Streets of My Life...

Dance With Me [VI]: The Importance of Sisterhood

2010-05-29T02:38:00.001+08:00

This has to be one of the most important lessons.

Having lived as an only child for almost a decade, I’d learnt to be my own best friend at a very young age. But I found sisterhood in other little girls.

As a child, I recall waiting backstage for hours before showtime and together with the other little girls, we would play low-maintenance kiddy games such as “chop chilli” or “zero point” to kill time in our horrid stage make-up and costumes. Other times, we would sit around the instructors or older kids who would tell us ghost stories which would make us so freaked out that we would go to the bathroom in twos and threes after each scary tale.

Whatever the activity, we always had a lot of fun. Since little girls have practically no problems (besides homework and exams), we didn’t share woes about men/ family/ work so there was no need for us to pour our hearts out when we sit together but the feeling of being part of a troupe was a grand experience for an only child.

It’s like having sisters.

We didn’t choose to be part of the same dance troupe. We were thrown into the mix together because it was a school activity so we had to make do and try to coexist – we'd practice, warm up and dance together. We'd also get punished together for misbehavior. Sometimes, we don’t get along but we know that we have to make up and make do - because it is part of sisterhood.

My real sister came along when I was 11 and today, I consider her one of my best friends. She has seen me as the geek, the bully and the meek but still she loves me as her sister. And likewise, I love my sister, butt and all ;)

Along the way, I found other sisters – in school, in dance, at work, in faith and sometimes in taxi queues. They have all been part of my life’s journey. Sisters serve as my voices of reason: they lift my spirit when I am down, they sit and hear me rant, offering their shoulders to cry on with no prejudice and some sisters even stick up for you – even when they know that you are in the wrong - simply because they are your sisters.

Men sit together and bond but sisters bare their souls through sharing their experiences.
Sisters are important to a woman’s growth in life. They teach you about female loyalty, about the importance of admitting to your mistakes, about self-acceptance, about family, about multi-tasking and most importantly, sisters teach you about the beauty of being a woman.

That’s the magic of the yaya sisterhood.

I am glad that I have sisters :)

Ps. Thank you sisters. This is for you :)

Dance With Me [V]: Always Stand Tall

2010-05-27T01:31:00.004+08:00

Have you ever noticed the difference in the times you slouch versus the times when you stand with your back straight? I feel a distinct difference when I keep my spinal column erect – more positive and confident but most importantly, a sense of pride.

For the first two months under Mdm Lee Shu Fen, my first dance teacher, I remembered three key daily tasks – stand tall, chest out, chin up. I figured out why later – all these verbal commands that rang in my head for the rest of my life led to good posture, which were fundamental to finding your body’s centre of gravity – very important in dance. Mdm Lee used to say that if we remember these three commands in our daily lives, we would always walk with a sense of pride.

“Be proud of who you are”. She used to say to us in Mandarin…

Having a sense of pride is important. I am proud of my country and abhor peers who openly criticize my nation in front of foreigners. I once heard a young Singaporean exchange student exclaim to her Swedish peers in a crowded Ya Kun (the local coffeeshop), “Singaporeans are so stupid. They love to queue… dunno why they are like that!”

Such a silly girl! She was shaming HERSELF by critisicing her own countrymen!

I have travelled extensively and did part of my education out of the country of my birth and I am thankful each time I return home. These were the shores where my South Chinese forefathers settled on four generations ago and there must be a reason why they didn’t return - not to China, not to Indonesia, where they first landed and stayed for a few years. Our family found stability (and no racial discrimination nor corruption) in this city-state - just as I feel a sense of security, comfort and acceptance in this tiny red dot.

My countrymen have no qualms about me lasping into my “la” and “le”, the common Singlish (Singapore English) expressions that stemmed from Bahasa Melayu and Mandarin. I speak a splatter of English, Mandarin, Hokkien, (bad) Cantonese and order my food at the local nasi padang stall with no issues in my lousy Bahasa Melayu.

In spite of being trained to be assertive, having worked in multinationals for the last decade, I have no issues relegating into my Asian roots when I address my peers in Japan and Thailand as “san” and “khun” and politely ask for help rather than DEMAND for things to happen.

Regardless of the number of foreign performing arts group that visit my city-state, I will still give my support to the local artistes - I respect them for their courage in pursuing their dreams and for believing in their art.

I once bumped into a former uni mate, who is Singaporean-Chinese married to a Frenchman, at the now defunct Kallang Stadium when Chang & Eng (a real story of the ill-fated Siamese twins) was showing and her exact words were: “We bought the cheapest tickets because this is a an ALL Asian/ Singaporean caste.”

My theatre companion then was a Singaporean-Chinese guy, who bought us tickets in the front few rows, just because it was an ALL Asian caste. Chang & Eng also turned out to be the MOST touching and unforgettable musicals I’d ever watched.

Yes. We are a very young nation - we may not have the best athletes and the best artistes in the world but all systems have faults. Having grown up in the 80s when the “No Spitting, or FINE S$1000” campaign was in force in my country and having witnessed the spread of SARS in Asia in 2003, I am a firm believer that there is a reason behind the madness.

In a short span of 45 years, my country has emerged as the world's fourth leading financial centre and it's economy is often ranked amongst the world's top ten most open, competitive and innovative. My motherland is also a highly cosmopolitan World City, with a key role in international trade and finance. I grew up with some great friends who are non-Chinese because Singapore has a diverse population made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Asians and Caucasians of different ethnic origins.

I feel a sense of pride, and stand a tad bit taller each time I clear the customs at the Singapore Changi International Airport, knowing that all I need to do to get home is to insert my passport through the electronic scanner and that many other people in the undeveloped world would kill to me in my shoes, not to mention OWN my passport.

Dance With Me [IV]: Blindfold Yourself

2010-05-26T20:09:00.006+08:00

If you are a salsara or simply a person with your own mind, you would be able to identify with this post best.

I am both of the above. I have always enjoyed shopping alone because I tend to think that I don’t need a second opinion.

Why complicate simple things with contradictions?

I picked up Salsa, Bachata and Merengue in 2005, after my Jazz instructor Dino quit the scene. I figured it was time for me to try something different, to get a life out of my consultancy job which sucked the soul out of me.

Thus, I signed up for my first Salsa class with one of the bankers that I was working on the same project with.

This was what I was told on my first lesson.

“Ladies, allow yourself to be led.”

*GASP!*

Salsa, for a female, requires one to literally be blindfolded. I am not kidding. But it really required me to allow my partner to guide and lead me and permit myself to be half a step behind.

Coming from a dance background where I was trained to find my own centre of gravity and to figure out biomechanics through trial and error on my own, this was not easy. I trusted no one but myself – I once did, until a dance partner let me go in mid-air when I was unaware and I ended up with an injured ankle.

Take the above metaphorically.

Until today, I have issues trying to follow any man that asks me for a dance. I need more than one whiskey on the rocks to let myself be led with no resistance on the dance floor.

I got through lessons 1,2,3,4,5 and led almost every single man that I partnered with. Then I graduated into level two and three and after a number of impromptu invites to Union Square, the local Salsa club, I figured that I was hard to lead - a number of men have told me that.

But.

I have found partnerships in a few good and rare men. Some of whom have the capacity to truly lead and gave me the sense of security to let myself to be led. These were the rare occasions where I allowed myself to be blindfolded and see where the music takes me.

The experience is different but it feels nice to be led, on my own free will sometimes.

Dance With Me [III]: I Believe in Butterflies

2010-05-23T21:07:00.005+08:00

Have you ever felt butterflies? The fluttery sensation you get in your stomach before you step on stage, before a presentation, before an interview, the feeling you get when you come face to face with the person of your dreams.

My first “butterflies” experience was when I was about eight. It was my first dance performance. When I stood waiting in my wing to make my entrance, I felt a strange sensation - a fluttery feeling in my stomach.

It's the butterflies.

I willed them to go away but they stayed, fluttering their wings to the pitter-patter of my fast beating heart.

Then, the music started and something, almost a supernatural force took over. I entered a realm that I’d never known, and I saw, heard and felt only the energy that emanated from the bodies on the stage that I was part of. It was as if I was in a trance. So absorbed into the music, the rhythm and beat of the tapping and stomping of feet, the movement of the bodies was I that I only came to my senses when the music stopped and the applause came.

That was the awakening - the mysterious butterflies that takes you into an unknown, unexplained zone.

Throughout my adult life, I used the butterflies as my gauge. In work and in relationships, the butterflies told me whether or not I am steering towards the right realm. Logic can only give me the facts and figures but butterflies tell me how my soul feels.

I dropped out of business accounting when I was 17 even though it was considered an elite programme in one of the best tertiary institutions in town. Ledgers and balance sheets didn’t give me butterflies. But I found something better the year I turned 19 – my current profession and I love what I do - exploring angles and selling a story still gives me butterflies, even after so many years. I still get a high when I see the stories I’d pitched getting published, on TV, talked about on the internet. And I still feel the thrill when I see a person I’d profiled appearing in the pages of a magazine. I don’t need the fame myself because I feel like a million bucks when I see my hard work in the media.

Waking up one day to realize that “forever and ever” is hell of a long time and that the person whom I was engaged to did not give me butterflies was another awakening.

The mysterious butterflies can never be properly explained but I know that they are there as a barometer - they appear when my soul sings and soars with every tune that makes my heart beat and miraculously disappears when there is an eclipse.

Do you believe in butterflies?

I do.

And I think that the mysterious butterflies are there in all of us but it is up to the individual to recognize their existence - so that they can come to life.

Dance With Me [II]: Embracing Change

2010-05-18T11:04:00.001+08:00

One of my team mates at dance has quit the team – just this evening.

People come and go so this is fine except for the fact that the choreography and formations would have be adjusted to fit seven bodies instead of eight and we have five working days and two rehearsals till show-time and guess who would be bearing the bulk of the changes?

Lucky me :)

Now, the good thing about this is that I am a late entrant – whilst the rest started with the choreography since January, I joined in only after my return from Shanghai in late March. Which means what I’d learnt has been in my muscle memory only for about six weeks (versus their 20) so I can always unlearn and relearn. The short time frame is challenging but it is achievable.

I figured that it really is about sizing up the situation, understanding the loss curve, dealing with uncertainty and most importantly, embracing change.

Throughout the two hours today, most of us landed up at different corners of the stage from where we were told we should end up originally. In other words – CHAOS.

But we stayed nimble, made necessary adjustments, compromised on our respective positions, re-aligned ourselves and ta-da! At the end of 120 minutes, it all seemed to have worked itself out. The key takeaways:-

1) Ego: Respect the leader (there can be only one since too many cooks spoil the broth) and know that it is about esprit de corps
2) Listen: Open up your mind (and ears) to grasp the big idea so you can execute your role properly
3) Space: Respect the other person’s space so that you can co-exist in peace on stage
4) Courage: Have the guts to tell yourself that you can take on any challenges (and changes)
5) Agility: Have the flexibility to unlearn and relearn at short notice
6) Passion: need I say more?

I never understood why dance has never been considered a team activity in the corporate arena because every single dancer (be it amateur or professional) worth their salt knows that in a full on choreo, you can only be as good as the next person – any body/ bodies out of sync would ruin one good piece of performing art.

It’s funny how these dance anecdotes dawned upon me only in recent years. Someone once told me that I am a very late bloomer but 24 years is stretching it a bit.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to get the 60% change in my choreo and new positionings into thy system by noon on Saturday!

Tell me to break a leg!

Kindred Spirits | Light | Life | Public Relations

2010-05-12T11:10:00.000+08:00

This is not meant to be a cryptic post but it is going to seem like it is because I am going to allow my thoughts to flow today.

Contrary to popular belief, the role of a comms manager is not a bed of roses. Comms/ PR or whatever you know and understand of my profession is not about looking good and shaking hands. It is a job that requires professionals with resilience to deal with things and situations at all levels; from high (strategic) to mid (task and execution) to low (getting your hands dirty to get something done - this includes crawling on all fours). Coming from a country that is big on education, I feel that it is important for this to be a preamble.

After going through a bizarre two months, I got to talking about the phrase, "surrounded yet alone" with my girlfriend today. Anything that you could imagine that could cross my life took place in the last two months. Without going into more detail, I will zoom in on this week, which consists of:-
1) system crashing when typing in Chinese
2) dealing with clueless and strange people (if you factor in egos, it's double the pain)
3) meeting tight deadlines
4) vertigo (the non-blonde way of saying "*faintz*")
5) last minute concalls

It's tough and I find it hard to explain to people, even to my very patient lunch partners about what I have to deal with. But then again, every job has its challenges :)

I took a train home with my gal pal today, after having to ignore my gal pals for an hour due to a concall that I got to know about at the eleventh hour, I had to explain what transpired in the last few weeks. When I got off at my regular train stop, it was raining cats and dogs. So, instead of taking my regular solitary walk, I meandered to the cab queue and waited. I patiently waited... and after three cabs passed and being in the queue for a good half an hour, I decided to start a conversation with the girl next in line.

My opening:-

"Hi, are you staying in the East? If so, we should consider sharing a cab since they are taking a loooooooong time to arrive"

she said, "yes. I am staying at xxxx"

which is the condo opposite mine.

so we got to talking. She thought that I was in law (I was in my signature black) and I thought the same of her and we happen to be the same age and in the same profession (and situation), managing the same region. *very bizarre*

So for the next half an hour, we shared work woes, industry sentiments and for the first time in eight weeks, I realised that I am not alone!

Perhaps it is God's way of telling me that He is beside me every step of the way but I was almost in tears when we both agreed that the best five minutes of a work day are the five minutes spent writing on and sealing an envelope because it is so brainless.

I thank God that I have a community and even though I may not meet them at work, at least I meet my comrades in taxi queues.

So yes, I now have a neighbour who jogs the same route (though she has much more stamina), who has common friends with me, grew up in the same neighbourhood in the Eastern side of Singapore with me and is able to share my work woes.

Like me, Like me.

What a great way to seal the mid-week.

Dance With Me [I]: Keep Moving

2010-04-07T00:17:00.002+08:00

I recall the first time I was told to go across the floor. I was a wee child of about eight. the music was fast and the dance hall was huge. The task was daunting but I knew that I had to move along or hold everybody else back.

Not a natural, I hated dancing at that age but if there was anything that dance taught me, it's about pushing through with what you loath, falling into familiar rhythm, locking it into muscle memory and spinning lithely around every obstacle that's in your path.

My love-hate relationship (mostly love) with dance has gone on for 24 years and anyone who has gone through formal dance training would be able to empathise with getting bruised and broken along the way. I found myself flat on the butt doing tours en l'airs many times and I can never ever seem to perform an axel jump without feeling the fear of falling (I still can't do the axel). I recall hearing my own hamstring tear like a broken guitar string once whilst I did a split and felt my own blood drain.

Like every dancer, both pro and amateur, I give myself the permission to keep trying. It's not about making the same mistakes again and again but to keep reminding myself that it is alright to make mistakes, plunge, pick myself up again, fall back into rhythm and be tougher than before.

The idea is to keep moving, be it forward or sideways. Sometimes, one may even err by taking one step forward and two steps back. But still, we move with the music because motion can alter the mind and sometimes, motion can also make one feel better about the unavoidable missteps of life.

There Is Season For Everything...

2010-03-18T19:49:00.001+08:00

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Strength

2010-03-12T11:40:00.003+08:00

Some weeks back, I wrote about my late mother. April 19 this year would have been the tenth anniversary of her death.

I'd always envied my friends and people around me who still have their parents around still.

God works in strange ways sometimes. I took a trip back to the land of my alma mater, Melbourne last August, to visit friends and my aunt, who is more like a second mother to me. The desire to go back to my second home was always there but I'd found numerous excuses not to return in the last six years, citing work load and lack of leave as excuses. But I was glad that I made the trip back and spent some time with my aunt for this morning, I'd just received the news that she's been sent for tests for possible cancer of the pancreas.

Being a process driven person, my initial reaction was to tell her not to panic. But knowing me so well, she actually told me NOT to panic and to pray for her, to have faith and - never to underestimate the power of prayer and faith. The women in my family are indeed tough.

I hope that I can be as strong as all of them.

Ps. Please keep her in your prayers.

Revisit

2010-03-12T11:36:00.002+08:00

It's been about two years since I lost my inaugural blog. The first Yellow Canaries blog was about three years old before I accidently deleted all of its contents. I do miss my old blog, which started off as a travel diary of sorts.

On the bright side, it's not a bad thing, for the old blog was full of negative memories and I am quite determined to keep this one positive and honest.

I Choose To Be Happy

2010-02-28T12:35:00.002+08:00

It's been about four years since I'd last stepped into a pair of bindings in attempt to manoeuvre the wakes and daunting rollers in the sea.

Once upon a time, I’d never have dared to venture out at such short notice. But that once upon a time was part of a lifetime long gone and today I embraced the sun, sea (and rollers) with an open heart. Today, as I sat at the marina and gazed up at the cotton-like clouds set against the clear blue sky, as I soaked in the sun and the warm sea breeze, I felt very lucky, very alive and very very free.

It was an “a-ha” moment, a moment of realisation. That my life is good – I am not a woman caught in war in Afghanistan, not a woman who lives in a country with socio-economic situation that does not allow equal opportunities. I have been fortunate. I am a woman with choices.

Today is the day that I give thanks for life and for everyone, every incident – the negative, positive and neutral – that shaped me into the person I am today.

I still can’t swim, but I dare say that I’d once been crazy about wakeboarding and had tried most of the surface tricks that I could manage and because of the invention of snug life-vests, I’d been fortunate enough not to drown while I marvelled at sea creatures while I snorkelled.

It's taken me many years but I now understand – that happiness is a choice.

I choose to be happy.

A Note From My Mother's Daughter

2010-01-12T23:06:00.000+08:00

In the blink of an eye, a decade has passed

April 2010 would mark the tenth year since I saw you last

You have influenced me much of my life, through my growing years, my terrible teens and as a young adult, you’d seen me with a mortar board on my head

I’d missed you so, as 520 weeks passed and I wished you were around, to watch me grow, into the person you’d always wanted me to be – focused and tough, one whom no man would now dare rough

Some mornings I awake, to hear a faint voice in my head, one that sounds just like the sing-song drawl of your voice hollering my name – to get up, get set and seize the day

I’d pass your old Singer, parked at a corner, of the home you’d created and wonder if I’d ever have your talent to plan, cut, sew and put things together in such patient manner

When problems arise and I need a sounding board, how often I wished I still have you here

If there ever is a virtual world, up where you now reside, I hope that this reaches you to let you know how much I miss you...

Sing Sing Sing!

2009-12-06T22:31:00.000+08:00

The debut of my new Jazz shoes :)

Lessons from My Family

2009-11-01T22:33:00.003+08:00

I am the epitomy of a cultural hybrid - Chinese thoughts, Western ed. Someone who barely spoke a word of English until I turned eight. These are the lessons that my family, including my parents, who are Chinese educated through and through, taught me:-

Lessons from my father:-

1) You can scrimp on anything except food and footwear - they help you go the extra mile.

2) Be a good judge of character; choose the right people, use them right and treat them well so their hearts stay in the right place.

3) Never let me hear you say that you need to depend on a man. It defeats the purpose of money spent giving you an education

4) A man needs to have drive

5) Marry your own kind, for you will share a common background (sure dad, if I can find one)

6) I'd rather teach you how to fish than provide you with fish everyday

7) Commenting on cosmetics:- Beauty is but skin deep. Colour comes from character

8) Always give an elder a red packet. It warms their heart.

9) Told to me in 1993, when I was 16: "I am sending you back to the village in China so that you can learn about your heritage"

10) Told to me in 1987 in Katong: "These are Peranakan houses. I am showing them to you so that you know that these are part of your lineage. Never forget your roots"

Lessons from my late mother:-

1) If you want to be upset over a boy, I will get you married off straightaway. There is no point in giving you an education

2) Never judge another person until you turn 40 (this is one lesson I haven't learned).

3) If the task on hand is hard, take it one step at a time. You will get there

4) You had insomnia last night? No problem. At least you slept for a couple of hours

5) Never break a promise. Your word is your bond

6) Take care of other people's property when they are in your hands

7) Never dress over the top. It's pretentious

8) Bear in mind that 'money can never buy class'

Lessons from my Grandma (the Bibik):-

1) Why bother marrying young? Ever heard of the word "problem"?

2) Gay? So what? He is still blood!

3) Commenting on a sequinned tube top I picked up at Tangs: "Nice! go try!"

4) Travel while you are still young. Money can be earned. Learning and experiences are what money cannot buy.

Lessons from my sister:-

1) You need to consider if you can wake up next to this person for the rest of your life

2) Being opinionated runs in the family (this, I must agree)

Fair to Cry Unfair

2009-10-24T23:09:00.001+08:00

Life is not fair. That is the truth.
Slap me hard on the head and remind me not to muse.
Life is unfair. Something dear gets wrenched from you.
A lesson to remind me to stay on my toes.
Life is never fair. That much I know.
For that is one lesson that I have lived thru.
Life is sometimes fair. That I am aware.
But only when I have no grievances to bare.
What’s fair, what’s square, what do I do?
Live with it, get bashed by it, go with the flow.
Going against the tide may just acquire you more woes.

Tribal Beat

2009-10-07T00:44:00.000+08:00

I'd just watched FAME and I love this!

On Locks and Bobs - The Sequel

2009-10-04T19:32:00.003+08:00

I chopped off the locks that have defined me all my life - at least most of it. The irony was that, even the stylist, famed for shaping bobs, tried to deter me from severing all ties with my long tresses at the start.

"I want a change". I said, as I looked at him.

"Deal. But maybe not that short", was his response.

As he worked his magic scissors on my mane, I stared at the locks that fell around the salon chair and took a walk down memory lane. I thought about the waist-length hair that I wore till I turned 14 and the disastrous bob that I acquired when I turned 17.

Now, one decade and a tad bit later, I am wearing a wavy bob - something that is fairly high maintenance considering how laid-back I am when it comes to styling. Case in point, the said stylist was midway through teaching me how to use hair-tongs to tame my wild tresses when it dawned on him to ask, "do you own one of these?", he said as he pointed to the iron rod he was using to whip my wild mane into shape.

The reply is of course negative. I don't own any mascara, not to mention hair styling equipment!

Stepping into the salon at Pacific Plaza today was part of my first foray into personal change management. It's less about the mane and what it does to my overall look but I reckoned it’s more to do with how I feel about myself.

And the good news is, I still love me! Regardless of hair length and style! And that, in the grand scheme of things, is what matters.

My Dance Performances

2009-09-27T23:14:00.002+08:00

Dec 2007 Merengue by Andy Suarez

May 2009 Broadway Jazz - A Medly from Chicago, West Side Story and Chorus Line By Bill Calhoun

On Locks and Bobs

2009-09-23T01:21:00.005+08:00

And so, I keep thinking about the bob that I never had. The bob that I'd first aspired to mould the mess of quasi-hay that grows at the top of my head into something I once seen on this gorgeous, confident girl grooving to Pet Shop Boys at a Fire tea dance in 1994 - the days when baby doll dresses + doc mart's combo actually worked.

So yes, I have been deliberating about the said bob for more than a decade and even though I have been known to go into short bouts of analysis about things that matter to me, the bob is one that has withstood the tests of time.

The reasons are simple. I am a creature of habit and wearing a bob may suit me for a couple of days but at the end, I weigh the inconvenience of not having tresses to tie back into a neat ponytail when I am working out, when I am doing my dance routine. I think about the lack of length to curls my fingers around and play with whilst I ponder over an issue, or having the option of sweeping my crowning glory back into a neat little bun when the testosterones take charge and command that I dress to feel sleek and professional.

The boring black-brown locks that I own may have stuck with me for more than half my life but they epitomise me - they curl in all directions when I am stressed at work, they tame to perfection when I am in cold climate and they bounce into happy curls of anticipation whenever I am all dolled up for a big do.

My locks define me. The bob, is still a distant acquaintance.

Fun and Spontaneity

2009-09-17T01:46:00.001+08:00

Overhead, also kept in mind:-

Fun is Adventure, Not Binges. Real fun, is found in spontaneous adventures, not just staring at the TV or getting hammered. Unfortunately it is a lot easier to get drunk than to have a genuinely fun time.

A Mental Note

2009-09-17T00:42:00.003+08:00

Overheard, kept in mind: When it comes to overcoming life's obstacles, one needs to make a commitment. Sometimes, there is an advantage to burning one’s bridges. If there is no turning back, if you have no other way but forward, then you are left with no other choice but to take the first step, and then the second and the third until you reach the finish line.

Now and Then

2009-08-22T00:24:00.002+08:00

Youth... new skin, wide smiles, clear eyes... the future's so bright. If only we could bottle it, sip it now and again, and stay forever twenty-one, forever ten, forever five.

I liked being 21 but I like myself much better now :)

Nougatine

2009-08-16T15:54:00.005+08:00

Everytime I return from Melbourne, the land where I'd first learnt to have positive dreams, I have to tear myself away. I fell into a deep, long, dreamless sleep right after I returned home.

So much has changed. Federation Square was ground zero when I was a student. Docklands never existed. Melbourne Central looked totally different. Fun Factory, Legends and Charltons (all now defunct) were the coolest places to play pool in my day and Asian nights were commonplace. Today, the city is plagued by violence and most of my friends whom I used to hang out with are married with families.

Armed with a copy of Cosmopolitan and Madison on the plane ride home, It sparked me to think that perhaps I was never meant to play Happy Families. The movies that made me tick are still in the same league - vague, with bitter-sweet after-taste. I watched Love Connected, Eat a Cup of Tea, Wolverine the Origin, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past on the plane. Bliss...

In another ten years, all would be different again. Perhaps, it is time I grew up too...

Lessons From MJ (From My Corner of the World)

2009-07-10T23:48:00.000+08:00

If Helen of Troy was the face that launched a thousand ships, then the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson must be the face that touched millions of hearts. Born in Gary, Indiana, Michael was part of the Jackson Five where he sang alongside his brothers in small gigs. He went solo at the age of 13. Many have spoken about the presumably defining factors which charted his success in the entertainment world, factors such as his versatility, his stage presence and his father, who had influenced Jackson, since young to perform.

Jackson’s fame was attributed to the simple fact that he dared to be different, and stood out in an era where black American artistes were not as common yet. The gloved one had first mover advantage – simply by not conforming, he’d positioned himself away from others. Like the concept derived from the Blue Ocean Strategy, Jackson competed in an uncontested space where there were no precedence or rules. He thus created a path for other music artistes to follow.

The Guinness Book of World Records listed Jackson as the King of Charities, with donations made to 39 international charitable organizations. He was not a campaigner of causes but he led by example and made headlines unknowingly.

Even though the magnitude of his fame was unprecedented, he was someone with a vision. A year after the release of chart-topping hit, Thriller, Michael signed a groundbreaking deal with PepsiCo. The choice of a new generation was unveiled and the visionary in Jackson ensured that he was involved in every step of the campaign – from jingles, location to choreography on set. PepsiCo’s integrated marketing campaign was such a roaring success that it set the benchmark for such agreements that followed for other artistes. Jackson was a clear leader and a visionary and that, turned him into an entertainment luminary.

My Lessons From MJ

Build A Very Loyal Audience - No one had a more loyal following and audience than the King of Pop. Across the world Michael Jackson built a following that never went away no matter what happened – even during his highly publicized trials.

Position Thyself - Elvis was already the King. Thus Michael assumed the position of King of Pop

Dare To Be Different - In addition to his signature, crotch-grabbing move, Michael was also known for other simple but unique stunts. When Jackson first performed the moon walk, he electrified the world. The move later became the talk of the world for a long time and was taught in dance studios to new generations of dancers even decades after. Do not be afraid to stand out from the crowd.

Ownership - It's important to own something that is truly, only yours. Jackson owned the famous moonwalk, the robot, The crotch-grab and Neverland. These, will forever remain his signatures.

Pushing the Envelope - Jackson was never trained as a dancer but he pushed the envelope and kept improving his craft. Till this day (and I am assuming many decades after), trained dancers are paying to learn his moves in class.

Constantly Reinvent and Innovate - Keep your brand image fresh with new ideas. Michael Jackson did that with his music and videos. He was constantly changing his image and set the trend with little signature details – such as his single gloved hand, gravity boots and military inspired jacket. Take the lead when no one else dares.

As the whole world mourns his death, I will always remember the lessons I'd learnt from the greatest pop star (of all time) that's gone too soon.

The below... is one of my personal favourites

R.I.P

2009-07-08T21:16:00.000+08:00

I have feeling that other than the folks in communist china and myself, everyone grew up with Michael Jackson. But I was glad to have caught glimpses of him when I was a teenager and if there's anything that I can identify about him, it's the concept of the Peter Pan Syndrome

I first heard his daughter's heartbreaking spiel on the radio this morning and later in the evening I saw this and have decided to dedicated this post to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

It's a pity that a star is gone but a million hearts must have shone when he was born.

RIP, MJ

Don't Malign Us

2009-07-01T22:31:00.001+08:00

I was on my way to my fitness class at Somerset this evening when I spotted a tudung-clad lady walking into a wall. I later realised that she was feeling her way about with a walking stick. She was blind. I approached her and asked her where she was headed for and she told me that she was trying to get to the train station. I offered to walk her there even though I was going the opposite direction.

What really surprised me was when she asked if I was headed for the station. She was very considerate. I told her that I wasn’t but was happy to walk her there – it’s just across the road anyway. Unbeknownst to us, someone else lurking in the crowd was actually keeping an eye out for her as well. A young, bespectacled lady who couldn’t be more than 20 spoke up and said, “I am going towards that direction. Let me guide her there”. I felt an immense sense of pride then - the spirit of universal sisterhood. But it's more than that.

When we read the forum pages, when we hear our own countrymen and countrywomen speak about Singaporeans, they keep coining us as “ugly”. What’s so ugly about kindness that sprouts up when one least expects it? Case in point, in the middle of the ever-crowded streets of Orchard, there were two souls who readily came forward to help another fellow Singaporean – regardless of race or religion (we speak the same language). Yes, we don’t (I don’t at least) smile very much, but that doesn’t mean that there is no joy in our lives. I smile with my eyes, I enjoy feasting on the sights that I see when I take the bus, I spot specks and flashes of happy colours in the concrete jungle that I live in. And I am Singaporean.

I once heard a Caucasian lady in my dance class repeat after a fellow classmate, “On the fan la. That is so Singaporean”. I turned around to correct her by telling her that the said classmate’s Malaysian. My point being, I am Singaporean, I am proud of my education and the way that I was brought up to speak properly, in complete sentences.

Years ago, I worked under a Singaporean lady boss who used to wrinkle up her nose in mock disgust whilst telling our Aussie (Caucasian) client, “Singaporeans always drink warm water”. I promptly asked for a glass of warm water for myself at the F&B outlet. I see nothing wrong in drinking warm water. It soothes me.

The point I am trying to make is, we are all ambassadors of our firms, our alma maters, our associations. What’s wrong in making the effort to be ambassadors of our own country? I am not extremely patriotic but I refuse to let others brand us (brand me) unjustly.

Altruism does exist. Therefore, don’t malign (us) me!

Quotes

2009-06-23T21:04:00.001+08:00

I love a good story. But I love good stories with learnings that touch the heart even more.

Here are some quotes to share from my favourite book, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

With reference to August's pink house in the Secret Life of Bees...
"You know, some things don't matter that much. Like the colour of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart - now, that matters"

With reference to Zachary's angst after being arrested along with the rest of the coloured boys...
"Those boys that made me wear the fish - they were angry like that too. Angry at the world and it made them mean."

With reference to Lily's lack of maternal guidance and love...
"I go back to that one moment when I stood in the driveway with small rocks and clumps of dirt around my feet and looked back at the porch. And there they were, All these mothers, I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street. They are moons shining over me"

With reference to bees and having them within your proximity...

"Send them love..."

~ The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd

I think there hasn't been a book that has touched me the way that this one has. In one novel, I had been made to think about my (lack of) maternal instincts, how I'd always been trying to stay the way I am, not wanting to leave my nest and start my own. I seldom say this but I do love this book.

Escapism

2009-06-18T01:07:00.000+08:00

This was what I had my nose in for last few days

A-Gender

2009-06-15T23:20:00.000+08:00

I lost my voice on my 32nd birthday and now sound neither male nor female.

What's hilarious was that I had to make a call to one of the editors of a Thai daily and since it was my first time speaking with him, he couldn't make out whether I was male or female either!

Hols!

2009-06-14T22:06:00.000+08:00

So much has transpired in the last few months. All good things of course.

I turned a year older on Thursday and even though I still feel 25 inside, I cannot deny that I am indeed getting more wrinkled. I bought my soul a present by taking a trip to Phuket and Phi Phi Island and tried snorkelling for the first time in my life. Very fun. Some pictures to share

Me on Phi Phi Island!

I wanna go back!

The boat that got me so sea-sick that I actually tried to snorkel and fell in love with the waters

Check out the waters

Thank You...

2009-05-25T00:37:00.001+08:00

I'd finally worn out my jazz shoes... goodbye, my precious... thanks for serving me so well for the past decade.

寂寞的人生路

2009-05-20T21:01:00.000+08:00

人生，其实像一条从宽阔的平原走进森林的路。在平原上同伴可以结伙而行，欢乐地前推后挤、相濡以沫；一旦进入森林，草丛和荆棘挡路，各人专心走各人的路，寻找各人的方向，那推推挤挤的群体情感，那无忧无虑无猜忌的同侪深情，在人的一生中也只有少年期有。离开这段纯洁而明亮的阶段，路其实可能愈走愈孤独。你将被家庭羁绊，被责任捆绑，被自己的野心套牢，被人生的复杂和矛盾压抑，你往丛林深处走去，愈走愈深，不复再有阳光似的伙伴。到了熟透的年龄，即使在群众的怀抱中，你都可能觉得寂寞无比.

《亲爱的安德烈》
龙应台，作家

My Week

2009-05-02T23:28:00.000+08:00

there are days where I would rather write. I love writing. Possibly because I am not good at expressing myself by nature. I was once good in math and science too you know and always would like to think that I am slightly above average.

I had a tremendously busy week. I had to juggle some strange admin/ technical people and co-workers at work and get a presentation together. In addition to that my global CEO was in town and I had all these media dramas to take care of. It's a wierd week. A week where I wouldn't mind getting perpetually sloshed just so that I can get a good night's rest without waking up in the wee hours of the night in panic.

The week ended well, with little drama and most went home happy. Thanks to my boss, who did his magic tricks with my slides, I wasn't the cause of anyone's snoring in the middle the conference presentation.

I ended off with this, which sort of sums up and justifies my being... I'm loving it so much that I thought I should share this here.

Niarb Aep

2009-05-01T17:55:00.000+08:00

Which is worse?
1) A small minded man
2) A man with half a brain

A Thousand Miles

2009-04-27T03:05:00.000+08:00

Tonight's one of those night where I just could not get to sleep. I might be mulling through the presentation which I need to submit by tomorrow.

I was so stressed that I went for a walkabout today and found this card with the inscriptions that was my late mother's mantra to me when I was younger...

"A journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step"

Run Forrest! Run!

2009-04-25T18:21:00.000+08:00

I signed up for my first Shape Run today!

Following The Wrong God Home

2009-04-16T00:49:00.000+08:00

I'd recently unearthed an old blog entry from three years back. That was a defining year of my life, a year when I realised that dreams really don't come true...

***********
Followed the Wrong God Home?
December 20, 2006

I’d always loved to read… and today, sick in bed, I started to read Catherine Lim’s new novel, "Following the Wrong God Home".

Late last year, I bumped into her, Catherine Lim, at Orchard Cineleisure as we were waiting to see the same movie - Perhaps Love. Unabashed, I walked up to say hi, introduced myself and told her how much I’d loved her works - from the Song of Silver Frond to the Bondmaid, Her imagination, vivid descriptions and how intricately she’d weave the lives of her characters together in every story - though the concept of how a man and a woman can fall in love in three meetings is beyond me.

Following the Wrong God Home struck a chord in me and if you are a woman, around my age, at the crossroads of your life, it would reach out to you as well. Yin Ling, a young graduate was torn between marrying Vincent Chee, a rising political star and an idealistic American lecturer, Ben. She’s torn between love and debt as coming from a poor family, Vincent had provided for her and for her family, making their lives in a small flat as confortable as possible with gifts of air-conditioning, standing fan, etc etc. He’d even paid for her old servant’s hefty medical bills. While Ben, the American lecturer, vocal and a rebel was on the verge of being sacked by the University.

Any girl in the right frame of mind would agree that Vincent is the right choice. Which girl would be mad enough to say no to a life where everything is provided for, where she can then focus on bringing up a family and live a life where she doesn’t have to worry about the rising cost of living?

But of course, following one’s heart and listening to one’s mind is very different. For by following the heart, it allows one to feel every beat, every soar and dip in emotions, one can even hear the heart sing sometimes. Listening to logic is perhaps, like listening to rhetoric - doing what’s deemed correct but perhaps not what makes the heart happy.

Which is right? Which is wrong? I have no idea. For most days, I bury myself in a flurry of work and social activities, just so that I do not think and perhaps try my best not to feel. But it is not easy, when you are stuck in bed, like me today, with a book and a night full of dreams and imageries from the past and wondering where everyone’s gone, how everything’s changed and realising that time has passed, so quickly, without me knowing…

In retrospect, I think I have always followed my heart but perhaps at life’s crossroads, I should perhaps follow my logic - but in the story’s context, am I following the right God?

"The four chambers of the heart were meant to serve the different needs: two to beat to necessity’s tempo, two to love’s"

- Following the Wrong God Home, C. Lim

My Mother, She lives through us...

2009-04-15T02:59:00.000+08:00

My sister's wise words to me on our mother's death:-

when mummy passed away, ah yi said, "When you're embarking on a journey of life, you can't be carrying all the baggage of burdens all the time. When it's time to let go, let go."

Inspiration In Transit

2009-04-05T13:12:00.001+08:00

I love taking buses. To me bus rides are a treat - for they give me the opportunity to zone out, reflect, read, check and reply my messages. I saw this when I was on the bus today, on one of those TV mobile platforms (or whatever you call them). I reminded myself to count my blessings and decided to park this here.

***
BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

Colour Me Rainbow!

2009-04-01T22:28:00.001+08:00

I am addicted to shopping. No, this has nothing to do with the influence of Confessions of a Shopaholic nor the rest of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series.

It's gotta do with the fact that me - the laggard - has finally succumbed to consumerism.

The thrill of finding a great bargain:
1) floral tube dress for S$20
2) kimono dress for S$15
3) whimsical necklaces at S$10 a piece
4) retro looking belts for S$5 each

I added five new dresses, three new belts, a pair of new earrings and some other knick knacks for less than S$200 in the past two weeks.

Pictures up later.

I Choose

2009-03-22T11:42:00.000+08:00

I choose to be happy

I choose to eliminate all people and things that result in negativity from my life.

Happenings

2009-03-17T00:02:00.000+08:00

I spent the weekend working on a pitch project with my boss and teammate, amongst others and didn't end up at home until 6 am on Monday morning. No shit.

However I must say that I am beginning to enjoy my new playground. My colleagues are wonderful, full of consideration for people. They have their quirks too for sure but in all honesty, my new work place feels like one big family. For once, I am a happy worker.

Thus boss dearest gave me a day off and I went for a two hour massage where this strange lady therapist read my fortune and soothed my achy breaky back at the same time! How strange right? But I am starting to get used to it... for the past 31 years, strange things usually happen to me - but then again, it gives me conversation fodder! After which, my sister and I darted in to our fav shopping haunt and bought, between us two, 5 tops, one pair of stockings and a dress. So yes, it's been great.

Great - save for the usual weekly fights, quarrels and petty walk aways. Sigh, at least they always end up making me feel more like the real man!

My Week

2009-03-14T12:24:00.000+08:00

It's been a rather crazy week but I managed to accomplish a lot:-
1) Finished a rather dark, distubing chick lit entitled, "The 2nd Husband". Story surrounds a mother, her teenage daughter and a new good looking male lodger. Need I say more?...
2) Tried (finally) Double Bay, the new aussie joint at Raffles City and had the most gorgeous fish and chips on the planet. I love the Cod with Beer Batter
3) Painted my toenails purple... Yes, it's an OPI colour too!
4) Ate dinner with Mo at Great Wall congee

Jazz class starts today. yippee-dee-do.

What A Week

2009-03-08T22:54:00.002+08:00

It's been a tiring week. Within the past seven days, I'd managed to:-
1) Appear on the cover page of the national newspaper

2) Set up stall at a bazaar and sold most of the bags I own at dirt cheap price (yay! more bag shopping for the bag hag)

3) Watched a feminist documentary - "We Love Roses Too". Thanks to Mau, BB and I managed to catch this Italian documentary - part of the Indie Film Fest. It reminded me of the stuff we had to watch in Uni as part of our coursework (case in point, never let your daughter study arts in a western environment. They'll make her watch and read feminist stuff)

Musings

2009-02-28T20:46:00.000+08:00

Cas, the character in Game Over's planning her wedding. Like her, I had never given a thought about weddings, not even when I was a wee child. Reading this made me think about how I'd want mine when the time comes. Here are my initial thoughts:-

When
June (It's summer and the time of the year when I was born)

Colour
Sunshine yellow or blue and silver (with silver bells)

Where
Somewhere outdoors, with a big, huge white tent and proper wood flooring so that high-heels won't sink into the the ground.

What
Intimate and exclusive. Either canapes or sit-down, with a kids section (a clown perhaps) so that children are entertained

String-quartet or a singing trio that goes around to clusters of guests to belt out upbeat tunes to lift spirits (generates good ch'i)

Good host with great humour and strong presence to work the room (a male perhaps, like Vernon A)

Favours
Something Asian and pseudo-traditional... such as five-stones in a pretty mesh bag or fortune-cookies in a ketupat case

Attire
If I strike lottery, something from Kai (I like his style and he is very very patient) - perhaps a themed dress or something to reflect my peranakan roots

Music
The musical trio or quartet should suffice but in the event that it doesn't, the background music should be jazzy and quasi-oriental. Like "ye shanghai" with a twist.

Entertainment
A tune or two by my former housemate, who is a trained singer. And my many friends to make short speeches

Honeymoon
But of course since it is me, I may just run away and do without the whole works. But it has to be a cool-climate, romantic venue, such as Paris or Switzerland

What's On...

2009-02-28T12:16:00.001+08:00

My current addictionI like Parks. She develops characters whom I can so identify with. In this instance, I feel like Cas, a stone-hearted, commitment-phobe woman.

New Finds!

2009-02-26T22:50:00.000+08:00

On Make-up
I am not a big fan of liquid eyeliners as I am terrified of the dye contaminating my contacts. However, since I have embarked on my new fitness regime this week, I was inspired to try on the new smudge-proof liquid eyeliner that Mau, Pam and Moninet got me last Christmas from Sasa (it's called Maxigrade and the packaging comes with a whole mumbo jumbo of Japanese which I can't comprehend). I am pleased to say that it survived the rain and a strenuous workout! Hurrah to a great product find =)

Gastronomical Finds
In addition, I had a media lunch today at OTTO, a fairly new Italian joint at the Red Dot and had a fantabulous time catching up with an old editorial contact. Since it was an official lunch, with my ED in tow, there was no way I could whip out my camera to snap pictures of the food but for its price, it was a really scrumptuous fare. The portions were just right for a four course meal.
I had the prawns for starters, fish as main and the banana for dessert. I was a good girl - I chose my food with thought =)

On Thoughts
Having spent my entire working career selling profiles to the media, an old editorial contact of mine called last week to ask if I could do an interview on positive thoughts during these turbulent times. I paused for a bit before agreeing. It was an interesting experience, to be on the other side and to be queried on my thoughts and take on life.

Even the photoshoot was fun, with the photographer coaxing me to step amongst the flora and fauna in the middle of Shenton Way and "look up in hopefulness to the sky". Hur hur.

Rat-tat-too-eek!

2009-02-24T22:30:00.001+08:00

After fooling around my my sister's new mac, she decided to snap a candid shot of Scruffy, the latest addition to the rat pack

The existing rat wannabe decides to fight for the limelight

Life Is Good

2009-02-23T21:49:00.001+08:00

Two weeks into my new job and I fell dreadfully ill! Must be due to all that excitement and built-up. Six whole weeks of no work done was bliss and I am still trying to get adjusted to the wake-up-at-7.30-brush-teeth-wash-face-go-to-work routine. I am missing Thailand, Taiwan and even done-to-death Bintan.

But on the bright side - yes, yes, I have new-found positivity these days. I am happily employed (hurrah!) and I have a very nice boss (double hurrah!) who doesn't hover around me nor bothers about my step-by-step processes (triple hurrah!). But as I was sharing with my ex-colleague, Mou, over FB earlier, I am just super glad that I don't have to do the horrid monthly cost centre management - the much dreaded LEAP (Latest Estimates) and CC-tools (personnel costings) - all of which closes when our dear old HQ colleagues decide to balek kampong. Bleh.

For the first time, I must say that I am leading a very normal, borderline blissful office life. Yea... you must wonder about the type of life I'd been leading over the past ten years. I have a nice lady colleague who is from HK (let's call her V) who is my unofficial lunch kaki and a fantastic IT guru who sits beside me (let's call him C) who patiently fields all my strange IT requests and queries. I smell some politics and I recognise them but as I always do, I refused to get entangled in the web of bleakness and fall prey to their bitchiness (and yes, the women are always on the large side). I want a good night's rest =)

I am doing the stuff that makes me happy out of work and my boss leaves me to turn around press releases and articles on a day-to-day basis (what more can a gal ask for?). I love to write and I am now paid to write daily. Life is bliss =)

Loooong Day

2009-02-10T23:27:00.001+08:00

After having not worked for six weeks, today's a considerable long day for me. Whilst I must say that the majority of the population at my new office is rather nice, I have also realised that there are people who are highly political and underhanded. Not sure who I'd offended but safe to say, my folder in the common drive mysteriously disappeared after my first day.

hmmm...

Far Far Away...

2009-02-09T00:18:00.000+08:00

I spotted an ex colleague online earlier - obviously still hard at work on a Monday morning at 1 am. It reminded me of my old life - which now feels very far away...

All Good Things Come To An End

2009-02-08T00:13:00.001+08:00

I have been an official bum for the past six weeks. And I must say that it feels really good waking up in the late mornings and having nothing to stress about for the rest of the day. But of course, all good things have to come to an end and I will be starting work again next Monday. It'll be a fresh change and I hope that I made the right choice.

Here's a brief of what I'd been up to for the past six weeks:-
1) Travelled to Thailand, did loads of Thai massage and took a cooking course in Bangkok.
2) Flew to Chiangmai and rode elephants
3) Visited Taiwan with my 78 year old grandma and made some great friends along the way
4) Did a bit of soul searching and made peace with myself and people from my past
5) Read loads and loads and loads of books (trash included)
6) Watched Red Cliff at off peak hours with Joanne (the thrill of paying student rates! woo hoo!)
7) Visited Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve for the first time and spotted some real life cranes!
8) Finally visited my dentist (very aptly named Dr Saw) and got my mouth guard sorted (oh! the woes of bruxisum)
9) Painted, cleared my room and rid my life of 20 years worth of junk

You Have Been Tagged

2009-02-05T17:44:00.000+08:00

Once you have been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it is because I want to know more about you. To do this, go to the "notes" tab ( next to "wall, photos," etc.) on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of your note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people and click "publish".

1. I love curry puffs and coffee. They are my ultimate comfort food

2. I learnt Chinese dance for five years when I was a child

3. I play(ed) the piano and managed to pass my theory without ever understanding how to read scores

4. I love chilli red but was told never to wear the colour

5. I ran five clicks straight the year I turned 22

6. I love chick-flicks, chick-lits, movies and stories with a historical backdrop that I understand

7. I own two wardrobes full of nothing to wear

8. I am an owl but aspire to be a lark

9. I am cynical yet trusting. I believe I have good gut instincts about people

10. I was a closet groupie - I once followed a taiwanese pop duo around town when I was 13 and spent a chunk of my pocket money on their cassette tapes and concert tickets

11. I miss my mother's cooking. Especially her double-boiled soups

12. I believe in butterflies and will not settle for anything less

13. I failed my driving test twice before I got third time lucky

14. I have this secret fantasy that I will someday be a very famous dancer. I am just 15 years behind and 10 kg overweight =)

15. I buy too many accessories, handbags and shoes

16. I love books by old school local writers such as Suchen Christine Lim, Adrian Tan, Catherine Lim

17. I learnt how to wakeboard without ever learning how to swim

18. I keep in touch with people whom I'd known since I was in primary school

19. I used to run around Geylang during my PE classes since my alma mater didn't have a running area

20. I once had eight dogs living with me when I was a child and tied ribbons on them to make them look pretty

21. I will sometimes drive out alone for supper just to ponder over my own thoughts

22. I am running out of things to write

23. I have nine unread books piled beside my bed at the moment

24. I still feel 18 even though I am over 30. I believe that my teenage years were the best days of my life

25. I once worked for a pharmaceutical giant and enjoyed my stint there tremendously

Tagged: Moninet, Moments, Rachel, Joanne, Pam, Yuet, Anna and 18 others

The Boomerang Metaphor

2009-02-05T13:52:00.001+08:00

I believe now, that everything you throw out in life comes right back at you...

2009-02-03T00:31:00.000+08:00

True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity, before it is entitled to the appellation.

–George Washington

We Can Only Look Forward

2009-02-02T18:37:00.000+08:00

This has been a really strange week. I have friends whom I haven't met for years getting in touch via phone, facebook and other modern methods and I was reminded of how we met, the encounters, the pleasant and unpleasant experiences and follies of youth.

We are all of course much older, a lot more sensible, less selfish and considerate of others but I am glad that we still get second chances to be friends again. My take is that we make the most mistakes in our teens, we get vain in our 20s and we sit better in our own skins when we reach our 30s. This, can only come out of the mouth of a woman in her 30s.

I am thankful for this opportunity to take a step back, be on my own to soul search for the past six weeks. Good things happen when positivity comes from within...

Over the years, people have shown me kindness, patience and tolerance and through them, I have learnt the same virtues and in many instances, I often wonder if I can give as generously as them. I have fallen hard but yet, many times, when I look up, I see many pairs of helping hands in the faces of these angels whom I have kept as friends. I am indeed blessed.

20 years have passed between...

2009-02-01T23:44:00.000+08:00

The day started with church, followed by a hearty brunch at our end of woods aka East Coast since the entire class of 1989 (graduating class, no less) comprised mainly of proud Easterners. We yakked through our meal and then headed down to our annual gathering at our former Chinese teacher's place in Bishan.

It's been a long long time. 20 years of friendship. Hopefully with more to come.

The start of our two hour girlie brunch, which ended up with us sitting at the balcony, catching up on lost years until dinner time!

The girls get a touch of blessings with lucky cupcakes from Wanjun's mum

Picturesque Taiwan

2009-01-31T21:00:00.000+08:00

These are the long over-due pictures from Taiwan. I must say it's not that far off from the Taiwan of my imagination.

The main island of Taiwan was known as Formosa which means "beautiful island". It is located in East Asia, off the coast of mainland China and is bound to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, to the west by the Taiwan Strait and to the north by the East China Sea - which explains why it was so cold when we visited. The island is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide and consists of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation.

View from the top of Taipei 101

We ate loads and loads of smelly toufu

And salivated in front of old bakery shops in 西門町 specialising in pineapple shortcakes

With sightings of fowl and poultry on the highway

Taiwan is indeed beautiful... I don't mind living there if not for the usage of traditional Chinese

I was very intrigued by the 原住民 or indigenous people in Taiwan. Click here to read more about them. They sell items that are really strange. In Hualien, the Amis tried to sell us deer foetus - claiming that these cure joint aches, pains and asthma.

The Link Between Hope and Love

2009-01-31T19:48:00.000+08:00

Here's what I'd been burying my nose into for the past few days - The Flirt, by Kathleen Tessaro.

Key takeaway:-

The truth is no one ever really falls in love with anyone but themselves. Love is a mirror; a reflective surface projecting who we wish we were. What we're all waiting for is someone to come along who will show us something new about ourselves that we can adore. And then, because someone loves us, in turn, we love ourselves.

~ The Flirt, Kathleen Tessaro

Spa Treatment for the Soul

2009-01-31T19:37:00.001+08:00

It's been about five months since I'd accidently deleted my entries. It says one thing - fatigue causes errors.

Since this is a brand new year, I made a promise to myself to treat myself better.

Here's what I would like to achieve in 2009:-
1) To love and be kinder to thyself
2) To run a marathon (ok... one of those 10 km runs)
3) Take up dance again
4) Buy my own pad