1. More Real Food, Less “Food-like Substances” 2. More Fruit and Vegetables, Less Sugar, Wheat and Corn 3. More Organic, Less Toxic 4. More Chewing, Less Eating 5. More Water, Less Soda
6. More Recycling, Less Waste 7. More Walking, Less Driving 8. More Exercising, Less Watching TV 9. More Outdoors, Less Indoors 10. More Sleep, Less Worry 11. More Calm, Less Chaos 12. More Being, Less Doing 13. More Consciousness, Less Ignorance 14. More Smiles, Less Anger 15. More Love, Less Hatred
16. More Play, Less Serious 17. More Letting Go, Less Holding On 18. More Forgiving, Less Blaming 19. More Generosity, Less Greed 20. More Ubuntu, Less Me!
Ubuntu means what makes us human is the humanity we show each other. It is a Xhosa (South African) word and philosophy emphasizing community, sharing and generosity.
As Archbishop Desmond Tutu says: “Ubuntu is about the essence of being human, it is part of the gift that Africa will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being able to go the extra mile for the sake of others. We believe that a person is a person through another person, that my humanity is caught up, bound up, inextricably, with yours. When I dehumanize you, I inexorably dehumanize myself. The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms and therefore you seek to work for the common good because your humanity comes into its own in belonging”.
I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing "Silent Night".
Age 6
I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either.
Age 7
I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9
I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again.
Age 12
I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.
Age 14
I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me.
Age 15
I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.
Age 24
I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures.
Age 26
I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there.
Age 29
I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
Age 39
I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it.
Age 42
I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note.
Age 44
I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.
Age 46
I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
Age 47
I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
Age 48
I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours.
Age 49
I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.
Age 50
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
Age 52
I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.
Age 52
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
Age 53
I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
Age 58
I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage.
Age 61
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
Age 62
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
Age 64
I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
Age 65
I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
Age 66
I've learned that everyone can use a prayer.
Age 72
I've learned that it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the truth, I've seen several.
Age 75
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
Age 82
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch - holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
We may not always realize That every thing we do, Affects not only our lives But touches others, too!
For a little bit of thoughtfulness That shows someone you care, Creates a ray of sunshine For both of you to share.
Yes,every time you offer Someone a helping hand ... Every time you show a friend You care and understand ...
Every time you have A kind and gentle word to give ... You help someone find beauty In this precious life we live.
For happiness brings happiness And loving ways bring love; And Giving is the treasure That contentment is made of.
--Amanda Bradley
_________________
I saw this poem at Precious Moments while waiting for pam to get off work and took down the poet's name and came back to look for the poem. yay finally found (: what a simple meaningful poem
“Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength.” – Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
As a child walking to school, I irritated my fellow walkers with my quick pace and stubborn refusal to walk at a normal speed. As a young adult I could barely contain my displeasure with slow walkers, slow talkers, slow-moving cashiers, hesitant drivers, etc. Wherever I went, I was surround by the slow-moving masses who were impeding my progress.
My mild-mannered grandmother was prone to smile at me and say just one word, “patience.” That usually resulted in an impatient sigh from me. Some learn patience as part of the natural process of maturation. Others have lessons in patience forced on them by life circumstances. For me that circumstance is multiple sclerosis (MS).
It makes me smile now, to think how annoyed I used to be with the slow-movers of the world. Perhaps it is karma at work that I have joined their ranks.
There are always more chores, more errands, more reasons to rush through our days. We are multi-tasking to such an extent that we often neglect the present moment.
Shopping while texting. Driving while phoning. Watching a movie while playing a game on a hand-held. Networking online while visiting with actual living human beings. The impulse is to move on at the expense of the here and now.
I take a more relaxed view of life these days. I take time to see the people around me — really see them. I notice the scenery and appreciate my surroundings. I am in the moment rather than thinking about my next chore, or trying to accomplish two or three tasks at the same time while giving my full attention to none of them.
So much can escape our notice in the daily flurry of activity. Many of our fondest memories come from those moments we least expected… if we are willing to pay attention and alter our pace to fit the moment, not the other way around.
Marc Lesser, author of Less: Accomplishing More By Doing Less, writes that 50 percent of Americans say they are busier this year than last; and only 20 percent of U.S. families say they have regular sit-down dinner with their families, as opposed to 60 percent 20 years ago.
Do those statistics have anything to do with patience? It is more likely a mix of many factors, but patience is most certainly one part of the equation. We’re moving in the wrong direction.
There is something to be said for slowing down. It takes practice to recognize what things we can let go, and what moments we should savor. With patience comes an awareness and appreciation of life as it unfolds.
Patience is an acquired skill, one I have not fully mastered, but I am grateful to be on the journey.
“In essence, all things in the entire world are linked with one another as moments. Because all moments are the time-being, they are your time-being.” Zen teacher Dogen, from a talk in the year 1240, Japan
Many years ago, when I was a student living at Zen Center’s Green Gulch Farm, it was my welding teacher, Harry Roberts, who taught that the secret of welding is to see that the natural state of metal is actually liquid. By applying heat, we soften it to its original condition, and make it flexible, allowing it to be changed with little effort. Harry laughed as he told me this, and said this is the secret of being a human being as well. Our world, and time appear solid, he said. Our belief in this solid world leads us to act in ways that are similar to attempting to shape metal while it is hard. Instead, our minds and bodies are much more fluid than we usually assume; our world is less permanent, and more possibilities exist than we conventionally imagine.
I’ve noticed, for myself, my coaching clients, and for most people in my life there are many ways to fool ourselves about time. It was Albert Einstein who said, “the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.”
Another compelling illusion is that time is divided into our time and time that is not ours. The quote cited from Dogen reminds me of a story that another Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh tells in one of his early books, The Miracle of Mindfulness, about a father who believes he never has enough time for himself. He feels many demands, including the demands of his young son who wants to play with him. After a good deal of anxiety, the father had an important realization – by letting go of the false distinctions he had been making, he understood that his time with his son is his time. He realized that everything he does is his time.
50% of Americans say they are busier this year than last year.
When asked what they would do if they had more time, a majority of Americans say they would work more; even if it meant sacrificing friends, family, and sleep for success.
Twenty years ago, 60% of U.S. families said they had regular sit-down dinners with their families. Today, 20% of families report having regular sit-down dinners.
What’s to learn from all this:
- Explore your assumptions about time and how these assumptions influence your actions and decisions.
- Enjoy your work.
- Enjoy your life.
- All time is your time — how could it be any different?
- Enjoy more meals with family and friends.
If you had more time, what would you do differently?
That's one question I've been troubling over since i had the chat with dr L last Friday. In fact the question arose weeks back when one of my more senior colleagues was commenting on that our company seems to be hiring a lot of at least Masters/PhD graduates in the recent months. But the "troubling" started last Friday because dr L told me that NOW is the time to start considering and applying for starting next year.
However, yesterday I spoke to a colleague ly (who happens to be my ny clarinet senior four years above me and an fst graduate too) and i came to the conclusion i shouldn't do postgrad. Actually she advised me to speak to more people. But I made that decision then, after she said I should consider what I want in life, like if I want to be a teacher (lecturer) she'll definitely tell me to do PhD. and I was reminded that actually I do not truly desire academic success... I just want a happy life, and to me that depends more on the relationships with the people around me much more than how ever well I do academics- or career-wise.
BUT... today my other sup brought up the topic (i hadn't intend to talk about it actually) during lunch cos she saw some advert about a postgrad expo and the new PhD holder colleague ss was around too and i got convinced by them to keep that option open again... :S:S:S cos both of them said "you'll never know what's going to happen". Both hadn't intended to do PhD either. The opportunity to do Masters just came along, after they had gone on to work for 4 years each after obtaining their basic degree. And subsequently then along came the offers to do PhD. (If they had the intention to do PhD right from the start, they wouldn't have done Masters. This dr L had similarly advised too - that if I want to do a research-based Masters, I should just do PhD directly, because there's no point just getting a research-based Masters, furthermore with just another 2 years to get a PhD.)
They advised me not to hurry into applying for postgraduate studies immediately, because having some work experience in between would be better than having 8 years of pure academic experience.
ss also advised me against going into consumer foods with a PhD after I said that ly said the Singapore food industry is so small, what I can do with a PhD is rather limited. Then both my sup and ss recommended nutraceuticals. I had thought this area of FST requires a lot of memorisation of the basics (and my memory is like how bad :/) and so had eliminated the PhD programs offered in this area when I was researching on the FST PhD programs offered in the UK yesterday. Thank goodness ss enlightened me that for nutraceuticals (/functional foods) there's also the diverse specialisations of reaction kinetics, microencapsulation, processing, etc that's not just memory work!
So my new conclusion now is to keep myself in-the-know of my options, more specifically what PhD programs are available where and the requirements but not to rush into applying for any. Perhaps after working, I would find an area (that I would like to continue my career in) that doesn't require a PhD, or I would realise that I want to do further studies? mmm... and ly had reminded me time and time again to do what I want, an advice I've encountered multiple times over the years and that I've tried my best to apply. Since I still have yet to "know what I want"... I probably shouldn't rush into any decisions. And another colleague j happened to come into the conversation that i had with ly and said that I should just try to apply to as many as I can (not just one), and then think over it again after I have obtained acceptances. which sounds like good advice too. haha. okays till then...the focus shall be back at the right now and stop overworrying about my future...
“All man’s troubles come from not knowing how to sit still in one room.” –Blaise Pascal
It is summer at last, the season of long lazy afternoons and empty idle hours of wonder. I remember well the endless afternoons of ice pops and sprinklers, taking long walks to see if anything interesting could be found in the neighborhood. This was well before the digital revolution and if you wanted to see a movie, you actually had to go to a theatre. These were the days when you knew the time and day of your favorite show, because that was the only time you could see it and summer was mostly reruns, anyway.
There are two kinds of boredom, the kind that is mind numbing, a close cousin of procrastination and disinterest in everything around you. This boredom is more like mental laziness. Summertime boredom was an open parachute for my curiosity. It was, I fondly remember, when I learned to day dream. Back then, I dreamt about far away places, what my first kiss would be like, what I would look like when I finally passed through the gates of adolescence. It sounds more romantic in retrospect than it was at the time. It felt like life was somehow passing me by. Even as a child I was not practiced at idle time. By the time August rolled around, my fingernails permanently black from popping tar bubbles in the street, I was looking forward to school just for something to do.
Not so for the kids of today. Movies on command, favorite episodes of TV programs stored on their iPods and the incessant buzz of their cell phones, heralding yet another text message. In our family, just keeping technological devices off the dinner table feels like a minor victory. Their brains are continuously distracted, even their group interactions are continuously invaded by the barrage of texts from friends who are somewhere else. Yet my children with all their devices and digital connecting will still claim boredom. They have forgotten how to look inside, they don’t know that they have just to open the parachute of wondering.
They would and do roll their eyes at me when I encourage them to sit in the empty place of not knowing. Actually I usually only have their attention for moments at a time, so quickly will one of their devices interrupt the silence. My goal for this summer is to provide enforced boredom for both them and me. Giving myself the chance to revisit the experience of long lazy afternoons unplugged. I wonder if I will still remember how to day dream.
thank You and you all for the good time yesterday and this morning (: feeling a sense of happiness from within
oh mans there's so much i want to blog about for yesterday till this morning. and knowing my slowness and my memory and my poor sense of concentration this will take hours and i'll probably forget some of the things i want to blog and im likely not to finish this post =/ okayss start by listing everything i can remember now first. there were so many flashbacks about last night during the prayer watch (=X i know my mind should be focussed on the prayers and not drifting away =X but my brain was half dead and my brain when in normal state is alr so prone to drifting controlling a half dead brain was even harder :S)
- sup's kindness as always
- graduate student wm's kind agreement to my short-notice request for short chat
- pg half hour in the rain
- internally terrified before, during and after chat with dr L :X
- senior fion's friendliness and kindness
- torn between choosing a project that has a sup (prof) who will give me independence having to read up and learn everything myself (i.e. more room for bigger growing curve) vs a project that has a mentor (PhD student) who will guide me all the way thru even teaching me the techniques
- still fearing things were gg to be screwed up when problems cropped up with two cooks - a's big problems and kw's OT at work
- pg's innate capability of making sure everything goes well
- joc's innovative solution
- s's last min additional presence and all the little actions
- al's sms of concern
- feeling comfortable with this big group (vs for pg's bday so not)
- jj's initiative in cleaning up everything we used including pg's kitchen
- st's humour
- soccer excitement - pg+kw, a's "prediction", streaming woes = laughing points for non-soccer fans :X (pg dashing back in)
- super helpful stranger auntie
- You having sj invite me to bunk in so i could go for prayer watch and locating pg's and sj's homes within walking distance
- sj and mom's considerate hospitality - hairdryer etc. blur about comforter
- jj's sms of thanks
- a's sms of thanks
- the night of coldness reminding me of camp days
- inspiring prayer watch (ah this requires a post on it's own :/ no time)
- sj's reassuring comment for my presence
- ky's got a job!
- s's reply of thanks
wah that's super alot of points to blog about :S:S:S
summary in one line: i feel so blessed..thank You so very much..
many people will leave little footprints in your life bringing you little blessings day-to-day, and a significant few will stay on in your life for a longer period leaving many footprints big and small.
i deeply appreciate every single footprint each and everyone of you have left and will be leaving in the days and years to come. the ever-sincere treatment from the particular few of you - sj, jj, s, wt, a and ky
wheeee pam just came online! so rare to get to chat with her (:
and from my gchat with shar i realised i probably should still choose dr L cos she replies so fast! even tho she's not the guiding type i had wanted, fast reply is really important (shar's fretting over the slow reply of her prof) especially when you have issues you need your prof to attend to quickly. even tho wm the graduate student who's in charge of the other project im interested in replied super fast the prof who's in charge of that other project didn't reply at all! and i saw him at the fst office when i was waiting to meet dr L =/ so he was in office but he didn't reply me. but he was dressed down and leaving la..oh wells.
ah ah ah 1240pm and i haven't started on the actual details i wanted to blog about at all faintsss.
okayss
so i told my sup i need to leave early at like 2pm to go meet prof and like the times when i needed to leave early for various other reasons during my IA period, she very readily agreed. and the way she showed sincere appreciation for my help always having the word of thank you with everything i do. and her showing concern during her maternity period with whether i could cope (that i've previously blogged about).
i saw a new project on the listing site yesterday morning and emailed the graduate in charge (it was said in the synopsis to email her for details) during lunch time and she replied like within an hour that she was going on leave next week for 3 weeks and so i couldn't meet her next week and so i replied to meet yest after my chat with dr L and asked her to sms me if possible and she did!
i thought the wolfberries and dried scallop had to be kept in the fridge during the time between leaving office and going to nus before finally reaching pg's place for the potbless so i asked pg at around 1pm if he could meet me at a busstop 5 min away from his place but 10-15min away in the heavy rain yest aftn. and he agreed. but when he got home and found out it was just items that needn't refrigeration for 3 hours he got pissed that i made him walk half hour in the heavy rain for that. hee my noob paranoia :X but im really thankful for his help cos i also passed to him a big bag of stuffs that was for my bunk-in at sj's for prayer watch. a big bag that would be much much trouble for me to manage with walking around campus in the rain
mmm about the strong sense of fear. it started before i left office. i was consciously aware that the chat would be fine cos dr L is such a motherly person and it was just a chat but i couldn't rid my heart of my ever-recurring strong sense of fear... it got worst on the bus from office to clementi..but seeing pg, a friend who never gives you any stress, helped well with alleviating the fear for awhile before it came back again :/
during the chat, there was often moments of silence when dr L was awaiting for any further questions and i had the feeling she didn't like me :X cos a had a chat with her a few weeks ago and a said that she didn't know how to end the convo which meant it kept on going unlike the way mine went :( dr L was smily but...oh wells. i was frank in saying that i want someone who can guide me but i heard that she gives alot of independence and she was frank in reply that she expects her student to do self-learning like for the experimental methods and learning to use the softwares to come up with kinetic models cos that's what she herself had liked during her school days and that it was good for growth. then i asked if her student could meet up with her regularly and she said of course, her previous students had made regular weekly fixed appointment with her like one of the TAs of another npd group and if she didn't have anything to show dr L in a week when there were just experiments on-going she just dropped by to say hi (like so friendly ahhhh i don't have the ability to close the "gap" between prof and student :S). and her style is that the student comes up with ideas to give to her and what she'll do is to discuss the pros and cons but she won't tell the student what to do, the student has to make her own decisions (whee im so glad im remembering these now for recording purposes lol). OH. now to reflect this is really like my own mama. hahah. my mom never ever imposed anything on me. eversince way back to choice of secondary school. she let me make decisions myself. and i actually do appreciate this freedom very much. OK. now i really am even more convinced to work under dr L. cos with my decisions, there's no way i can place anyone else responsible for whatever happens in my life. cos im the one left to choose what i want! yay.
oh then i was saying my CAP is 4 now so i must surely do well in my fyp to get a second upper since my core mods have always been dragging down my CAP and dr L cited a senior fion who managed to pull her CAP up from second lower to second upper in her honours year. so dr L told me to talk to fion the first person about how she managed to do that and fion told me before honours year her grades for FST mods were never above B+ but somehow for the year 4 core modules she just scored well even with not much confidence in the exams. okokok i must put in my best effort!!
oh yar about the friendliness and kindness. i have never spoken to this senior before but when this random junior came up to ask questions she just told me stuffs so openly like her CAP scores and her grades and even offered her email address if i had further questions. so nice.
fyp dilemma solved. yay.
mmm so after the two chats i returned a's missed calls and she was having big troubles (in particular flying off to china for two weeks the following early morning yet not having packed her luggage at all and she was still running errands at like amk that's more than one hour away from our potbless pg's home at clementi) and couldn't make the intended surprise birthday cake for jj and would be running very late. and then i called kw and it was already like 515pm and we were supposed to reach pg's by 6pm and he was still at work and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. and i was like oh nos.
and so i called pg and thank goodness pg joc n s were already settling the cake. and it was reassuring when i got to pg's and saw the good job they were at
s was a last minute invitee by st who was also a late invitee by kw and i was actually really frustrated on wednesday when it was just TWO days before the actual event yet:
1) the world cup fans still hadn't confirmed the venue of our potbless (oh got this term from sj haha)
2) there wasn't a certainty on the making of a successful cake
3) the intended second surprise i had planned for jj's birthday was blown
4) sj asked me if i wanted to bunk in so i could go for prayer watch tog but i couldn't give a certain answer cos of reason 1)
5) jj asked me for the venue and mentioned stuff that implied 3)
6) kw only informed me of s being invited at around 5pm that wed and only cos he was interested in speaking to al too and so turned up for the appointment i had made with al. or else i would be left in the unknown despite being the person assigned to do the jio-ing job..
anws after sending jj multiple smses, calling s and telling the actual situation and calling pg and joc, 1) to 6) were finally all resolved by that evening. so thank You for that
two lessons learnt:
1) there are always trials in life. and you'll always learn something from them.
2) things aren't as bad as i always tend to imagine.
haha.
okays back to the events of yest. so at potbless, i got an sms from al and was totally surprised! he was asking how my meeting with dr L went. i was touched by his concern, tho i knew it was mainly cos of his idea of wanting to start early instead of like personal concern for me lol. anyways. it was another reassuring thing. to have such a mentor who's so keen
then on post-potbless reflection, i realised i felt comfortable despite having such a big group of people (nine including me), and this was significant because during pg's birthday celebration (as i've previously blogged about) i had felt super uncomfortable with the big group and was so quiet jj noticed it too. there were some overlaps in the individuals involved in each event. hmmm. perhaps it was because i've become closer to some individuals present yest, including a few who were also present the other day. mmm. thank You for the chances
and next point! haha. jj was so into the cleaning up for having not helped out with the cooking that she took the initiative to start on the dishwashing and even stayed alone in the kitchen to clean up everything! so nice. a good daughter-in-law-to-be for pg's mom. hahaa
st made several hilarious comments during the course of the night. alamaks i can't remember any particular one right now =/ but those comments really made us laugh hard and im thankful for that. even one that was to shoot back at me for my teasing pg that made me go speechless haha. she's gooood
oh at 10pm there was the world cup quarterfinals match between brazil and the netherlands that pg kw and joc were so keen to watch. joc had left to watch it with her bf so the rest of us crowded into pg's room to watch it streamed on his comp. it made me feel strongly about my love for going to people's homes. cos i sense an instense atmosphere of cosiness with eight of us watching soccer tog in a normal-size hdb room. haha
it was fun watching everyone's reactions. (apparently my interest wasn't on the soccer match at all lol.) i took a couple of videos - they would tell all the story: of pg and kw's "brokeback"-ness (in jj's words lol) and their excitement, an offside goal and then the first goal in like the first ten minutes after a's "prediction"
oh and kw did some ridiculously innovative act of using copy-and-paste function to compose msn replies to hy and wb who msned pg. and streaming stopped after every 15mins. and pg went out to get water for us then the 2nd 15-min stream stopped and the room made a commotion and next you hear pg running in thinking there was a goal. then pg's ears became really alert since no streaming here = wait for signs of goal from neighbours lol. anyways finally after many tries they decided to go to the coffeeshop at the central haha. so i got company to go to sj's
i realised how exhausted i was when my feet were so heavy i ended up at the back of the pack
sj was so tired when i finally arrived a few minutes past 11 she went to bed soon (in her mom's room). then i noticed how considerate she was to have tidied her room for me (the previous and first time i came was on her birthday 2.5months ago and so i could tell the difference hee). and when i was looking for a hairdryer and asked her mom who was still watching tv programs her mom went to the usual place where their hairdryer was supposed to be and it wasn't there and she said sj had probably left it in her room for me and indeed it was in her room! (i wasn't observant enough :X) another point i noticed which i didn't clarify with her was that there were a couple of hangers around despite her having specially tidied the room and so i concluded that they were for my usage. just how considerate can someone be?? i was impressed indeed.
the stay who have been perfect if i wasn't so blur/ brain too dead tired as to think the comforter was the bedsheet and slept on top thinking there was no blanket and was too tired to ask and thought the weather these days was warm enough for no blanket but i kept awakening due to the cold and finally switched off the fan in the middle of the night. haha when i told sj about it after realising my mistake in the morning (despite having a half dead brain i finally realised i should have slept under and not on the comforter...) she proposed the alternative idea i could have came up with - to ask her mom for a blanket. oh wells. my presumptiveness of my capability to withstand the cold hah. and speaking of this my brain was half-dead all the way from the 445am when i got up till around after 7am (more than halfway through the prayer watch) that my brain finally woke up and im supposed to sleep when im back home. apparently i've been on my comp and it's now 331pm!! like 2 hours to my mom's birthday buffet dinner
oh more about sj and her mom's considerate hospitality - her mom came along to teach me how to close their toilet door when i was having trouble with the lock, then when i was gg to sleep she offered to have the room door closed lest her tv program disturbed my sleep. so nice! then in the morning sj offered to get me water. seriously - how considerate can someone be?? (i had alr taken the liberty to refill my bottle the night before tho hee)
and in the morning i too read jj's thankyou sms (sent at 12++ after i had gone to bed) for our surprise and my third present ("i din know there's photos and msg inside until after i open it!" haha) and commenting it's so meaningful and that she's happy (:
and after prayer watch i read a's thankyou sms (sent at 7 during the prayer watch before she flew off) for "all your help in for this whole china thing since the start" "be it literal support or mental and emotional support"
oh i loved the early morning of before dawn with the gentle cool breeze. we were waiting for the very first bus 156 of the day and i was reminded of my ny and nj days when i had to leave home during such hours (of course slightly later than today) when the sky was still completely dark and i could enjoy the cool silent yet safe atmosphere. (unlike that of during late nights when there's more the feeling of insecurity and the "naughtiness" of having stayed up too late as opposed to the safety of having daylight soon and the "goodness" of having gotten up early cos "the early bird catches the worm" haha.) and i found it really significant cos today's the first day of the implementation of the new fare system by distance travelled and also my mom's birthday. lol. i don't think the implementation would mean anything to me in actual fact but the point was the combination all mentioned points that made me feel so excited in spite of the half-dead state of my brain.
after prayer watch and breakfast i found out from ky that she got a job at keppel! yayyy thank You!
and on my way home i reflected upon the night before again and felt i should thank s for her presence helping out with the prep and everything cos that contributed an important part to the success of the potbless imo and she in turn thanked me for "convincing me to come down. It means alot to me." and argued "I didn't do much so you don't have to feel thankful or anything ok?"
hahahah i know im being really ridiculous quoting all the thanks here but:
im just so glad i've You and all these friends ((:
_______
and on a final note, im self-impressed i have finished this post without dozing off despite my bad 4plus-hour sleep last night and getting home at 11 on tue after jj's birthday celebration, 1130 on wed after cell and 9 on thu after badminton, and gg to bed the whole week past my by-midnight deadline at 12+/1 and not drinking any droplet of coffee! :D yay my experiment on myself this week is successful! lol.
proved that
1) being kept busy rids my sleepiness/tiredness (had been feeling so dead tired the two weeks before despite being "more free" - came home straight after work on mon-thu the week of 14june and mon, thu, fri the week of 21june.. as opposed to zero or just one "free day" the weeks prior..)
2) that i can rid of the coffee addiction - developed a reliance those previous few weeks taking 1-2cups each workday :S
Have Read
'04 year-end holidays (highest number of books read in a long time)
-The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (gd read)
-Princess Diaries: Third Time Lucky by Meg Cabot (fun read)
-Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (must read - inspirational)
-Slab Rat by Ted Heller (full of office politics and R21 stuff - not for kids)
-The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (makes u want to finish it)
-A walk to remember by Nicholas Sparks (simple but meaningful)
-The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (can identify with)
-The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (romantic love story with too much R21 stuff)
-Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks (even more R21. ugh)
-The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
-Unstrung Heroes by Franz Lidz (autobiography about his four uncles and father)
-The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (very unique POV of an autistic boy)
-The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux (love the breadth of the plot, one of my favourites)
-Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux (alternating between two first persons' view - unique, but don't like e plot)
-Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (philosophy tb in a story; gets abit dry though plot saved)
-forgot what i read...-
-Working Wonders by Jenny Colgan (story of an urban planner)
-Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (impressive intelligence with bits of great humour)
-Just between Us by Cathy Kelly (thickest bk i've ever read-600+pg, too long for me but not bad)
ha, started a few bks but didn't enjoy them enough to read more.
'06
-Life of Pi by Yann Martel (novel based on true story; a lot to learn from the book - animals, religions,
survival, appreciation of simplicity; marvelous descriptions of both the tangible and the intangible,
such that I could feel their realness; bits of very enjoyable humour; a must read)
-The Complete Analects of Confucius, Volume 1 - Asiapac Comic Series (some good teachings.
didn't read everything though)
-The Parable of the Pipeline by Burke Hedges (lent to me by Shujun; like she said, its a short version
of Rich Dad Poor Dad - good financial tips)
-The Alchemist by Paul Coelho (simple story with deep meaning)
-Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results
(hai, doesn't seem to be working for me - cos im not applying..)
-haven't been updating from Jun'06 to Jul'07-
'07
-Take a Chance by Sarah Webb (very interesting twist towards the end)
'08
-A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer (very saddening. made me realise how significant family is in how a child behaves)
-Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden (refreshing book with many pics)
-The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Rui Zafon (amazing how people can think of so much plot to pack into one book, wld b a gd tv series)
-The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (the story is interesting but i think the ending cld hv been better written)
-This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes (a bit thought-provoking on relationships but i didnt like e abrupt ending)
-Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner (gd knowledge but partly qte repetitive)
-For One More Day by Mitch Albom
-The C Words by Mark Mason (made me keep wanting to read on. light & funny)
'09
-Return to Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux (another good read from Deveraux)
-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (gosh such vivid descriptions! very well written book. i liked d theme of friendship and the realness of the story)
'10
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (a must-read!! i love the expressed thoughts of the protagonist, esp those about friendships, and the writing style - it seems like she's telling me her story specifically to me)
How to Save Your Own Life by Michael Gates Gill (an inspiring read, for emotional liberation and greater joy in life)
Reading
on hold
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
Waiting for chance to get hold of
The Little White Car by Danuta de Rhodes
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Le Scaphandre Et Le Papillon or The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
My Left Foot by Christy Brown
Gotai Fumanzoku or An Unsatisfactory Body (Translated into English as No One's Perfect) by Hirotada Otatake
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Other Recommended Readings by Marc
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin – Few books have had as significant an impact on the way society views the natural world and the genesis of humankind.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – Gladwell looks at how a small idea, or product concept, can spread like a virus and spark global sociological changes. Specifically, he analyzes “the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.”
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – This is a tale that lingers on the topic of attaining and maintaining a disciplined heart as it relates to one’s emotional and moral life. Dickens states that we must learn to go against “the first mistaken impulse of the undisciplined heart.”
Lolita – This is the kind of book that blows your mind wide open to conflicting feelings of life, love and corruption… and at times makes you deeply question your own perceptions of each. The story is as devious as it is beautiful.
Getting Things Done by David Allen – The quintessential guide to organizing your life and getting things done. Nuff said.
How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman – 900 pages of simple instructions on how to cook everything you could ever dream of eating. Pretty much the greatest cookbook ever written. Get through a few recipes each week, and you’ll be a master chef by the time you’re 30.
Honeymoon with My Brother by Franz Wisner – Franz Wisner had it all… a great job and a beautiful fiancée. Life was good. But then his fiancée dumped him days before their wedding, and his boss basically fired him. So he dragged his younger brother to Costa Rica for his already-scheduled honeymoon and they never turned back… around the world they went for two full years. This is a fun, heartfelt adventure story about life, relationships, and self discovery.
Self-note: Tip for my future business =D
give employees reasonably high pay to keep them- otherwise they are unlikely to stay loyal.
treat employees not according to how well they treat me but how conscientious they are at work
(of course, musn't expect them to only do work throughout the entire working hours -
give some breathing space too, we are humans, not machines) Movies watched(listing started on 6jan08)
in cinema from VCD/DVD
1Sep07: "Hairspray" w TK, GH & SH
14Sep07: "Ratatouille" w mom & extended family
28Dec07: "The Pianist" w Jus & Pam (heartbreaking but good lessons; i recommend!)
2Jan08: "I Am Legend" w Sherm (scary! but good acting; thought provoking; i recommend!)
5-6Jan08: "A Good Year" alone (excellent show! i like the acting; funny; good lessons; touches my heart; i recommend!)
11Jan08: "Le Grand Chef" w WLing, JT & Irene (good! funny, very touching, :) nice; watch if like humour+meaning+food)
7Feb08 (CNY 初一): "Ah Long Pte Ltd" w parents (pretty hilarious - but u gotta understand dialects, some teary parts. wells typical of jack neo movies but with diff content)
11Mar08: "The Leap Year" w Sherm (so sweet! :) and apart from couple relationship it touches the theme of mother-daughter and best friends too)
6Jun08: "P.S. I Love You" w Sherm (don't know if its coz we watched it on laptop, coz it didn't impress me as much as it did for him in cinema)
8Jun08: "The Forbidden Kingdom" w Lisa, Karen & Sandy (ums..guess i'm really not into kungfu)
8Jun08: "What Happens in Vegas" w Lisa, Karen & Sandy (simple,relaxing show)
7Jul08: "我和狗狗的10个约定" w Sherm, his ma & sisters (very simple,touching but actually not my type of show)
10Jul08: "Before Sunrise" w Sherm (hmm maybe watchg on laptop really affects appreciatn of movies..)
30Sep08: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" w Sherm (i didn't like it as much as i thought i wld when i saw the ads)
31Dec08: "Yes Man" w Mom (inspiring and funny)
11Feb08: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" w Mom (not as impressive as i thought it wld be)
1Jul09: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" w Yumei, YY & Matt (the best thing was the soundtrack. heh.)
14Aug09: "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra" w Joyce (it was awesome! best action movie i've ever watched)
17Aug09: "Food, Inc." w SYL & RuiQ (learnt some stuff abt the American food industry but it was a bit boring and not worth the $10)
22Sep09: "The Time Traveller's Wife" w WB, VanD, WLing, CHL, Irene, VanQ, Mf, Pg (i liked it. having read the book really helps w udsg)
21Nov09: "Gokusen" w Mf, Eva, Tony, Sarah (funny inspirational movie)
24Dec09: "十月围城" w Tony, WLing, VanQ (action action and a bit funny? tony criticised the plot. my fav scene was the running n jumping through the crowd along the five-foot ways w/o cuts)
30Dec09: "Sherlock Holmes" w Irene, Tony, Sweetee (my favourite genre of books made into a movie - what else can be more cool? acting effects humour excitement suspense all in)
12Jan10: "Avatar 3D" w Mom (didn't appreciate the digital effects which everyone wowed about. content etc was so-so. cathay's 3D glasses were too heavy for me)
8Feb10: "The Truman Show" w Ky n sis n Yuhshin (a must-watch. very thought-provoking, funny. reminder to be spontaneous and create your life the way you want, instead of falling into a typical routine
14Feb10: "New York, I Love You" w Mom (I loved it! a good couple movie with meaningful pointers to keep it going. but i think some stories could be more developed)
16Feb10: rewatched "The Pianist" (still find it good, tho i still feel first viewings are the best)
17Feb10: "Valentine's Day" w CHL n WB (laughed throughout - a feel-good movie; liked the fact that the various stories binded tog so well with the little surprises here and there, vs NY ILU in which each story was separate)
20Feb10: "赤壁二" w Addy, Karen, Sharon, SJ (should have watched the first one first cos i ended up not knowing who's who and what's happening and had to keep asking :/ and couldn't pay attn.. if not i think it should be a pretty good movie..)
4Mar10: "Alice in Wonderland 3D" w Mf (i found the 3D effects of this @ CCK Shaw SO much better than Avatar @ The Cathay =/ and the movie was much more enjoyable too! - cheered a sad me up :)) favourite quote - the Mad Hatter: “You used to be much muchier before. ... You have lost your muchness.”)
18Mar10: "Nodame Cantabile" w Irene, Mf (i thoroughly enjoyed some of the orchestra pieces - SO impressive! the expressions of the actors were really amusing :D)
23Apr10: "Ice Kacang Puppy Love" w Mom (funny, touching and meaningful - about love between friends and family. i cried 3 tissues! cos some touching parts i could really understand the feelings of the characters involved)
Inception
Letters to God (very simple Christian movie)
22Nov10: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" w Ame, Irene (they loved it. pretty good, i guess the main problem i had was that im not familiar with HP :X)
13Dec10: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" w Sj (not bad, could follow the story unlike HP. like the meaningful teachings, too long - in a post)
2Mar11: "The King's Speech" w Ame (hilarious, inspirational, tho it doesn't impress me that much to understand why it's the Oscar winner)
Mar11: "10 Things I Hate About You" very funny. silly sweet high school romance. just right for having breaks in between doing homework
23May11: "Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides" w Wb Yl Ame Pg (pretty good - scenery, freakish parts, fighting scenes, dressing, humour, bits of Christianity like when the Spanish said "only God gives life")
6Jun11: "Xmen First Class" w Wb Ame Pg (i was very keen on watching it and it was really good! intellectual, makes sense, cool action, some humour)
9Jun11: "Legally Blonde 2" w Irene (seems like some dumb blonde movie but kind of meaningful too - speaking up for yourself and what you stand for)
17Jun11: "Something Borrowed" w Sandy Lisa (quite funny, somewhat meaningful wrt friendships. they didn't like the lack of sense for one part tho)
16Jul11: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" w Irene, Sweetee, Kw (not bad. i didn't understand some parts again but the humour and effects were pretty good)
Aug11 "Horrible Bosses" w Ma (she fell asleep! gosh. the movie was very crude i must say but there was the humour)
25Oct11: "The Three Musketeers" w H (i would rate it 3.5 for humour/intellectual language and 4 for action. it's by the same producer or director as Sherlock! but a bit less awesome albeit a good chill out movie)
5Nov11: "Real Steel" w Hl (action packed but not too hardcore for me. i liked that there was the father and son element and how the father eventually softened his heart and especially the part when charlie was having trouble telling max sth and max was so understanding saying "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." touching and demonstrates true fighting spirit)
12Dec11: "50/50" w L (adopting her words - a heavy topic put across in a lighthearted way, but not taking away d meaning. most of it was rather hollywood-ish trashiness but there were a couple of punch lines "u can't change ur parents, but u can change d way u respond to them.")
25Dec11: "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" w KY (ultimate action packed! super tense almost throughout the movie, and interesting Tom Cruise made it such that not everything happened smoothly - he would jump and misland and get all sorts of injuries..it's really the courage to jump without hesitation even though you are not sure you'll be alive after that. KY loved d movie and said she would watch it again!)
3Jan12: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" w KY (i love mystery (: and the witty sarcastic dialogues. good level of excitement with the action. didn't understand some parts as usual. i like Holmes and Watson they depict such a true pair of buddies ;D)
23Jan12: "You are the Apple of My Eye" w mom (now i understand why guys like this movie so much - the anxiety of chasing after a girl and the acts schoolboys do to get the girl's attention and hopefully affection. the initial fluttering and the subsequent quarrelling)
22Mar12: "The Iron Lady" w KY (really love Thatcher's sharp words. inspiring and thought-provoking, tho i was still left uncertain of what to do with my life, the movie is definitely an encouraging one)
29Mar12: "Barney's Version" w SJ (a funny movie of a screwed up life of a man who had 3 wives, smoked and drank but very heartwarming at the same time, the relationships with the dad and the 3th wife - quotable quotes!)
27Apr12: "The Hunger Games" w Mom
4May12" "Avengers" w MF n PS (funny, action-packed)
7Jul12: "The Amazing Spiderman"
21Jul12: "The Dark Knight Rises" (fantastic depth, loved the twists)
20Aug12: "ParaNorman" w Mom (simple funny animated movie, heartwarming support)
Performances watched (listing started on 25Apr10)
20Jan10: Patrick Marber's Closer by outoftheBLUE, NUS Science w Pam (
13Mar10: The Rain Came Down Like Pearls the Night I Died... The New Musical - Sing & Tell by Mark Chan w Addy & Jy
21Mar10: Quintessence by NUSCO w CHL