Green Paws

How I spent my CNY

2011-02-10T13:39:00.003+08:00

新年快乐，财源滚滚，万事如意！
Happy Lunar New Year

How was your new year? What did you do over the super long weekend?

As with past years tradition, I went visiting on the first day of CNY. It's the same households every year - parents, grandma, grand aunt, and I'm back home again. Simple when compared to some of my friends. I'm literally enjoying 年年有余 again :) I did not have to prepare the 'mass angpows' this year as I have leftovers from last year. Yet, I only managed to give out 4 angpows to 小朋友 this year, so I'm carrying forward 2010's leftover angpows to 2012! Is this considered indirect 财源滚滚? lol

I stayed home mostly for the rest of the long weekend waiting for people to come and get angpow from me. But my angpows have no business eh. What a waste decorating my nest for CNY....and this is the first time I bothered to deco my place for the occasion!

I got kinda restless and bored on the fourth day of CNY, in fact I was a bit moody. Then, I did something that I have not done for ages - I went cycling *eyes sparkled* It sounded rather crazy...I drove all the way from the east back to north and decided to go to East Coast again in less than an hour. So, I barely warmed my couch and I'm off again driving back to the east. But, it was a good choice I made. Cycling lifted up my spirit and I felt liberated :D I've almost forgotten what it feels like to be 'flying in the wind'. That one hour of cycling was simply shiok :)

Now that the weekend is over, it's time to get back to work again. Do you have problems with 收心准备开工? I'm glad I didn't have to work on Monday, so I have one more day to chase the blues away.

Tell me how you spent your CNY :)

Make money with your gardening hobby

2010-12-30T16:22:00.003+08:00

How would you like to make money growing plants?

As the year comes to an end, you might be thinking how you can make some extra money in 2011. I happened to stumble upon a wonderful product that teaches you how to monetize your gardening hobby. If you are a gardening enthusiast, you might want to check this out.

Probably one of the most enjoyable thing for gardeners is watching new plants grow. Well, I guess there's no reason why your joy wouldn't double if you can make some extra money while enjoying your gardening hobby at the same time.

A friend of mine who is a gardening enthusiast once told me that the problem with growing new plants is that her garden gets crowded and she ended up throwing some out. That's quite a waste, isn't it? One solution to tackle this 'good problem' is to sell some of the plants. Not only does it provide us with some space in our greenhouse, it also allows us to finance our gardening hobby, for free.

So, if you're wondering "where do I start from?", the first thing you need to do is to start growing some plants. The best way to do this is to either, sow some seeds, take some cuttings or divide some perennials. Or, if you already have spare plants ready for sale, you should quickly check out Richard Allen's ebook "How to Create a Business Growing & Selling Plants".

When you make some extra pocket money from selling plants, just don't forget to buy me a treat or drop me an email to let me know ;)

*Image - courtesy of Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I became a hero today

2010-07-30T16:53:00.004+08:00

It was a rainy, sleepy afternoon until I saw this video......oh my, I became a hero without me knowing :P

PS: Tried to have the video here but it doesn't display properly.

Exactly What

2010-06-16T16:35:00.001+08:00

Once you know exactly what you desire, you have a way to get there. Once you define the objective clearly and with precision, the path begins to appear.

Then it's just a matter of taking the necessary actions. And you're fully capable of that.

The big question is, are you willing? When the purpose has real meaning to you, then you are indeed willing to do what must be done to reach it.

Dig deep, past the things you don't know why you want. Be brutally honest with yourself, and find what it is that you truly desire.

Allow your authentic purpose to be your source of energy. It's a source that will never run dry.

Yes you can, when you know what it is. Yes you can, when you truly know why.

-- Ralph Marston

A good quote

2010-05-30T00:12:00.004+08:00

Heard a good quote this evening and I'd like to share it with you:

"Material wealth becomes immaterial when there is abundance in your inner wealth."

The last lesson

2010-04-16T02:15:00.002+08:00

I closed two chapters in my life today. First, I finally used up the last session of the facial package which I signed up in 2008. They must be so relieved that they don't have to chase me anymore. I am also happy that I can finally discard the invoice/card and have more space in my drawer. I bet they must be disappointed that I did not continue with them. Well, they did offer me an irresistable 50% off the Gold facial treatment package but I'm just not swayed no matter what they say. Try drugging me and maybe I'll say yes ;p

Next, I delivered my last lesson today. Henceforth, no more listening to CDs, preparation of materials and stressing over if I had prepared sufficient materials for each lesson etc. Frankly, I was relieved. Even as I prepared materials for the last lesson, I couldn't wait to stash away the reference books and dictionaries that have been gracing my desk for the past several months. It reminds me of those days when I took joy in clearing my desk and shelves of books I no longer need when I've finished an exam paper. It also brings back memories of the corporate days where I'll be so glad to file away papers once a project is closed.

This day has finally come. As I concluded my last sentence this evening, the sense of relief and prior joy transcend into a sudden sense of loss. It's the same kind of feeling I get on my last day on the job. From Media to IT days, it has been the same. That strange, unexplainable feeling that I get on the last day at work. It's as if reality has finally sunk in that hey, it's for real, I'm really leaving here and I won't see this for the rest of my life. Humans are so weird. When you're 'in it', you can't wait to get out. When you finally got out, you have that strange feeling of loss and solitary.

There's a season for everything. A new chapter begins when the old one is closed. I know this odd feeling of mine will probably dissipate when I wake up tomorrow morning. A new day begins and perhaps, a pleasant surprise is just round the corner waiting for me:)

The Rule of 72

2010-02-26T12:55:00.001+08:00

During my late night reading yesterday, I was reminded of something which I learnt from another book some time ago. I'd like to share it here as I find this pretty useful. Developed by mathematicians, The Rule of 72 illustrates the power of compounding.

Divide 72 by the rate of return of any investment and the answer you get is the approximate number of years it takes for that investment to double in value.

For instance, if you invest $50,000 at a return of 2%, it will take 36 years before it grows to $100,000. But if the same $50,000 is invested at a higher yield of 6%, it will take just 12 years to multiply your money to $100,000. With this formula, at least I'll know how many % yield I should be looking at when I invest :)

Hope you find this info useful too.

The Rule of 70

2010-02-26T12:18:00.005+08:00

Suaku me just learnt something new late last night - The Rule of 70. The Rule of 70 calculates the impact of inflation on your savings, specifically, it tells you the number of years it takes to shrink your savings by half. Assuming the inflation rate is 3.5%, dividing 70 by 3.5 gives you 20 - the number of years it takes to reduce your $100 to just $50. Scary, isn't it?

Just one goal

2010-02-25T16:52:00.003+08:00

Why do we need so many goals? Often at the end or start of a new year, people will start making goals for the new year. I often hear people saying goals must cover various aspects of your life - career, financial, relationship, spiritual, health etc. I used to set my goals that way too but I have never been able to achieve all of them in the same year.

I've come to the realisation that very often, there is only one key goal that we truly need to achieve. It is often the one which will solve all other issues when we achieved it. You may not agree with me, but I think financial goal is 'the one'. Though money is not everything, yet without money, one becomes nothing. Don't bother to talk about upgrading one's skills or knowledge, starting a small little business or going on holidays. Even healthy living requires certain level of financial capability. How else can you go organic, eat wholesome, unprocessed food if you can't even afford them?

Whoever says money is not important surely has been living in delusion. How else can you help others if you don't have the financial means? Building homes and orphanages, feeding the poor, going on mission trips - all these require money. Unless you have powerful persuasion skills to make others part with their money, you better be rich if you want to help others.

You probably guessed it. Yes, I shall not be so ambitious in goal setting this year. Just one key goal and when I achieve it, the rest will gradually fall in place :) Sure, I'll still do my best to live a healthy lifestyle and strike a balance in life. I guess the biggest challenge for me is to stay focused. There are so many things that I'd like to do but for now, I must focus, focus, focus.

God is good, all the time

2010-01-20T18:47:00.003+08:00

I've been experiencing so much of God's goodness lately that I just want to share them here. I went for my regular doctor appointment at SGH yesterday morning. It is a well known fact that parking is quite a nightmare over there. Many times, I will pray for a parking lot when I reach there and God answered my prayer most of the time. It happened again yesterday. What amazes me was that I did not wait at the usual section of the carpark after praying. I can't explain why but I just decided to stay put at another section. In my heart, I was wondering if I can get a lot here as past experience tells me that there's a higher chance in the other section. Nonetheless, I stayed put. True enough, I had hardly waited and a car was preparing to drive off. PTL!

Next, seeing this regular doctor of mine often takes hours of waiting due to the long queue and his dedicated examination. Yet, I managed to see my doctor and cleared the pharmacy all within an hour. As far as I can recall, this has never happen before. The best thing is, when I picked up a queue number at the pharmacy, there were 10 people before me. I took the time to run some errands and when I came back, the digital display was flashing my queue number. Talk about God's perfect timing! :)

Now, the next blessing happened just this afternoon. I came face to face with a peeping lizard when I took down my room's curtain for laundry. I was so shocked and thought if it's dead or alive. I got my answer in less than 5 seconds. It disappeared under my nose! It wasn't under the bed or anywhere so I reckon it must be in the pile of curtain. I was thinking "God, what's the best way to deal with it?". I decided that my room space is too tight for a battle ground. I dragged the pile of curtain to my main door. I was thinking of flinging the curtain at the corridor to get the lizard out of my house. Lo and behold, the lizard crawled out of the curtain and was at the entrance of my door! I spoke to the lizard "go out, get out now" and it crawled out. OMG, tell me about the power of our tongue :P

I know I will not have peace until I know the lizard is gone forever, so I continued to pursue it with all my might. At one point, it almost went into the rooster nb's house. An 'evil' thought came to my mind but my logical mind tells me that if it can migrate to my nb's place, it can also visit me again. No way man! I pursued it relentlessly until it finally migrated to another world. What a great sense of victory and relief! *phew*

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

2010-01-19T18:40:00.000+08:00

Another book I'd like to recommend is T. Harv Eker's "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the inner game of wealth". The author believes that there is a money blueprint in our mind, and how we think, feel about money will determine our financial status. Thoughts lead to feelings, which lead to actions, which lead to results - the key to attaining wealth begins with thinking. Not just any thinking, but think like the rich do. T. Harv Eker encourages readers that we can all re-program our thinking and that successis a learnable skill.

There are 17 principles mentioned in this book that compares the differences in thinking between the rich and the poor/middle class. Behind each of these principles, the author has interesting stories to illustrate the point. Although it may not go down well with some people, it is nonetheless an interesting and thought-provoking read.

If you are 'Z-type reader', aka either busy or lazy, you can simply zoom in to the 17 principles. However, if you have time to spare, it would be more beneficial to read the book.

Rich people believe "I create my life." Poor people believe, "Life happens to me."
Rich people play the money game to win. Poor people play the money game to not lose.
Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people want to be rich.
Rich people think big. Poor people think small.
Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus on obstacles.
Rich people admire other rich and successful people. Poor people resent rich and successful people.
Rich people associate with positive, successful people. Poor people associate with negative or unsuccessful people.
Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value. Poor people think negatively about selling and promotion.
Rich people are bigger than their problems. Poor people are smaller than their problems.
Rich people are excellent receivers. Poor people are poor receivers.
Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor people choose to get paid based on time.
Rich people think "both." Poor people think "either/or."
Rich people focus on their net worth. Poor people focus on their working income.
Rich people manage their money well. Poor people mismanage their money well.
Rich people have their money work hard for them. Poor people work hard for their money.
Rich people act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.
Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people think they already know.

An additional note: If you believe in the existence of an Almighty God, Heavenly Father, you may find that much of the contents are quite similar to bibical principles. Then again, most self-enrichment books, theories, tactics are based on biblical teachings. However, you may not agree with some parts of the book. In those instances, just take the meat and throw out the bones, ok? ;)

Hello 2010

2010-01-19T17:40:00.002+08:00

It's been a long time since I last blogged. I had wanted to have a 'Farewell 2009' post but somehow, I just didn't manage to get down to it. I read a few good books in the last 2 months of 2009. It got me inspired and motivated to begin a new year :) If you are interested in killing procrastination, goal-setting and time management, do check out:

Eat that Frog! - 21 great ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time
Goals!: How to get everything faster you want - faster than you ever thought possible

Both books were written by Brian Tracy. You can either borrow them from the library or download free ebook version. I've even come across audio MP3 version for 'Eat that frog'. Just google and you'll find them all.

It's a polka dot day

2009-10-20T16:25:00.004+08:00

Life can be so unpredictable. One day, you're happy and well, but misfortune could just be waiting outside your door the next day. I woke up early 2 days ago, just like any other Sundays. Everything was normal except that some pimple-like rashes have found their way to the side of my face. This is terrible.... As if it's not enough for me to put up with a swollen foot, now I've got this rash that sprang out of nowhere.

I went to SGH yesterday and both my usual doctors were unavailable. What luck eh, I thought? By the grace of God, a twist of events ended up having another doctor to see me. She gave me antibiotics for the rash but couldn't do much about my swollen foot except asking me to 'kiao ka' at home, aka raise it high up. Gotta take the AB every 6 hours, even in the middle of the night :( Hope my disrupted sleep pays off, the rash better subside before the end of this week. I feel like a prisoner cooped up at home. Of all days, why must it be this week?? *eyes rolling*

Thank God the swell on my foot has subsided much. At least it doesn't look like pig trotters and I could bend my toes now :) Looking forward to wearing heels next week and hopefully I don't need concealers to cover my polka dots when I go downtown.

My nest needs a transformation

2009-10-13T15:24:00.004+08:00

A friend emailed me today that he's dropping by my nest after his kids' exams, to see the orchids at my place. OMG was the only thing I could think of when I saw his email. Firstly, I don't think there are many orchids blooming at my place at this moment. Secondly, my nest is not in a state to receive guests, and that's what's really bothering me. I wouldn't mind as much if it's a friend who's seen the worst of my place. But certainly, not someone who's coming here for the first time *omg*

Can anyone tell me when the exams will be over? Gosh, how much time do I have to transform my humble nest into a showflat? :( Few weeks ago, I visited K's new nest and I was impressed with the tidiness, cleanliness, cosyness of her place. It makes me wanna set an iron gate and chain over my nest in case someone takes a peek. Just last weekend, I popped by L's nest. She moved in 6 months ago and her place is still spick and span. I felt as if I have stepped into a showflat, except that it comes with a chihuahua that has a toy bear (oh my heart goes out to that poor bear).

I've long wanted to overhaul my nest but sigh, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Sometimes I wish I could just push things through but I know there's a price to pay after that :( I can't remember when I started to feel 'less is more' and I really wanted it, if I can have my way. Maybe it's a sign that age is catching up, priorities have changed. Perhaps, the key contributing factor is still the fact that I don't have as much energy and strength to maintain my possessions regularly. So the best option is to live simply and thou shall simply live.

Not too long ago, a friend of mine overhauled part of his nest and I saw the pictures. Frankly, before the transformation, the place was already in an ever-ready-for-guests mode. After the transformation, wow... it was another showflat although my friend modestly insisted that it looks spacious because he has neither budget nor space to accomodate more furnitures. Oh come on, my friend, less is more. The minimalist knows best.

Back to my humble place... perhaps next week is the only window for me to do some magic. Hopefully, both my spirit and flesh are willing and able :) You will know if I have succeeded, if you receive an invitation to an open house.

龙猫

2009-09-28T01:17:00.004+08:00

Don't you think this cat looks like those in animation? So fat and cute.... I wanna have one. This video reminds me of how I place my furry friends in front of the dining table for photo shoot, except that mine doesn't move :)

Worldex Scam

2009-09-15T12:18:00.003+08:00

I received a call from Worldex yesterday inviting me to attend a soft launch of their company. They promised a free holiday fully paid for upon the end of the presentation. It sounded too good to be true and I was skeptical about it. However, the telemarketer assured me that this is not MLM or timeshare and there is nothing for me to buy. He even gave me their company website URL www.globalsec.com, in the hope that the offer will sound more genuine?

I did a search on google this morning and confirmed my suspicion that this is indeed a scam. If you want more details, go check out this site. Spread the word, caution your friends and loved ones. Don't let the scammers have their way.

Counting down

2009-09-12T18:05:00.002+08:00

I just saw a dance video on Youtube and oh.... how I feel like dancing again. I can feel my legs itching away. I can't wait for the next 2 weeks to come. I'm going for my kickboxing class after so many years. I guess that's the next closest thing to dance where I can stretch my limbs to the rhythm of music ;) Though it's just a trial session, I hope we can continue beyond that. If my kaki pulls out after that session, tell me if you're keen. I'll be on the lookout for new exercise/dance kakis.

Getting my butt off the chair

2009-09-10T17:36:00.003+08:00

Who doesn't know there are many benefits to regular exercise? Besides the usual health related reasons, sometimes I go for a run when I need to clear my thoughts. The solution doesn't always come after a run, but I certainly feel better after sweating it out. I just found another reason to exercise. This may sound absurd to some, but I think it's not too bad a motivation either. Exercise when you are bored. Isn't it better than bingeing on snacks? So here I go again, my second exercise for the week :)

PS: As I was typing, my dad phoned me to stay away from outdoors due to the air pollution. But heck, I'm going ahead or else I'll go bonkers facing the walls, stuck in my work.

Dreaming

2009-09-10T17:07:00.004+08:00

I wanna put on a pair of shoes with wings. With my shoes, I embark on my journey to the ends of the earth. Lifting my head, I soar higher into the sky, the cool wind ruffles my hair and brushes against my cheeks. My eyes were closed. I don't know how far I have gone. I hear birds chirping and I find myself in the midst of a flock of migrating birds. How beautiful it is to be flying up close and personal among the paradise birds.

I followed the birds and entered into an enchanted forest where the flowers and trees exist only in fairy-tales. The trees clap their hands as the flowers dance to the humming of the birds. Even the ants were doing line dance while carrying their food on their backs. I peek through the tall bushes and saw a family of hedgehogs dancing in circles. Grandpa and grandma were dancing too! I smile to myself.

Everything looks so happy and perfectly harmonious here. The rich colour of the forest simply blew my mind away. This must be the lost paradise of Kutalu. I had thought it was only a legend...

Itchy eyes, itchy ears

2009-09-08T14:37:00.003+08:00

It''s kinda strange how the human eye wants to see what it wants to see. Others can tell you a thousand times otherwise but if you already have a pre-conceived idea or have made up your mind about something, nothing simply can change you.

Likewise, we often hear what we want to or like to hear, regardless of what others caution us. And when things turn sour, we regret and say 'if only'. No wonder ancient chinese says 忠言逆耳。

难道人真的都那么犯贱吗？

Talking to Greenpaws

2009-09-04T14:22:00.002+08:00

I logged in facebook and I logged out of it. I opened my messenger, typed a word and I deleted it. Where is the best place to say what I feel like saying? Not revolutionary ideas or great discoveries, just thoughts or feelings for that moment, which may have no value to others at all :P I decided to just drop the thoughts here. Some will never get to see.

Thought at the moment: Why don't I feel hungry? Should I even bother to cook?

Lunch thoughts

2009-08-05T15:43:00.002+08:00

More than 30 minutes to prepare, 5 minutes to wash up, 5 minutes to eat and minutes later, it is 'finished'. Kinda 'bo hua'... I wanna hire someone just to prepare healthy meals for me.

Poll: Which hairstyle?

2009-06-22T21:12:00.005+08:00

Thinking of a change......which hairstyle would you vote for?

1. Long with curl ends

2. Long curls

3. Long natural wave

4. Shoulder length w curl ends

5. Bob (1)

6. Bob (2)

Why did you die now?

2009-06-17T10:56:00.003+08:00

One of the things that I dislike doing is to remove dead fish from the fish tank. Whenever I have to look after the fishes, I'll inspect the tank anxiously when I feed them in the morning. And I'll feel relieved when I don't see any fishes swimming backstroke.

As usual, I inspected the tanks this morning...tank 1 cleared, tank 2 cleared, tank 3..... alamak! Of all tanks, why must it be this one?! One of his big fat goldfish has called it a day :( The thought of using the tongs to grip the soft dead fat body just gives me the creeps *shudder* It took me three flushes to send the fat goldfish to heaven. What a way to start my day.... I hope there'll be no more casualties, at least for the next 3 weeks *praying look*

Fight H1N1 in style

2009-06-16T17:14:00.005+08:00

I came across this picture while researching on the internet. Don't you think this is a cool way of wearing face mask now that we have H1N1? :P

Where huh?

2009-06-11T13:17:00.002+08:00

It's lunch time again. I'm too demotivated to go under the hot sun or whip up something in my little kitchen. Where can I order a vending machine for my home?

Less is more - Part 2

2009-04-27T18:45:00.005+08:00

Continuing from my previous post, here's the additional nuggets that I'd like to share with all. This is about asking ourselves the following questions regularly. It helps us to stay focused while eliminating the 'less important' (perhaps even unimportant) tasks.

1. If you had a heart attack and had to work 2 hours per day, what would you do?

2. If you had a second heart attack and had to work only 2 hours a week, what would you do?

3. If you had a gun to your head and had to drop 4/5 of time-consuming activities, what would you remove?

4. What are the top 3 activities that I use to fill time to feel as though I've been productive?

5. If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?

6. Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important?

Another tip to accomplish more in less time is this - shorten schedules and deadlines to force focused action and prevent procrastination. This is based on Parkinson's Law, which states that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion. If you were give 24hours to complete an assignment, the time pressure forces you to eliminate the non-essentials and focus on execution. If you were given a week for the same task, you'll be spending your energy and brain juices for 6 days trying to perfect it. Often, when you look at the end result, the end product of the shorter deadline is almost inevitably or equal or higher quality due to greater focus. And when I think of my own past experiences, I fully agree with this :P

In conclusion, we can adopt these 2 approaches to increase our productivity:

Limit tasks to the important to shorten work time (80/20 rule)
Shorten work time to limit tasks to the important (Parkinson's Law)

Combining the 2 approaches offers the best solution: identify the few critical tasks that contribute most to income and set short and clear deadlines for them.

That's about all I wanna share. Hope you find it useful as much as I do :)

Less is more - Part 1

2009-04-27T12:25:00.001+08:00

What is the most common thing you hear from people around you, be it friends, colleagues or even relatives? 'Very busy, a bit busy lately, no time for.....', right? Busyness often gives one the feeling of being important, useful or even successful. And it's so very often that we hear people remarked how busy they are at work, at home or even social life. I think generally, people 'feel good' about being busy. But do we really have to be so busy that we always don't have time?

We often create stress and make ourselves lethargic because we want to 'do everything ourselves'. But if we were to slow down and ask ourselves 'if today is the last day of my life, will I still want to do this?', it becomes clear where our priorities should be. I am not undermining the necessary task of housekeeping etc. It is important to keep your home, workplace in order, spick & span. It saves you time and increases efficiency. However, there are some other tasks that are unnecessary time-eaters and I'm sure we all know what we are guilty of.

I like what I read from a book recently. It says that the key to having more time is doing less and the way to get there is to do this - define a short to-do list and a not-to-do list. Both of these should be used together. How often have we come up with a long to-do list only to feel disheartened at the end of the day because we couldn't complete it? Be realistic, list down what is do-able within the specified time frame and you'll feel good when it is accomplished.

I don't want to sound 'preachy' but I thought it'll be good to share with friends what I've read and found beneficial. There are a few other points which I think is good and I will leave that to my next post. Don't wanna make it too lengthy here ;)

On time management

2009-04-21T16:22:00.003+08:00

I have long heard of Timothy Ferries' book 'The 4-Hour Workweek'. It was only until recently that I laid my hands on a copy (from the library). I'm not done with the book yet but the first few chapters already challenged my thinking. I particularly like the chapter on time management, or in this case, the chapter title is 'The end of time management'.

Most of the time management books that I've come across talks about prioritizing your tasks, doing the most difficult task first (to get it out of the way), keeping your work area organized to increase efficiency etc. The very first advice that this author gave was to 'forget all about it'. Most of us tend to fall into the trap of trying to do more each day, filling every second with work or some sort of activity. As the author put it, being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding the few critically important but uncomfortable actions. For instance, organizing your contact list in outlook, mobile phone, PDA and so on, or calling meetings when you can settle it by email or phone call.

Here's another 2 golden nuggets from this book:

1. Doing something unimportant well does not make it important.
2. Requiring a lot of time does not make a task important.

What you do is more important than how you do it. If we attempt to do everything perfect, we'll probably never ever get started. But if we'll just do it, we can always tweak as we go along. This is a good reminder for myself too ;) Effectiveness is doing the things that get us closer to our goals, whereas efficiency is performing a given task (whether important or not) in the most economical manner possible. While efficiency is still important, it is useless unless applied to the right things.

Elizabeth, the cat

2009-04-20T14:52:00.002+08:00

I thought this cat is pretty funny, sharing with all here... And btw, Elizabeth was actually a stray cat. There's another video on youtube showing how its new found owner picked it up.

Boring Cats

2009-04-16T00:18:00.003+08:00

With much anticipation, I went to watch Cats this evening. How disappointed I was?! The songs were not quite my cuppa tea. The storyline doesn't quite appeal to me. The movements, well er... am I watching a musical or dance performance? By musical standard, it's considered not bad. But there were so many dance movements, I feel like I'm watching a dance performance. And if I were to view it like a dance performance, sad to say, the standard is not quite there yet.

Despite the loud and fast music, both of us fell asleep. This is the first time I drifted into slumberland while watching musical *omg* I was so glad when intermission finally came and we left.

鸡犬不宁

2009-04-15T01:49:00.005+08:00

夜半鸡啼啼不休，
啼声嚷嚷喋不休。
细听方知鸡啼因，
开门见山解鸡愤。
鸡愤怒气冲霄天，
滔滔不绝亦难眠。
此时无声胜有声，
闭门熄灯欲入眠。
辗转思索吾错焉？
终结癫鸡亦疯犬。

无言

2009-04-14T17:15:00.002+08:00

千言万语，不知从何说起？
轻声一叹，诉尽心中话语。

I saw rainbow again

2009-03-04T17:26:00.005+08:00

Hey, I was right! Rainbow appeared in the sky once again this evening. In a short span of 1.5 weeks, I've witnessed rainbow twice :D This time, the rainbow didn't last very long, probably about 5 minutes or less. Check out the picture I just took, fresh from the oven ;)

Did you notice the bright light below the arch of the rainbow? Maybe it doesn't look as bright in this picture but when I took the picture, I could see that it was so bright and contrasting to the dark clouds above. I couldn't help but feel something might just rise up from below the arch. Maybe Jesus? :D

I was just thinking.....such are the simple pleasures of life, yet it brings me so much joy.

Rainbow again?

2009-03-04T16:50:00.000+08:00

It's happening again....heavy rain in the late afternoon. The sun seems brighter than earlier but it's still raining cats and dogs. Will I see rainbow again later? I've got a good feeling about it.

I wanna be a cat

2009-03-04T16:28:00.001+08:00

This cat sure knows how to enjoy life - sunbathing on a lazy afternoon, nonchalantly wagging its tail and totally oblivious to my presence.

Reflection for the weekend

2009-02-27T11:11:00.006+08:00

Perfect job

2009-02-26T14:38:00.004+08:00

What is a perfect job? Some say it's one that pays you well, another thinks that it should be a minimum stress and reasonable pay job. Yet to some, being relatively free and able to knock off on time constitutes a perfect job. Or maybe a flexi-hour job? Can there ever be a perfect job?

Recently, someone whom has been in the real estate industry for years lamented that this is a tough industry and discouraged people from joining it. Burnt weekends is one of the key disadvantages of his job. Sometimes, he has to bring his customers for several viewings before a deal is made. And there are times when his efforts are futile despite countless viewings.

On hearing that, I thought 'but he makes a lot in one deal, so it is still worth the sacrifice and hard work'. However, to him who is in the boat, he might think otherwise. Then, I had a revelation. It doesn't matter if the job pays you well or if it burns your weekends. As long as you enjoy the process, it will be your perfect job. To one who loves interacting with people and enjoys the process of influencing or convincing people, they wouldn't have been so bothered by the burnt weekends or countless viewings. But to another one who's just eyeing on the monetary reward, every rejection just brings him one step away from his goal.

Are you having your perfect job? If not, what then would your perfect job be?

Thai delicacies

2009-02-26T14:11:00.003+08:00

You may have remember that I was stranded in Bangkok last year while on route back to Singapore from Israel. Eventually, we (I was travelling with a group) managed to get out of Bangkok by taking a 12hr coach ride to Phuket then caught a flight from there. That coach ride through the night was most tiring and we hardly slept.

During one of the toilet breaks we had, I came across this stall that was selling uh.... 'cow spare parts'. We were all sleepy and tired but the signboard at the stall gave us a good laugh and something memorable of that journey.

Check out the pictures below. Oh, don't blame me if you lose your appetite ;)

A date with rainbow

2009-02-26T13:55:00.004+08:00

Last evening's rain may have inconvenienced some office workers as they make their way home. But for me, it has brought a smile to my heart. From my living room window, I got a magnificient view of God's creation - rainbow. Since I shifted here some 8 years ago, I've seen rainbows a few times. But the one I saw last evening was one of the biggest and probably lasted the longest. Somehow, seeing rainbow just makes me happy. Hope it does the same for you today :)

The video was taken through my tinted window pane hence it appears a bit dark.

Mid life crisis

2009-01-16T14:02:00.003+08:00

我的前半生还算过的多姿多彩，没想到现在居然会沦落到mid life crisis. 突然之间，生活好象变得很平淡，还真有点闷噎。是时候培养新的嗜好了。。。该学什么好呢？

Boring lunch

2009-01-16T13:40:00.003+08:00

Why do we need to eat? Sometimes I really dread lunch time, especially when I don't feel like cooking or going under the hot sun just to tabao. Thought of ordering delivery but I can't meet the minimum order requirement. Furthermore, the variety is so limited and mostly unhealthy food. These are the times when I miss having office lunch kakis...

My love for stuffed toys

2009-01-09T18:53:00.003+08:00

Happy New Year To All My Dear Friends

The year has just begun and I received news of 'abandoned pets' this week. Someone has packed 4 cartons full of unwanted stuffed toys for giveaway, simply because her kids no longer want it. I feel sad each time I hear of such stories. Although stuffed toys are not living things, the joy and comfort they bring to stuffed toy lovers can be comparable to that of a real pet.

Do you remember the time when your teddy bear was your confidante, your ever faithful best friend who always listen to you attentively no matter how sleepy he is? How those empathetic eyes look back at you when you were feeling down, telling you 'it's ok, I understand what you're going through'. Not forgetting those times when your teddy looks much bigger to you. But as you grow up, your teddy seems to have become smaller in your big hands.

I always find it very sweet when I see toddlers hugging their beloved stuffed toy. If stuffed toys have emotions, they have must felt like being on top of the world. Unfortunately, most children either chuck aside or give away their childhood stuffed friends when they grow up. Imagine how fearful that teddy must have felt, being stuffed among the shelves in the store room!

Believe it or not, I still have my very first teddy bear with me. It's now a vintage bear, those type with movable limbs and black/brown glass eyes. I also have my bunnies, doggies, duckies, hippo... with me too. Each of them accompanied me at my different stages of life. They have shared my happy as well as sad moments together. If they could talk, they would be able to tell you my life story :)

On and off, I would ponder over the future of my furry friends should I be gone one day. The news I heard this week triggered this thought again. I ever thought of donating my collection to the museum but I'm not sure if they want them. Alternatively, I can open my own stuffed toy museum :D but I'll need sponsors and investors (anyone keen? :P ) I don't think I'll bear to have them accompany me on the way home. It's so cruel to burn them, and I know they won't be with me even if they're burnt.

One way which I thought might be feasible is to will them to people whom I know will take care of them and love them as much as I do. This can also serve as a way for them to remember me. The only issue is, I have too many stuffed toys and not enough friends to adopt them after I'm gone. Hmm... I still don't have the perfect solution. If you have any bright ideas, do share with me :)

Thots on last day of 2008

2008-12-31T17:44:00.002+08:00

Today is the last day of 2008. I had wanted to spend some time quietly and slowly progress into the new year. Unfortunately, my social calendar has been quite packed towards the end of 2008. Perhaps, I've been unrealistic to set deadlines and plan personal tasks during the last 2 weeks of the year, ignoring the fact that most of my friends are clearing leave and wanna have gatherings or outings.

Arrgh..... in a few hours, we'll be ushering in the new year but I'm not ready for 2009 yet. With activities lined up for the next few days, it looks like I can only do my reflection and have my quiet moments next Monday. Well, better late than never.

I got something to say

2008-12-23T10:59:00.003+08:00

I cannot comprehend why Vivian Chow wants to marry Joe Nieh. Just 2 few weeks ago, he was caught having an affair with Mifty Zhang. Then came reports of teary-eyed Vivian wanting to break up. And now, suddenly they have patched back and are 'rushing' to get married?!?! This just don't make sense to me at all.

If Vivian can hear me..... Why marry him when he's not been good to you? Even if you want to marry him, you should make things difficult for him before saying 'I do'. Are you (two) trying to prove something by getting married? Or, you think he will change after marriage? Fat hope.

And the last thing I wanna say is .... if you can be together for 19 years without getting married, why not wait a little longer to prepare a 'proper', if not lavish wedding? Why rush into getting things done for an important lifetime event? If the ceremony is insignificant since you've been together for so long, then just register your marriage will do. Why bother to even have a few tables?....

I've banned this stall

2008-12-18T13:04:00.003+08:00

If you ever go to Banquet foodcourt at Causeway Point 7th floor, think twice before you buy the chicken rice. I was there 2 days ago and got pissed off by the seller. I ordered a plate of chicken rice and he gave me a plate of rice with chicken skin and bones. I hardly see any meat underneath the skin. If it's just one or two pieces, that's fine but almost all the 'chicken' were skin and bones. The indian guy after me got a plate of nicely chopped chicken meat laid on rice.

I asked the cashier auntie why she gave me chicken bones when I ordered chicken rice? I flipped the chicken over to show her there's nothing but bones. That's when the seller stepped in and said in a loud voice to pass him the plate n he'll replace the chickens. As if it's my fault, he went on and said 'next time, if you want more meat, tell us when you place order'. Hey, I didn't ask for more meat ok, I only ask for chicken meat. I simply couldn't stand the arrogant attitude of the seller. If he thinks I'm a small eater hence give me bones, then he should be charging me lower price. Since I paid the full price, I should get what I paid for.

Anyway, the chicken rice wasn't fantastic either. The rice was too oily and salty. If you are at Causeway Point and have craving for chicken rice, go to the foodcourt on the 5th floor. They have Carona chicken rice as well as traditional Hainanese chicken rice. Taste and attitude are certainly much better.

Firefox-ed

2008-12-18T12:42:00.004+08:00

I finally downloaded Firefox today. Thanks to the latest security threat on IE, I finally action upon what I've procrastinated for quite some time. The download process was a breeze and all my bookmarks etc were also imported effortlessly :) My initial concern of hassles were unfounded. Firefox also seems faster than IE. Hmm... looks like I might not return to IE anytime soon.

I also went to check out Google Chrome yesterday. Looks impressive and rather different user interface compared to IE browser. Why didn't I choose Chrome instead? It looks so clean and minimalist, I'm afraid I can't find what I want :P Then again, I believe it's a matter of getting used to it. Maybe I'll download Chrome sometime later, but definitely not before end 2008.

Not sure about you but IE does hang on me every now and then. If you've encountered the same and have had enough, maybe you wanna get Firefox too? Or maybe you already have it? (I'm considered a latecomer in Firefox :P )

Rekindled

2008-10-28T18:00:00.003+08:00

I'm drowning in an endless stream of beautiful music.... By chance, I stumbled upon Youtube videos of piano pieces played by this guy nicknamed aznliii. From korean drama to Japanese anime to classical and pop songs, I'm totally captivated by his music. His music gives me the urge to pick up piano again.

Good news within bad news

2008-10-28T13:57:00.003+08:00

I received a bad news yesterday. My bil and his family got into a car accident on Sunday. My mom was in the car too. They got hit at the back by an Audi when their car was stationary at a traffic light along Telok Blangah. The impact sent my bil's car dashing forward hitting the cab in front. The front and back of his car were badly dented.

My sister and my youngest niece were the only ones unhurt. They had their seat belts on. Though my bil had his on too, the impact from the collision sent him jerking forward and back and his neck got strained. As for my mom and my 3 nieces who were without seat belts at the back, some got it on the head, hands or neck and back. Fortunately, there wasn't any bleeding, just bruises and strains on the neck or back. But that's considered bad enough for my mom. Hopefully, all will be ok after seeing the doctor.

Sometimes, bad things do happen when it's none of our fault. What to do.... that's life.

No news is good news

2008-10-28T13:34:00.003+08:00

These days we're bombarded with bad news every other day. Nothing seems to be certain or secure these days. Turn on the tv, flip the papers and all we see is economic woes, global financial crisis, food tainted with melamine...etc. Even shutting out the external news won't keep my mind free from bad news.

News reported that people are turning to thriller fiction books and feel-good movies for escapism. This is not surprising at all. Lately I find myself watching tv more often, maybe subconsciously, I'm escaping too. There're just too many things that bring frustration when I give thought to it. The best is not to think but that won't solve the matter either. No wonder people say 'ignorance is bliss'. Perhaps, we should all pretend not to know even when we know. Maybe life would be happier this way :)

Wild sanctuary

2008-10-27T18:43:00.007+08:00

I made an accidental discovery of a new sanctuary in the wild last Saturday. Thanks to nature's call, I thought we could use the washroom facilities at the nearby Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for free (just like Botanic Gardens visitor centre). Unfortunately, it was located beyond the visitor centre entrance and we had to pay $1.00 park entrance fee, even if it's just to answer nature's call. Since we've already paid 2 bucks, I thought we might as well take a walk in there.

Within the 130ha of nature reserve, there are 3 routes and a mangrove boardwalk for you to choose in exploring nature. Route 1, approximately 3km passes through the mangrove habitat and takes 1-2hours to walk. Route 2 is about 5km and is also the reserve's longest boardwalk, requiring 2-3hours to explore. Route 3 is the longest at 7km (4-5hrs walk) and brings you to the freshwater habitat. The mangrove boardwalk is a mere 500m or 30min walk.

While at the visitor centre, I spotted a huge iguana swimming in the waters next to the visitor centre. I felt so 'sua-gu' as I've not seen a swimming iguana at such close range before. We did not take any of the routes as we were not in proper attire. We entered the reserve through one of the boardwalks and were taken in by the beauty of the greenery before our eyes. Beneath the boardwalk is flowing seawater with lots of different fishes swimming against the current. To the left of the boardwalk is an endless river with trees and mangroves lining the sides. To the right, you could see Johor even as the seawater flows out to the sea.

Passing the boardwalk, we came to a bird observation hide. The view before me reminded me so much of Africa safari. I never knew such beautiful place exist in Singapore. There were no concrete buildings in sight, no sounds of modernity, only nature at its very best. Different birds sang different tunes yet they were so harmonised, it was music to my ears.

We walked a little further after the bird observation hide. There were signs warning visitors of crocodile sightings in that area. I felt vulnerable as I was wearing sandals. We did not see crocs but saw 2 iguanas. One was a baby sunbathing next to our path. The other was probably a teen. It was a bonus that we caught it in action. It had swam out of the river with a fish in its mouth. To think that I wanted so much to see hunting scene in Africa (which I never got to), yet I saw it in our very own nature reserve.

Too bad my handphone camera is unable to take zoom in video. I took this post lunch picture of the teen iguana. See if you can spot it and the baby iguana in the foreground.

The sun got a bit hot around noon time and we decided to call it a day. It was an unplanned trip in the first place and we were not in the right attire. But I'll surely go back again with my walking shoes, hat, sunblock, water, mozzie repellant, axe brand ointment, walking stick (in case of crocs or other predators).

Passion for lie

2008-10-27T18:32:00.003+08:00

It amazes me how some companies neglect their signboards even when the message becomes something totally different. I took this picture outside one of the companies located along Neo Tiew Road. When life is gone, all that remains is a lie :P

Evening visitor (Part 2)

2008-10-23T16:52:00.005+08:00

This is the second video of my evening visitor. You can hear my phone ringing in the background ;) See how sweet and beautiful this fellow is...

Evening visitor (Part 1)

2008-10-23T16:07:00.006+08:00

It was 7.50pm on a Wednesday evening. Darkness has covered the sky like a blanket. I was watching tv alone at home when I heard a knocking sound from my window. Turning my head, I saw what seemed like a white hand waving at me. I froze for a second. I stay on the 14th floor, how could anyone be knocking on my window? And what is that white thing waving at me? Memories of a similar encounter that happened 10yrs ago in Edinburgh came to my mind.

I walked closer to the window... through the day curtain, I saw that the 'white hand' was actually a bird. I was relieved and puzzled at the same time what brought the bird here. I was glad that my window was closed. Can you imagine what would have happened if the bird flew into my living room?! On closer look, I realised that it was not just any pigeon or mynah bird but a parrot! It was a huge white parrot, probably about 30cm in height. Was it injured? Where did it come from? Why did it stop at my window? How did it stay at my window when there's no ledge or anything for it to grip on? Why didn't it fly away when I walked closer? It doesn't seem to be afraid of me at all.

Being a fan of fantasy and fairytales, I even thought to myself if the parrot has a message for me? Maybe it will lead me to the medieval times to save a kingdom or liberate the people? I reached for my mobile phone to video the parrot. Initally, I took the video through the day curtain as I was afraid it might fly away once I draw the curtain. Soon, I realised that the parrot is one bold and curious fellow. It was apparent that the parrot saw me and was following my movement. As I slowly and cautiously pull the day curtain from the left, the curious fellow also moved curiously in the same direction. We were like playing games - to guess who's behind the drape :P When the 'veil' between us was finally lifted, the parrot's head was seen popping out from the edge of the curtain. Our eyes met and still, it was not afraid of me. I was so amazed and pleasantly surprised by the evening visit. It brought some excitement to an otherwise boring day.

I took a second video, with close ups and full body length. Halfway through, my house phone rang, it flew off when I went to answer the call. I wonder if it will visit me again this evening...

This is the first video that I took. Notice how the parrot's head eventually emerged from the side of the curtain. I thought it was so cute :)

New parking coupon

2008-10-23T16:01:00.003+08:00

I saw this car sporting the owner's self-made 'parking coupon' at a HDB carpark last week. It was already close to 11pm. Could anyone be doing delivery at that hour? Furthermore, it was not a delivery vehicle but a private car. Hmm... if the 'auntie' really came, do you think she will give the driver a chance?

My red 'pampers'

2008-10-23T14:36:00.003+08:00

Alpha is up and running again, except that he's still in his red 'pampers'. That's actually his bandage, cool right? ;)

So troublesome...

2008-10-20T15:21:00.002+08:00

There's something wrong with my handphone's data transfer. Somehow my laptop couldn't detect the external device and I can't transfer my photos and video via the USB port. For now, the only way to get my files over to my laptop is to open my handphone casing, remove the SD card and manually slot it in my laptop. So troublesome hor? Makes me feel lazy to add pictures and videos to my blog...

Young elderly

2008-10-20T14:41:00.002+08:00

I am convinced that age spots and presbyopia need not necessary come with age. Years ago, I met a preacher who was in his 70s then but he has perfect eyesight. He is able to read the bible without reading glasses and his mind is alert as an eagle's. Looking at him gives me the confidence that it is possible to break the norm of having presbyopia after 40.

I was at Lighthouse church last Saturday and witnessed an elderly lady testifying how God has healed her of her breast cancer, which was of an aggressive type. At the end of her testimony, she mentioned her age (72yrs old) and the whole hall broke into applause (to give God the glory). If she didn't reveal her age, I would have guess she's in her 50s. She totally broke the typical image you would associate with a person past 70. Her complexion was fair with no pigmentation, no deep set wrinkles, has a natural healthy pinkish tone. Her crown of glory was thick and black (I don't know if she dyes her hair). And she walks so steadily you could tell she has strong legs. What an encouraging sight it was and I thought she really epitomizes the term "graceful aging'.

I just got reminded of another lady whom I met in a bookshop few years back. We had small talk and she told me she's in her 50s. My jaws almost dropped, for she looked like she's in her 30s. And her secret lies in yoghurt facemask. I'm not even talking about those Skinfood or Beauty Credit natural masks. I'm refering to those tubs of yoghurt that you see on supermarket shelves. I was surprised to hear that something so cheap and readily available can produce such wonders. An Israelis lady once shared the same secret with me and I actually thought she was pulling my leg. But now that I know it's true, yet I'm rather lazy to give it a try :P Let me know your results if you so decide to try it out ;)

Bye bye

2008-10-16T17:50:00.005+08:00

The letter arrived today and confirmed the end of our relationship. I am not angry, just disappointed that our 10-year relationship seem to mean nothing at all. There was no room for making exceptions even though I chose you from the time I was eligible. Sigh... your action only goes to affirm what my friends have told me - that you are heartless.

Since you are so determined, I will also remove you from my wallet. You are not the only one that I need and I certainly won't miss you. Goodbye......UOB.

( Hee....who did you think I was talking about huh? ;P )

Alpha got bitten

2008-10-15T22:35:00.008+08:00

Today is a sad day for all at home. I received a sms from my sister this evening that her dog, Alpha has been bitten by another dog. It happened yesterday when my mom brought Alpha downstairs for a stroll. For no apparent reason, a Jack Russell that was not leashed dashed to Alpha when he was doing his business. Poor Alpha was being attacked when he was most vulnerable (he was peeing and was leashed). The two dogs started biting each other. The jack russell's owner, an Indian guy, only came to pull his dog away when my mom wanted to hit it.

Poor Alpha suffered a deep wound on his body, near his groin. My mom did not realise the seriousness of his wound till last evening when my sisters came back. They brought Alpha to seek medical assistance but most clinics were already closed at night. The poor dog hardly move or walk... My second sister, who used to be a nurse dressed Alpha's wound last night.

Alpha's wound got worse today, it was obviously infected and had pus. My sisters managed to get him to the vet who had to sedate him to do a thorough cleaning of the wound. My mom cried when the vet told them to be prepared for the worse as Alpha is not that young. I'm sure my sisters felt sad too. Alpha has been with us for the past 7 years. He's like part of the family and my sister often calls him her 'son'.

As the wound was deep, the vet had to insert a tube into him for flushing purpose. Poor Alpha, it must be very painful :( He was discharged later this evening but had to return this weekend for review. Pls pray for Alpha that God will cause his wound to heal and close up asap. I really can't imagine if he's gone or has permanent injury.

留白

2008-10-14T15:06:00.004+08:00

观看了优频道星期一八点档的“舞林大道”不禁让我有些许感想。眼见活力四射的参赛者卖力地使出浑身解数，我心中浮现了六个字 - “年轻不要留白”。

回首我的年轻岁月，我想我的生活也算是精彩充实的。少年时期对舞蹈的执着让我对人生有了目标，也使我比同龄的朋友成长得迅速。年轻的心常思索如何能让舞艺和技术更上一层楼，如何能当上主角等。或许有些人会认为我的年少时光因舞蹈而有缺憾。因为周末的排练，我没有多少时间享受青春。相隔十多年，我依然对那段时光回味无穷。虽然当年流过不少血泪，但也让我留下许多甜蜜的回忆。必竟有多少人能有机会在维多利亚剧院和嘉龙剧院的舞台上表演呢？

年轻是应该不要留白的。想做什么就去做，没有太多顾虑，反正输了还可以东山再起。年轻就是本钱。我庆幸我这一生曾有让我执着的事物。我的足迹也偏布世界的好些国家。最令我欣慰的莫过于攀爬非洲最高峰 Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m) 。虽然我无法登上顶峰，但至少我这一生曾经攀过山。我想我的年轻岁月也不算留白吧！

有些事，我们只在人生的某个阶段才会做。一旦错失岁月，就算将来还有机会，我们也未必会附诸行动。与其追求年轻不要留白，倒不如让生命不要留白。

If I have a million dollars

2008-10-08T15:52:00.004+08:00

This song came to my mind as I end off my previous post. Sharing here with my dear friends a song that never fail to make me smile. Ha, if I have jit ba ban, I will sign up for pottery class right away ;)

Trvial stuff on a rainy day

2008-10-08T15:14:00.002+08:00

The other day, a friend asked me to update her about my life. I simply said I'm ok, life's been about the same and she gave me that 'aiya, elaborate lah' look. It's not that I don't want to elaborate but I find that there's really nothing much to add on. I don't have any new found hobbies, office gossips or interesting encounters with the other kind. At this juncture, there just isn't much excitement or happenings except, maybe medical updates. And that is something which I don't wish to touch on when I update others about my life. It's like as if that's the only area with progressive and regular updates. Nah, I don't want to bore people with such trivial stuff.

Jas asked me yesterday if I want to join her for pottery class. Sounds good. I've always been interested in arts and craft. I thought this would be a good oppotunity to add some variety to my otherwise 'still' life. Went to check out the website, as expected, the fees are not cheap. The fees stated on the website were higher than what Jas told me. Hmm... in view of the current economy, it's quite a luxury to spend $200 on 4 sessions and I don't think I'll learn much from merely 4 sessions. To continue beyond that, on a mid to long term basis is akin to burning cash away. For practical reasons, I guess I'll have to shelf this for now.

My first Formula One

2008-09-30T17:09:00.003+08:00

The F1 dust has settled and life is somewhat back to normal. I am not an F1 fan, nonetheless I followed the news now and then. Two days before the race kicked off, I had the opportunity to be a volunteer for one of the companies involved. In return for my service, I'll get to watch the Friday practice session for free with a grandstand ticket. Not a bad deal and I 'sent' my representative there :P Naturally, my 'representative' went for the Friday's session.

Some of my friends commented what's so good about paying so much to watch cars going in circles? I thought about it, hmm... that's quite true. But those who have seen it 'live' talked so much about the adrenalin pumping at the sound of the engines, the atmosphere etc. Even my 'representative' who is not an F1 fan was excited to show me his achievements, aka videos n photos, after Friday's practice session.

Come Saturday night, we got a call from a friend who has booked a room at Swissotel for watching F1 and invited us over. We decided to pop over on sunday night.

Sunday evening 7.30pm, Swissotel 28th floor hotel room. Standing at the balcony beholding the beautiful skyline and soaking in the sound and action of F1 race below, I now understand what people meant by good atmosphere, adrenalin pumping. I too, felt excited at the sound of roaring engines. At that height, I could not tell who's who and what car that is but it feels great to be able to see most parts of the track. From my view, I could see 3 bends. But these guys are so good, none of them crash at the visible bends *alas* :P Our friend said there were 3 crashes on Friday night. It must have been a sight from 28th floor.

The excitement that I felt when 20 engines went 'boom boom' didn't last long. After about half an hour or so, I started to feel sleepy :P Haha.... F1 fans are going to hammer me if they hear this. But I just felt tired and bored seeing cars going in circles. It was fortunate that I had the television behind me. I was busy turning my head between the television for close ups and watching the live action below. It does feel special or shiok to be able to watch live telecast on tv and have the 'live' audio transmitting from below.

We left about 15min before the race ended to beat the crowd at crazy City Hall. Well, it was a good experience. Ask me if I will get an F1 ticket next year? Well... err, let me know if you have booked a room for F1. I'll be there ;)

Sunday Thoughts

2008-07-27T19:03:00.003+08:00

She caught my attention as I read the Sunday Times between my heavy eyelids. She is merely 28, holds a doctorate and is the inventor of the recycled spectacles. I probably wouldn't have paid much attention had I not tried the recycled spectacles at Nanyang Optical recently.

Whenever I read of such young achievers, I would often think "hey, what have I been doing all this while?". I was from a reputable school, had a decent education, yet I feel stagnated now. Looking back, I think one of the main causes of my stagnation is my lack of courage. I'm just not not daring enough. During the most colorful period of my life, I had the chance for something bigger but I pulled the brakes. Few years later, when I should have closed a chapter, yet I still held on to it. It seems that I always fall into the trap of letting go too early or holding on for too long.

A friend once said to me, it is not so much of whether you can or not but rather, you dare or not. How very true, especially when I look at the people around. Many who are doing well in life now did not come from reputable "good" schools and some did not ace academically. Conversely, some products of the "good" schools are now just a plain face in the crowd.

So what am I trying to get at? While a formal education is important, I feel that greater emphasis should be placed on character building. A person with the right attitude and good character will go far in life, regardless of his beginnings.

If I coulld turn back the clock, I'd choose to be bolder and listen less to the "good advice" of well-wishers. Alas! I can't go back in time but I guess it's still not too late to start now. Wish me luck ;)

Unusual encounter

2008-07-10T15:26:00.004+08:00

What is the last thing that you think you'll ever see in an air-conditioned foodcourt housed in a shopping mall? I was having my dinner at Kopitiam foodcourt in IMM last night when I had the shock of my life. Halfway through my dinner, I saw something running furiously towards my direction. I wasn't wearing my spectacles, yet I could see it so clearly. I was lucky that I didn't choke on my food but I almost dropped my cutlery. Guess what I saw?

It's a furry creature of about 20cm in length, grey in colour, has a long tail. Need I say more? It's a RAT! My first reaction was to lift up my legs. Apparently, some of the diners around me did not even know what happened. The lady at the table on my right continued eating as if nothing has happened. Oh my, if only she knew there was a rat running inches away from her slippers-clad feet. The furry creature ran under her table, then under my table and headed straight for the recycle bin a table away from me. There was a mop and some cleaning equipment next to the bin and the rat just hid in there.

Some of the cleaners saw it and they were amused. They tried to see where the rat was hiding, yet they were afraid that it might spring out suddenly. I couldn't concentrate on eating anymore. I kept looking out at that corner, just in case it ran out again and leap onto my chair. Well, I'm not exactly sure if rats have such ability but I do see cats leaping onto chairs in coffee shops. You can't blame me for my wild imagination. The impossible has already happened right under my nose.

I wouldn't be as surprised if it was a cockroach or if I were in an old market hawker centre. But how in the world did the rat get into an air-conditioned foodcourt on the second floor of IMM? Did it take the travelator, escalator or lift? Or is this somebody's naughty pet that jumped out of the bag? Unlikely, I thought.

As you probably can guess, I did not finish my food. We hurriedly left when those guys got serious in hunting it down. I had initially thought of staying to see how the drama ends but I'm afraid I might become part of the drama and make a fool of myself :P

Reunion

2008-06-24T13:11:00.004+08:00

There are some things that I just couldn't comprehend. I spoke to an old friend today, who is now very pregnant with her second kid. She asked me that million dollar question once again - if I intend to get an office job. I told her maybe not and she said "then it'll be easier to have kids''. I almost fell off my chair. That's the last response I would expect to hear out of the conversation. I jokingly replied that it's even tougher 'cos less money to support the kids.

Perhaps what my dear friend meant was it'll be easier to look after the kids if the mom is not working full time. But her comment reminded me of the time when I tendered my resignation. Some kaypoh, good-willed auntie colleague of mine asked if I'm resigning due to pregnancy. When I said no, she went on further to ask if I'm resigning to 'try' for a kid. Faint. She's really 101% auntie, mind you, she's few years younger than me!

Why do people often stereotype when it comes to such things? One should never assume that having children is a natural progression after marriage. Not every women have maternal instinct and not every men love children. Do not judge by the surface for there are often other issues that are hidden underneath. Next time you meet a single friend, don't ask when they're getting married. When you see a married friend, don't ask when they're going to have kid (unless you want to finance the kid's expenses). When you see a friend with one kid, don't ask when the second one is coming. What has that gotta do with you?

Tonight, I'll be meeting 3 primary school friends of whom I have not met for at least 3 years. As you can guess, one of them is the very preggie lady and the other 2 are guys. I'll be braving myself for the 2 million dollar questions again - kids and job. And I bet my preggie friend is going to ask one of the guys whom just got married when he's going to have his brood. Ha, it'll probably be a session of catching up and suaning one another.

Sell?

2008-06-24T12:32:00.003+08:00

Will you market a product which gives you good money but you did not have a 100% satisfied experience with the product?

Recently, I was given the opportunity to be an affiliate marketer of a product. The commission was attractive enough to make one want to market it. And, it doesn't seem all that difficult given the awareness of the product and its creator. However, I did not market the product. Some call it stupid, sometimes I also wonder if I'm silly not to do it. But I couldn't get pass my conscience to do it, knowing that support is crucial to the success from using the product. I personally was not impressed with the support provided by the team. I've experienced delayed reponse, no response and responses that didn't help much. To be fair, there were also times when the support given was acceptable.

So, will I or should I market the product? Hmm.....I still think it's no. The price is not cheap and I don't want buyers to feel rip off. It's just not ethical and I want to sleep in peace.

Fruit numerology

2008-05-27T14:45:00.002+08:00

Sharing some important numbers here with all. Not 4D numbers of course but these numbers will come in handy when you next shop for fruits. If you've ever wondered what those numbers on the fruit sticker label means, here's what it means...

The numbers on the sticker labels carry information of how the fruits were grown, ie whether they were organically grown, conventionally grown with pesticides and herbicides or genetically modified. You've got to know this, for the supermarket folks won't share this with you.

Conventional Fruit Labels - consists of 4 digits and does not start with 9. Most of the conventionally grown fruits have labels starting with the digit 4. I see this very often in Fairprice supermarkets, especially with apples.

Organic Fruit Labels - consists of 5 digits and starts with the number 9.

Genetically Modified Fruits - This is a must-know for all. It starts with the digit 8.

The next time you see some extraordinary huge grapes, make sure you read the label before you buy it :)

My wish

2008-05-11T23:40:00.007+08:00

Someone asked me few days ago what I would wish for if I'm being granted a wish. Feeling a bit down that day, I gave a reply which I subsequently thought was silly and somewhat 'impulsive'. Somehow, that question lingered in my mind that evening. I thought to myself, why wish for something which will come eventually? I might as well wish for something that I want in this life but could not or have not had yet.

Now, if I can really have what I wish for, I want....

the whole world to know Jesus so they know where their future home is.
to be totally restored in body, spirit and soul.
to have a fulfilling and happy life.
to be so fit and healthy that I can conquer Mt Everest.
to be free from all sicknesses and weakness even in my old age.
to leave this world eventually in a painless, peaceful, dignified manner.
to be free from all worries and burdens.
to have financial and time freedom.
to be able to give freely and help the people around me.
to be able to give my loved ones everything they need and want.
to travel the world without having to worry about money.
to have an organized, minimalist, easy to maintain home.
to have someone to do all the household chores.
to have a home on high ground (or high rise) with a view to kill.
to be able to do up my home the way I want, with no budget constraint of course.
to be able to re-do certain decisions in my life.
to be able to play multiple musical instruments.
dust and pests to disappear from the face of the earth.
my furry friends to come alive but with no maintenance required.
all politics to vanish in every organizations, groups and societies.
all mankind to be happy, contented, fulfilled beings.

And now, for the vanity stuff, I want...

to have thick, soft, natural curls
to have long, curly eyelashes
to have sparkling eyes with no eye bags or eye rings forever.
to have porcelain complexion, no wrinkles or pigmentation forever.
to have more defined jawline, sharper chin and higher cheekbones.
to have slimmer arms, smaller waist and pelvic bones.
to have long, shapely legs.
to have perfect skin with no scars or pigmentation.

With so many items on my wish list, perhaps I should just wish that whatever I wish for will come true. Yea, that would be truly wonderful :D

Dead

2008-05-06T11:33:00.003+08:00

Ha, I just whacked dead an irritating fly unintentionally. I don't know how it came to my study room when I don't have food here. I was in deep concentration when it kept flying incessantly around me. Out of frustraion, I just hit on the table and guess what? It died under my palm :P Never thought I could hit it 'cos it was flying really fast. In fact, I wasn't even aiming at hitting it. Ha, it's amazing how things get done sometimes without you doing it intentionally :D

Fresh air no more

2008-05-06T10:45:00.002+08:00

Eversince my new neighbour shifted in, I have not been able to enjoy fresh air in the morning. Gone were the days when I can have my main door open and feel the morning breeze brush against my skin. These days, I can only open my windows for ventilation (yet the cool air comes through mostly from my main door). If only my new neighbour can stop burning incense...

自娱

2008-04-27T17:08:00.007+08:00

所谓“行行出状元”，今天我在湿巴刹见到了一位状元。在一个极不可能有惊喜的地方，我居然遇见了一位高人。你万万也想不到这位高人其实仅是一个菜摊的摊主。一般人或许对这些“小市民”的言谈举止不以为然，可是我却被她超人般的神算给吓呆了。天啊！她的脑筋怎转得那么快？只见她双手快速的将各种疏菜塞进纸袋里，嘴巴象念口诀般的算着 “23.80, 2.40, 26.20 boss, 26.20, 3.90, 30.10 ah..." 那位仁兄买的东西可真多，共装满了两大袋。

在这么吵杂的环境，这位auntie 摊主的集中力竟那么好，还可以算到一半对我说“小姐，你等一下啊”。哎哟，没关系啦，要我等上十分钟也无所谓。哈，别以为我的耐性那么好，其实我站在那儿暗地里心算她所念出的价钱。呵呵，好刺激哦，就象在玩现场游戏。来吧，自我挑战一下，看谁算得比较快！结果如何，你们猜一猜吧。

结论：要预防老人痴呆症，除了在咖啡店端咖啡饮料，这大概就是另一个最好的选择了。

If only I could

2008-04-24T23:55:00.002+08:00

For this music, I went to rent the Corpse Bride DVD this evening...

I came across this video on Youtube yesterday and instantly fell in love with the piano duet. I wanted to know what this movie is about... Now that I've watched it, I have the urge to look for the audio CD of the composer, Danny Elfman. Until now, I didn't know he's the composer behind many familiar blockbusters. A search on Youtube threw up another very beautiful piano piece - The Ice Dance, apparently from the movie 'Edward Scissorhand', also by the same composer.

Also found this on Youtube, where this guy played by ear the Corpse Bride duet. From his fingering, it seems to me that he did not have formal training. So inspiring... makes me wanna take up piano again.

Think I'll fall asleep with this piece ringing in my mind tonight... :)

Animator vs Animation

2008-04-23T12:38:00.002+08:00

A friend sent me an animation recently and I thought it was really cute and creative. Sharing it here and hope you enjoy it too.

Animator vs. Animation by *alanbecker on deviant ART

Unexpected guest

2008-04-22T15:55:00.004+08:00

It was a hot and humid afternoon. I was fighting hard to keep my eyes open when I heard a chirp next to me. A little humming bird has found its way to my window ledge to take respite from the hot weather. I was so close to nature despite being surrounded by concrete blocks. My immediate thought was what if it decides to fly into my room but it was promptly replaced by another thought - to video it. It's a pity the birdie didn't chirp when my camera was on but you can still enjoy it up close and personal.

Project 2010

2008-04-22T00:04:00.006+08:00

I had a thought recently, a desire to realise a partially-fulfilled dream. Back in 2000, I climbed my first mountain - Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. It was an exhilatering and unforgettable experience. Although I did not make it to the summit despite 3 months of intensive training prior to the expedition, I did not regret the sweat and tears we put in. The memories of the breath-taking views are still as fresh in my mind as the morning dew.

I often wonder, what if I had tried a little harder. My physical body may be stronger back then but I think my will power did not match up to it. If I were to repeat the feat again, it may be tougher physically but I'm certain my mental power is definitely much stronger. When there's a will, there's a way. Perhaps, I can make it against all odds :)

I thought it would be good to do it again in 2010. That should give me sufficient time to build up my health and train up my body. I'll have greater reasons to eat and live healthily. And I'll be motivated to get myself to exercise on days I feel lazy.

What better way to mark the 10th anniversary of my maiden climb? Going back to Mount Kilimanjaro in 2010 will be like a dream come true for me.

Of wants and needs

2008-04-21T15:03:00.003+08:00

"When you can't afford it, you want to have it. Now that you can afford it, you feel that you don't need it."

This statement was not made by a famous personality or journalist but it caught my eye and set me thinking when I came across it over the weekend. In our younger days, haven't we envy those with credit cards and we strive to earn one? The good feeling we get when we signed our first charge slip made us feel like 'we have arrived'. When our income increase over the years, we started to apply for the exclusive, higher end cards. From gold to platinum to titanium...we were inundated with the plethora of choices. We buy bigger, longer wallets to carry many cards that we don't even use. We often ponder which card we should use when we were presented with the bill at restaurants. Come month end, we have mountains of statements to check and file, simply because we use multiple cards. All these seem endless and suck up our precious time. Finally, the time came when we feel we have had enough and we terminate the unused cards. Now, it's the banks that run after us and no longer we chasing after the cards.

This phenomenon seems to hold true regardless of the generation. We see it replaying in today's younger generation and we smile to ourselves. It is pointless to tell them that it's not a big deal. They will just retort that you said that because you have 'been there, done that'.

Why do we always want things that we cannot afford? Is it because we really want it, need it? I think our desire is largely influenced by our peers and the media. We may not really want it but we thought we want it, simply because it looks good to have it. Forbidden fruit always taste better. The more unattainable an object is, the greater the sense of satisfaction when we achieved it.

We have different wants and expectations at different stages of our life. Although we have grown out of the credit card chase, there will always be something for us to 'want to have it'. I think it is not so much of the object that we are after but the knowledge and feel-good factor that we can finally afford it. Otherwise, why would millionaires eat at hawker centres, hunt for bargains, stay in modest housing when they can afford something much better? Don't you think it's because they know within that they can afford it, hence it no longer bothers them how others see or think of them?

My latest experiment

2008-04-19T23:57:00.002+08:00

I just tried a new shampoo and conditioner today. This new kid on the block promises hair darkening and strengthening. I overheard the promoter telling an auntie at FairPrice last week but I didn't want to appear interested as I don't like pressure selling. Just 2 days ago, we were at AMK Hub FairPrice and were being introduced to this product again. The promoter wasn't pushy and she sounded convincing as she (her daughter too) has personally tried the product. She also mentioned that a lady fedback to her that her white hair turned black after using 2 bottles. Hmm...that sounds like good news to me :)

Doomsday descended recently when I discovered a few strands of white hair. I deliberately refrain from dyeing my hair as I want to see if I can reverse it with changes in lifestyle. This could also be a good opportunity for me to see the effectiveness of this product. You know, it's not easy for I have the tendency to 'inspect' every morning to see if my wisdom factor has gone up. But I think I should really kick off this habit 'cos it's not good to visualise something undesirable on a regular basis. I'm a believer of the power of visualisation - what you see will be what you get eventually.

Back to the product, I will give it some time to prove its effectiveness. And, if it lives up to its claims, I will reveal the brand name here :)

Claypot Rice

2008-04-18T10:17:00.003+08:00

I've got a newly discovered makan place to recommend you folks. If you like claypot rice, head down to Clementi Ave 5, block 345 and look for the coffee shop 'Clementi 881 Coffee Station'. I was told most of the food there are nice. I went for the claypot rice by Traditional Kim Poh Claypot Rice. It comes in 2 sizes - $8 for big, $4 for small. They also sell the typical home-cooked soup and it costs only $2. My verdict for the claypot rice: rice texture and taste is good, not too salty. Chicken is tender and did not have a lot of bones. Overall, it was so delicious that I did not even touch the chillie that came with it.

If you are a claypot rice fan, you probably know there's another famous claypot rice stall in Clementi, near 2 fish aquarium shops. Well, if you ask me, the 881 Coffee Station's claypot rice not only taste better but it's cheaper and best of all, the waiting time is only 10 mins (compared to the other which is usually 30mins).

Wonder why I didn't attach a picture? Hee, the rice smells so good I only remembered to take picture after I've finished scrapping the pot. I don't think you'll be interested to see an empty pot and a saucer of untouched chillie, right? ;)

Enjoyable pain

2008-04-17T18:04:00.003+08:00

I'm having a bit of muscle pain on my thighs today but I'm enjoying it ;) Ha, you wonder how could pain be enjoyable? Hee... this tiny bit of muscle pain is the result of my 'achievement' yesterday. I went to the gym. Yes, I finally went to the gym after almost 8 months! I thought I could make do with brisk walking but when I felt alright even after 8 minutes, I decided to try running and I completed 2.6km :D

I felt so good after the run, it feels so liberating and refreshing. As I ran, I imagined...
...Fats are screaming 'hot... hot...'
...Cells are bouncing in jubilation
...Skin is rejuvenating
...Dark eye rings are diminishing
...And wrinkles are disappearing !

Yoohoo......... !!!

One voice

2008-04-14T22:53:00.004+08:00

I don't like to visit the doctors. They often benefit much from me and tell me things that are not very uplifting to my spirit. Each time I pay them a visit, I have to detox my mind and not let their words take root in my heart. It's a constant battle of the mind. I only want to listen to one voice - the voice of God. God says nothing is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37) and this is it !

Thoughts on a journey

2008-04-14T22:18:00.002+08:00

Some days it comes like an avalanche, fast and furious, totally unexpected and beyond my wildest imagination. Some days, it crawls even slower than an old grumpy snail. Have I taken a wrong route? Sometimes I ask myself if I am living in delusion. But I still believe this is not a dream about building castles in the air.

I have learnt from past experience that things somehow usually get better after I call it quits. Will it be the same this time? I don't know. Perhaps, like what the experts say, the key lies in perserverance. I've told myself I will press in all the way but I don't deny that sometimes I do have a tinge of envy when I hear of friends going back to the rat race. I know this sounds silly. I don't even know if this is more of envy or fear. Fear because I may be wasting my time and not getting the expected result at the end of the day.

Taking the road less travelled can be lonely and fearful at times but I don't think I will give it up yet. I think I can do better than this. I don't want to look back someday only to say to myself, I should have tried a little harder, a little longer.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. I have made the first step and I must remind myself not to look back.

De-stress

2008-04-12T12:55:00.001+08:00

Who is more chatty - Kopi or Bread ?

More about the dancers

2008-04-09T20:59:00.004+08:00

Just found out more about the dancers from an interview video on Youtube.com. If you are keen, go to YouTube and enter "Interview with Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei" in the search box and you'll see the 3-part video.

Hand in hand

2008-04-09T20:14:00.008+08:00

I stumbled upon this video accidentally this evening and I felt so touched as I watched the dancers. It reminded me of those days when we were dancing. And I know it must have been difficult in their training to be able to dance like this. My heart goes out to them, my heart melts as I watch their graceful movements.

Were they dancers who lost their limbs but determined not to let that stop them from dancing? Or did they learn dancing only after they have lost their limbs? These were the thoughts that went through my mind. Either case, I know it is not easy. It is very cruel for a dancer to be unable to dance when that is the love of her life. To pick up dancing after losing limbs is just as difficult. Just think about the balancing, the muscle cramps etc. Some able-bodied people can't even balance themselves or coordinate body movements well and here we see two handicapped dancers dancing gracefully as if their handicap didn't exist.

This is simply wonderful. I am inspired and reminded once again that nothing is impossible. You can only go as far as you think you could. Self-imposed limitations will only hinder you from discovering your potential, your limits.

Time to say good night

2008-03-06T17:43:00.002+08:00

Hey, you people must see this. It's sooooooo cute! I was laughing away when I watched it. You'll probably appreciate more if you've heard the original "Time to say goodbye". Enjoy!

千言万语

2008-03-06T16:28:00.002+08:00

在王菲唱"千言万语"之前，我从没留意这首歌，也不认为它特别好听。不过，听了王菲的版本倒还觉得蛮动听的 :) 让我有股冲动想去唱 karaoke :P

Angelic voice

2008-03-06T16:16:00.003+08:00

I thought of Faye Wong today, kind of miss her song, her voice. It's such a waste that she quit from the show biz. There aren't many singers nowadays who has substance like her, not to mention her 'cool' (of course there are some who thinks she's aloof). Hmm... why do people want to quit doing what they do best?....

New Year Delicacy

2008-02-16T23:58:00.000+08:00

I just heard something very gross today....

My mom was boiling a pot of sea cucumbers when my sister decided to cook tom yam noodles. When she opened the kitchen cabinet door above the stove, her eyes met that of an equally shocked lizard. She screamed so loud that the window panes almost shattered and the lizard lept for its life. Unfortunately, the lizard did not look before it leap and landed right into the pot of boiling sea cucumbers! Needless to say, it was cooked immediately. Imagine the frenzy in the kitchen this morning...

CNY mood

2008-02-12T13:02:00.000+08:00

On the 4th day of Chinese New Year, I found myself doing what I normally wouldn't do. I watched a lion dance performance and I actually felt kinda excited :P Maybe it's because of CNY or maybe it's the location where the lion dance took place. I couldn't remember when was the last time I stop by to watch lion dance. And most of the time, it happens in a shop or some shopping centre. So, when I saw the lion dancing in a foodcourt among the hungry faces, it was kind of refreshing. It's like having live entertainment as I eat my lunch.

The climax came when the lion came dancing just a table away from me. I simply couldn't continue sitting, I had to video it. For once, after a long time, I felt the CNY mood :D And the lion dance brought back sweet childhood memories of those days when I would cover my ears whenever the lions come dancing at my grandfather's shop. I would cry when the big head doll came too close to me. I used to think the doll's face looks scary.

The video came in handy on Sunday night when my niece kept asking for my handphone to snap pictures. I showed her the lion dance video and that kept her busy for a couple of minutes while I had some peace :P

Happy New Year and enjoy the video!

We are the reason

2007-12-25T01:06:00.000+08:00

May this beautiful song touch your heart as much as it did to mine.
Blessed Christmas to all.

As little children
We would dream of Christmas morn
Of all the gifts and toys
We knew we'd find
But we never realized
A baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

(Chorus)
We are the reason
That He gave His life
We are the reason
Jesus suffered and died
To a world that was lost
He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

As the years went by
We learned more about gifts
The giving of ourselves
And what that means
On a dark and cloudy day
A man hung crying in the rain
All because of love, all because of love

Everytime I see the cross
I'm reminded that He gave His life
For you and me
We are.... (chorus)

We are the reason
He is the reason...
...We live

Thank you, my Jesus...

Will you?

2007-12-23T13:00:00.000+08:00

I just thought about those without hands again while I was clipping my nails. How do they clip their toe nails when they have no hands? Somebody must have helped them to do it. Who is that somebody? I think it takes a big heart and lotsa love to be able to do it (unless you're in the pedicure business and are probably immune to it?). Will I do it for my loved ones? Will I do it for a total stranger? I don't know. Will you?

A Bunny's Blog

2007-11-03T19:34:00.000+08:00

I was doing some research on the web when I came across Buttons' blog. Buttons is a bunny who hops around the globe with his friend Brian. Ha, so I'm not the only one who bring stuffed toys on holiday. And we're talking about a guy here, who also happens to be from the media industry.

While I always joke about my furry friends complaining to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to (stuffed) Animals, this guy seems to share the same sentiments too. I simply love this picture (see below) of his bears in protest against an exhibition where stuffed animals were ripped apart and turned inside out, all in the name of art. See how Buttons is supporting his beary good friends.

In case, you missed out Buttons' personal webpage link on his blog, click here and see Buttons on holiday. Now, I'm inspired to show my furry friends on holiday to the world too ;) Hmm... I've got so many of them, should I feature a particular animal or all of them?

Pathway to Happiness

2007-10-22T15:45:00.000+08:00

Your life has meaning and purpose.
You don't have to win everytime.
Choose comparisons wisely.
Cultivate friendships
Turn off the television.
Remember where you came from.
Limit your thoughts as you sleep.
Have realistic expectations.
Believe in yourself.
Don't believe in yourself too much.
Know what makes you happy and sad.
Keep reading.
Say 'so what?' more often.
You have not finished the best part of your life.

Got the above from a seminar I attended recently and it spoke much to me. Hope it is also a timely reminder for you. No matter which stage of life you're in now, be happy always. Happiness is a choice :)

Mint Museum of Toys

2007-10-21T18:06:00.000+08:00

I had an impulse to visit the Mint Museum of Toys today and I did just that. Located at 26 Seah Street, the museum comprise of 5 storeys with each storey showcasing a different collection from different era. The boutique cafe at the basement offers a pretty good selection. What caught my attention was the paper 'plate mate' that were laid on the tables. Each piece has a different design and makes a good wall deco in my room when framed up. I did not try the food though as I've already had my lunch but I think it'll be a good place for a cuppa tea or ice-cream on a sunny afternoon.

I thought most people would have seen how Mickey Mouse has evolved over the years. So, I shall upload the video of Felix the cat rather than the famous mouse ;)

Food for thought

2007-10-06T12:54:00.000+08:00

昨天我听到一句发人深省的话，觉得蛮有意思的，在这儿和大家一起分享。

'A child that is born may not be wanted but a child that is adopted is chosen and wanted.'

家有喜事 II

2007-10-02T22:20:00.000+08:00

生了。。。生了。。。哎呀，又不是生baby, 可是我家的"鱼爸爸"还是兴奋不已。

昨天，我家的 guppy 生小鱼啦，而且一胎就生了整二十多只。我也是活到这把年级才知道 guppy 是生鱼而不生蛋的。真不可思议，guppy 的肚子这么小怎能容得下这么多小鱼？说也奇怪，这些小鱼好象吃了激素，一天内就长大了许多。Hmm...不晓得能不能靠它来赚点养老费 :P

Of fishes and prawns

2007-10-02T21:54:00.000+08:00

Can fishes and prawns suffer from heart attack or anxiety disorder? Maybe. Few days ago, one of the guppies at home seemed to have suffered from sudden cardiac arrest.It was still swimming happily a while ago but swam backstroke the moment more water was poured into the tank.

Some prawns have also committed suicide today by jumping out of the tank. I did not notice it until after dinner. Could they have danced hip hop because the painters were painting the facade of my block and they were traumatised? Guess it will remain a mystery forever.

It's beating again

2007-10-02T11:23:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling my heartbeat once again... This might be 'it', I don't know for sure but I do know that I had a different heartbeat this morning :)