whimzhouse

Back online...

2011-07-10T18:11:00.003+08:00

...Have finally decided to take my blog off the cold storage so it's now back in public domain.

The 'stalker' has since left the company and I don't really care if she reads this anymore. Wherever she is, good luck to you but perhaps you might want to re-think your modus operandi in your new company. You're not doing yourself any favours acting like the world owes you and being a tattle-tale especially when you cannot actually deliver any real work. So, just do yourself (and your son!) a favour and grow up ok?

Updates

2011-07-10T18:03:00.002+08:00

Check out my thoughts on Bersih 2.0 and Today's Worship.

Lazy to re-post :)

Inspiration lost

2011-06-25T23:19:00.002+08:00

I was inspired to blog and update earlier this evening but now at 11.30 at night, I'm suddenly feeling lazy so I guess it'll have to wait....AGAIN :)

Grin and bear!

2011-02-01T00:10:00.002+08:00

While the westerners hate going to weddings and Christmas alone for fear of uncomfortable questions from the relatives, the Chinese person's worse nightmare is during Chinese New Year which is unfortunately round the corner! The Chinese extended family is also much larger than the westerners so imagine the potential minefield we face!

While we were growing up, the 'well-meaning relatives' would always state the obvious - "wow you have grown taller, thinner, fatter etc etc" or they would compare our exam results with that of their kids!

Then it would be, "No boyfriend or girlfriend yet ar?"

When you are seeing someone, the question inevitably turns, "So when getting married ar?"

And now that I'm married, the question for my season is "Still no children ar? When are you having children? You are not young anymore. So and so already have X number of children"

So in preparation for the inevitable, I have come up with several responses when faced with THE question this year :

1. Place my hand dramatically on my forehead and sigh loudly saying, "Don't ask anymore la! It's very hard for us!" Add a crocodile tear, sniffle or both!

2. Ask, "Aunty, got any tips for us ar since you have so many children? Any special positions we should try?"

3. Steer clear of the person and pretend to be busy.

4. Feign indifference and shrug it off.

5. Pretend I have a tummy ache and head to the loo.

6. Say, "Ask God la. When He gives, we will surely take. He don't give, there's nothing we can do right?"

7. Just grin and bear and shuffle quickly to the next set of relatives.

While I'd really like to try 1-5, chances are I'll probably stick to numbers 6 & 7 for fear of offending the relatives. If only they would leave me alone! :(

Oh well, Happy Chinese New Year everyone and wish me luck!

Worship 23rd January

2011-01-23T10:07:00.003+08:00

Psalm 136 brought about these thoughts...

Let God be God
......

When the oceans rise and thunders roar,
I will soar with You above the storm,
Father, You are King over the flood,
I will be still and know You are God.

....

Ev'ry blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in
Lord, still I will say:

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blesses be Your glorious name

.....

Encouraged and reminded of God's love and grace for us. May it be to us as You have willed.

Minta maaf....Siaran tergendala...

2011-01-11T23:18:00.003+08:00

Can't believe I have to take my blogs offline temporarily... no thanks to some psycho snoop who has nothing better to do.*sigh* Drama gilerr... hope this spell doesn't stay long.

Cambodian experience

2010-11-12T13:11:00.002+08:00

Am sitting in the Phnom Penh airport waiting to board the plane to Siem Reap for the tour part of the conference. Last few days has been spent coordinating a conference in Cambodia. The amount of protocol and blatant 'favours' can be quite disheartening but my colleagues who are more seasoned with the Cambodian ways reminds that it is the only way to get things done here. Nonetheless, the event went smoothly with relatively few major hiccups so we are all happy.

Heading to Siem Reap for a tour of Angkor Wat. I wasn't suppose to go coz I wanted to be home to see Gabe off to the airport for his training in US but he's already on the plane as I type. I've just signed myself up for a 4am tour to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat so hopefully it will be worth it! :)

Blogging on my iPod reminds me of our backpacking days when I blogged about our travels on my mobile phone....ahhh good times :)

Invest

2010-10-30T23:42:00.002+08:00

My recent trip to HK was to organise an investment conference and it was jointly organised with Bursa. After months of planning, preparations and numerous changes, it was finally time to execute! And our event was made all the more exciting with news that the Super Typhoon Megi was headed our way. One of my KL colleague sparked off a mini crisis which we had to manage but at the end, everything turned out great and everyone was impressed and happy so it was great news for our team. :) we're still waiting for an 'official' recognition from the bosses and hope it will come. We were however pretty bummed that wehad to forego dinner on an old junk boat because of the weather though I have to say that was prob good for me since I'm not too good with the sea!

I was really happy that it all turned out well because we have all worked so hard and I for one had sleepless nights because of this event. I'm just happy that it's over now and I can take a short break. Fell super sick after the event and am still recovering as I type. This event was a big feather for my cap and I'm glad I got a chance to head this. If I can do this, I'm sure I can handle anything!!! Hehe!!

I was also very much pampered by my colleagues this time round with people buying me breakfast, lunch and dinner... And that always make my day. :) I also enjoyed the deeper relationships forged and the camaraderie with the rest of the team including the regional side. Really feels like I've been in OSK much longer than the 1+ year in actuality!

Well, it will be off to Cambodia next for me. Till then....ta for now!

Unavailable

2010-10-28T23:26:00.002+08:00

So many things have changed,
So many things to share,
But in the end, nothing gets said,
Because you were emotionally unavailable,
And I'm too tired to break through.

:)

2010-10-10T11:32:00.002+08:00

At the event at Fullerton Hotel...

Singapore CEO : Why you miss me so much is it till you have to come down every 3 months to see me?

Me : Yalor, at this rate, I think I should be based in Singapore. Maybe you should consider hiring me?

Singapore CEO : Anytime, the door is always opened and we'll be happy to welcome you.

:)

These are the moments which makes me feel good about myself and my work especially coming from a person who is known to be a tough cookie and has a poker face! ;) I do count my blessings that in the matters of work, I've always been quite blessed with getting good jobs, good bosses and that the doors to all my ex companies are always opened. I guess what they say is true, you do your job well and you will get the recognition you deserve (eventually!).

Coincidentally, I dreamt yesterday that my old boss in Clarins offered me a new job and they were clearing a new space for me... hehehe... too bad I'd have to be back in London for that.

Grow old with you

2010-09-28T08:07:00.002+08:00

Was listening to my iPod on the way to work when Adam Sandler's 'Grow old with you' played. It was from the movie 'The Wedding Singer' and I just smiled when I heard the lyrics. There is just something awfully sweet, sincere and yet at the same time, scary when you think of growing old together with someone. And I always count my blessings on finding someone whom I'm looking forward to growing old with. :)

I leave you with the lyrics of the song that put a smile on my face on this early Tuesday morning.

I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad

Carry you around when your arthritis is bad

Oh all I wanna do is grow old with you

I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches

Build you a fire if the furnace breaks

Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you

I'll miss you

Kiss you

Give you my coat when you are cold

Need you

Feed you

Even let ya hold the remote control

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink

Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink

I could be the man who grows old with you

I wanna grow old with you

tête-à-tête

2010-09-12T11:48:00.004+08:00

I've been traveling quite a bit for work and my most recent trip was to organise a talk by one of our Malaysian ministers to Singaporean fund managers. It was held at hoity-toity Fullerton Singapore and it was a good session.

Night before the event, I had the opportunity to have dinner with the minister together with my other colleagues and man, was he an interesting (+brilliant) guy to talk to. Besides learning about his interest in martial arts, fishing and football, we also found out more about how he got to where he is now and how he accepted the job in the government.

I will always remember what he said when asked about how he decided to accept the job from the PM. He told us that he had to go away for a bit to ponder about it and he said this, "You always need to find out the WHY you are doing something. That is the only way you will succeed. The What's and the How's will always come but if you don't know WHY you're doing something, then you will never succeed."

That really stayed in my mind because it's quite true isn't it? We sometimes go through life running about in circles like a hamster, just go, go, go and do, do, do... not really thinking why we are doing something and whether it's something that matters to us. While it's good to be a do-er, I think it will be much more fulfilling to know where you're headed and to be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

After all, even hamsters who enjoys running in circles, grow weary of running in circles all the time.

Work & Parenting...where should the line be drawn?

2010-09-12T11:10:00.002+08:00

I've been surrounded by news of new additions to the families recently. My colleague's wife, my aunt and 3 of our friends have recently given birth, and one more girlfriend getting there.... with all these news, it's inevitable that the conversation revolves around parenting (and how hard it is!)

My girlfriends and I have been talking about this and the perennial question is whether we'd give up our jobs to become full-time mothers. After all, they say that the initial years of a child's life is the most important. Of course, this is only a valid question if the family could afford it but of course, in my case, it's not even an option considering we've just started working at building our nest again (since our earlier nest was used up during our travels) and we really need both incomes to sustain the expenditure.

So then, the question becomes, would my kid be lacking in love and attention if both of us are working? I'd like to think not since I guess we will probably try to make up for lost time while we were working by spending quality time with the child at nights or on weekends. A lot of kids growing up in those environments seem to turn out ok and even for me, growing up in a single parent household, I think I turn out ok so it should be ok right? Well, I certainly hope so.

Since quitting is not an option for me, my friend then asked me how am I going to cope in my current job and would I consider changing jobs since I'm currently working long hours and having to travel quite frequently.

My honest answer: I don't know.

I really do enjoy my work now and I've always liked traveling so it's currently a perfect fit for me. But I guess, if I wanted to become a parent, the first thing I need to learn is how not to be selfish. It's no longer about what I want, but what would be best for the child and family, I suppose ...

It's hard for me to think about it now (seems premature too) considering I'm not even pregnant but I guess, I'll have to start thinking about it since we're thinking about starting a family. The selfish part of me says, "Wait! I'm not ready to let go of my carefree couply lifestyle" but there's also the broody, maternal part of me that says, "You ain't young anymore woman, and you should start thinking about having kids." And it's also that maternal, broody part of me that goes, "Awwwww......I also want!" when I went shopping for baby stuff for presents recently.

Well I guess you'll never know what to do until you really become pregnant. I've seen workaholic friends of mine, mellowing down once becoming pregnant and if they can do it, then I'm sure I will too...after all, I'm not quite a workaholic, just maybe a little bit of a perfectionist... :) Priorities will surely change, but till there is a reason to think about shifting priorities, then I guess I must as well enjoy what I have now right? :)

My motto still remains, "If God brings you to it, He'll bring you through it!"

And with that, I end with a huge AMEN!

Lessons from Dr Huang

2010-08-08T01:03:00.003+08:00

Gabe was very excited for me to hear the recording of a Sunday sermon by Dr Huang when he spoke at our church when I was away in Hong Kong. So even though I was quite tired after a long day, I still stayed up to listen and man, it was worth it.

Dr Huang is a professor so he began his talk with a lot of empirical and scientific research as backing to all his points and he gave a lot of good points but the two that I remembered most are:

1. Anger is the tip of the iceberg which you can see...what usually lies below is the hurt and pain which you don't see.

2. A woman is usually affected most when someone hurts her feelings/emotions, but for a man, hurting their pride is a lot worse than hurting their feelings.

How very true!

From an episode of House

2010-07-25T00:37:00.003+08:00

Husband : Don't you ever get attracted to other men?
Wife : Of course I do, but I don't ever think of acting on it because I'm married to you and I love you!

Context was the husband and wife were discussing an open marriage (which to me, doesn't even make sense! They must as well remain single!) but yeah, that line kinda stuck in my head so I thought I'd just jot it down.

@ Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong.

Contentment

2010-07-12T03:21:00.001+08:00

From Our Daily Bread devotional:

When you covet someone else’s things,
Thinking that they’re better than your own,
Just remember that God’s gifts to you
Were designed for you and you alone. —Hess

Contentment is realising that God has already given me all I need.

Congratulations Siew Yen & Siew Mun!

2010-07-12T03:06:00.002+08:00

Today I celebrated my pen-pal turned classmate's wedding and I am so honoured to be part of it as the zi mui as well as dinner emcee. My day started early but it was oh-so-fulfilling and am just glad that everything went well!

Here's wishing you two all the love and happiness in the world as you begin your lives together as husband and wife! And Siew Yen, don't be too upset that football has dominated your wedding night. After all, it IS the World Cup Finals! ;)

According to You

2010-07-03T12:53:00.003+08:00

I've been meaning to blog about this song by Orianthi ever since the first time I heard it on the radio a couple months ago but I forgot about it till I heard it again today in the car, heading back from Jazzercise. So while I'm in the mood to blog, here are my two cents about it.

1. The lyrics are quite true. I think every girl (or guy for the matter!) just wants to be appreciated and loved for who they are.

2. If you ask me, this reasoning in this lyrics is probably why a lot of people have affairs. When you don't get the attention you need from the person you love, and you have someone else telling you how good you are, where do you sway to naturally?

It's funny, this laws of attraction thing. Recently, my colleagues and I were just discussing that the older we get, it's no longer the good looks or nice body (although it helps!) that attract us but it's more the intellect, the charisma, the sense of humour and how the person makes you feel good that is more important. We got to this topic discussing one of our regional bosses who is not exactly good looking but oh man, does he have the 'cool' factor and charisma in bucketfuls!

So I guess, in a way, this song kinda reminded me that if you want to hold on to your partner, you have to always remember not to belittle them and instead, make them feel good. It's a hard thing to do coz sometimes you just can't control how you feel or react but take it from me, just suck it in. It's not worth the hurt you want to cause and the effect stays for longer than you can imagine and at the end of the day, is it really worth hurting the person you love just because you're angry or in a bad mood?

I leave you with the lyrics:

According to you
I'm stupid, I'm useless,
I can't do anything right.
According to you
I'm difficult, hard to please,
forever changing my mind.
I'm a mess in a dress,
can't show up on time,
even if it would save my life.
According to you. According to you.

But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible,
he can't get me out of his head.
According to him
I'm funny, irresistible,
everything he ever wanted.
Everything is opposite,
I don't feel like stopping it,
so baby tell me what I got to lose.
He's into me for everything I'm not,
according to you.

According to you
I'm boring, I'm moody,
you can't take me any place.
According to you
I suck at telling jokes cause I always give it away.
I'm the girl with the worst attention span;
you're the boy who puts up with that.
According to you. According to you.

But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible,
he can't get me out of his head.
According to him
I'm funny, irresistible,
everything he ever wanted.
Everything is opposite,
I don't feel like stopping it,
so baby tell me what I got to lose.
He's into me for everything I'm not,
according to you.

I need to feel appreciated,
like I'm not hated. oh... no...
Why can't you see me through his eyes?
It's too bad you're making me decide.

According to me
you're stupid, you're useless,
you can't do anything right.
But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible,
he can't get me out of his head.
According to him
I'm funny, irresistible,
everything he ever wanted.
Everything is opposite,
I don't feel like stopping it,
baby tell me what I got to lose.
He's into me for everything I'm not,
according to you. (you, you)
According to you. (you, you)

According to you
I'm stupid, I'm useless,
I can't do anything right.

Happy 4th Anniversary! :)

2010-07-02T06:51:00.000+08:00

Gabe and I officially turned four today. Read more about it here.

Girly Outing #2

2010-07-01T06:17:00.000+08:00

The last time I went out with my all-girls colleagues to catch a movie was in London where we went to watch 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'. Tonight, it was round 2, with a totally different bunch of colleagues (all girls too!) and we caught 'Sex in the City 2'.

I remembered learning quite a bit from the first movie, so I was pleasantly surprised that I continued to learn from this second movie. Firstly, we really enjoyed the movie and I was surprised that it wasn't as heavily censored as I'd expected it to be (considering we're in Malaysia and all!). But nonetheless, besides enjoying the decadence, unique clothes and shoes eye-fest, a lesson about marriage also hit home.

"You've made a vow when you got married and you stick to it. You run from temptation and you count your blessings that you've gotten the man that you want."

It was an awesome reminder for me, one day before celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary so thank you again Carrie Preston (Bradshaw) for yet another poignant lesson in life.

Jotting down

2010-06-25T23:09:00.002+08:00

Recently, my life has been pretty much consumed by work, which is quite a norm amongst our friends, if I may say so.

So I thought I'd just like to jot down a few thoughts on my work now just for fun and for me to reminisce years down the line.

* I enjoy what I do now, organising events and not having to write much.
* I enjoy the traveling aspect of my job, even though I did not realise the extent when I accepted the job.
* I enjoy the learning of new things and knowledge which might come in useful in the future. I'm still very much trying to grasp all these financial terms and strategies.
* I enjoy working with more men than women. I find men generally easier to work with. Maybe because they sometimes give way to us but largely I think it's because they are much easier to handle emotionally. :)
* I enjoy working in KL where people actually dress up to go to work. I didn't used to believe it when people tell me that KL folks dressed better but now that I work in KL, I can really see the difference (does not necessarily apply to me tho!).
* I enjoy working with smart people although I'm not spared of the not-so-smart ones.
* I enjoy the fact that we support regional events and that my work is not confined to KL.
* I enjoy working in a company which I feel has tremendous growth opportunities and it's a good feeling to feel like you're where you belong, at this point in time.

** I do not enjoy that I sometimes feel like we're an internal agency who does not have an option to say no to jobs.
** I do not enjoy the bureaucracy in a big firm.
** I do not enjoy driving to KL and will still avoid it as much as possible.

For now, the pros outweighs the cons, so obviously, that's a good sign. :) Our department has also been getting quite a bit of recognition recently for our work and that has been very encouraging as well as making us feel good. Let's hope the bonus at the end of the year makes us feel even better. :)

Recently, I've also realised that in order to learn, you have to put aside your own pride (+ prejudices) and acknowledge that sometimes, you don't know it all. I'm glad that I work with people who are willing to teach so for that, I'm grateful. I also enjoy the relationships that have been built over the last couple of months and the level of respect and familiarity that comes with it.

This post is feels a bit jumbled up and not really well-structured, but I guess, that's just how I feel at the moment. :)

Tee hee... I like this rationale! :)

2010-04-24T14:04:00.001+08:00

Recently, in a large city in Australia ,
a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym.
It said, "This summer,
do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

A middle-aged woman,
whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster,
responded publicly to the question
posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.)
They have an active sex life,
get pregnant and have adorable baby whales.
They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp.
They play and swim in the seas,
seeing wonderful places like Patagonia ,
the Bering Sea
and the coral reefs of Polynesia .
Whales are wonderful singers
and have even recorded CDs.
They are incredible creatures
and virtually have no predators
other than humans.
They are loved, protected and admired
by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist.
If they did exist,
they would be lining up outside the offices
of Argentinean psychoanalysts
due to identity crisis. Fish or human?
They don't have a sex life
because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex?
Just look at them ... where is IT?
Therefore, they don't have kids either.
Not to mention,
who wants to get close to a girl who smells
like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me:
I want to be a whale.

P..S. We are in an age
when media puts into our heads
the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends.

With time, we gain weight
because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads
that when there is no more room,
it distributes out to the rest of our bodies.
So we aren't heavy,
we are enormously cultured,
educated and happy.
Beginning today,
when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, ¨Good grief, look how smart I am!¨

Mellowed?

2010-03-28T21:38:00.002+08:00

We were doing a study on discovering our personality in my YF class yesterday and while this is not the first time I did the test, it was interesting to see how my personality has changed in the last 10 years (or more!) since I last did it.

The test indicated that I was predominantly choleric (the doer) which is quite true but it was interesting to see how my secondary type was no longer sanguine (the extrovert) but more of phlegmatic (the introvert). Noted there weren't much difference between the two scores but I think it does reflect me more now.

I guess the older I get, the less hee-hee-har-har I become. Maybe it's a growing old thing, I find that I can't really take too much drama in my life now and would rather be the peacemaker. Really sound like an oldie huh? I also need a lot more me-time now than I used to. Maybe work is stressful and weekends are always filled that sometimes I just need to get away for a bit and stay at home, do nothing and watch serials (which is what I did today....though it was because I was feeling under the weather!)

My friend said that our personalities are also greatly affected by the people we mix with and also blends deeply with the person we marry so maybe (hopefully), we are changing for the better.

That little nut...

2010-03-24T22:47:00.004+08:00

Gabe and I got married when we were pretty young so naturally when it came to the question of children, we weren't in too much of a rush to have them. Well, fast forward 3.75 years later, having enjoyed our extended honeymoon years together, we recently talked about how we are finally in the position and right frame of mind to start a family (or so we think!!) It's an extremely scary thought but I guess there really isn't any perfect time to have children and no matter how ready you think you are in becoming a parent, when the time comes, we may all feel flustered and helpless.

So having those thoughts in mind, I recently found out that a few of my friends are pregnant. I'm so excited for them but at the same time, I feel a twang of baby-envy, which made me realise that 'hey, I do want to get preggers!' :-) of course I knew that earlier but I guess these recent pregnancy news just made it more apparent. So we're praying that God will indeed bless us with a child in the right time. Of course there are still times when crying babies and children throwing tantrums still scares me but like I said earlier, I guess nothing in life will prepare you for parenthood but becoming a parent yourself so we'll see. :)

They often say that the first step to being pregnant is to want it so let's see if it will come true in the next year or so. :)

Giant milestone for us....

2010-03-21T17:12:00.002+08:00

....celebrating our 10 years together as a couple. Lots of good memories and hopefully we'll learn from the mistakes... :) Here's to another few more decades together dear! :) Love you!

Read more here...

Counting blessings

2010-01-29T23:41:00.003+08:00

Thank you Lord for...

* a job I enjoy
* the opportunity to learn
* being able to travel
* crazy and supportive bunch of colleagues
* recognition

I've only been in my job for 4 months now and somehow, it feels as if I've been there much, much longer. I guess that is a good sign that you feel like part of the furniture. :) So far, I've been really enjoying the work. It has been a super busy 2 months for me but I've learned a lot and was literally thrown into a lot of things. I guess that's the way you grow the quickest and no doubt, it was stressful but somehow, I still enjoyed the buzz, the excitement, adrenaline rushing through and oddly, even the stressful moments.

Perhaps I've been away too long from the corporate world and to be honest, my work in London really wasn't that challenging. Hehe... so the buzz of energy was good for the brain and soul. Also had the opportunity to travel to Singapore and Phuket the last 2 weeks for work and it was good. Had a taste of what it was to work in Singapore's financial district (+ staying at the Ritz was a real treat though I didn't really get to enjoy it that much!) The week after, like a true jet-setter, flew to Phuket to assist my colleague with the regional meeting. Too bad my stomach did not get on with the programme so I missed out on the delicious Thai food :( Nonetheless, it sure was an interesting experience to see the mgmt in a less formal setting and some of them are really fun characters. :)

I've always maintained that the work environment is more important than the work itself but on some very rare moments, it truly is a blessing when both aspects are equally great.

...... and I hope I will continue to say this 2/3 years from now :)

Things that make you smile

2010-01-17T11:27:00.003+08:00

SMS exchange with the boss while in Singapore:

Boss: So you girls coming back tomorrow?

Wens: Nope, we decided to stay on because we saw a lot of handsome Chinese guys here.

Boss: Sure, I'll forward the message to your respective spouses.

:)

26 Life Lessons Learned

2009-12-23T16:39:00.002+08:00

Great stuff from here.

1. Being an adult can be fun when you are acting like a child.
2. Love has nothing to do with looks, but everything to do with time, trust, and interest.
3. Laughing, crying, joy and anger… All are a vital. All make us human.
4. The greatest truths in life are uncovered with simple, steady awareness.
5. Greed will bury even the lucky eventually.
6. Bad things do happen to good people.
7. Paving your own road is intelligent only if nobody has gone exactly where you are going.
8. Uncertainty is caused by a lack of knowledge. Hesitation is the product of fear.
9. Time heals all wounds… regardless of how you feel right now.
10. Most of the time what you are looking for is right in front of you.
11. Your health is your life.
12. Chance is a gift, so act on chance when given the opportunity.
13. Kindness and hard work will take you further than intelligence.
14. People deserve a second chance, but not a third.
15. Marry your best friend.
16. Take lots of pictures. Someday you’ll be really glad you did.
17. Money makes life easier only when the money is yours free and clear.
18. Carelessness is the root of failure
19. Your actions now create memories you will reminisce and talk about in your elder years.
20. Stepping outside of your comfort zone will put things into perspective from an angle you can’t grasp now.
21. Motivation comes in short bursts. Act while it’s hot.
22. Purposely ignoring the obvious is like walking backwards toward the enemy.
23. Taking ownership of failure builds the foundation for success.
24. First impressions are completely worthless 50% of the time.
25. Personal glory lasts forever.
26. If you never act, you will never know for sure.

Checking in

2009-11-23T08:30:00.002+08:00

I know, I know, our blogs are suffering from lack of attention. But it's been a busy two months since I started working.

Work is good. Was thrown right into it and given work from the very first day so it has been non-stop since then and more work is coming in for us. It is already looking like a very, very packed 1st Q 2010 so hopefully more things will only take place later. I quite enjoy working in corporate comms side of things as it's not just about media relations which is nice. I also help out a little in the media side of things but my main focus is in organising in-house events, roadshows etc so it's quite exciting and is a new challenge for me. So far so good.

The travelling down to KL on the LRT is not as bad as I'd imagined it to be. I think our time taking the London tube for the last 2 years definitely helped conditioned me to public transportation. Haha..

Have also been busy helping out with the brother's wedding preparations and it's finally crunch time. Just 2 weeks to the wedding so it will be busy, busy all the way.

We just got back from Penang yesterday night as Gabe participated in the Penang Bridge International Marathon and he achieved his personal best time of 4hrs 39mins. Well done hubby! :) The rest of us just went there for the ride and of course, for the food! :) Stayed in Marcus' new pad and it was a lovely, lovely place!

OK, it's Monday morning and it's back to work now. Have decided to come in early with Gabe when he leaves for his 7am shift so that I don't have to take bus. LRT I'm ok, I still don't like taking and waiting for buses. Hehe..

Till next time, toodles!

Doubt

2009-09-24T12:41:00.002+08:00

I start a new job on Monday and while I'm super excited, I'm also feeling a tad bit apprehensive. After being away from the PR world for 2 years, I keep wondering if things would be the same, would I be able to do what is expected of me and the list goes on. Perhaps the fact that it is also a managerial position is what's making me even more antsy - the expectation. *Sigh* But life goes on, and as my ex-boss reminded me recently, they've often thrown me into the deep end previously and I surfaced, so likewise, I will emerge from the deep waters of corporate communications in an investment bank! :) Wish me luck!

Transported

2009-09-05T11:54:00.002+08:00

back to when I turned 21 and received a lovely scrapbook with notes from my friends. I still remember crying bucketfuls of tears while reading it in St Cloud, alone and far away from my friends at that time. And looking through the photos today, I noted the following:

- My hair was mainly short throughout my secondary school days (not a good look!)
- Lots of 'WHAT WAS I WEARING????' and 'WHAT WAS I THINKING????' moments (think flower patterned shorts!)
- I really loved Pooh and Piglet
- There were a lot of good memories growing up
- My church friends were really my family
- Made me teary-eyed and laughed out loud at the same time

but most of all, I really felt LOVED! :) Thank you everyone for being such great friends (you know who you are!). I'm thankful to see that even today, 7 years later, we are still such good friends and here's to many, many more years to come!

Cheers!

From Our Daily Bread daily devotional

2009-08-12T02:15:00.005+08:00

I never used to be much of a worrier till I came here but time and time again, our Lord reminds that we should cast all our cares on Him coz He cares for us. As we return home and start a new chapter in our lives, I am constantly reminded and encouraged that He is with us always and that we need not worry too much for really, who can tell what tomorrow brings except our Lord? So my friends, 'cast all your cares on Him for he cares for YOU' - 1 Peter 5:7

August 11, 2009

GAD Or God?

ODB RADIO: Listen Now | DOWNLOAD: Download
READ: 1 Peter 5:6-11

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. —1 Peter 5:7

Are you a chronic worrier? Do you worry about bills, the future, health, debt, marriage issues? Has worry so consumed you that you have become “a fret machine”? If this describes you, perhaps you have generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD—a condition marked by a perpetual state of worry about most aspects of life. According to David Barlow, professor of psychology at Boston University, “the key psychological feature of GAD is a state of chronic, uncontrollable worry.” A little anxiety is normal, but constant worry is not.

Overwhelmed by suffering and persecution, the first-century Christians were driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Asia (1 Peter 1:1-7). Many of these Jesus-followers were experiencing feelings of distress because of possible danger or misfortune. Peter encouraged these believers not to be filled with anxiety but to cast all their worries upon God (5:7). He wanted them to realize that it made very little sense for them to carry their worrie s when they could cast them on God who cared deeply about what happened to them.

Are you a chronic worrier? Let God be responsible for your anxieties. Stop worrying and start trusting Him completely. —Marvin Williams

When every worry, every care
To God in faith is brought,
We have no place whereon to found
One single anxious thought. —Anon.

Worry is a burden God never intended us to bear.

And the people say 'AMEN'!

Chapter closing

2009-07-26T22:53:00.003+08:00

Our house is in a mess
Finding all our belongings in nooks and crannies
Shipping boxes arriving shortly
Sorting out the mail to keep and to shred
Exclaiming "Man, we have a lot of stuff!"
Shredding 2 years worth of bills and misc documents
Re-reading cards received and feeling loved
Spending lots of time together since we are both on holiday (quite a novelty!)
Feeling melancholic
Cleaning, packing, sorting
Thinking of home
Finding new places to explore
Eating British food
Saying goodbyes
Trying to finish all the spices that were once so preciously guarded and rationed
Looking forward to the family, friends and food at home
Shaking the dust out of our suitcases
Shopping, buying, sorting
Feeling excited
Packing, packing, packing....

....Truly our chapter in the UK is closing and our life at home beckons....

Happy 100th

2009-07-19T17:42:00.000+08:00

It's been 100 months since...

...the awkward moments of wondering if we were friends or more than friends
...the lovely week that started it all
...we debated on whether to start a relationship
...we decided to try though I was going overseas
...we learned baby steps about being in a relationship

Now, 100 months later, we...

...survived the time apart
...are married!!
... are living in London
...are sharing new experiences together
...and still learning about each other everyday

My darling Gabriel, I'm so blessed you're in my life and I thank God for you every day. Here's to another 100 and another 100 after that and for eternity.
I love you! :)

Back in London

2009-07-18T17:16:00.000+08:00

We've been back from our Eurotour for more than a week now and it's great to not have to be nomads anymore. The trip itself was great though I think we were a bit too ambitious in our route. Most people cover regions on their trip while we being kiasu decided to cover almost the entire Europe continent. In doing so, we actually spent a lot of time travelling which instead could have been spent lazing around the different places. Oh well, what to do, we wanted to see all these places before we go back home.. :)

Gabe and I really enjoyed our trip and count ourselves blessed to have this opportunity to backpack round Europe. We were probably considered part of the 'older' travellers since most of them were just out of college or still in college. Hehe.. We made some new friends, learned new things about the countries our friends were from, experienced the hostel environment, enjoyed some really good deals hotels, saw different terrains, experienced crazy weather (think 46C) and had some really good food! So all in all, it was truly an experience of a lifetime.. For more about the different places we've been to, you can read about it here.

We're Eurotripping!

2009-06-03T04:23:00.001+08:00

Can't believe we're actually on our backpacking trip. So far, so good... The hostels have been amazing and we're actually keeping to our budget. Unfortunately, it's only the first few days. :) Let's hope we keep it up.. Hehe..

Anyway, for more updates, check out my Twitter site or our travel blog.

Take care!!

C-H-A-N-G-E

2009-05-30T23:02:00.002+08:00

I've never been a big fan of change. Having said that, I've never been a big fan of order either (those who know me will attest to this!).

I guess, I'm just one of those people who like things to be 'comfortable', 'safe' and to some extent, 'a nice routine'.

Coming to the UK was a huge decision for us and it definitely threw the word 'safe' out of the window. Living here has been quite a rollercoaster ride. From the outside, most people would say that I will adapt quicker and prefer living overseas as compared to Gabe but really, it was the opposite. Gabriel embraced the change in lifestyle pretty easily while I was struggling to accept that things will not be 'safe and comfortable' for the next 2 years.

Now that I'm standing on the opposite end of the 2 years, I have to say, it wasn't that bad really. Sure, we had our down moments (Temping was particularly trying for me. Hated the feeling of not knowing when the next job would come in!) and we've had to look at our pounds and pence quite closely but we've also had countless up moments (especially the amazing travels!!!)

All in all, I have to say that God has been very good to us. He always provided. Knowing that I had preferred something more 'permanent', He graciously provided the job at Clarins that I thoroughly enjoyed and thus was worry-free(er) for the last 6 months or so. We've managed to save enough (hopefully!) for our upcoming backpack trip to Europe and though I am again worried (Never knew I was such a worrier but I suppose there was nothing much to worry about at home when you have a stable job, place to live etc was there?) about safety, travel time, money etc etc, I know that the Lord is with us and that He will keep us safe and bring us back in one piece. :)

Looking ahead, I can't believe our 2 years is almost up! Through Facebook, blogs, newspapers, we know that much have changed in Malaysia (there's even a new PM for crying out loud!) and we are a little apprehensive about heading home. There will be many changes once again to our 'routine'- looking for work, settling down again but at the same time, we are looking forward to going home to our family and friends (and our apartment!:P). With our families, friends and more importantly, God behind us, I'm sure we can embrace the changes as they come - one step at a time.

This passage in Matthew 6 have been ever so comforting in times like these...

Do Not Worry

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^b]">[b]?

²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Amen!

We are going!!

2009-05-29T04:41:00.003+08:00

In 3 days, we'll be embarking on our backpack-round-Europe trip!

Yippee!!

There are still so many little details to think about but I'm so sick of reading guide books, surfing the internet, researching train connections etc etc so I think it's time we just go with the flow and hopefully everything will work out. After all, we will be gone 39 days and going to 22 places, there's no way we can be 100% prepared right? :P

Do keep us in your prayers and we'll be sure to update when we can. :)

Adios!

Another chapter closes

2009-05-09T04:50:00.003+08:00

First of May marked my last day in Clarins and I was very sad to leave. It also meant that I am now officially unemployed till I find my next job in back home and for a person who craves job security, it is terrifying. Yet at the same time, I am also very excited about our upcoming backpacking round Europe trip and heading home to familiar grounds so I guess the reality of it all hasn’t really sunk in.

I’d just like to jot a few favourite memories of my time at Clarins:

Constantly amazed by how God works when I remember that it all started out as a temp assignment (and one that I wasn’t very keen on to start with as it was only part-time) but look how it all turned out.
Learning the ropes in Marketing and how it all works. Was privy to planning stuff and I really enjoyed seeing how it all comes together.
The PA part of the role was particularly challenging (the pride part more than anything!) – learning what your bosses like and how they work... Remembering how I dropped a spoon on the glass table while serving tea to some Belgian guests while the MD was presenting! :O
Being part of the birthdays, Christmas celebrations etc that were different from back home.
And of course, loving the free products (my mom even more so!!) :P

I don’t know how I will get back to mass skin care now that my skin is accustomed to premium skin care (haha!) but thankfully I have quite a bit of ‘stock’ to last me till I find a job and hopefully, get paid enough to continue being a loyal Clarins user back home. My bosses were very nice to put me in touch with the office in KL so keeping my fingers and toes crossed that there will be something suitable when I go home. :)

For now, I'll just be happy being in the holiday bandwagon. :)

Lessons from Sex & The City Movie

2009-05-05T04:44:00.000+08:00

Yes, I’m not the most up-to-date with movies but I’ve finally watched it. And from there, learned some poignant lessons about life and relationships from the four characters.

From Samantha- I learned that you shouldn’t change who you are solely to please your partner in a relationship. No point stuffing a square peg into a round hole. It won’t fit.

From Miranda - There are no guarantees in a marriage. You just have to 'want to work at it' to make it happen.

From Charlotte - I learned that you should always be thankful for the good things in your life (good husband, good family etc) and that you could sometimes get what you wished for most once you stop thinking about it.

And finally from Carrie – I learned that you shouldn’t let the ‘wedding get bigger than (Mr) BIG’ i.e. the ‘wedding’ or other things in life shouldn’t be bigger than the persons in the relationship.

And who said you can’t learn anything from a chick flick? :)

Getting there

2009-04-23T05:15:00.000+08:00

Yeay! I'm blogging from my phone for the first time. How exciting! This is a milestone for whimzhouse :-). Anyway, it's my second last week in Clarins and we're preparing for an office move as well as handing over to my colleague so it's been a busy busy week. Am quite sad that I will be leaving soon and heading back to the 'jobless' title. At least I get to experience the new office for a week tho I'll prob be busy packing and unpacking. Hehe! Anyhow am looking forward to Eurotrip soon!

Tweet Tweet

2009-04-20T05:17:00.000+08:00

Have jumped on the bandwagon called Twitter as evident from my tweet box newly added to my blog. Just thought it might be fun to see what all the fuss is all about and also keep myself up-to-date with technology. After all, I would like to return to communications when I go back so it's always good to know these 'new media' so I don't look like a dong-dong when people talk about it. Hehe... My hubby is getting quite addicted. At least he has enough free text to tweet from his phone unlike my pay-as-you-go plan ;) but that's not stopping me :)

Tweeting away...

Family

2009-04-12T01:29:00.002+08:00

CS showed me this commercial by Singapore's Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports and I have to hand it to the Singapore government of trying ingenious ways of boosting their 'family' life and hopefully their waning population.

However, I was very touched by the video as it does showcase a very unique aspect of relationships that is often misunderstood. Your partner's imperfections is what makes them who they are and at the end, beautifully perfect for you (once you learn to live with it that is!) :) Very touching and I'm sure it will resonate deep with the people.

You can watch the commercial here.

This couple

2009-04-02T01:07:00.002+08:00

There's this middle-age couple who I always bump into as they walk to the station every morning as I head to work. What caught my eye most (besides the husband's bright orange jacket!) is the fact that they never fail to hold hands as they walk to the station.

EVERY DAY.

The wife will usually walk first, the husband catches up, takes his bag from the wife, and holds her hands as they walk to the station.

Forgive me, but I'm a real sucker for hand-holding. I find that such a 'simple' intimacy can speak so much more than hugs and kisses ever could. Especially when you see older couples holding hands. I always think, after so many years of marriage, the ups and downs that come with it, it's so sweet that they can still walk together in perfect cadence, holding hands.

And I can't help but hope that one day, Gabe and I will also be like that couple.

Thinking about....

2009-04-01T22:11:00.002+08:00

"If repentance wasn't hard, then grace would be cheap"

"Forgiveness is a big word, but we have a BIG God"

Ken Costa @ Holy Trinity Brompton, Sunday 29th March 2009

"If it's worth having/doing, it's worth fighting for"

Motormouth Maybelle @ Hairspray The Musical, Monday 30th March 2009

In another time

2009-03-17T06:58:00.000+08:00

If I were home,

It would be considered an honour to have dinner with you
I would probably be the one buying dinner
It would have all been about networking

But in another time, another place,

We conversed over dinner
You bought us dinner
And it was all about getting in touch

How lovely!

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

2009-03-05T04:52:00.003+08:00

Psalm 37:1-11 (New International Version)

Of David.

¹ Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

² for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

⁹ For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.

¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.

Ephesians 4:1-4 (New International Version)

Unity in the Body of Christ

¹As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ²Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

1 Timothy 6:11-16 (New International Version)

Paul's Charge to Timothy

¹¹But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

All verses courtesy of Bible Gateway

Wrestling with the Wind

2009-03-04T03:46:00.004+08:00

Holding an umbrella in strong English winds is seriously an art form!

You have to be strong, yet flexible. Front, back, left, right, senget... you just have to go with the flow.

That's how you keep (relatively) dry coz with the wind blowing, you'll ultimately get wet somehow. Well, at least your head is dry.

This is another chapter from Lesson 101 - Learning to use the umbrella in UK. :)

It's not just about me

2009-03-01T19:03:00.001+08:00

Not everything revolves around me

Not everything needs to revolve around me

Not everything is about me

Period.

Remember that Wen Sze....

(Note to self: Imustnotbeselfish, Imustnotbeselfish, Imustnotbeselfish....)

Mighty to Save - Hillsongs

Everyone needs compassion,

Love that's never failing;

Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,

The kindness of a Saviour;

The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My God is Mighty to save,

He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave,

Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,

All my fears and failures,

Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow

Everything I believe in,

Now I surrender.

Shine your light and let the whole world see,

We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

I have a confession....

2009-02-27T20:58:00.003+08:00

....I absolutely enjoyed watching 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'... Maybe a bit too much...

It was an interesting night out with the colleagues and what better way to bond a bunch of serial shoppers than to watch a movie we can all relate to. The movie was hilarious and seeing the words of the book came to life was really exciting too. My memory of the book was a bit hazy as I read it so many years ago but suffice to say, I think it was quite accurate and Isla Fisher played Rebecca Bloomwood so well. Luke Brandon was quite handsome too I think...

I hope they make a sequel soon!

p.s. I couldn't control my shopping impulse after the movie so I went and bought an........... UMBRELLA! :) Such a good investment for rainy London, don't cha think? :)

Happy

2009-02-20T22:53:00.002+08:00

that

YOU surprised me yet again

and

YOU continue to bless and provide

Thank YOU!

12 inches of snow.....

2009-02-02T19:25:00.012+08:00

....brought much misery to London today.

I was unfortunately one of the (un)lucky few who actually made it to work... only to wait out in the cold as the office was not opened yet. It was quite chaotic really, most of the underground lines were affected, the roads were unplowed (I honestly doubt the City of London has snowplows!) so yeah, it's pretty much a ghost town really. Reminded me of my days in St Cloud (the snow, not the ghost town!) so you can imagine the sight!

I think we'll be getting off work earlier today so I'm looking forward to reaching home (not looking forward to the journey ahead. I'm sure there will be delays!) and making a snowman with Marie. Poor Marie's uni is closed on her 'first' day of school. Oh well, another holiday for her then.

Signing off from cold and miserable London. Here's a glimpse of it for ya!

P.S. It's still snowing as I'm publishing this!

We woke up to this...

Outside our house...and yes, I had to trudge through that!

Freezing!

On my way to work...

Oxford Circus as you've never seen it!

Cavendish Place outside our office and waiting out in the cold for our office to be open!

Twenty Five Things About Me

2009-01-30T04:25:00.002+08:00

I hardly do tags but since I had some time on my hand... I decided to do this one... I can't believe it took me nearly 3 days to think about 25 random things about myself! I won't be tagging anyone here since I already did that in Facebook but please feel free to do it yourself. You'd be surprised what you think of! :)

Here's my list.....

Rules: Once you've 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's because I want to know more about you!

1. I've never had an operation before (thankfully!). The only time I got something stitched up was when I broke the largest vase in Tesco Mutiara Damansara and the only thing going through my mind then was how much I had to pay for it. The pain came later.
2. I absolutely hated eating by myself though I don't mind it so much now, as long as I have something to read.
3. My ambition was to become an accountant, from Standard Two right up to Form Five when my mom, teachers and friends advised against it as it wasn't suited to my 'personality' or so it seems. In hindsight, they were probably right.
4. The only time I really thought I was going to die was when we were climbing Pen y Fan mountain in Wales in the rain and it started to hail and my teeth started chattering uncontrollably. Obviously, I didn't die.
5. Five is my favourite number....
6. Coming to the UK on the working holidaymaker visa was probably the best (and scariest!) decision we've ever made.
7. I used to collect paper stuff - wrapping paper, paper bags etc to the point where my room was deemed a fire hazard by my mom as she said it'll be the first to burn down in the event of a fire.
8. I wished I could read and write Mandarin. Taking classes as an adult was just way too hard.
9. I am married to my first (and only) love and so is he. :)
10. In a bus or train, I have to sit facing the direction of travel if not I can get massive headaches and feel nauseous.
11. I absolutely love freebies.... although I really have no use for most of them.
12. I've actually become a much better cook since coming to the UK.
13. I love photos - taking photos, being in photos, looking at photos. I truly believe that a picture speaks a thousand words.
14. Sometimes I wished I had a smaller wedding so I could meet everybody!
15. I am a die-hard romantic. One of the CLEO magazine quizzes I took in secondary school labelled me as 'Soppy Su-Ching'. They were absolutely spot on.
16. Being alone in the States immediately after Sept 11 was one of the scariest periods in my life.
17. I would much rather eat smaller portions of different types of food than one big portion of a fabulous dish. That's why I miss hawker food and pasar malams.
18. I've never had a pet in my life which probably explains my lack of affinity with the animal kind.
19. Seeing Prince William and Harry was probably one of the highlights of my life...(how groupie huh?:P)
20. I've never gotten drunk, drunk. I just turn red and fall asleep :)
21. So far, my greatest surprises were the ones Gabriel pulled off... Either that, or I'm just way too blur.
22. I will cry if I ever become allergic to shellfish (prawns and lobsters in particular!!!)
23. Langkawi is my favourite island as it holds many special memories.
24. I hope to conquer Mt Kinabalu one day!
25. I absolutely love weddings and seeing people get married. I even get teary watching random strangers' wedding photos. I think it's strongly related to No.15.

Blue Monday

2009-01-20T07:01:00.002+08:00

According to the papers, today is supposedly Blue Monday, the gloomiest working day of the year as everyone is broke, pay cheque is not till next week, festive season is over, credit card bills (and the bomb they spent during Christmas) arrive and basically everyone will be temperamental or off sick.

Well, it rained in the morning when I got up (and you know how that spoils the day!)

Everyone in the office was kinda gloomy, moody and somewhat snappy.

I kept to myself all day (well, most of the day).

So yeah I guess they're right, it really is BLUE MONDAY.

My ego took a bruising...

2009-01-16T04:07:00.004+08:00

One thing that I don't enjoy about being here is how my ego seems to kena bruised all the time - more on the professional front than anything else. Yes, I know that helps build character but honestly, the feeling is not that great. But maybe I guess I was just too 'proud' to begin with as Gabriel rightly puts it.

I was telling him how I had to serve coffee/tea to a boardroom full of people (and yes, I did drop a spoon and made it clatter loudly on the table while the MD was speaking. *super embarrassed*) and how I did not enjoy some mundane bits of the job.

But then my husband rightly reprimanded me and counted the blessings of having a job in this economic situation, enjoying what I'm doing (way better than answering calls, at least got a bit of challenge and I'm learning things), getting Clarins products for free (part of the benefits!), getting paid what I had silently wanted (truly God's blessings) and the work being not too hard or stressful that I have to work overtime or bring work home.

I was truly silenced and apologised to God in my heart for being such an ungrateful lil' brat. So yes hubby dearest, thank you for making me see the light and count my blessings...

After all, I can't be too upset by the whole thing as being here and doing these things is what allows me to go to Madrid for the weekend! Woo hoo! What a treat! ;)

Young Parents

2009-01-03T07:19:00.001+08:00

I was sitting in a diner in Debenhams waiting for my in-laws who were shopping where I saw a scene which made me think of the benefits of being young parents.

Sitting in front of me was an elderly looking man (prob in his 60s), trying so hard to be attentive to his two young kids (prob 9 & 11 years old?) while their mom was shopping. He really did try his best to look interested but it was quite obvious that he hadn't a clue about the things his kids were talking about and he had a hard time communicating to them at their level. His look of pure relief when he saw his wife coming back was priceless. It clearly read, "Now mommy can deal with this!"

That really got me thinking that it would have helped if the man was a bit younger. He wouldn't have had such a wide generation gap with his kids and he would of course have more energy to deal with the 2 chattering kids. Hehe... poor fella!

Gabe had always wanted to be a young dad (very different from many guys our age whom I think would still shudder at the thought of having children!) and having seen that father & kids just now made me realised that maybe it isn't such a bad idea after all! :)

DISCLAIMER : I am not preggers and neither are we 'actively trying' to get preggers. A bit hard to have a kid while we are abroad too.. Anyhow, our philosophy has always been to let it come in God's timing but I'm just sharing the observation... maybe to reassure myself more than anything. Hehe!

Sweet

2008-12-02T07:54:00.003+08:00

Sitting opposite each other on the couch, tucking our feet under the blanket and happily digging in to our OWN tub of Haagen-Daz (Caramel Biscuit and Cream is my new fave!).

These are those moments in life when you feel absolutely contented and blissful!

Just thinking...

2008-11-22T22:27:00.003+08:00

...of what an amazing year it has been.

From thinking about coming to the UK to actually applying for it and finally uprooting to London. And the life here, oh wow! Words can't begin to describe it. The ups and downs, being in need and abundance (ok, that hasn't really happened-not in financial terms at least!), the new experiences, traveling and seeing places and people we could only dream of. It's really a dream come true for us and having each other here makes it all the more sweeter.

I remember wishing Gabriel was with me when I was traveling back in the States during my student days and now having him here with me to share all these experiences is really wonderful. Knowing we can both say, been there, done that. Being here together in this has also help us strengthen our relationship and being more 'couply'. I think we were probably quite independent when we were back home and coming here has somewhat forced us to depend on each other more which has been a good learning experience for both.

On the other hand, being here has also totally transported me out of my comfort zone and stripped me of my sense of security and brought about the gamut of feelings that I'd much rather not have to deal with. I never realised how set I was in my ways or how comfortable we were in KL. But I guess that's how life generally is, you don't appreciate what you have till you have to live without.

Some days, I just worry too much. Am I going to get a job? Are we going to have enough money to pay the bills? What are we going to do when we go home? How will it be at home? and yadda, yadda, yadda. And I think a lot of it stems from money issues or rather worries about not having enough money. I can't help it. Coming from a stable job with a steady income to not knowing when you'll get any pay is quite disturbing. If anything, this is really the part which 'tests' us the most in this whole experience. It helps that Gabe has a stable job but the worries started to escalate when Gabe neared the end of work time.

But once again, I've underestimated my God and true to His faithfulness, He provided when we needed most and even surpassed my expectations. If there is one pattern that followed us throughout this experience, it's probably God's providence. I'm starting to learn to trust Him more and know that all will be well.

This song has been playing in my head and I hope to be able to achieve what it says.

Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Blessed

2008-11-19T20:53:00.000+08:00

I was content

But You continued to bless as You knew it was the desire of my heart

For that I thank You

Here is love

2008-11-18T07:51:00.004+08:00

I was recently reminded of the one constant thing through the good and bad times in my life and that is the fact that my Jesus was there for me all the way.

Thank you Jesus for loving me and being there for me.

Here is love, vast as the ocean
Lovingkindness as the flood
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom
Shed for us His precious blood
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten
Throughout Heav'n's eternal days

On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God's mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide
Grace and love, like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And Heav'n's peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love

Chorus:
No love is higher, no love is wider
No love is deeper, no love is truer
No love is higher, no love is wider
No love is like Your love, o Lord

Dream came true!

2008-10-30T07:27:00.003+08:00

I saw Prince William and Prince Harry today!!!

It was truly a dream came true for me. Ever since I wrote to the princes after Princess Diana's death and received a reply from them (or rather their secretary), I've always dreamed of seeing them in real life and can't believe that it actually came true today! It doesn't help that they are so handsome too. Hehe..

How did it happen?

Well, I was reading the papers on the tube after sending mom to the airport and saw an ad about the Bond premiere that night and that the princes were scheduled to attend! I couldn't believe it. So I had pull out of a colleague's leaving drinks (felt really bad but hey, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience right?)

So yeah, dragged poor hubby with me and we went to the premiere and secured an ok spot near drop off point for the red carpet. And so the stars arrived (I could hardly be bothered really! Very focused!) but we got to see the likes of Bond girl Gemma Atkinson and the X-Factors contestants (Brit's version of Idol) but the princes took a long time coming.

A lot of people started leaving but I held on, believing that they will arrive and my persistence paid off in the end coz I got to see them arriving in the car and later on walking to the cinema. They are as good looking as the pictures and I was just in awe! :)

I was so so happy that this dream was realised when I never thought it would. I'm a happy girl tonight! Thank you Lord!

Who am I?

2008-10-03T04:02:00.008+08:00

I am reminded again that our Lord is faithful even when we are not and that we are saved by grace and not by our own works. Indeed Lord, you are great and worthy of our praise. I saw this video in Sarah Lee's blog and thought that it was so wonderfully performed. Have always loved this song by Casting Crowns.

"Who Am I"

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You're

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

Of birds and the bees

2008-09-25T23:17:00.002+08:00

And so we were watching tv yesterday after dinner and we came across this show called 'The Sex Education Show'. Mind you this is during prime time and I think it's also targeted towards the teens and yesterday's topic was focusing on labour!

I don't know whether it's meant to be a shock tactic to scare the teens to not get preggers or what but I was literally cringing in my seat and covering my eyes... *ouch* it looks so darn painful and the screams that were coming out of the delivery room... I shudder at the thought. They even followed one lady to watch her deliver the baby and she was in labour for more than 24 hours! She describe the contractions as 'steel rods tightening over your tummy'. Even those darn painkillers look scary man... So much for my plan of hoping for something stronger than epidural when my turn comes along!

They even showed the placenta (which looks disgusting btw even though your baby lived there for 9 mths!) and they even mentioned that it is quite normal that when you are giving birth, that other substances (read: bowel movements) also come out in the process...how embarrassing!

OK so this might be too much information for some of you but really, it was quite the eye opener and my respect for mothers have increased a millionth fold! Kudos! I don't know how you guys do it!! I'm still petrified to think about my turn when God chooses to bless us with a child. Oh, why aren't they just delivered by the stork like in the cartoons?

The last scene was when you actually see the baby girl being delivered and it was so touching... She might be greenish and slimey but oh-so-adorable! And everyone goes.... awwwwwww....

It's probably quite obvious that I'm not quite ready to embrace motherhood huh? Well I believe that God will prepare me for it when the time is right. All in God's timing.

Wedding photos

2008-09-17T21:01:00.012+08:00

Ever since I've gotten engaged that day in 2005, I've developed this thing for looking at wedding photos and slideshows. It doesn't help that I totally love our wedding photos as well and it still brings a smile to my face whenever I watch our slideshow :) But yeah, I just like looking at wedding photos - it doesn't matter if I don't know the couple (which is often the case!), but I guess I just love seeing the happiness, hope and joy that radiates on that special day. Yes, I admit, I'm a sop for these things!

So yeah to all the soon-to-be brides out there, do invest in a good photographer as it's true what they say - The day will pass and you may forget over time what had happened, but the memories of good photographs last a lifetime. I'm glad we 'invested' in good photographs and we never regret cutting back on other things and splurging on this aspect :)

Here are some tips for shopping for a photographer:

1. Check out their portfolios and if you're engaging/being assigned a specific photographer, make sure you ask to see his/her personal work to ensure that you like their style. Sometimes the work you see on their website may be a collective work of the photographers in the group but each photographer have their own style.

2. Meet with your photographer and share with them your list of 'must-have' photographs so that they will know what you want on your big day. Also helps to 'introduce/show pictures' of the important people in your lives so they know who to capture e.g. family members etc.

3. Shop around. There are so many new photographers around and you're spoiled for choice. Don't just go with a photographer because he/she is famous but because you like their work. You might also get a better deal with an up and coming photographer than an established one. Also remember, some famous photographers charge a surcharge if you want the principal a.k.a. famous one to shoot your wedding.

4. One man's meat is another man's poison - Your family and friends may offer suggestions on photos/photographers that they think are nice but ultimately, go with the one that you and your partner likes. After all, it's going to be YOUR wedding photos (and you'll be the one looking at it years after the wedding) :) so ensure that it's something that you'll like and remember.

5. Do your research and book early. A lot of photographers (especially the good ones!) get booked very early so this should be one decision to make at the earlier stage of your wedding planning. :)

Hope that helps whoever that may stumble upon this page.

Allow me now to reminisce with some of my fave shots from my wedding two years back :) Enjoy!

Pre-Wedding Shots @ Langkawi

These photos looks washed-out/over exposed coz of the compression :(

If you liked these shots, check out Zung @ The Photoz and Patrick/Fui Yau @ Exes Studio

Wedding Day - 1 July 2006

If you liked these shots, check out Yeh @ Wondrous Vision. When I used him, he was still with The Photoz. :)

Ahh... the memories :)

Weird

2008-09-15T21:45:00.002+08:00

I had a weird dream yesterday.

I dreamt that I was back to work somewhere in KL and even going to eat my favourite pork noodles for lunch with my faceless colleagues. I wondered why the traffic was so easy during lunch and even remembered that it was Ramadhan.... and coincidentally it's Ramadhan now and we don't even feel it here so I dunno why I just thought about that.

Hmm.... weird!

Purely platonic? I think not.

2008-09-12T03:50:00.005+08:00

Another musing inspired by the current chinese serial I'm watching. :P

The age-old question on whether one man and one woman can be purely close platonic friends i.e. bestest best friends?

As the title says, I think not or rather 95% no and 5% yes/maybe.

I've read many blog postings/articles on this issue and I think most people can't really make up their mind on this issue as well hence the number of stories/movies/shows based on this theme. Let me share how I came to my conclusion:

I remembered being asked this question when I was a teen and I remember saying 100% yes. Being idealistic and perhaps somewhat naive about the whole boy/girl thingy then, I saw things as black and white. Why not? A guy friend is just like a girl friend. What's the diff rite?

Many years on, I realised that it's really not that straightforward. I'd like to 'analyse' it based on 2 tests.

1st test

If you're really close friends with one particular person of the opposite sex, after a while you might find yourself being slightly attracted to the person in a more-than-friends way. Then you deal with it maybe in these ways:

- If the other person starts to feel the same, that's great, you talk about it and perhaps it develops into a relationship.
- If the other party does not reciprocate, you either develop a long-standing secret crush on your best mate or you grow out of it and label him/her as just friend/not bf/gf material and get on with your life. Whether you remain as close a friend at this point is questionable.

2nd test

If you still remain close friends at this point, the next test would be when one of you get into a serious relationship with another person. Your reactions depending on which side of the fence you are in could range from:

- Being insanely jealous of your friend's partner because you don't get to spend as much time with him/her. Then you have to ask yourself, why are you insanely jealous?
- Having to defend yourself to your partner that A is 'just a friend'. I think most guys/girls would not like their partner to have such a close friend of the opposite sex. Most people may deny it, but trust me, I don't think they'll like it (yes, me included!) Call it insecurity, jealousy or what have you but generally, I think most people will agree with me on this one.
- And then when you get married, your number 1 best friend should be your husband/wife. It may sound idealistic, but I really believe that it is quite important that husband and wife should be each other's best friend. Imagine if your husband/wife has a problem and they go to their friend instead of you, how would you feel?

And that's just the 'friendship' part of it. There's also the possible 'sexual attraction' between a man and woman, which for the sake of possible underage readers, I shall not go into. Thus through my observation as above and some personal experience, that was how I formed my opinion on the said topic.

Of course, I don't deny that there are some exceptions (thus the 5% and if that's you, lucky you and more power to you!) and many variations of circumstances which could change the whole perspective but generally, this is just my humble opinion.

What do you think?

Reception

2008-09-10T17:03:00.004+08:00

Can't believe I'm sneaking in a post on the job. Am just temping for a day as a receptionist, yes complete with the headphones and all. Hopefully it won't be too busy :)

One of the beauty of temping is that you get to do different things and honestly, a lot of things that I probably won't consider doing at home but these experiences help to give you a new perspective and in most cases, a new respect for the people who do these jobs.

And like most people who work, I can't wait for lunch and after lunch, to go home :) Looking forward to a home-cooked dinner tonight by dear hubby who finally has a day off without me in about 4 weeks?

Edit:

This is what I came home to :) I made the salad of course (ala Ai Lin) :P

Wordle

2008-08-29T21:45:00.002+08:00

It's a funny word. But in a nutshell, I guess it's just muddled up words kinda like how I feel sometimes. People often ask how I feel about this whole working holiday experience, so here are some descriptions both good and bad for you :). You can figure out which's which.

Make your own wordle here. Thanks Suk Yee for the link! :)

Obsolete

2008-08-27T21:55:00.003+08:00

Having some time on my hands, I've been surfing the internet quite a bit and yes, browsing through facebook is one of my faves too. I'm still constantly amazed at how small this world is and how this person knows that person and the list goes on and on. However, that's not what I wanted to write about today.

I'm feeling a little obsolete these days.

I guess, keeping up with the news back home and the new technologies and new media that is appearing day by day makes me feel like I've just been living in a little protective happy-bubble and unaware that life around her is changing at a frightening pace. Gabe and I were just speaking about what we wanted to do when we go home i.e. career wise and he mentioned that he was probably very outdated in IT and he would probably like to pursue something else.

I never once thought that I would feel outdated in PR. After all, the fundamentals of communication are the same right?

Wrong!

Just today, I was surfing through some websites and I realised that a lot of the media people from newspapers have since gone on to start online news portals of various shapes and sizes. Sure, it was a growing phenomenon while I was still working in PR but now, this 'little' online baby has matured over months into what I believe IS the new media as people have dubbed it. More and more people are saying that they can't trust the regular news channels back home as it's pro-govt (although it has always been that way!) but to see these alternative news channels taking shape is quite a wake-up call for this ex-PR person...

With that, I really wondered where does that leave me when I go home? It's not that I've always wanted to go back to PR but it was always the 'safe' option... and now I guess it's really not that safe anymore huh? Who wants to hire an obsolete PR person? And that my friend, is another blow to my already wounded ego.

Decisions....decisions... how I detest making these decisions...

*sigh*

Little luxuries

2008-08-27T21:43:00.002+08:00

How I miss...

... manicure and pedicure sessions
... relaxing spa sessions
... taming my unruly hair through rebonding
... my bi-monthly facials

I never used to think of myself as vain but I'm realising that I am after all, a creature of comfort. Till the time I'll be able to afford those little luxuries again, I hold you in my fondest memories.

To Grow With Love

2008-08-18T21:36:00.010+08:00

As part of my current obsession, I stumbled upon these two videos of my current favourite Chinese songs with a synopsis of the serial. Enjoy!! Andy Hui is so cute! ;P

Jobless again....

2008-08-16T23:51:00.004+08:00

Yupp, you read right.

I'm jobless....again!

My assignment with Clarins finally ended after nearly 3 months and it was quite sudden as they had a new colleague joining from Clarins Australia. I left with a heavy heart coz I did enjoy what I was doing but nonetheless, thankful that I even had an opportunity to work there. For a temp assignment, it certainly was a long one so I can't complain much. They said they'll call me back when they need someone so am keeping my fingers crossed. They even gave me a gift when I left and I was so touched! After all, I was just a temp.

My lovely goodie bag from them! There was even a present for Gabe! How sweet of them!

Anyway, just wanted to record some things I've noticed about the work culture here:

1. They plan way way way ahead in marketing (they already have 2009 all planned out!) but like one colleague said, "Sometimes it gets a bit frustrating coz you're not living in the present..." Something to keep in mind coz I've been toying with the idea of trying out marketing comm when I head home.

2. Working life is the same everywhere no matter which country you're in - workers' grievances are always the same!

3. Their work is more stream-lined here. E.g., if you're in charge of brand, that's all you do... Somehow I find companies in Malaysia expect their workers to be more 'one-leg-kick', meaning you do/have to know everything.... Maybe that's why we're so stressed at home.

4. Lunch is usually taken at their desk and lunch hour is to go shopping/run errands. They seldom go out together as colleagues. Man, this made me miss all the lunch sessions at the mamak and after work tea times. So muhibbah you know.

5. The best thing about working here though is that EVERYONE LEAVES AT 5.30! Staying back after work is virtually unheard of, especially on a Friday. Makes me question why staying back to 7/8 is such a norm for us at home....

So overall, it's been a really good eye-opening experience and I hope that my experience there will help in getting me a new job soon.... Till then, I'll just enjoy being a tai-tai and watching my TVB series! ;P

Addict

2008-08-16T23:35:00.003+08:00

My name is Wen Sze.

I have a problem.

I'm a TVB-series-holic.

Symptoms:

1. You are glued to the TV (or computer screen in my case!)
2. You start speaking more in Cantonese.
3. You wonder where the time went to.
4. You want to watch the next episode, and the next, and the next.
5. You hate it when it's time to go to sleep because that means you have to wait to the next day to watch the rest of the episodes.
6. You finish a series in a couple of days compared to the usual 1 episode a day.
7. You identify with the characters and feel for them when they laugh, cry etc.
8. You still get excited and emotional when a particular scene happens even though they are so predictable.
9. You start quoting scenes from the series and applying it to real life.
10. You start having dreams about the series.

Oh dear, I'm definitely an addict!

*HELP!* :)

But on another note, it's been really fun and nice to have time to watch these shows as I never used to have the time or patience to follow the series properly at home. There's always something to do but the wonder of these chinese shows is that you can pick it up so easily from any episode coz really, the storyline is quite predictable.

Gabe and I have just finished this series 'To Grow With Love' (love,love,love it!) and I've personally just finished another of my own since I'm currently jobless. I realised that my Cantonese is not that good so I need to watch more series to understand quicker what they mean. At the same time, I'm also testing my memory of Chinese characters by looking at the subtitles. So it's not really a waste of time right? :)

Hmm...time to look for a new series.... Tata!

An update of sorts...

2008-07-26T19:58:00.003+08:00

You would think that I'd have more time to blog now since there's really nothing much to do around here at night after work but no, it's been a month since I've posted anything here. It's hard enough to keep our travel blogs up-to-date :) :) and yes, I'll blog soon about our recent travels.

Just a short update about what I've been up to in the last month:

1. I've been working full-time at Clarins. It started when I had to step in to help coz the person I was working with had to leave for a family emergency so I was asked to step in and help out. Ever since then, they just asked me to come in full-time! :) It's a real blessing coz it means more $$$ but then again, I do miss my afternoon off when I can go grocery shopping and lepak around. Now I have to come home after work during peak hour and then prepare dinner. Good thing hubby only comes home around 9 so there's plenty of time to prepare. I'm still unsure of how long this assignment will last but for a temp job, it's been great. I've been there about 2 1/2 months ady and I'm almost part of the furniture as my agency said. How time flies!

2. Gabe and I went on 2 last-minute unplanned trips in the last month and it was a blast. You can read about those here.

3. Hosted our first BBQ this summer with some friends a couple days ago and it was great fun... though those disposable BBQ pits don't really work that well! :(

4. Summer is finally here in the last week. It's been super hot and I'm sweating like a mad woman... yucks! :( Imagine being squashed in the tube with lots of hot, smelly people.. Yeah... not a pleasant sight and experience really. My tip, stand in the middle between the seats (you won't get as squashed as in the open standing space) or near the open windows at the end of the carriage, although that would leave you with crazy hair. I should know! ;P

5. After my previous blog about missing my girlfriends, God was very gracious and I got to meet up with a few of my girlfriends from home and Uni for some catching up while they were in London. Thank you Lord!

6. And the most recent update, I got my tax refund today!!! :) Woo hooo!!! It's not a big amount but every penny counts for us here (and I never believe in paying the government more than they deserve!)... so yeay, I think I deserve to go shopping after this. I've been very good at avoiding all those SALES sign staring at my face every day when I go to work. I work right smack in the middle of Oxford Street for crying out loud and it's an achievement I tell ya! :)

Ooooo... now that I've thought of going shopping, I'll end this post right now :) See you soon.... hopefully within the month. Kekeke...take care!

Totally random...

2008-06-21T06:34:00.003+08:00

And so the Ascot and wedding season has arrived in the UK and that means one major thing for the fairer sex - HATS, hats and more hats. I've never seen so many hats in the department store - from big floppy ones, to small cute hairband pieces to some oh-so-outrageous designs. And being a lady myself, I of course decided to try one out even though I will probably have no occasion to wear such a thing :) I just love seeing the women carrying their hat box around. So hoity-toity... And this was me in Debenhams trying on a random hat with fluffy feathers... Hehehe...

p.s. BTW, did I ever mention how much I love freebies? I really do... from magazine stuffers to free goodies from the work place.... I love, love, love freebies (even though I may not have use for them. hehe.. I'm so terrible!)... Anyway, woo hoo! :) :)

Moving on...

2008-06-12T02:12:00.002+08:00

Recently I've been bombarded with good news that two of my close friends have begun their journeys into motherhood. Their stories couldn't be more different. While one I know has been waiting for this day ever since she got married, the other, well I guess didn't plan on it happening so soon (hehe... BTW, I'm sorry I predicted wrongly!)

But anyhow the stories are the same - the labour pain is extremely intense, painful and tiring, the baby keeps them up all night but the 'joy' is extremely rewarding. I still haven't got over the pain part yet!! *ouch* Nevertheless, I'm so excited for them and I can't wait to see the babies even though they will no longer be 'newborns' by then! Congrats new mommy&daddy Lee's & Eng's.

It's weird to think how time flies really... my schoolmates and I are 'celebrating' our 10th year out of school this year (we all thought this day will never come!) and so many more of my friends are either engaged, getting married and now even having babies. Arrrggghhh... it's hard to pretend that we're not adults with all of us entering 'real' adulthood and accepting responsibilities that had seemed so foreign and far-fetched not too long ago... In other words, I'm getting old! :(

Not one to be pessimistic, I shall embrace these changes with open arms as and when it comes. So when are Little Tay's arriving? As I've said before, as and when the Lord bless, Gabe and I will welcome with open arms (although I hope we would have travelled more and that the great medical fraternity would have invented something stronger than epidural by that time if possible!):) My pain threshold is seriously non-existent. *grin*

Enough pondering for the moment. I'm going out for my evening walk now while it's still bright.

P.S. I Love You

2008-06-11T01:55:00.003+08:00

And no, this is not a movie review (it was a great show though!)

And so Gabe and I watched this show on one of our random movie nights and I expected it to be a regular chick flick which it sort of was but I was surprised at how much the movie tugged at my heartstrings. In a way, it was a bit freaky to get notes from a dead husband but the thought behind the notes showed how much he loved her and wanted her to move on after his death...

That got me thinking how I would be if Gabe passed away before me (Choi!) but seriously, I don't know how I would feel and how I would go on really. I mean, we spend so much of our lives together every single day and if that one part is taken away, imagine having to find things to fill it up and life as you know it will never be quite the same. It'll be quite impossible and maybe that why I was feeling Hilary Swank's 'pain' and sobbing like an idiot for the most part.

Of course when I told Gabriel about it after the movie, he just said,"Why you think of silly things like that?", the same reaction as when I told him which songs I wanted sung at my funeral if I were to go first. I guess, being normal humans, we don't like to think of death, of the end as we know it, the finality of it all but I guess as Christians, we know that at the end, we will be with Jesus in a better place and that we will see each other again in heaven as brothers and sisters in Christ. There's some comfort there I guess.

Which also got me thinking, if I were to go first...hmmm... I think I would feel the same as the husband, wanting the best for Gabriel and for him to go on living a full life according to God's will even if it means for Gabriel to re-marry (but not so soon after I die-la ok?). But most importantly,to put our children first (if we had any!)and the children must approve of the lady in question. No arguments about that. I would not want to see them suffer at the hands of an evil step-mother!

But enough about that kind of talk for now. Isn't it amazing what a movie can provoke in you?

And P.S. Gabriel, I love you very much! :)

2008-06-11T01:53:00.000+08:00

You Are a Yellow Crayon

Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors.

You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius.

Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way.

While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme.

Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.

What Color Crayon Are You?

Perfect summer day

2008-06-10T04:37:00.003+08:00

Spreading my mat on the grass under some shady, leafy giant trees in beautiful
Kensington Gardens

Whipping out my packed lunch, shades and story book

Munching along while enjoying the fountain, scenery and people watching

Resting on my back with my nose to the book underneath the great blue sky

The whispers of summer breeze cooling the heat of the day

It really was as perfect as it sounds :)

I miss my girlfriends!

2008-06-05T07:07:00.006+08:00

Been feeling a bit homesick lately - especially wanting to hang out and chit-chat with my dearest girlfriends. A girl always need her girlfriends you know! :) So to all my girls, just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of and missing you lots wherever you may be. *Hugs*

I've always liked this poem about girlfriends. Find it quite true so it's especially dedicated to all of you.

All I Need to Know About Life
I Learned From My Girlfriends

· Good times are even better when they're shared.

· A good long talk can cure almost anything.

· Everyone needs someone with whom to share their secrets.

· Listening is just as important as talking.

· An understanding friend is better than a therapist; and cheaper, too!

· Laughter makes the world a happier place.

· Friends are like wine; they get better with age.

· Sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on.

· Great minds think alike, especially when they are female!

· When it comes to "bonding", females do it better.

· YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD FOR SLUMBER PARTIES!!!!

· It's important to make time to do "girl things."

· Calories don't count when having lunch (or any other food) with your girlfriends.

· You can never have too many shoes or girlfriends.

· GEMS MAY BE PRECIOUS, BUT FRIENDSHIP IS PRICELESS!!!!!

Fun

2008-06-03T02:06:00.002+08:00

Recently, I've been given the task to go shopping as part of my job! No complaints from me man.. It's so fun to spend other people's money, even if it's just buying make up products which I'm so blur about. But shopping on the job, now that's something I could get used to easily. :D

Old Movies

2008-05-26T23:31:00.003+08:00

I'm sitting here on a rainy day, watching a rerun of 'The Sound of Music' on TV and enjoying every minute of it. Loved this show and I can watch it over and over again. Can't believe I still remember most of the lyrics to the songs and it's just such a lovely movie. Ahhhh...little things make me feel so happy.

Inspirational

2008-05-24T06:03:00.003+08:00

This is quite an inspirational video. It's about 11 minutes but it's worth the watch if you have the time.

Regret

2008-05-17T21:17:00.002+08:00

We were at a worship/performance by Stuart Townend yesterday night at church and his songs are ever so evocative and at one point, he reminded us that when God forgives our sins, He forgets about them unlike us humans I guess. We tend to forgive but do we really forget? But that is a question for another post. And he continued by saying that we should free ourselves from our own bondage since God has already forgiven us.

The particular 'sin' I had in mind at that point was how we didn't give glory to God during our wedding dinner. Gabe and I chose not to have an opening prayer at our dinner out of respect for our non-Christian relatives and friends. At that point, I remembered the reasoning sounded logical but in hindsight, the reasoning seemed so shallow and what does it matter to them whether there was a prayer or not? I think it spoke more about us as Christians that we DIDN'T give thanks to God when He deserves all praise - it was through Him that Gabriel and I met, fell in love along the way and got married. It was Him who provided us (and continues to do so) with everything that we needed and it was Him who brought us through all the trying times in our relationship and the days leading up to our wedding which was extremely stressful.

It took one important person to jolt us into reality after our wedding and from then on, I had felt extremely guilty that we didn't really think it through and the implications that spoke volumes. Our dear dinner emcees did try to get us to change our minds when we initially discussed but I don't know why we stuck to our guns. Maybe in a way, it was also to teach us a lesson and this will be one of the things that I will live to regret.

But anyhow, at the session yesterday, I felt God telling me that He was addressing that particular 'sin' in my life. I realised there is nothing we can do to change what happened, but He reminded that what I can do, is to be a good testament for Him from now on. Not to put man's will/perception before His and I pray that I will be able to continue to run the race and to seek His will for our lives.

I know God uses mistakes in our lives to teach us and once again, He reminded us of His grace, love, power and that indeed, He is in control. He continually reminds that He is faithful even though we are not. We may continue to fall but He will continue to lift us up as long as we continue to look and allow Him to work in our lives and for that I'll be forever grateful.

Psalm 103:11-12

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

May this song by Stuart Townend be the song that I will sing all of my life.

All My Days (Beautiful Saviour)

All my days I will sing this song of gladness,
Give my praise to the Fountain of delights;
For in my helplessness You heard my cry,
And waves of mercy poured down on my life.

I will trust in the cross of my Redeemer,
I will sing of the blood that never fails;
Of sins forgiven, of conscience cleansed,
Of death defeated and life without end.

Beautiful Saviour, Wonderful Counsellor,
Clothed in majesty, Lord of history,
You're the Way, the Truth, the Life.
Star of the Morning, glorious in holiness,
You're the Risen One, heaven's Champion,
And You reign, You reign over all!

I long to be where the praise is never-ending,
Yearn to dwell where the glory never fades;
Where countless worshippers will share one song,
And cries of 'worthy' will honour the Lamb!

Answered prayer

2008-05-15T02:20:00.002+08:00

After my ranting post previously, indeed my friend was right - she told me to be patient as maybe the right job has not arrived. True enough, God decided to answer my prayer and put me out of my misery. I got the part-time job at Clarins' marketing department and am enjoying every minute of it. I basically assist the marketing coordinator and so quite easy stuff but it's fun to see what happens in the marketing department for such a popular brand. So yeah, it's all good. I get to do some extra hours here and there but am enjoying the part-time hours too since I get to come home early, do grocery shopping and prepare dinner for hubby so yeah, am very happy.

Thank you!

Humbled

2008-05-09T03:03:00.004+08:00

It's been slightly over a month since I've been jobless and several agencies later, I'm still no closer to getting a long term office job, saved for the one day odd job I had last Friday. Met another agency today and keeping my fingers crossed for a job which sounds quite interesting and right up my alley. The only drawback is that it's only part-time, but I'm not choosy now. Just taking whatever comes along and if something better appears then I will reconsider. The beauty of temping I guess.

With all these going on, I have been feeling a little disheartened really. Or rather I think my ego's been slightly bruised. I never really thought I had a big ego but it seems I do, professional-wise I must qualify. For someone who never lacked job offers, being on the other end of the fence was quite a humbling experience and yes, at times it did hurt. You can't help but feel so inadequate and stupid for not being able to secure a job and wondering if you really need to go back to retail (no please!). *Sigh* I do know that my visa is really against me compared to the tonne of EU people who do not need a visa to work but still you can't help but wonder if it's a reflection of who you are.

Like a friend said, maybe this experience of living 'hand to mouth' is a good lesson to learn - learning to be humble and grateful for God's blessings. Not that knowing that makes it any easier but I guess it's all part and parcels of life's lessons. I'm just grateful for a supportive hubby, family and friends through this time. Thanks you guys.

My first tag

2008-05-01T21:50:00.002+08:00

I got tagged by Sarah sometime back and since I have all the time in the world now, I shall try to answer it. And Sarah, I know you said WenSze& Gabriel, but these are my thoughts personally. Hehehe...

Instructions: Remove ONE question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.Whoever does the tag will have blessings from all.
.
1. Who is your all-time inspiration?
I find inspiration in different things and people at different times. At this moment, I'm inspired to run the good race like Mr Boler and will remember his legacy.
2. Have you given your first kiss away?
Of course, to my first love who is now my hubby! :)
3. If you were to be stranded on a deserted island, who are the 3 blog buddies you would take with you? Why?
Blog buddies? OK, I'm changing this one to 3 things/persons I would take with me. First would have to be Gabriel, coz he can cook and help us survive and of course, a source of comfort and strength too. Secondly, my girlfriends (ok I know it's more than 3 but I can't choose!!) so we can chat and while our time away. And lastly, a never-ending storybook (it changes to a new story every time I reach the end!) so I can read to my heart's content. Perfect!
4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
Too many places...but high on my list would be Prague, Paris, Spain/Portugal and I would like to go back to the States sometime.
5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
I wished all my family members would come to know Jesus so I'll never have to say goodbye to them.
6. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?
Yes, and I still get so so excited when I see one.
7. What are you afraid to lose the most now?
The people I love and anything that would cause me to be disabled and dependent on people.
8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?
Travel, travel, travel sommore and shop-till-I-drop. OK, I'll put some into the bank and earn earn earn interest so I never have to worry about money again. Bliss!
9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
I don't think this applies to me anymore but I guess if I look back, action speaks louder than words :)
10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.
She is an amazing artist. She is very sweet and thoughtful. She's amazingly mature for her age. :) And yes, that's good to a certain extent. Don't think so much ya. Sometimes, things can be and is just simple.
11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
It has and always will be someone who loves God, loyal, trusting and one who loves me for who I am.
12. Which type of person do you hate the most?
Hate is a strong word. I prefer to use dislike. I absolutely dislike superficial, selfish and insensitive people.
13. What is your ambition?
Gosh I still don't know. I just want to be good at what I do. Wedding planning still sounds interesting to me (I luuurve weddings!) but that would take up too much of my weekends. Not good for family life so I guess I still don't know. :)
14. If you have faults, would you rather the people around you point out to you or would you rather they keep quiet?
Point it out but constructively (in private preferably), not rudely or meanly.
15. Are you a shopaholic or not?
I think I used to be and I still get caught up sometimes. :) This I promise, I inherited from my mom - the all-time SUPER shopaholic!
16. Find a word to describe the person who tagged you.
Super talented.
17. If you have a chance, which part of your character you would like to change?
Hmmm character... wow that's hard. But I guess it would be not to be too judgmental and to be more patient would be nice.
18. What's the last shocking thing you've seen or heard?
Mr Boler's passing away. I will miss him lots.
19. Dream holiday?
Not rushed, having time to enjoy the sights, company and having tea while watching the world go by.
20. If you had to chew bubblegum for the rest of your life, what flavour would it be?
A cross between butterscotch and coffee and yes, strawberry would be nice too.
.
I am tagging;
Su Sien
Simmie
Jessie
Joanna
Marie & Lareina (just for fun!email it back to me...hehe..)
Rachel Tan
JV

Rest well

2008-04-30T00:46:00.005+08:00

It was very sad to hear of Mr Boler's passing away on Sunday. In a way, it was a real coincidence that we were all at Andrew&Jeen's place together with PB and Sammie, so in a way it was very bittersweet - happy that we were together but we were all deeply saddened by the news when we heard. Only assurance was that Mr Boler is in a better place and that he has finally finished running his race and what a race it was.

As I think back of my memories with Mr Boler, the sweetest being that we share the same birthday and how he never fails to wish me at church and once even sending me a card while I was studying in the States. Mr Boler was a man of few words, but each word he said, it was priceless gems and words of wisdom. He was very sincere, always making time to ask how we were doing and also rebuke when needed, "You don't know your hymns, girl!" but all was done in encouragement and I appreciated each word.

Gabriel and I were honoured to have him give the opening prayer at our wedding and I was so happy when he remembered to give me a copy of his prayer for my memory book. He also prayed for us before we left for the UK and his words were to 'take care of yourself and each other' amongst others. I will miss him lots but I will always remember the legacy he left for us - to stay close to Jesus, the Bible and to be faithful to the Cross.

Thank you for being an inspiration Mr Boler and may you rest in peace with our Lord. We will miss you.

This will remain my favourite picture with Mr Boler.

My Fav Carol

2008-04-18T04:39:00.002+08:00

Library Promotion

2008-04-16T20:20:00.002+08:00

Hehe... this is the first time I've seen a library having a promotion. For every 6 books you borrow, you get to borrow a DVD/CD free! :) I was so tickled by it but being me and since I usually borrow more than 6 books at a go, I also chose my free DVD. Can't wait to watch 'Michael Clayton' when Gabriel gets home tonight. Yay! More George Clooney!! :)

Blessed

2008-04-11T00:45:00.003+08:00

Recently Gabriel and I have been discussing how blessed we are and how amazing this whole experience in London is. Getting a chance to visit new places, the almost-stress-freeness lifestyle (I like!) and how much this experience has brought Gabriel & I closer as husband and wife. It's been really great for us coz back home, we were both so busy with work, church etc etc that we hardly get time to spend together. Coming here, all we have is each other and suffice to say, it's been a learning experience but a great one.

And to top it off, I even got to meet my fav movie stars at a premiere recently. Life can't get any better than this :). I really think we are where we're supposed to be at this moment.

Thank you Lord for this blessing.

Never stinge on haircuts!!!

2008-04-09T05:27:00.000+08:00

I know now...

I guess I have to blame my lack-of-visiting-salons when I was back home. Or rather the lack of need to. I was always very lucky, getting my yearly rebonding and cut at my cousin's place during our annual trip to KK (lucky I know!) but that also limits my experiences at other salons to just trim and dinner hairdos. :(

So when it came time for me to cut my hair to rid it of split ends and frankly, it was just getting too long and mafan, I was at a loss especially in a new country with a limited budget. So I decided to try this salon near Piccadilly Circus where it offered cheap haircuts.

I told her I wanted it to be slightly below shoulder and a slight round shape at the end (just maintaining my cousin's previous cut) and she cut alright, with an electric razor like the one I used to cut Gabriel's hair! :( She did sort of shape it with the scissors after that but no layer whatsoever.

It looked ok when I was there but when I came home and looked at it again, it looked weird. And some part sticks out too! :( Boo hoo hoo... but ok la, I think it makes me look younger. Haha...

But lesson is : I miss my cousin and don't be too cheapskate on your haircuts especially if you're like me, only need to cut once or twice a year. Haha...

There's nothing quite like....

2008-03-12T08:06:00.001+08:00

....coming home, tired and hungry from work and finding a hot, yummy meal waiting for you.

:)

Elections 2008

2008-03-10T09:33:00.000+08:00

For the first time I actually qualified to vote but unfortunately I forgot to find out how to go about voting overseas so I couldn't perform my public duty today. But scores of Malaysians did and man, did they change things around.

Gabriel and I were catching up on the voting stories as they were updated on the web and we couldn't believe our eyes! Seeing the opposition winning by a landslide was quite a shock. We did expect them to win more considering the numerous conversations we had with friends on who to vote for and why... but such a landslide. Wow! All the ministers losing their constituency....ouch!

We can only pray that the government wakes up to the call and that the newly formed ruling parties for the 5 opposition states will also do the public who voted them proud. We must also pray for continual peace and harmonious living in the place we call home.

Auf wiedersehen my pretty blue scarf....

2008-02-23T07:22:00.000+08:00

Today marked a sad, sad day for my winter wardrobe.

I left my pretty blue scarf on board the bus to Stansted Airport. I did not realise till it was too late as I was still groggy from sleep. *sigh* I was extremely sad as I really liked my soft blue scarf that had traveled to many places with me. Alas, it is now gone despite attempts to search in lost property counters. I hope it finds a nice new home and will be put to good use to whoever that found it.

Here's a little tribute to my pretty blue scarf who had served me well...

A cold winter's day, some 6 years back in St Cloud
It arrived in an inconspicuous brown package from Gap
A gift it was from my friend in Buffalo
Delighted was I as I marveled in its soft, smooth warmth
Since then, it had been my constant winter companion
in St Cloud, Chicago, New York
and more recently Beijing, London and Manchester
It was by my side always and Germany it would have traveled
If not for a mistake due to sleepiness and haste
It was left on a bus to the airport
Distressed was I and upset with myself
But alas, it was not to be found
So with heavy heart
I bid thee farewell my lovely blue scarf
Thanks for all the good times!

Everything but the tuna

2008-02-18T23:52:00.005+08:00

On Skype (edited and paraphrased)

Wens (W) : I feel like cooking tuna pasta/bake today coz I have some leftover milk from when Lareina was here and I think it's expiring today.
Marie (M) : Internet got lots of recipes wat...
W: *surfs the internet* All also need mushroom soup... replace with chicken soup can ar? Lazy to go out and buy. Ehh... can you sms Joanna to ask what goes into her mom's recipe?
M: *sms Jo and puts her on speaker phone when she called*

Need milk, button mushrooms, milk, herbs etc etc...
W: No need mushroom soup?
M/J: No need. Can use milk as base.
W: Yeay! No need to go out.
M: You got tuna and the rest meh?
W: Ya (very confidently and happily)

After procrastinating a bit, I opened the pantry cupboard and this is what I found:

EVERYTHING BUT THE TUNA!!!!! :(

A bit hard to cook tuna pasta without tuna right? So I had to get dressed, bundled up and took a walk to the shop outside. Only plus was that it was a lovely sunny day out. Sigh.. so much for laziness... hehehe.. can't wait to cook this later!

Valentine's in London

2008-02-16T00:10:00.000+08:00

We didn't plan on celebrating V-day as everything is always overpriced anyway. But considering that V Day is also an anniv of sorts for us since Gabe proposed on V Day 3 years ago, I thought why not make a simple dinner at home after work? Thanks to Marks & Spencer, Campbell & Gu (I love you guys!), our menu for dinner was as follows:

Cream of Chicken Soup
~~~~~~~~~
Roasted Pork Loin with butter and sage
served with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables

~~~~~~~~~
Hot Chocolate Souffle

It was nearly midnight by the time we finished dinner (I only finished work at 9pm) but it was a nice celebration nonetheless. Gabe was also very sweet and bought me lovely cupcakes from Selfridges which were oh-so-pretty-and-yummy. Too bad I forgot to take a picture... hehe...

Melancholy

2008-02-12T03:50:00.000+08:00

Catching up on news back home

Sharing meals

Stuffing our faces with gelati, desserts and chocolates

Walking till we drop

Seeing new things

Late nights and early mornings

Laughter

Smiles

The comfortable familiarity

It hasn't even been 24 hours since you guys left and I'm already missing you guys terribly. :( Thanks for all the good times and hope you guys enjoyed your trip too. We surely enjoyed your company Benny & Lareina..... *Hugs*

Another one of those lazy days...

2008-01-19T20:22:00.000+08:00

I'm sitting on the comfy couch, lazing around, watching Saturday cooking shows and dangerous-for-my-pocket craft channels.

So, what do I do with my day off?

Absolutely nothing!

I'm an ungrateful little brat I know....

2008-01-18T20:51:00.000+08:00

On my long weekend off today and basically am just sitting around, surfing friend's blogs, photos on facebook etc etc... yes, very productive... :)

Anyway, came across an old post by one of my friends on how she was worried about going back to Malaysia after being away for a year and friends have moved on in their lives, career etc... and it struck a chord with me coz I've just been thinking along the same lines recently...

I mean, I'm finally here in London, living the life that I've only dreamed of and being able to visit places I saw in postcards... However, sometimes I think about how much I miss my life back home - the comforts of having a car, a house, a good job etc etc... I also fear that "Oh no, after 2 years when I go back, will I still be able to work at the same level or will I have to start all over again?" Let's face it, being a sales assistant isn't very valuable in the eyes of M'sian employers. :( Thus the search for another job (amongst other practical reasons).

But God reminds me of how ungrateful I am that I'm not appreciating His providence for this part in my life. I can just imagine Him saying, 'Such an ungrateful little brat!'

Anyway, it's not all bleak, don't worry. :) I really do enjoy myself here, having an easy job, considerably ok working hours and enjoying the time with Gabriel. I've realised that what's important is to enjoy every minute of the journey and continue to seek Him first on my life. I always tell people to cross the bridge when they come to it so I guess it's time for me to listen to my own advice eh?

If you read-between-the-lines-in-this-post, it probably just reads:

Iamjustmissinghome-everythingandeveryoneathome!

whimzhouse

Back online...

Updates

Inspiration lost

Grin and bear!

Worship 23rd January

Minta maaf....Siaran tergendala...

Cambodian experience

Invest

Unavailable

:)

Grow old with you

tête-à-tête

Work & Parenting...where should the line be drawn?

Lessons from Dr Huang

From an episode of House

Contentment

Congratulations Siew Yen & Siew Mun!

According to You

Happy 4th Anniversary! :)

Girly Outing #2

Jotting down

Tee hee... I like this rationale! :)

Mellowed?

That little nut...

Giant milestone for us....

Counting blessings

Things that make you smile

26 Life Lessons Learned

Checking in

Doubt

Transported

From Our Daily Bread daily devotional

August 11, 2009

GAD Or God?

Chapter closing

Happy 100th

Back in London

We're Eurotripping!

C-H-A-N-G-E

Do Not Worry

We are going!!

Another chapter closes

Lessons from Sex & The City Movie

Getting there

*Tweet* *Tweet*

Family

This couple

Thinking about....

In another time

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Psalm 37:1-11 (New International Version)

Of David.

Ephesians 4:1-4 (New International Version)

Unity in the Body of Christ

1 Timothy 6:11-16 (New International Version)

Paul's Charge to Timothy

Wrestling with the Wind

It's not just about me

I have a confession....

Happy

12 inches of snow.....

Twenty Five Things About Me

Blue Monday

My ego took a bruising...

Young Parents

Sweet

Just thinking...

Blessed

Here is love

Dream came true!

Who am I?

Of birds and the bees

Wedding photos

Weird

Purely platonic? I think not.

Reception

Wordle

Obsolete

Little luxuries

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