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[Nov. 13th, 2009|01:37 pm] |
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Who do you talk to, when you don't know who you can talk to? |
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| The deed is done |
[Oct. 24th, 2009|05:13 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  thankful | ] |
Just before I started the 11 grps project, we found The One (courtesy and thanks to E!), and did the necessary. With the signing of papers, shaking of hands, and the congratulatory note (oh, and not forgetting the presence of dear min), it really felt like the real deal. hehe.
The reality is still sinking in, but we're able to visualise it a lot more more. Can't wait for 2013, but meanwhile, there's the whole Move to look forward to.
Oh, not forgetting the mantas that're waiting for us in Similan and wintry Tokyo.
Just as Jon says, God is good. |
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| Thoughts |
[Oct. 17th, 2009|10:24 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  thoughtful | ] |
I've been reading this Happiness book written by a buddhist monk, and he talks about the ephemeral nature of thoughts. He argues that thoughts are what causes frustration, anger, and whatever negative feelings you can think of. To cope with that, he recommends meditating on the nature of thoughts. Visualising thoughts as waves in the ocean, focusing on where the thoughts are coming from, where the thoughts are going to. Not exactly looking at the source (as in the events) that caused the thoughts, but rather to recognise that thoughts come from the vastness (or nothingness) and fade into the vastness (and nothingness).
Interesting thought, isn't it?
In other news, I almost bought it, but I didn't, coz it was bought before I could pay for it. I guess that's Mr God's way of saying, "not yet, my darling". |
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| The first Lasagne |
[Oct. 11th, 2009|09:36 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | satisfied | ] |
Having been inspired by the EB's wife's bachemal sauce lasagne, I googled for a recipe. First on the list was J@mie 0liver's, so that's what I used.
A pictorial flow of what happened...
Step 1 in preparing the bechamel sauce:
Boiling 600ml of milk with onions, 8 black peppercorns, 3 cloves, 2 bay leaves (i skipped the 4 stalks of parsley)
Step 2 of the bechamel sauce:
Stirring in 2.5 tbsp of plain flour into 50g of butter over low heat
Step 3 (and final one) of the bechamel sauce:
Combine the strained milk and the buttery flour mixture
The assembly:
One layer of bechamel sauce, laying of the lasagne sheets, then bechamel sauce + basil pesto sauce. Dump 1/2 of the vine-riped tomatoes (costs abt S$2 per tomato) and 1/2 of the spinach (which according to 2 guinea pigs tastes like di huang cai, whatever that is), sprinkle mozarella + parmesan cheese + basil leaves. Repeat process of laying lasagne and whatever else. Finally, top up with a last layer of lasagne, cheese and basil leaves.
Finally, bake at 180 degrees for 40min, allow to set a while (at least 15min according to experience), and serve!
Not before having a starter of course...
There, a diary of how my Saturday went. Sunday was spent sleeping after church to recoup the massive loss of energy. :-) |
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| I've survived the flu |
[Oct. 5th, 2009|10:40 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  full | ] |
It was a horrible 1.5 wks. There was the nagging pain in the throat. Sometimes I can barely whisper. Often I feel weak. Sometimes I wake up with a splitting headache. And I'm always tired.
It boils down to a nasty bout of flu. Plenty of those in office were suffering from it. I just feel sad for those whose doctors prescribed antibiotics. Flu is caused by a virus, and antibiotics can do nothing about it.
In any case, I've done quite a bit in the 1.5 wks. I've preached my first 1/2 hr sermon, done mooncakes with the elderly, brewed a pot of xia ku cao and two pots of barley.
To celebrate the end of my flu, I had 3 slices of pizza, and on the following day, crab beehoon and durians for dessert.
Bliss, is what the post-flu celebration is about.
Praying for all the teachers whose kids are going to face the gruel of examinations. May your hard work and their preparations pay off, and may all the marking go smoothly, quickly, and painlessly!
Finally, may all of us be kept safe from flu and bugs, and enjoy good health forever more. Amen. :-) |
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| First friendly cat encountered |
[Sep. 23rd, 2009|11:44 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | amused | ] |
We were walking round the neighbourhood after a late night ice lemon tea, when the neighbourhood cat decided to roll and let us rub its tummy. When we didn't oblige, it just kept tagging along anyway. After the VP got into the cab, the cat did its stuff again, so I rubbed its tummy, and it wanted to play by pawing and opened its mouth and acted like its gonna bite. It almost followed me home, but didn't take the lift. Sweet little cat. Usually, all the cats I meet ignore me. Like totally.
In other news...
Am preaching on Sunday, let me know if you'd like a copy of the transcript. Errr... I'm only a third through it though. :P |
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| New curtains, new bed, new room! |
[Sep. 12th, 2009|06:33 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | pleased | ] |
After the curtains purchase from Ikea on Fri night (waited almost half hr for the free bus – not recommended), the new bed arrived on Sat afternoon. We tried looking for a decent mattress from Courts and the like of them, but the prices were exorbitant, like 4-digit costs! Knowing that this bed is just going to be temporary (given the relocation exercise that will likely take place in a yr’s time), it made sense to buy a cheaper one. I found this Singapore website (www.beds.sg) via google, and hey, major brands are selling for 3-digit prices, good deal. Finally the VP settled for a Wasaly mattress, mattress protector, 2 pillows, all from the same web site. Delivery happened 3 days after the online order. The delivery guys helped move the old bed frame out, kudos to them! Doubt the VP and I can survive the weight of the bed frame down the staircase.
After the delivery guys left, we quickly dressed the new bed with the freshly washed bedsheeets. Wheeeeeeeee! New bed in the room, with the effort with a few clicks. For the new house, will definitely visit them for good deals.
Happy week ahead! |
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| Whee it's the wkend! |
[Sep. 11th, 2009|09:49 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | peaceful | ] |
Life's really good when I open my eyes to the good of things. Last weekend was spent making (supervising my dad) lemon grass drink, which turned out really yummy. And what else did I do? Hmm... oh dragonboating (or at least while it lasted) and having the 2 lunches that happytreefrenz blogged about.
Tmrw, the VP's new mattress will arrive, and we'll be putting up the new curtains. Then we'll attempt this mooncake recipe I found online.
Domesticated wkend for me, hope you have a great one too! |
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| My 2nd warehouse sale |
[Sep. 4th, 2009|09:50 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  tired | ] |
This yr, it's held at the th@i embassy. The VP was shocked at my $41.50 worth of purchase. Well, it's basically my 6mth supply of shampoo and body wash. Buying was easy, trucking them home was the tough bit (think fri evening crowd). In any case, we survived, and I've finally bought 2 tubs of the intense treatment thing for my poor dry hair (which happens to grow on oily scalp). Not sure if the intense treatment thing will make the scalp oilier, but hey, pple only see the hair, no?
In case you're keen, you can visit the th@i embassy for my company's warehouse sale, the toiletries sale worth waiting for! Now till 7th sept, ends at 9pm.
Happy weekend! |
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| Donating blood |
[Sep. 2nd, 2009|10:08 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | relieved | ] |
I haven't donated blood in over a year, so when the SMS from bloodbank came appealing for pple of my blood type to come forward, I did.
Post the blood donation (after I reached home and finished dinner), I had a massive tummy ache. The kind where you break out in cold sweat and feel like fainting on the toiletbowl from pain. After the episode which lasted for about 45min, I told my dad I had a tummy ache. His immediate response... you're saying my food gave you tummy ache? I had no problems after eating it.
So, after failing to defrag my hard drive, I googled for any possible relationship. Here's what I found.
"There is a possibility that you may experience some side effects, both during and after, blood donation and these are:
*Dizziness or faintness
*Upset stomach
*A bruise, redness, or pain at the site where the needle was inserted
*Pain due to a nerve irritation by the needle"
And I rem another tummy ache incident post a blood donation with min, and I happily blamed the food from Food Street. Now I know... I belong to the minority who suffer from tummy ache! Shall make it a point to head straight home after the donation, so that even if I do faint from the tummy ache, it won't be in a smelly public toilet!
Btw, they're still low on blood, so if you're A or O and "don't belong to a high risk sex category", do go ahead! They close at 8pm on Fridays (6.30pm on other days). |
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| Nitrogen November |
[Aug. 22nd, 2009|12:07 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | pleased | ] |
It's official! The VP can leave SG in Nov, so we're heading off to the Similan along with ~y~ for our first truly LOB experience. A Thai colleague went with the Tapana and told me about the free airport transfers, great food, and manta rays, and I'm sold. Checked out the air tickets, and this is what we're planning to do...
Mon evening: Arrive in Phuket airport + transfer to Tapana (the boat)
Tues-Fri: 3-4 dives a day, then some land time in Phuket and sleep over at Tapana (hence saving on lodging in Phuket)
Sat noon: Fly to Bkk
Sat-Mon: Eat, shop, massage, eat, shop, massage
Mon night: Back home
Fur will be happy to know we'll fly back in time for her big day that Sunday. The following Friday, I'll be heading to Tokyo.
Fingers crossed that when i return to work, everyone will be on their christmas break. hehe.... |
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| Happiness as the end purpose of life? |
[Aug. 20th, 2009|12:46 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | peaceful | ] |
As I was telling ~y~ the other evening over dinner, I've started reading a book by Matthieu Ricard, a french monk based in the Himalayas. Sometimes touted as the happiest person on earth, my friend T watched a video of him on the habits of happiness. I've put it on my FB, but for the sake of those not yet initiated, you can go to the link: http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_happiness.html
Basically, MR regards true happiness as being at continual well-being (as an inner state). All the things we do (such as hoarding, seeking pleasurable experiences) are all but transient. Since these feelings are ephemeral, the feelings/bouts of "happiness" will be but a brief experience. That's a good rationale why we all slip into periods of depression or struggle in a cycle of highs and lows.
That's where I got to in Chapter One, will share other nuggets as I explore on my journey in seeking Happiness. May you find yours too! |
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| Revelation of the wk |
[Aug. 13th, 2009|11:17 pm] |
I guess, it's all a matter of perspective?
I was experiencing my usual Sine / cosine curve the past week, and while in the trough leading to my birthday, awoken to the fact that I would die a miserable person if I died living the way I did the past 1 yr for the next 50 yrs or so. In my low, I talked to D about it, while VP was around. In my peak, I shared with the same revelation about making each day count and not let the work in work drag us down.
VP commented the two delivery were really different. In any case, my point is made, and I rest my case.
Time to enjoy the liturgy in TGIF! |
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| Incredible India Part x |
[Aug. 7th, 2009|11:15 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  predatory | ] |
x = x, no the roman numbering btw. :-)
The very Indian looking ordering counter - I had a chicken tikka wrap. Almost like chicken wrapped in oily fried dosai.
The ruins I came across in Lodi Gardens - insisted the ricky driver sent me to the garden after passing by, while he was trying to send me to a touristy shop (think the kind where phuket drivers send tourists to in order to earn a stamp from the shop).
Oh, the ricky driver tried to humour me by saying I look like I'm from bombay. Like HAH. Now I understand how the VP feels when pple think she's from Ph or Th.
Otherwise, the 10 rp ride was quite worth it.
This is the 400 yr old tomb(s)...
Perhaps that's why I dreamt that I was a ghost, but a high tech one. My ghost friend got me a laptop, so I was actually going to email home...
Updates from my laundry:
The nano-environmental laundry ball is really quite cool, clothes do smell fresh and clean, but the good smell is likely a function of the softener. Nonetheless, I'm all for going detergent-less. Too bad for consumer goods companies that peddle laundry detergent... |
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| 40 degrees |
[Aug. 7th, 2009|10:40 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | chipper | ] |
As I was experiencing the 40 degrees heat, so was my dear friend. She was rewarded with the grandeur of Grand Canyons, while I experienced 5 blackouts and sitting in a tiny room without air conditioning.
Such was my experience in day 1 of attending the groups. I came back to office and promptly wrote two complain emails to two companies - one regarding the venue and the other about the lack of control over the field agency. Did I ever mention I was turning into someone I didn't like?
Anyway, I know I promised pictures, but the data tables I was waiting for finally came in - 10.47pm on the Friday before my 18th bdae. So off I go... checking the tables before sending them off, true to my word of "end of day".
In other news, my dad is right in front of the innovation adoption curve - he bought the ion balls that'll replace laundry detergent forever. Talk about having a happening dad. :-)
Have a lovely wkend my dear friends, and take next Monday OFF because it's my big day! woooooooooooooohoooooooooooo!
Love,
your highly delusional friend |
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| I'm alive! |
[Aug. 6th, 2009|05:49 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | ecstatic | ] |
Kind of... slept through the flight (didn't rem it taking off) and rubbed my eyes open after the pill wore off and I arrived back home.
Slept another 5 hrs, woke up to watch the last group, then in a cloudy daze. Time for dinner and spend some time at home. Woooo hooo.
Photos to follow. |
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| Relativity |
[Jul. 8th, 2009|08:48 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | thoughtful | ] |
I've hit one of those times where you know that work is unending, and you still have to deal with drips and draps of requests that come in. I have become very uncooperative and frankly so. If I am to hang in there till the SHB returns from his holiday, I just gotta be the D I dislike being. Today on the train home, I rem his advice in the last-such-period: dissociate.
So here I am, dissociated from the work at 8.50pm. As I was taking the train home filled with not-so-nice-smelling people (you know the after sch/work sweaty stench?), I was thinking, there's a lot of worse things to grapple with. Two friends' moms are struggling with cancer -- suddenly struck. While I think of such time as "borrowed time", there's no doubt I'll choose to depart via a swift heart attack than to battle with all my worth.
I guess, it's all about relativity then. Your shit don't look so shit, and other people's shit don't look as shit when they think of others' shit. So the person in the world with most shit? Might not even think of their shit as shit, because God might have deposited more contentment in their lives.
There, the crux of today's post. Where is contentment when we need? |
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| Of FYPs... |
[Jun. 7th, 2009|05:19 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | ecstatic | ] |
Today, a group of students from my old school came to church and showed us their FYP film titled Ties that Bind.
It's a simple film really, at least from my partially-trained eye, the use of videography and sound wasn't too sophisticated. Simple cuts, docu-style, clean colors. What really runs deep is the content, and the courage of the people who shared their stories in front of rolling film.
The concept is similar to SQ21, which WL kindly shared with me a couple months back. Real people, real photos, real stories. I guess it's all part of the education. I like what the cool uncle said.
"We're your brothers, we're your sisters, we're your colleagues, we're your friends. We're everywhere."
And without missing a note, his partner quipped, "It's just like we're part of nature". :-)
In other news, I was just informed that our flight back from melb is at 9.05am instead of 10.05am, so that kills any hope of staying over at mornington. Guess it's another day of driving to the little towns, and back to the city to spend the night. No chance of a real fireplace experience, but well, as they say, next time ba.
Till we meet again, take care and know that I love YOU! *hugs* |
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| Let it snow let it snow let it snow.... |
[Jun. 6th, 2009|05:17 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  hungry | ] |
And so, the bags have been packed, the trenchcoat stuffed into the day bag, and even lil emu is safely in a ziplock bag.
All we need now, is SNOW! The latest snow report shows that there's currently no snow yet, tho temp is already sub zero. First snowfall is forecasted for tmrw and will fall through thursday. Since we'll on the mountain Tues-Wed, well, all I can ask Santa for is light snow during the day, and heavy snowfall during the night so we have nice fluffy snow to fall on as we attempt our first runs on the slopes.
As I was telling the girls, I really enjoy booking mystery hotels. We've booked ourselves 4 nights in a 4* hotel overlooking Abert Park lake for 105 bucks per night. What a steal. :-)
Apart from praying against the H1N1, you can also pray for journey mercy as the VP will be driving us to Yarra Valley for some wine tasting. And for us to lose some weight from walking around. Whee. May I return with a less rounded face.
Amen. |
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yenew's journal
