name my ibook

I really should give my iBook a name.
I mean, I'm facing it most of my waking hours.
And it serves me oh-so-well for everything...work, music, dvds, surfing, msn-ing etc.
If it were human, it'd be my best fren by now, if not my husband.
So, the least I can do is accord it the benefit of a name right.
Any ideas?

Anyway, at work today, I was feeling the strain of facing technology for most of 8 hours, and so I decided to go for a walk.
Didn't go far....after strolling around with Sharmaine, I then found myself alone in Carrefour looking for inconsequential snacks (i.e. snacks that will not result in weight gain).
Then I realised I haven't really gone grocery shopping since I came back in Dec, and I actually miss it! Haha....

Walking down the aisles, I kinda went into "Friday-is-Marketing-Day-in-Melbourne" mode and started thinking:
"Hm...should I buy some tsuyu to make cha soba?"
"How come no plum sauce?! I wanna cook yummy chicken wings..."
"Yay! Tung-I instant noodles....getting sick of CQYD...."
"Really should stock up on some canned food, to tide over the end of the month."

And then guess what, I realised I missed cooking too!
Haha....
I can hear all the guffaws of Housemates Past ringing in my head at the mention of this:
"Yah right!! Cooking or burning?!"

Sigh, I can't blame them.
Louis actually has incriminating evidence of me setting food and the kitchen etc. on fire.
Come to think of it, the one time I attempted "tang yuen" in peanut soup, I left the pot on the lighted stove the whole night, and I woke up at 6am to a smoky house and a charred pot.
Yes, I can be a hazardous housemate when it comes to cooking. :P
But it doesn't mean I cannot enjoy cooking! Haha...
i just have to be more careful and not multi-task too much.

So, anyway, I determined that I should find some time to cook some dishes here and there.
Maybe for Sunday dinners with my family. :)
Tell me if you have interesting recipes to share!

Okei, I think I am starting to ramble...cos I am tired...so I'd better head off to bed.

a tribute to ppl i spend most of my recent days with

I made a mistake at work this week.
Not exactly a small one that can be overlooked.
For sure, I was upset.
But after a few hours, I thought to myself, I can learn from this (yah, I know it's cliched).
And then I thought about how I felt, and realised, "Hey, being right in the middle of a mistake is not that scary."
In fact, it can be downright cool, if you have the right people around you.

And I did.
I've my department to thank for this.
They didn't gloss over my mistake, but quickly worked out the problem and worked towards how to rectify it, and of course, not repeating it.

My boss mentioned recently that this project I'm working on is a really great starting point for me.
And I so agree.
Nothing integrates you better into an organisation than something you can really sink your teeth into.
But my colleagues also literally hugged me into the department.
By including me in old jokes, remembering to stop and explain things to me, being open with me etc.
It's really the little things that matter.

I enjoy being in a company where people are working towards a common vision.
Where there is no room for politics (and I mean no room whatsoever).
A company where you know that people are upfront with you, so you never have to waste time wondering.

I enjoy working with fun colleagues who can share rounds of belly-aching laughter with me.
And, if and when the pressure piles up, they make an effort to be there and be nice.
I enjoy working for a boss who is firm enough to stand up for his staff, and to nudge them towards growth.
And, i donno how he does it, but although he's not always around, he's always on top of things.

So, I am having a great time at work, really. :)
Here's to Mark, Glyn, Shar, Amy, Nic, Sherin, Vinson, Carmen - Thanks! :)

p.s. I was reminded of this song recently. Lurf the lyrics too, so here it is.
We're only given these years. Let's make the most of it! :)

Our Lives
The Calling

Is there love, tonight
When everyone's dreaming
Of a better life
In this world
Divided by fear
We've got to believe that
There's a reason we're here
Yeah, there's a reason we're here...

Oh, yeah...

Cause these are the days worth living
These are the years we're given
And these are the moments
These are the times
Let's make the best out of our lives...

See the truth, all around
Our faith can be broken
Our hands can be bound
But open our hearts
And fill up the emptiness
With nothing to stop us
Is it not worth the risk?
Yeah, is it not worth the risk?...

No, yeah...

Cause these are the days worth living
These are the years we're given
And these are the moments
These are the times
Let's make the best out of our lives...

And even if hope was shattered
I know it wouldn't matter
Cause these are the moments
These are the times
Let's make the best out of our lives...

We can't go on
Thinking it's wrong to speak our minds
I've got to let out what's inside...

Oh, yeah, let's make the best out of our lives...

a father's fear

How sweet is this quote?!

“I remember how her little hand used to fit inside mine. Then comes the day when she wants to get her ears pierced, and wants you to drop her off a block before the movie theater. From that moment you’re in a constant panic. You worry about her meeting the wrong kind of guy, the kind of guy who only wants one thing, and you know exactly what that one thing is, because it’s the same thing you wanted when you were their age. Then, you stop worrying about her meeting the wrong guy, and you worry about her meeting the right guy. That’s the greatest fear of all, because…then you lose her.”
- Steve Martin (George Banks) Father of the Bride

a new spin on Monday Blues

Firstly, all the pictures are super BLUE!
Secondly, don't I look like I'm being towed by a helicopter?
Thirdly, I did eventually manage to cross back over the wake, even tho the guys had given up taking photos by then. :)
Fourthly, how retro is this song?!
Fifthly, nothing else. Here are the pics. :P

Displacement Activity

I have an article due tomorrow, and here I am posting on my blog. :P

I have decided to make a list of what I miss about being in Melbourne.
Don't misread what I'm saying.
I lurf being back in Singapore, and I'm glad to move on, but from time to time, I find myself remembering stuff about Melbourne that I wish I had in Singapore. And for all you happy people who are going back, or already back there, ENJOY! :)

Okei, here it is!
(It's in random order, btw.)

I MISS......

1. Being queen of my domain. Haha! Which also means...
2. Having the freedom to go home anytime I want, but ironically, I tend to stay home a lot more in Melbourne. :P
3. Going for car rides, when my frens are willing and available to indulge me.
4. The parks and beaches, great for some alone-time.
5. Both cell groups and the fun we have hanging out together.
6. Watching Friends non-stop! Haha.
7. My driving lessons. :P
8. The higher probability of taking road trips or ski trips or some form of holiday.
9. The weather.
10. That my complexion is much better there! My face has been breaking out ever since I got back! :P
11. Kuai Le Zhan and all its combinations of housemates.
12. Writing letters to my frens. I imagine that, like me, they'll be happy to get something from overseas. :)
13. Bratwurst and Spanish donuts at Queen Victoria Market.
14. Having the time to meet up with people impromptu.
15. Finding clothes that I actually want to buy....window-shopping at Sportsgirl on my way home from school.
16. Having my own corner in the bathroom for my whole horde of chapalang toiletries and what-nots. Haha...
17. Studying with the LRC bunch.
18. Having people over at my place.
19. Going past the War Memorial.
20. Seeing a bigger piece of the sky when I look up.
21. The toy shop on Mt. Dandenong (Issit called Geppetto?).

sunburnt from wakeboarding

My arms are crying out to be slapped, and I have a natural flush on my cheeks.
I have the ugliest swimming costume strap AND racer-backed tee print on my back and shoulders.
And I was emanating heat on the bus earlier.
I'm pretty sure my neighbour thought I was super feverish.

But the weather was nice today, albeit the latent viciousness of the sun....and I think I'm better at steering now.
I was reminded that I have hips.
They are very useful if you don't want to bore yourself out boarding in a straight line all the way.
Heh heh.
Must remember to bend my knees more though. :P
And it was strange, but I got tired and breathless on my first run!
And my arms ached more than the last time.
Hm....I think my body is settling into its comfort zone, and it wasn't too happy to be woken up today.
But, this beats the gym anytime! Haha...
At least I have fun, even though it's not exactly the cheapest of sports. :P

Okei, if you see a gal wobbling along in suntec the next few days, that'll be me with my shaky knees.

my v-day

I spent my Valentine's Day with more than 100 people.
It was rather special lah.
You can pay any amount you want for an 8-course dinner.
Every table gets a free photo-shot.
And there's champagne too.
My door-gift was a cute little white and pink salt-n-pepa shaker set.

At this point, you're asking yourself "What kind of a V-day dinner is this?! And you can pay any amount?!"
All the guys are going, "Shar, why you never tell me?!"

Well, this should give you a hint.
Halfway through, we all stood up and went "YAAAAAAMMMMMMMM SENNNNNGGGGGG!"
We raised our glasses to the wedding couple and gave them our best wishes.
Haha.....gotcha!
Yes, I attended a wedding dinner on Valentine's Day.

It was really rather unique.
Malay food served Chinese wedding dinner style.
The food was YUMMY!
Ayam panggang and nasi kuning and sop buntut, amongst others.
Oh, and I met Louis' fren of the Cynthia there too...
You know it's a small world when your ex-housemate's fren turns out to be your cousin's classmate.

No, no photos as yet, but Daphne looked gorgeous.
Then again, she's always been pretty.
Except that now, she also looks grown-up and....married. :)

some recent tots on the heart

"Most people would rather be certain they're miserable than risk being happy."
Robert Anthony

Is it because they think their heart is not strong enough lest they are disappointed?
Or despite what they say, some masochistic part of them actually enjoys being miserable?
Haha.

The heart is a tricky thing to trust.

Few years back, I concluded that my heart is a little....stupid (for lack of a better word), and I need to tell it what to do so it doesn't end up running around in circles.
It's like the caterpillars following head-to-tail behind each other on the rim of a flower pot.
Even though there's food for them right in the middle of the pot, they don't know to change direction and so they end up circling the flower until they starve to death.
They are determined to stick to what they know, cos what they don't know is too scary.
What can I say....the heart knows what it wants, but it can't think for itself, and hence it can't lead for nuts.
Most times, it doesn't even make sense.

And it's unpredictable.
Just when you think it is strong enough to withstand any form of disappointment, it cracks under the slightest pressure.
So, you build your fort to try and protect it so that it doesn't crack again, but guess what, it is now stronger than you thought it was.
Sometimes you wonder if it's out to embarrass you.
So, people kept telling me, "You have to guard it," because...

You shouldn't trust something that is never constant.
You should fort something that keeps wanting to break out.
You should quelch it when it keeps wanting to hope.

Actually, you don't.

Because, hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Throughout the Bible, God wants to give us our 'heart's desires" to our "heart's content".

Not to say that everything that the heart wants is good.
But it's about being honest with that which the heart wants.
"But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being." (Psalm 51:6)

And when it comes to the good things, I recently came to the conclusion that it's not about guarding your heart.
It's about trusting that God will protect it on your behalf.

That's how Jesus managed to love the people, even though they rejected Him.
That's why he eventually died of a broken heart.
If He had hardened his heart, there would have been nothing to break on the Cross.
He put it out there, regardless what it cost Him.

So it doesn't make sense.
So people let you down.
So they talk behind your back and backstab you.
So they assume things about you and act accordingly.

You don't have to keep that room in your heart under lock and key, because...

It's okei to trust in a constant God.
It's okei to trust in Him, the Fort and Protector.
It's okei to keep hoping.

I feel like I've gone a whole round in a span of 26 years, and I realised that I should have kept the heart I had when I was growing up, to save me the journey of a few years.
But well, it's the journey that matters, isn't it? :)
And God has come through enough in my 26 years to prove to me that He's a protective Father.

what's auld lang syne?

Year after year, I cross over to the new year singing Auld Lang Syne, wondering, "What exactly does it mean?!"
I've always thought it had to do with forgetting the past and moving towards the new.
But turns out, it's about remembering old acquaintances and frens! Haha...

For those who have wondered the same thing, here's the English translation. :)
It's a Scottish folk song btw.

Auld Lang Syne (Old Long Past)

Chorus.
And for old long past, my joy (sweetheart),
For old long past,
We will take a cup of kindness yet,
For old long past,

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And days of old long past.

And surely you will pay for your pint-vessel!
And surely I will pay for mine!
And we will take a cup of kindness yet,
For old long past.

We two have run about the hillsides
And pulled the wild daisies fine;
But we have wandered many a weary foot
Since old long past.

We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till noon;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since old long past.

And there is a hand, my trusty friend!
And give me a hand of yours!
And we will take a right good-will drink,
For old long past.

we dressed up for bry's berfdae