petal

The halfway mark.

2009-06-13T07:02:58Z

We're halfway into 2009.. time flies when you're focused on achieving your goals!
With 3 out of 5 items ticked off the list for 2009, I'm pretty stoked.

I've sat for the certification and am proud to say I've passed - which means, no more studying for another 2 years at least - woohoo!

What next?

2009-03-07T09:23:12Z

We have entered 2009 with a big bang.
Bush fires, destroying livestock, people's homes, businesses.
Not to mention the wildlife and their habitat.
With a clap in the skies, rain came down for 2 days consecutively.
Sprinkling snow on the mountains.. and last night, earth tremors.

2009 for me to date has been interesting..
Changes have occurred and are still occurring.
I feel lost most times but I can only try and make the best of it.
Just to keep trotting along where I can, with what I have.
Sticking to routine as much as I can.

It's here!

2009-02-01T09:21:38Z

I'm turning 30...

A beautiful afternoon, surrounded by friends and great food.

What more could I have asked for?

2009, a year to replenish, refresh and repair the soul

2009-01-21T11:09:12Z

Yet again, it's been too long since the last entry.

This year, it'll be a year of Rs.
To replenish, refresh and repair the soul.
A time to reflect inwards.
To ponder on the past actions and to look towards the future.

Reaching a major milestone in life very shortly.
It's time to savour what life offers.

Intuition

2008-09-04T10:53:46Z

From a young age, intuition and sense have been my best friends.
Perhaps it was just heightened sense of right and wrong.
Walking into a room and you realise something's changed.
Through speech, subtle body languages, you know something is wrong.
The mind rummages through stored images, words, actions.
One by one, they're all pieced together.
A story is told.
One of tears and heartbreak. Fuelled with stubborness and denial.
The physical sense yearns to move on, the mind tells the eyes to look the other way.
It might be better.
Someday.

Mid-Winter

2008-07-12T12:28:08Z

The nice warm sun experienced back in April now seem like a faraway dream.
No more humidity, no more heat, no more sun.

It's been absolutely freezing in Melbourne the past two weeks.
Every winter seems worse than the previous year's
But I am sure it's just a case of not remembering how cold it was.

This wet, windy, wintry weather is not to my liking,
Nor Ned's - with his arthritic shoulders, Melbourne's winter certainly has not been kind.

Day 5 - Greedy little piggy

2008-04-29T02:41:05Z

Day 5.

I am stuffed and think (well, more like know) that I have eaten enough to feed a starving family in a 3rd world country.

The food list to date:

* Mee Siam
* Peanut Pancake
* Vegetarian noodles
* Butterfly bun
* Soy Bean Milk and lots of it
* Kaya Toast
* Ondeh Ondeh Kueh
* Chee Kueh
* Fried Carrot Cake
* Muthu's Fish Head Curry
* Fried Kway Teow with cockles
* Haagen Daaz Green Tea Ice Cream
* Haato's Lychee Gelato
* Sushi Teh Sushi + Cold Soba Noodles
* Fresh sugar cane juice
* And lots of yummy-licious home cooked delicacies.

My tummy's moaning just thinking about what it had to digest the last few days.

We have done quite abit of walking - mostly in town but we are hanging out for Vietnam and the start of the Great Singapore Sale when we return.

We even made it to the Botanic Gardens and did a little walk. This humidity is killing me, and Stu. He loves the this weather, I and my hair aren't so sure. I need a haircut desperately but it seems it will have to wait - we just haven't got the time for it.

The landscape of Singapore is ever-changing. Since my last visit 2 years ago, there's been numerous developments. New shopping complexes, development of one of the 2 casinos, the Singapore Flyer - which is apparently larger than the London Eye. More shopping complexes and an unbelieveable number of new apartments built near town.

Today, we will have lunch with my beloved granny and aunts and we've been bought tickets for the Duck Tour - a converted boat that travels on land and sea. Sounds pretty good but I hope my legs aren't sealed to the seat by the end of the trip - it's going to be a hot and humid ride.

Stay tuned!

What it could have been..

2008-03-29T04:38:03Z

Almost on a home run.
Less than a month to go before the holiday commences and I cannot wait!
It's almost been 2 years since I've been back home; to not think about work, the dog and other domestic activities for a few weeks will be bliss.

Not too many pressing priorities, this is really a break from my life's mundane activities.
Spending time with family and closest friends, being a tour guide to S and also taking time out to explore a new country for a few days.

Life has been hectic, not always smooth-sailing nor always positive; but without the lows, we'll never appreciate the highs. I have got it easy compare to some, not as well off as others, but happiness is really what we make of it.

We don't need the biggest house, the fastest cars or the prettiest dress to be happy. We can be simple creatures if we choose it and I do. A (non-leaky - preferably) roof over my head, (petal-friendly) food on the table, decent clothing, someone to talk to and experience life with, a dog that is always happy to see me at the end of the day and not forgetting the odd holiday away from it all!

Looking through a friend's holiday pictures, I spied an old neighbour from eons ago. That set the whole cycle of "I wonder what so-and-so is doing" and to my dismay I was starting to be filled with envy with a tinge of jealousy. Facebook and Friendster thrown in the mix, my entire weekend afternoon is wasted on trudging through pages and pages of unimportant information; useless gossip with no-one to share. (E, where were you when I needed someone to laugh with?)

Why was I stuck here, when I could be there.
Why is the grass always greener on the other side?
One wonders what my life would have been?
But would I trade what I have now for something else?
Not quite.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T23:29:22Z

I cannot believe that it has been 4 months since I last updated my blog.
And of course, alot has happened since!
Work has been pretty busy; I've been given more responsibilities, constantly trying to overcome the steep learning curve but it is plenty of fun.

Just recently, I've become an aunty to Nephew #2, congrats to my sister, eventho I still see her as a 16 year old, out to deny the existence of the younger sibling when we were still in school. It's hilarious when I look back, and am glad that she has accomplished what she has so far.

I contemplating what 2008 will have in store for me but I shall leave that for another week, afterall it is Christmas today, lots of presents to open, lots of texts and phonecalls to make and of course, a huge belly to fill.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

It's been too long

2007-08-24T11:41:53Z

Work has been keeping me on my toes
It's a strange, almost a foreign experience.
Constant calls, constant queries
So much to learn, so much to remember
I never would've thought that I could thrive in a customer delivery environment
It has its ups and downs.
More downs of late as I juggle between roles
The entire team scattered as we go through refurbishment.
With almost 11 people huddled in a room, resembling a call centre,
failing almost every work safety regulation.
It can be trying.

This weekend marks the closing of a dear little shop on the street.
It seems not too long ago, that a big grin always greeted us as we walked past the wide gates.
Or as we stopped to give little B pats.
Always happy to give a wave, never relenting to what laid beneath that eccentric silver crown.
You will be dearly missed, the street-scapes will never be the same again.

Life of an Socialite

2007-06-19T05:38:25Z

By random, I chanced upon a self-proclaimed socialite’s blog - at a ripe old age of 25.
I’m still unclear of that definition or what that entails.
Surely, living and working to only sustain one’s enjoyment of the ‘finer things in life’
Whilst nurturing a credit card debt, is not quite ideal.
And surely one would have had to live life to know what the 'finer things in life' are!

I sat and thought about how my own life would have unravelled,
Should I have chosen the other path.
Would it have lead to a similar lifestyle?

Perhaps.
But I'd like to think not.

The fragility of trust

2007-05-01T10:30:56Z

As transparent as glass
Yet as fragile as the bones of a newborn

An invisible veil, a common understanding between human beings
The basic foundation of any relationship or friendship
A bond between two or more human beings

Once broken exposes it to the elements
Seen or unseen
How does one mend it?

I wish I knew
It could be fixed with the best putty money can buy
or the prettiest bandaid available
Will it do?

Will it withstand the harshest of elements
Or will it crack even further under pressure?

Maybe it's easier to let it all go
If only I knew.

The body is now weak.
The mind is waivering.
The heart remains strong
But for how long ?
If only I knew.

Wheeee! Wii!

2007-04-26T09:10:46Z

We finally saved up enough cash and bought ourselves a nintendo Wii!
WHEE!

The afternoon was spent creating Mii characters for everyone. Being the only asian Mii, obviously I stand out like a sore thumb but that could also be due to my red glasses and pink dress!

The weekend has come and gone, I'm still loving my new job.
Although I know I'll be needing more variety to keep the current level of enthusiasm. It's all about being proactive with asking and learning, I suppose!

Keeping in tune with all the changes in my life, I've decided to get a tattoo.
Don't tell mum.
I found a designer and she has patiently and lovingly modified one of her creations.
Now, the quest to hunt down the elusive artist..
Stay tuned!

Whispers...

2007-04-16T10:08:36Z

I turn away, to avoid confrontation.
My eyes fill with tears - tears of sadness, frustration or bewilderment
I cannot tell - does it even matter?
It has all rolled into the one - drop by drop.

As the tears roll down my cheeks, the warmth is strangely comforting.
Surely it means something - that I feel, I yearn and have wants and needs.

The day it all stops will be a different story.
Maybe it will never come to that.
I hope not.

I am not ready to relent to my weak willed voice. Not yet.
I haven't given it my all - this is not a battle I will easily give up.
Unlike the others. There is a purpose to this, a glimmer of hope at the very end.

The day I no longer shed a tear - that will be my sign.
Like flower blossoms in Spring, and snow falls in Winter.

There are days where it seems to be filled with gloom.
Not a single hope insight, only all the rope to hang yourself with.

Yet, there are other days where birds chirp joyful songs and the sun shines like I've never seen it shine before, the world filled with never-ending laughter, hope and love.

The day she stops speaking - that will be my sign.
Like flower blooms in Spring, and snow falls in Winter.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts...

2007-04-16T10:03:19Z

It's been a month at the new job and it's been great.
Constantly kept busy, I no longer start the countdown at 9:30am
Instead, I literally have to plan when to stop, so to never leave with unfinished business.

People at work are great fun; a beautiful mix of backgrounds and experiences.
Young and old, some are friendlier than others, but like a good mix of salty beer nuts -
you never know what you'll get!

Yes, I am excited!
And I thought you ought to know!