so thankful for all the tangible support the past two days..
I'm supposed to be asleep now, having been through weeks sleeping six hours or less every night and surviving on coffee every day, and especially with the past week being so taxing with a 20% research proposal for a level 5000 module due on Monday, a 20% presentation for it on Wednesday, and all of that being peer-reviewed by a class full of PhD students, and a 15% lab report due on Friday. Furthermore because of all these and having spent Thursday and the morning of Friday entirely on doing an experiment for FYP that involves collecting 240 aliquots each of while have to be diluted before readings can be taken in a separate room and having to wash all 240 of the cuvettes before reuse and doing all the other little preparatory stuff like cutting 240 small pieces of parafilms and refilling the pipette tips box etc.
Yep finally coming to the purpose of this post. I'm really thankful that in these tough times there are friends who have been so supportive. Previously there was mental support in form of smses from some others but this week, tangible support was so strong I'm overwhelmed with a new sense of gratefulness.
A friend who drove back to campus from Clementi at 10+pm after her own dinner with dinner for me and to give me a lift to the train station near her place. Even despite still having her own lab report due the next day too incomplete. And even after I told her to go straight home instead of detouring back. And buying dinner for me from vivocity. And after having a halloween party, not forgetting that I was still chionging lab report alone and bothering to call and ask to give me a lift again.
A friend who made the effort to choose dishes for me from a mixed rice stall and actually getting 2 out of 3 dishes that I myself would order too. And coming up to the lab on level 6 where I was doing my lab report to deliver the dinner from vivo. And offering to lend me his lab report for reference even as he himself stayed up till 4am the night before to finish it. (Tho I refused to accept that)
A friend who offered to buy lunch for me even though she also stayed up till 4am the night before to finish not just her lab report but practised for her flavour presentation and finished her report for her FYP prof and baked muffins for the halloween party all in the two days before all that was due on the same Friday. And even with herself being so tired and falling sick and actually just wanting to get a sandwich for herself but spent the time queuing at the stall that I picked and switching her lunch to something from it instead of just buying from a random short queue for me (which I had said to do so if there was a long queue). And now and then bothering to ask how things were, but always having the calm sensibility that makes me feel the concern but never getting overwhelmed.
A friend who bothered to spend like 15-20 min mopping up a floor that was like flooded due to some accident because I had bothered to handle it even though neither of us caused it. Even despite him having the thought that it's a waste of time. And offering me some of the journal articles that he found for his lab report. And providing company now and then at where I sat even though he was not meant to be there. And never being emo when I told him off for talking too much to me such that I couldn't get on with my already due work. And even with previous times that I had been even meaner at the 'wrong' times he came by he never took me the wrong way and be offended.
All the tangible support I had been the blessed receiver of, in the past two days, when I was in such a screwed up state that I had landed myself in all because of my horrendously poor time management skills.
I don't think I would have ever built such friendships if I hadn't had faith in Him. I wouldn't have put in my part as a friend to deserve any of these at all. But because He is love, it has touched me so strongly over the months that I've come to know him that I would be so blessed by Him.
This process of self acceptance is an act of love. It is the greatest gift you can give to yourself. Be gentle when you do it: don’t punish yourself for feeling insecure, or for what you perceive as your shortcomings. If a child is afraid, do you punish them? No, you love them, you talk to them, you console them. Yet with ourselves, we are violent and unforgiving; we don’t tolerate our mistakes. In order to find internal security, we must learn to trust ourselves. We need to learn to accept every aspect, not from a place of resignation, or feeling like we’ve failed; but from a place of learning to love the child within and seeing beyond the aspects that no longer serve us.
When you become aware of an aspect of yourself you have learnt to hide, move towards it. Don’t continue covering it behind more layers of personality. The quicker you recognize and embrace these aspects, the quicker you will be free of them. When you embrace fear, the illusion it has created falls, and then what is left? Love. Like clouds across the sun, when they pass, the light shines through. Confront your fears with love, don’t reject them or avoid them; if you do, the clouds across the sun will soon become a tsunami.
Our insecurities become most evident when things don’t go how we want them to; when this anxiety appears, your need for control becomes more obvious. This need to control the people and things around us is a reflection of inner insecurity: love trusts and flows, fear controls and resists. When you feel the need to control, go deeper, and beneath the thoughts of worry you will find something greater.
When you experience inner transformation, and become love-consciousness, when unconditional love of self becomes a force that overflows from within in abundance, then everything flows towards you and then out toward everyone. It becomes a magnetic, powerful force that attracts everything towards you, and your creations will exceed your expectations. You will see that in reality nothing was ever missing, that everything is here and now, because when you feel complete within yourself, everything comes to you. When you are anchored in that space, you become the love. Choose for love and it will come to you. Instead of focusing on what is missing, focus on giving: giving without limit.
part one of the other article. don't know why blogger doesn't allow me to add colour to the words anymore.. i was doing it for the other article then when i click publish all the colour was gone and the old me would be so pissed with the waste of time but oh well. no point being pissed. yep hah.
People often ask me how I do it, how I do it “all.” By day, I’m CEO of a media company. I’m on more boards than I can recite in one breath. I have three girls between the ages of 28 (just married) and 4. And I blog, cook, blog about cooking and stuff like this, and in general have enough time to do lots of fun things. I came up with the phrase “the art of living in balance” years and years ago when I launched Organic Style magazine. Unfortunately, we had to shut the magazine down. But that phrase still guides me. So, when people ask me how I do it, I often can’t give them an easy answer because it’s just something I’ve been doing for so long. But since someone asked me just the other day, I’ll try to give an answer that you all can use in your own lives.
1. Surround yourself with good people and keep them happy. I’ve had the same babysitter for 28 years, the same husband for 18. They are reliable, comfortable, and wonderful people I appreciate every day.
2. Outsource the stuff you don’t like to do. I hired a woman to do laundry almost 20 years ago because not only do I loathe doing laundry, but also I’m terrible at it. When I first hired her, it seemed like a total luxury. But freeing up that time gave me the opportunity to devote my time to other areas in my life that led to more success and more happiness. I adore and respect Betty so much that I even wrote a laundry book, Betty’s Book of Laundry Secrets, to capture all her wisdom. She’s in her 80s and still comes to my house every Monday. I love her.
3. If you see a problem, fix it. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time fuming about problems and people. Now, people often call me “direct.” But what that means is if there is something I don’t understand, or that isn’t working, I say something. I’m that person that asks the stupid question in the room that everyone else wanted to ask but was too afraid to. Whether it’s a family issue or a work issue, I have found that the direct, respectful approach gets the best results.
4. If you can’t fix it, let it go. I am a firm believer in the energy and power of the Universe—that there is a time to fix and a time to not fix. If you have an issue that you can’t resolve, don’t keep banging your head against the same wall over and over. Take a break. Try something different. Distract yourself. Forget about it. When the time is right, the opportunity will present itself.
5. You can’t change other people, you can only change yourself. This is something I learned after years of therapy, which was worth every minute and every dollar. It’s not my job to fix other people; it’s my job to understand them so that I can fix my own response to them. This alone has saved me countless years of agony.
6. Have a purpose and a mission. I truly believe that each person has a special mission and purpose on this planet, and the closer we all come to finding it and living it, the happier we are. My mission and purpose are closely aligned with the family business I run and are all about healthy living on a healthy planet. In my fairy-tale mind I am a knight protecting people and the planet from harm. Hey, it works for me. Don’t make fun of it until you’ve tried it.
7. Listen to nature. Whenever I have a question I need an answer to or a problem I can’t resolve, or I just need comfort, I go out into nature and sit quietly ALONE! and listen. I may just be listening to that quiet, still voice inside of me that can’t be heard unless I turn off all the other noise. But I also believe nature loves to converse with us, and if we are open and still, she has quite strong opinions. Try it!
8. Exercise. I’ve seen all the studies in the world, just about. And if there is one thing that is essential to health and happiness, it’s exercise. I know. It’s hard for me to fit it into my life, too. But it works. I do yoga and Pilates. I garden. But those alone are not enough to keep me truly fit. If I am feeling depressed, a walk, run, or bike ride really does the trick. It doesn’t matter what you do, just that you do it, and do it a few times a week. I’ve started putting stars on the calendar every time I do 30 minutes or more of exercise. My goal is to have a five-star week every week. I have learned that we ladies have to put ourselves first if we are going to take care of the other important people in our life. It’s not selfishness; it’s sanity.
9. Eat healthfully and well. Food is important, too—organic, of course! Fresh, toxin-free fruits and veggies. Meats from local organic farmers. Whole grains. I find that cutting out white flour really makes me feel so much better and so much less hungry. Exercise, too, controls my appetite. But good, yummy food is essential to having energy, strength, and stamina to live a full life. And sit-down dinners with the whole family are a key to family harmony and health.
10. Feel the love. I think this is the most important thing of all. Surround yourself with love. Snuggle and play with your kids. Don’t waste time or energy on movies or TV that are violent and depressing—watch happy-ending love stories! Reach out to friends and family on Facebook. A good email from a long-lost friend can make me happy for days. Forgive and forget the bad stuff, and focus on love. It’s a happy feeling (most of the time).
this is such a good article. posted by Maria Rodale Oct 21, 2010 11:15 am
Clearly, the art of living in balance is not a simple thing, or else it wouldn’t take me two blog posts and 20 tips to share. It’s kind of like a buffet or store, where different tastes make for different choices—but the goal is to get what you want and need. So, here are 10 more tips to keep in your pocket.
1. Be nice. Niceness is not overrated. People who are not nice create lots of unnecessary misery for themselves and others. Niceness, on the other hand, creates tons of extra joy. In fact, right now, I am really looking forward to seeing the guys in my usual parking garage in NYC (haven’t seen them in a month). Because I’ve been nice to them, they are nice to me, and we start our days when we see each other with a jolt of joy.
Rewire Your Brain for Health and Happiness 2. Believe in karma. If someone is not nice to you or does something bad, let the universe dole out the punishment. It’s not your job, so don’t waste time on it. There is a peacefulness that comes from believing that the only actions you are responsible for are your own.
3. Be strong and courageous. Just because you are nice and believe in karma doesn’t mean you should let people push you around. Know what you want, believe in yourself, and have the courage to make it happen—or go get it. Don’t let fear stop you!
4. Reward yourself in good ways. My favorite ways to reward myself are a monthly massage (Yea! I made it through another month!), pretty jewelry that I can pass on to my daughters one day, and free time to do whatever I want…that’s my favorite of all, and also the hardest to come by.
5. Laugh a lot. This cannot be overdone. I can make almost anything seem funny if I think about it enough. I love to laugh, and I get even more joy from making others laugh…I think it comes from the fact that I used humor to diffuse tension in my childhood. But hey, it worked.
6. Stop reading or watching depressing or violent things. Really? Is that really necessary to your life happiness? I’m not talking about news. I’m talking about fiction. Entertainment. Find other ways to get a buzz, but stop getting it from other people’s pain and misery.
7. Examine yourself and your past deeply. If you are not happy, get therapy. If you are stumped about something, ask an expert. I just read two books by Alice Miller: The Drama of the Gifted Child and The Body Never Lies. Both books offer amazing insights into why things happen to us and how we should think about them.
8. Try new things. You actually get a hormonal boost whenever you try something new. So take a trip somewhere you’ve never been—even if it’s down a new street. Try a new activity, or take a class in something you’ve always thought about. Read a book or watch a show that teaches you something new. Try a new food. You may not like it, but you will like the new knowledge it has provided for you.
9. Allow yourself to feel desire. I have to admit, when I read stories about women who don’t feel desire, I think…is there something wrong with me? I think sexual desire is the creative life force that is the fuel for almost anything great. And yes, it is all in your head, so think about it. A lot. It’s free, it’s awesome and it’s good for you. Revel in it. If you need a jump-start, read a romance novel. Any religion or person who tries to deny or suppress desire almost invariably ends up in tragedy (I won’t list them all here). I believe that the God who created this universe created sexual desire as a very special gift. Use it appropriately.
10. Be grateful. Every night when I go to bed I thank the universe for all my blessings. I ask for guidance, too. But mostly I just feel thankful for my husband, my children, my family, and my home. After all, everything else has just a fraction of importance compared to those things. And maybe that’s what people are talking about when they wonder how I do it “all.” (I put that in quotes because I certainly have a GIANT list of things I haven’t done yet that I want to do). I know what’s truly important and what isn’t. And for that, too, I am grateful.
i have been closing my door when im in my room so that i will not get interrupted by whatever's happening outside - tv watching, conversations between other family members - or be directly interrupted (having my mom come in to talk to me ever so often).
i finally realise what's the point when i close my door blocking my dearest family out yet my mind itself not being able to stay focussed? or to be still attentive to friends online or via sms but seriously why blocking my family out. i have been senseless. might as well leave my door open. truly who can be more important than one's own family? what sense does it make to attend to friends but not to family? really how ridiculous i've been.
and like in the lab or wherever else when i need to focus but can't close out external interferences, just plug in my earpieces and put on music!
thank You for this realisation.
sigh i suck so badly. lots more changes to make. i hope the positive changes will be long term and real instead of temporal..
okay i just reach my lab and am supposed to start on my research proposal but i want to blog this first.
was having breakfast with my mom after my parents just got back from a one-week holiday in China last night. i have been missing her presence over the week (even though usually i come home late and don't talk to her much but without her around it just always makes me super emo easily).
yup back to breakfast. so the topic of travelling to Europe came up again and i said yar i told you i want to bring you to Europe ma. then she said yar but wait till you've earned more if not after the trip you'll be broke. i said yar then i can earn it back. then after awhile she said yar can't wait too long if not she mei you li zou le.
i thought about it when i was training to school and a surge of emotions overwhelmed me so much so that it brought tears to my eyes. the thought of her getting old and reaching the stage when she's not as mobile as she is now.
indeed. i should be spending more time with my family now. and not like "when i have more time". when i have the time, they may not have the time anymore.. they may not be as physically fit to enjoy life anymore..
oh my goodness i was being ridiculous. sigh. yea. when you've nothing good to say, just shut up. shut up. shit. again. i've blogged about this problem before a few times. argh.
“We are love, and there’s nothing we can do about that. Love is our nature. It’s what we are without our stories.” – Byron Katie
“Peace doesn’t require two people; it requires only one. It has to be you. The problem begins and ends there.”
———
“The miracle of love comes to you in the presence of the uninterpreted moment. If you are mentally somewhere else, you miss real life.”
———
“A dishonest yes is a no to yourself.”
“Placing the blame or judgment on someone else leaves you powerless to change your experience; taking responsibility for your beliefs and judgments gives you the power to change them”
———
“A mind that doesn’t question its judgments, makes the world very small and dangerous.”
———
“Nothing comes ahead of its time, and nothing ever happened that didn’t need to happen.”
———
“Anything you want to ask a teacher, ask yourself, and wait for the answer in silence.”
Shit. My messiness in record of information for my fyp has proven deadly. okay not exactly deadly. but BAD. Just realised I actually did record down the product code number for my BSA in my notebook which I thought I didn't and wasted time on the Sigma website searching for info on Friday and Saturday. And even went to the other lab on Sunday specially to check the product code on the bottle itself. Such that I only finally emailed Sigma to ask for information on Sunday. And yet now that I'm looking through my notebook to organise what I had done since week 3 (23 Aug) I found that I had written it somewhere. Argh. TOO MESSY.
Effects of parental upbringing on various aspects of the child's behaviour when more grown up
I have a hypothesis that people who were brought up by helicopter parents (term adopted from today's Weekend Today newspaper) or families that are more close-knit are more vulture-like on their love interests.
haha. What a sudden change of blogging theme. To be sociologyish. Was just reading the newspaper over my instant noodles lunch and came up with this hypothesis. Okay let me elaborate on it.
I don't really have many real-life examples to base my hypothesis on, but according to my general observations of myself and the people around me, I believe my hypothesis is true. Oh wait. But I think I already have one exception, my brother. haha. Or maybe not. He seemed to have been very sticky a boyfriend, but my parents were not helicopterish at all. Maybe it's my grandparents? He had been very close to my grandparents during his childhood I think. Maybe that's why.
______
ah I went off to slack at other stuff and it's been 40 minutes. okay back to work no more blogging. tho this is like so poorly developed a hypothesis =/
Live life loving people for who they are, focus on their goodness and strengths, and your relationships will get better. You'll be happier.
Overlook as many small bothering things that you can overlook, giving people the benefit of doubt that they do not mean anything bad and forget those small things. -- Don't take things so personally!
haha. just some sudden thoughts for me to practise. Hard. But it'll be worth it.
It seems like all my life I have been putting on a facade and trying to be who I want to be instead of who I really am that I've actually lost an actual me and all that's inside is nothing such that when I'm alone I feel so hollow and consequently so sad and unable to lift my mood.
Someone who is nice, someone who is likeable, some who is responsible, someone who is happy, someone who is hardworking, someone who eats right, someone who exercises.
I try to be nice cos I feel guilty when I'm not.
I try to be likeable cos I feel guilty when I'm not.
I try to be responsible cos I feel guilty when I'm not.
I appear happy because. Because. That's the most important feeling to have if there's any point in being alive.
I try to be hardworking because I feel guilty when I'm not.
I try to eat right because I feel guilty when I'm not.
I try to exercise because I feel guilty when I'm not.
All out of guilt. And/or because others are watching. And when I'm alone? I lose all of it and stone and waste my life away.
I was happily looking forward to attending cell today after leaving lab early. Not sick (the reason why I didn't go last week), not stuck in the lab (the reason why I didn't go the week before). I felt good.
Yet, after cell, I didn't feel good. I felt out-of-place. There were two new people at cell, though they were already long-timers at T. And I don't attend T events. So I felt out-of-place. What made me feel really bad and guilty was that I kept saying no to the T events they tried to get all of us to attend and I had already been missing for almost a month (my cell journal said that the previous cell session I attended was on 8 Sep).
To side-track a bit. My mom just told me her boss wanted her to do tax evasion. So she quit. What a ridiculous boss. She has been complaining about how miserly her boss is like ever since she started work.
Okay and back. Maybe I should change to a cell at B. I was supposed to try out sj's cell but school started and I missed the one that I was first supposed to try out and subsequently there were just too many commitments (I joined a group at school too) I didn't take the time out to do the try out. And now school is just getting busier with a 1500-word history essay due this friday, an 11-page research proposal for my 5204 due in 2 weeks, 2 upcoming lab reports, and 3 presentations in 4 to 5 weeks in addition to the long-hours of lab work that I have yet to plan out and put in the time between all the classes and doing homework and studying for my weekly 5204 quizzes.
Hmm. Okay I think I need to put a disclaimer first before non-believers throw stones at me. Yups. These are my personal feelings. Oh wells of course they have to be. LOL. This is my blog.
Okay.
So this morning I woke up feeling really sleepy and unmotivated and felt like sleeping more even though I had already gotten my usual 7 hours (went to bed around 11 plus and woke earlier than my alarm at six and finally my alarm woke me after 7 but I kept wanting more sleep and refused to get up - not the me in the recent weeks cos the me in the recent weeks would be so uptight I would be up even if my body actually needed more sleep). Anyways, so finally after I really got up and bathed and started doing QT there was this strong sense of being unmotivated and strong sense of sadness and the sleepiness was overwhelming too.
The first thought was to sms to complain but then we've been taught to draw strength from Him and find our greatest joy in Him so I decided to go ahead with my prayer after having read some verses from sj's Study Bible, which is the usual thing I've been doing every morning since like 19 Sep when sj lent it to me. And I actually did feel better after praying! haha. Yupp. That's it. (:
I know non-believers will think this is rubbish but oh wells this is my blog. I do admit actually my beliefs aren't as strong as they should be but I'm trying to build it up.
I want a job that has a supportive function in the company, like the work I produce will help many colleagues. Such that day-to-day I'll enjoy my work because it brings aid and relief to the people around me but it of course mustn't be some saikang job. It has got to be meaningful in itself too.
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