miscellaneous: Try your best to not screw everything else in the process!

Sounds impossible? No, it's not, and it won't be! Wanna know why? Three simple words: FOCUS, DETERMINATION, and PASSION! I love and enjoy all of the above! I want to be better not for anyone, but for myself!

There is no room for "second best" or "complacency" in my life. Either you work your ass for it, or you get stuck living a mediocre life. Your choice.

Before I end my blog post, do find below, some encouraging posters that I hold very personally and it could not get any better than this (source: http://www.facebook.com/StrongIsTheNewSkinny/photos_stream)

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl ♥