His Beloved Daughter

Working on my splits

2012-01-29T16:35:00.001+08:00

Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift

2012-01-08T16:27:00.000+08:00

The way you move is like a full on rainstorm
And I'm a house of cards
You're the kind of reckless
That should send me runnin'
But I kinda know that I won't get far
And you stood there in front of me
Just close enough to touch
Close enough to hope you couldn't see
What I was thinking of

Drop everything now
Meet me in the pouring rain
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Take away the pain
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile

My mind forgets to remind me
You're a bad idea
You touch me once and it's really something,
You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be.
I'm on my guard for the rest of the world
But with you I know it's no good
And I could wait patiently but I really wish you would...

Drop everything now
Meet me in the pouring rain
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Take away the pain
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile

I run my fingers through your hair and watch the lights go wild.
Just keep on keeping your eyes on me, it's just wrong enough to make it feel right.
Lead me up the staircase
Won't you whisper soft and slow?
I'm captivated by you, baby, like a firework show.

Drop everything now,
Meet me in the pouring rain,
Kiss me on the sidewalk,
Take away the pain
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile.
Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile

The sparks fly...
Oh, baby, smile...
The sparks fly...

Last night I was dreaming...

2012-01-03T10:21:00.001+08:00

Oh no, I wasn't! It did feel like a dream probably due to a serious lack of sleep.

Hung out with my ballet girlfriends last night. Was so fun. Got the line "I've got moves like jagger" stuck in my head till dawn.

Back to reality! It's back to work!

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-01T08:39:00.001+08:00

I had one of the best new year's eve parties! Most importantly, I had a very special Christmas present arrive very late but it was better than I imagined! This is going to risk sounding über spiritual but some of my prayers were answered in the most special way. (Just a clue in case I forget in years to come...it is about a very refreshing almost drunken whatsapp conversation -though I wasn't - with an unexpected friend)

Thank you thank you!

Of course then I had to have some major issue to cloud or dampen my high spirits... But nevertheless, I will learn to recognize it and focus on God's special love and favour for me!

Lastly, I should attach a photo of my very fun private nye party to remember the awesome night!

New Year Resolutions 2012

2011-12-31T16:40:00.000+08:00

‎2012! Come quick, I've been waiting for you all my life.

God knows the desires of your heart

2011-12-31T00:49:00.004+08:00

Just wanted to come in and quickly record some happy moments I had today.

No matter how dumb my dreams and desires may be, I am constantly amazed at how God knows and not only that He filters it and gives you a better and improved version of your dreams and desires. He provides and is interested in your success of attaining those dreams, even though they may be really really stupid.

I have some stupid, meaningless, crazy dreams lately... they are not going to improve my life or save the world or make any sense. But it is in my mind, my heart and I just think about it and I'm ashamed to bring such silly frivolous things to the Lord - but He knows anyway and I'm so grateful that Jesus is there and He doesn't judge me.

I'm just grateful for it.

And the wondrous things is that He brings things, opportunities and people along the way to make things happen. He provides. Gosh, I know I'm not deserving of it all. But I'm so grateful that I find myself more in love with Him and hope that one day I can 'repay' (I know I can never do it but that's in my heart) Him in some ways - like really rise up to the occasion when He wants me to. Even so, I probably need lots of grace for that!

On a side note, so grateful for the cakes and tea in PS cafe today (though the waiter was a bit of an ass). Thanks girls for supporting me - so glad to have found you crazy bunch, you are the best!

Happy Christmas Pictures!

2011-12-28T20:16:00.001+08:00

Is 30 the magic number for s***?

2011-12-27T12:38:00.001+08:00

Merry Christmas to all!

I mostly had a wonderful Christmas especially with my friends. I miss my friends. Gosh, it was so fun... I miss the times in Sydney! The weddings and the parties! I sorely miss ballet class ... I miss the music the dancing the friends.

No doubt Christmas presents were less than exciting this year - I mean sometimes you wonder whether these people know you at all? After years of frequent dinners, I doubt they know more than 10 things about me, a serious waste of my life, which is really unfortunate. I miss some friends like Junice and Vincent who left us for Beijing and others who left us for NYC and LA. Sigh. But the greatest gift was by my Japanese friend Yumi who gave me the loveliest earrings ever in the shape of a ballerina in a glittering skirt, but it's so subtle it is not cheesy at all.

Thank God for my brother and some best friends like J & J who have kept me sane in the midst of great annoyance... Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore!

I'm really grateful for friends in general who make me laugh and make me feel normal even I know I'm not probably normal and they aren't either! Really happy to have friends who never seen to grow up, who champion our closet hello kitty collecting antics, childish iPhone covers and who may just drink a little too much red wine.

They are with me that we only 30 (or 31,32 but who's counting?) and that we still don't feel quite grown up ...instead of making me feel that I SHOULD embrace being an auntie.

Seriously all the auntie expectations are not fun. I hope for everyone who identifies with me that we can successfully break free.

There's more to life than that!

Singaporean Christmas

2011-12-22T10:30:00.000+08:00

Doing My Part To Support the Arts

2011-12-10T20:51:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I used my Blackberry ... It has since become
my Australian phone as I've switched to the iphone (and joined the
crowd). Strangely, my thumbs have gone all soft and it hurts a little.
I've been using the BB more the past few days in Sydney since there is
almost no internet connection in this darling harbour apartment! I
think it has to do with reception. And for some reason my phone works
fine... Anyway.

I went to the Australian Ballet today at the Sydney Opera house! It
wasn't my first time watching the Australian Ballet but it was my
first time in the opera house. Why didn't I go since I lived in Sydney
for 5 years? Maybe I didn't have the budget for it then since I spent
most of it on shopping.

I enjoyed Graeme Murphy's Romeo and Juliet very much. The music, the
costume, the romantic pas de deux(s)...it was wonderful. Though I had
been forewarned about his "twists". I love how he made the Ballet
modern and contemporary - I think its needed in the fading ballet
world. I mean retain classical ballet once every couple of seasons but
don't be afraid to work it past its boundaries to appeal to a wider
public. That's how to keep it alive I reckon.

And Graeme Murphy did just that! I had solid proof -it was the first
time for my husband Colin, attending a full length classical ballet. I
was afraid he would fall asleep and waste my hard-to-get pricey
tickets (that I shelled for instead of dining at celebrity
restaurants).

He rather enjoyed it, to my surprise and even chuckled a couple of
times. The last ballet I dragged him too was a very contemporary one
which didn't have (or had a weak) story line and he was probably in
twilight zone mode for the most part.

The amazing thing is I tried to get tickets when I was here in Sydney
a couple months back but it was fully sold out. So when in NZ, I was
thinking about how sad I am to be missing The Nutcracker by Singapore
Dance Theatre and I decided to search on ebay for tickets to the
Australian Ballet. Thankfully I won and didn't have to pay more
(though I was hoping to pay less). They were pricey but such great
seats! I feel so blessed. God knew I wanted to go (and how upset I was
to be missing The Nutcracker).

Yes, part of me wish I was in Singapore because of that. Its silly I
know but I love seeing my teachers dance. It becomes extra special and
personal when you actually 'know' or get to interact with these
beautiful professional artists in real life.

Just doing my part to support The Arts! :)

P.s it's Tien's big day tomorrow, I'm excited about that! We'll be on
a boat so I'm praying for good weather!

--
Kindest Regards,

Eunice

http://www.elegantwoman.org/

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and
refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy,
not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart;
to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions,
hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow
up through the common - this is my symphony - William Ellery Channing

Rants from Lake Tekapo

2011-12-07T16:59:00.001+08:00

Tried to blog and post some pictures but the internet is really slow so I couldn't do it!

But anyway, I'm sitting here by the window overlooking the gorgeous Lake Tekapo and the view is amazing. Will upload some photos when I get back.

Right now we're going to look at some constellations! woohoo.

Anyway, I'm really excited to get to Sydney tomorrow and also I just registered yet another online business. Ah!!! What am I getting myself into? hehehe I think next year is going to be rather exciting.

Leaving on a jet plane!

2011-11-29T23:43:00.001+08:00

Heading to Sydney now, though with a slight throat infection. Boo.

Hope to catch up on some rest from my rather full schedule. Though I'm really annoyed that I had to skip my last ballet class for the year because the doctor told me not to do any exercise for the week. He refused to change his orders even though I insisted that ballet "is not really exercise" in my dictionary.

Let's hope I will knock out the moment the plane takes off.

Tyler playing my piano

2011-11-23T20:44:00.001+08:00

He is the cutest! Couldn't capture his big toothy smile fast enough!

Raising a Country

2011-11-21T15:42:00.001+08:00

Today is a new experience for me, I'm blogging on the train!

Last weekend, Colin took me to the Garden by the Bay. It was quite an interesting experience. I could tell lots of work went into it. I hope all the plants will survive the artificial environment!

That's something I really appreciate about Singapore. It's always improving, building, dreaming about a better place. Everytime I come back, it seems to become better than before. We are very spoilt!

I can tell Singapore really spends money on things that matters (or rather things some people think matters). Like for example when I go to the libraries, the free master class concerts, the live performances at the esplanade foyer, when I drive down the streets and see bits of expensive artwork AND especially when since I'm lecturing in Singapore poly - the beautiful campus, the top notch facilities etc.... I can't help but appreciate all we have.

We have so much. I just hope it will we will not grow into self-centered, spoilt and weak children. But instead embrace all our providence to become world class and confident enough to live on international level.

That's a bit like parenting isn't it? Hahaha

The eye of a Tiger

2011-11-13T06:21:00.001+08:00

Standing like this is so much harder than it looks. (see picture).

I was bloating because it was time of the month and my teacher looked at me funny and said, "Something is wrong with you today. Your posture is off and you look like you grew ... (long pregnant pause) ...fatter."

Seriously what the!!!!!

I've lost 2 kg since I've started class with him.

I've never met anyone with eyes as sharp as his. Geeeez!

It Feels Like Those Business Days Again

2011-11-10T10:23:00.000+08:00

It has been a long long long while since I felt that way.

I was just having late dinner and drinks with Joe and Michelle the other night and telling them how I know what the "good life" is right now. You see, before I was running a little retail and distribution business. I was zipping here and there and everywhere in my yellow car, to the shops, to the warehouse, and home to handle emails and orders. My phone was ringing off the hook with problems for me to solve. I worked everyday, from the time I woke up till I slept.

Oh I experienced luxuries too. During some afternoons, I would go off for jazz singing lessons or dress designing courses. And there were those after work drinks and movies and self-indulgence: reading Harry Potter from 7pm to 3am or watching one entire season of Gossip Girl (back then) over 3 days.

Then, life happened. I met someone, got engaged, got married, was living in 2-3 places at the same time, keeping the business going. It was quite impossible. So eventually, I had to let go of my old life and I transited to doing business on-line. I was skeptical at first, but I had to believe. I had no other choice because at that time Colin didn't know where he was going to be geographically, and was going to uproot any time.

So when I started on-line, it was a huge learning curve. I worked from morning to night, sitting in my chair, doing, learning, re-doing, re-doing, learning for about a year, before the business could pay for itself. It took another year to bring in a modest part time salary, then it started to take off. I got quite excited and started sowing new seeds (i.e. new projects) and that's when the progress slowed down because I was 'starting out' again. My new goals were to invest at least 5 years into it, so I'm just about half way there. I was probably making a nice so-called starter salary, and without my expensive habits, it was enough. I had a nice life, waking up at home, eating breakfast and working all day long in the comfort of my home. I started to take evenings off and weekends too. It was nice, comfortable and it was the good life! No crazy overheads, my own time, own schedule. No keeping meticulous tracking of accounts, no CPF or super of 401k to pay, no scheduling headaches of staff. No need to worry about staff not being punctual, stealing or not doing their work! I loved using contractors. I went out to see friends for lunch and high tea. I shopped in the early mornings in town. I hung out and worked in the libraries in Singapore. I travelled whenever I wanted to. It was so lovely!

Then, I think August, September, October, November happened. I'm not sure what happened really.

Maybe it was a quarter life crisis, but I started first with piano classes. Then with ballet. Then I upped my ballet classes. Then Colin decides to do renovation. Then the lecturing job fell unto my lap. And on top of that, I'm still managing the house, and my web projects.

Suddenly, I'm up early every morning, on the phone scheduling and sorting out orders, writing emails and working on my lecture notes. Then I run off to school, then I run off to piano or ballet class. Then I have a late dinner and then I come home to work on my web projects. On the weekends, it's ballet, husband/friends, church, books and ballet again. Gosh, insomnia is not a problem for me now.

It suddenly feels like I'm back in those business days again.

Actually, it's kinda fun to go-go-go for a while. Though I have a long break in December when I can go back to my slower paced life. Then maybe, I'll evaluate and possibly re-group?

Okay, I've indulged myself. I've got to go back to my notes now. I'm lecturing in an hour!

I'm Getting More Awesome!

2011-11-03T10:25:00.000+08:00

I know I should be working and preparing my lecture but...this made me smile today!

Weekend of Ballet and Girlfriends

2011-11-02T06:10:00.001+08:00

My sleep patterns has been erratic lately... It is almost 6 am now.

I wonder if it is be because of the "turmoil" that's been going on in my life? Did I tell you that we're renovating? We're now sleeping and squeezing in the study - it is rather cramped and I only have a desk and an armchair for my things and clothes.

I guess I'm grateful that I could use this extra time to catch up on my readings. I've recently finished Aesop's fables. The surprising thing is that I didn't realize so many stories I've heard as a child ... were indeed part of Aesop's fables!

I had a really wonderful weekend ... in many ways. First of all, I attended my very first Singapore ballet! (Never mind that most dancers are Japanese.)

It was Passages by Singapore Dance Theatre. I loved it! The best part was to see my teachers dance! It was rather strange but very exciting. I especially like seeing them in costume.

One of greatest things about Ballet is that it is about beauty. It is a wonderful world of make-believe. It lets you create and exist in your own imagination. When I watched the dancing, I felt transported to another world and that dreams (maybe not all are mine) were unfolding before my eyes.

It was quite wonderful.

Later that evening, while everybody was out for Halloween-I skipped it this year because Colin had a buck's night (or bachelor's party) with the boys. No worries there because I was too preoccupied with my favourite dance scenes at the Ballet earlier. But it was really nice to enjoy a glass of wine with my ladies Jen and Caroline.

Here is a photo of that fantastic evening!

A Cup of Ginger and Staring into Space.

2011-10-22T17:55:00.002+08:00

Life is a bit messy now.

We're renovating! Ack, it is more painful than expected.

Anyway, thankfully my balcony is still nice and pretty and so today I went to sit on it with a cup of ginger tea and stare into space. I really needed it.

Last week was a little stressful. Colin was on a course, and doubling up on work, working late into the night. We're both living like hamsters in the study. I was starting a new lecturing part time position (got called up last minute). Therefore now am coping with 'homework' now, on top of my online projects then also grappling with all these workers walking in and out and gosh, trying not to go insane with all the dust!

I'm also aching from dance now that I'm taking it more seriously.

I think I'll go lie down now.

Renewed love and dreams

2011-10-14T03:14:00.001+08:00

I've been busy! So much has happened. And I hope to settle down a bit more and manage my work more effectively. I don't like feeling that I'm doing the bare minimum.

What's been happening?

Friends have been visiting, we've had a couple of guests with us, we also travelled to Racha, a couple of birthday dinners, I bought a piano and have been faithfully practicing, been trying to finish the whole stack of books on my 2011 reading list, we've been planning to do some renovations to our house, I also did a quick trip to sydney and melbourne blah blah blah
...most importantly, I've been dancing!

It all started way back in July when I complained to my dear friend Joe how boring and mundane my life is and how I need to "get off my ass" because I've been sitting too much. I've noticed my facial expressions getting duller and duller and it was a bit more tedious to smile. So he signed me up for Salsa classes. I did salsa before but I forgot everything except basic step. Anyway after dancing for a month I thought it was fun but I didn't feel the passion.

But still, it was good for me. At least I got off sitting on my bottom and did something. Probably fueled by that momentum, I dug out old ballet shoes at my mom's house and very nervewreckingly signed up for ballet class. I ached for at least five days after each class and could not walk up and down my two story flat without pains.

Despite that, my love for ballet has returned... actually it never left but when I got to melbourne, I dropped out because I couldn't find a good teacher.

and thank God, the Ballet class system is more flexible than 10 years ago, and I've found good teachers. I wished I had gone back to it earlier. It has only been a couple of weeks but it has made me so happy already!

I thank God for this wonderful opportunity and I'm so grateful for it. Although I wish I hadn't had stopped, I just relish the chance I have and that I can still do it. I also know that God will restore any lost time and ability.

That's the funny thing about growing up for me. I tend to be a much more dedicated student and I enjoy my classes more. I also learn faster and more intelligently. So much for being older! (I'm also studying literature and history and taking piano classes now and a random french class whenever I can)

Ahhh I now go to bed every night with a smile.

My piano came today!

2011-10-01T15:31:00.001+08:00

Whee! I've been contemplating buying a piano for the longest time and finally I did. Now it is all about getting back into it and brushing up my nearly non-existent skills. I also feel that a home is incomplete without a piano! Those of you piano players, please come over and play a tune or two! :)

Your Travel Philosophy?

2011-09-27T12:19:00.000+08:00

A reproduction post of my other elegantwoman blog - I thought I'll like to share these thoughts with my friends too.

I believe that there is a strong relationship elegance and simplicity. Elegant living is a lifestyle choice and that translates into many ways, such as the way you spend your money and time. More thought, less haste, less waste, more meaning, education and experience over the accumulation of materials.

Rolf Potts shares his perspective in an unconventional book, which I've included one of my favourite passages.

This notion - that material investment is somehow more important to life than personal investment - is exactly what leads so many of us to believe we could never afford to go vagabonding. The more our life options get paraded around consumer options, the more we forget that there's a difference between the two. Thus, having convinced ourselves that buying things is the only way to play an active role in the world, we fatalistically conclude that we'll never be rich enough to purchase a long-term travel experience. - Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

Travel is a big part of education of life, but most people disregard it because they think they cannot afford to travel. This book shows us how affordable travel can be.

Hello from Racha!

2011-09-19T14:08:00.001+08:00

I'm staying in the lighthouse tonight.

The Last Few Days of Being a Twenty Something

2011-09-15T00:53:00.004+08:00

And so it will be the last of my 20s.

It is kinda weird. I found myself feeling a little bit affected...and at fleeting moments, depressed. (But fret not! I'm NOT depressed).

Why?

I was discussing this with a few close friends, and of course Colin.

Birthdays to me, are kinda of always a let-down. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy myself, but one always feels and is taught to expect the birthday to be something of a big deal.

"Happy birthday!"

"What are you going to do on your birthday?"

"What present did you get?"

"Where are you going for your birthday?"

"What did Colin do for you on your birthday?"

"Are you going to throw a party? Your parties are always different and fun!"

So on and so forth.

You see, I like throwing parties and I did them all in the year of the decade of my 20s. But I didn't do them because I made birthdays a big deal, it was just an excuse to have a party!

Another thing, a friend and I once discussed when we were 23.
"What shall we do with our lives?"
"Hmmm I'm not sure. "
"I don't know too."
"I guess by the time we're 30. We'll figure it all out."

So in short, why birthdays are kind of a let down is because:

We still don't know what to do with our lives.
We still we haven't done everything we wanted to do (or said we'll do) in our 20s.
As much as we love our friends and partners, they are not perfect and did not throw us the perfect birthday party, plan the most awesome dinner, get the most fantastic present. Some may not even remember!
Birthdays are so hyped up, we kind of wake up expecting to feel a certain high, but because you didn't quite feel that, it becomes a let down.

And anyway, I decided not to go out of my 20s with a bang! I have left it to my dear Colin to do something low-key and just appreciate all the things I have, achievements and the effort friends have made to spend time with me.

I was also telling Caroline the other day that I've changed in little ways too. The older I get, the less harsh I am on myself and I tend to not focus on the mistakes but just keep trying again and again. I'm more aware of time slipping by now that I'm approaching my 30s than when I turned 20. It's true! I find myself relishing the time I have.

So I've decided that instead of celebrating my 30th birthday, I'll celebrate all those years of my 20s. They were important to me and they altered my life in many many ways. This is kind of getting personal now, but I blog to remember so pardon me.

My Twenties

20

I turned 20 in Australia. I had been living in Sydney for a year. It was a great adventure living in a foreign country and living on my own. I learned to cook. I restarted on ballet. I danced all the way to, Pre-elementary and Elementary level (currently Intermediate). I did pointe work. I attended Hillsong church. During my holidays, I crash-coursed and obtained my manual driving license in Singapore. I didn't appreciate it then, but my life was awesome.

21

I turned 21 and my mother bought me my first car. It was Hyundai excel in bright sunny yellow. I loved it. I graduated obtaining my commerce degree by the end of the year. I was a pretty good skiier by then, but I treated myself to private lessons with the cutest ski instructor I could find. He bought me coffee on the snowy mountains. It was pretty romantic. I even bought myself a really nice ski outfit with my birthday money. I was also learning singing under this retired opera singer, named Elly. She had a tiny studio in Pitt Street.

22

When I turned 22, I interned at ACP magazines. I was there for five months before commencing on my Master's degree. I moved into the best little studio on Waterloo street. I was dating a guy living in Melbourne, so I would fly there on cheap flights regularly. I made some new friends and we would have coffees by the beach, drive to shop in outlet malls whenever we had 2 hour breaks, lie on the beach. I also worked part time in Supre. That was my introduction to retail. I loved it. I love selling and I love the cash register. I enjoyed my masters program tremendously that in retrospect, I wonder why I didn't do much better (HAHA!)

23

At age 23, I completed my Masters of professional communications. I guess I would be looking for a position as a journalist. I decided to apply for permanent residency in Australia. I found that it was cheaper to go to university in Melbourne, so I enrolled my brother there. He adjusted there really well and I decided to move to Melbourne. Rent was cheaper, pay would be similar to Sydney, everything else seemed to be comparable (except the wonderful accessible beaches of course). My mother would also have an easier time visiting us. That was the year I met Colin.

24

At age 24, I found out how to register a business and thus registered myself for trade fairs. I started attending a lot of trade fairs and started to buy some stock to sell. I made a decent living selling online that I felt it was more profitable to go online than to work at a retail store. I missed my retail job though. I still think of it fondly. I started to be more financially independent. I also started work writing part time for a Australian business magazine called Wealth Creator (or something like that - the company got bought over and may have changed its name). Eventually, I decided to have a go at a retail space and started selling leather journals, photo albums and handmade paper in markets. I had a very uninspiring success for 8 months. Enough to keep going but not worth it for all the effort. My brother and Angeline were such great help at that time. I threw a Art Gallery themed birthday party. My housemate and I displayed all our favourite artwork. I was taking art lessons at Monash university and I loved it. I miss it terribly. I have such fond memories of them.

25

At age 25, I decided to bite the bullet and applied for a permanent retail space in city in Melbourne. That turned out to be a resounding success. I've never seen so much money in my life in the span of three months. I made back my investment in 1 month. In 5 months, I opened another space. Though it was not as successful as my first store, it was still good. By now, I was rather familiar with the ins-and-outs of import and export, logistics and bits of the supply chain. Colin and I are dating by now, and I would fly to see him every three months. I enjoyed my time in San Francisco, in the SF bay and skiing Lake Tahoe. We also flew to Hawaii and Chicago and drove to LA. My 25th birthday party was held in this cute space in Melbourne called The Apartment. Shuxin and Shuming attended my party. Shuming made me this huge bouquet of flowers and I will always remember how lovely it was. I started studying dress designing and dress making under this fashion designer Vikki Leigh Martin who retired and I wore my first dress to my birthday party. I had my hair done and ordered flowers from my favourite florist (really amazing florist) in Melbourne Central. We had a live jazz band and everyone enjoyed cocktails and tapas (on me of course). I was also learning to sing jazz by this teacher Dean Lotheringham who once trained Nikki Webster (not that I made any great progress anyway). It was so fun.

26

At age 26, I had 3 retail spaces by now and was pretty stressed out. I had to learn to manage accounts, tax, employees, super (CPF), schedules, purchasing, marketing, logistics, warehouse space, website, online selling etc etc. I couldn't go to church, I couldn't go home for Christmas. Not fun. One retail space was a complete flop. The owners ran away with my deposit. I lost $12,000. I also opened a retail space in the US, which was a flop. I think those Westfield guys faked their traffic numbers. I lost a couple grand there too. I also took professional make up (by MAC) and hair lessons (by Loreal). I bought a salon and focused on doing wedding and hair packages. It was going well. I had lots of fun doing them. I did a fashion show (small silly one.) But I couldn't manage the hair dressers and beautician. They were always fighting and bitching with each other, about each other. The landlord was a pain in the neck. He wouldn't repair the gas heater. I had to take him to small court. Sigh. My accounts were in a mess too. I finally employed a book keeper and a tax accountant (which was the worst! He created problems I'm still sorting out TODAY). In the end, I sold the salon for a loss. :( I also began taking up tennis lessons (again.) I had one of the most fun birthday parties. It was in a little restaurant in Prahran Melbourne. I rented out the entire space (it was really tiny) and I had an oriental theme - "Raise Your Red Lantern". Everyone had to interpret 'oriental' for themselves. We had an asian nerd, kungfu fighters, chinese restaurant waiter, geisha, padi rice farmer, asian pop star etc etc.

27

At age 27, I decided I would try to make my way back to Singapore so that I can spend more time in the States. I decided to scale down to one shop and did not renew my lease for the other space that I have left. I explored several business options. One is to open a retail store in a joint venture with a lady who was a retail veteran. I spent some time going to Milan to explore tradefairs there, in Hong Kong, in Seoul Korea and even Thailand. We took up a lease in Delfi where I wanted to design and bring in a line of simple, romantic wedding dresses. In the end, the partnership did not work out. We couldn't agree on the way to run the business. I felt she wasn't honest and often told lies. I had to write my own lawyer letters to get 75% of my investment back. BIG SIGH. Another thing I tried doing is to go into real estate, concentrating on the bigger deals. I managed to get some open deals showing properties over $20 million. Unfortunately, the whole cowboy style of trading is a real put off! I later registered a few domain names called the fashion workbook. I had a few concepts in mind and consulted several programmers to design a certain visual way of buying outfits. I went to see several designers to design a ecommerce site for me but got put off by the way web designers operate. Oh, Colin proposed and so I had to start to make plans for a wedding. But we still didn't know how we were going to be physically together. I decided that I would just move from Australia to the US so that I could spend more of my "engaged" life with him. I spent 3 months in Singapore when I took up golf with Sass and I also threw a Breakfast at Tiffany's party at alley bar. Then I left for the US and I spent my 27th birthday in Vegas. WOOHOO! I also travelled to Paris and London around the mid year - which was a dream come true.

28

At age 28, I had sold my business in Australia. I also sold my car (sobs) and rented out my apartment and car space. I planned the Singapore wedding in 6-8 months. We had a little ceremony with just 6 guests in San Francisco Cityhall. Thankfully, we had very helpful family. My brother and sister in law are in the music team in New Creation and they handled everything. My pastor from WRPF agreed to marry us. I flew back to Singapore to make the bookings for the venue, photography and videograpy. My other brother in law handled the invites and the program sheets. I discovered Sitesell, a company who took care of hosting, content 2.0, domains, traffic management, database etc etc and I started to learn the wonders of internet and SEO and internet marketing. It was long and tedious but worth it for the lifestyle I wanted. I registered elegantwoman.org and ergonomics-info.com. I also partied and lived up my birthday in Vegas. I also spent my hen's night in Bali with my maid of honour (it was very lovely, just spas, seafood, live music and beaches) and had my wedding on Dec 18th and 19th! It was hilarious. (Yes, my wedding).

29

At age 29, I had married! What a life! I had a nice time in the US for the first 6 months of the year but it was also nice being back in Singapore. It was a lot to adjust to. Weather, lifestyle, establishing old friendships, making new ones, letting go of some friendships, married life, married life obligations, church, cooking, taking care of an apartment, managing a different sort of finances.We travelled to Taiwan to see friends, left for Italy and France and Tokyo for our honeymoon. I also travelled to Europe with my family and Japan with my brother. I went to London for a conference which was an eye opening experience! We threw lots of dinner parties and house parties because now we have a house! And I loved it. I also had the opportunity to go to India and attend the most fabulous Indian wedding. We partied all day and all night for 5 days. My 29th birthday was simple. We had brunch with another couple friend and went to Tanjong beach for Tengwen's birthday party. I guess we just got back to Singapore and was adjusting and I didn't want any extra things to do. Websites started to take off and so I reinvested the income and established more sites to grow. I'm managing a portfolio of 5-7 websites with 3 in the making (and others I might drop along the way). I took up Salsa and went back to ballet and piano lessons. I'm currently obsessed with ballet and piano. I'm serving in Church handling 2 year olds (cute but getting heavy) and I'm also a volunteer in Very Special Arts charity for the disabled.

Well...now that I'm reaching the end of my 29th year....I wonder, what 30 will be? But who cares, I've just celebrated my 20s. Thank you 20s, it was a great experience, though there are some things I wish I could change, but I'm thankful nonetheless.

(I doubt anyone's reading up to this point.)

I commit my 30s to you Lord Jesus and await the great adventure you have for me.

In the name of Jesus, Amen!

Colin's swim meet and the last of my 20s

2011-09-07T13:47:00.000+08:00

Last weekend I entered a public pool for the first time in probably a decade. Colin was competing in the singapore swim masters. It was fun watching the competition and it reminded me of my old school days.

Gosh it has been more than ten years since I left junior college and I've got a few weeks left of my "twenties". I know it's no big deal but I guess I turn reflective. Were there things I'd wish I had done more of? Were there things I'd wished I had never done? Definitely. Well I believe it's never too late and while you may never be able to get ideal outcomes... I'm sure there is something that can give a similar fulfillment.

Anyway, let's save my reflections and personal assessment for my next blogpost. Nearing my limit for typing on the iPhone on the bumpy train.

Here is my instagram picture of the swim meet.

All I ask of You

2011-09-05T11:08:00.002+08:00

Love, love, love.

Daniel's farewell party

2011-09-04T14:52:00.000+08:00

We had such a great time singing our hearts out... It was more like screeching and Dan rapping. Actually it was like Dan's club.

Dan definitely made it to our VIP list for karaoke parties haha!

Alright, feeling so handicapped on this phone. Will end here... Toodles!

Dinner at Caroline's

2011-08-28T15:25:00.000+08:00

:) my lack of savvy means blogging on my phone is limited. But dinner yesterday was really fun!

Here is the only picture I took of last night.

Ah, the beauty and wisdom of life is found ...

2011-08-22T15:27:00.001+08:00

What I love about some classic books is the beauty of their play with words, a glimpse into the past and culture and the ability to relate to the same hopes, fears and dreams. They are the reasons why I read some books over and over again.

Some of my favourite passages from Out of Africa :

"But a coffee-plantation is a thing that gets hold of you and does not let you go, and there is always something to do on it: you are generally just a little behind you work." (pg 16)

Sounds like my curious job of building websites.

"Out in the wilds I had learned to beware of abrupt movements. The creatures with which you are dealing there are shy and watchful, they have a talent for evading you when you least expect it. No domestic animal can be as still as a wild animal. The civilized people have lost the aptitude of stillness, and must take lessons in silence from the wild before they are accepted by it. The art of moving gently, without suddenness, is the first to be studied by the hunter, and more so by the hunter with the camera." (pg 24)

I love how she describes the art of moving gently - certainly rare in our society these days.

"The love of woman and womanliness is a masculine characteristic, and the love of man and manliness is a feminine characterstic..." (pg 24)

"As it is almost impossible for a woman to irritate a real man, and as to the woman, a man is never quite contemptible, never altogether rejectable, as long as he remains a man..."(pg 24)

About men and women and how I believe it is supposed to be.

"People who dream when they sleep at night know of a special kind of happiness which the world of the day holds not, a placid ecstasy, and ease of heart, that are like honey on the tongue. They also know that the real glory of dreams lies in their atmosphere of unlimited freedom. (pg 82)

I remember my childhood directive approach to my dreams, especially those minutes in my bed as I go to sleep at night...

"So I went to bed, taking a book with me, and leaving the lamp to burn. In Africa, when you pick up a book worth reading, out of the deadly consignments which good ships are being made to carry out all the way from Europe, as you read it as an author would like his book to be read, praying to God that he may have it in him to go on as beautifully as he has begun. Your mind runs, transported, upon a fresh deep green track." (pg 85)

"My own books I packed up in cases and sat on them, or dined on them. Books in a colony play a different part of your existence from what they do in Europe; there is a whole side of your life which there they alone take charge of; and on this account, according to their quality, you feel more grateful to them, or more indignant with them, than you will ever do in civilized countries." (pg 309)

Books: Another form of living, another form of dreaming - it is a way to live several lives at once.

"I had been on the farm longing to get away, and they came back to it longing for books and linen sheets and the cool atmosphere in a big shuttered room; by their camp fires they had been meditating upon the joys of farm life.." (pg 178)

"As far as Berkeley Cole and Denys Finch-Hatton were concerned, my house was a communist establishment. Everything in it was theirs, and they took a pride in it, and brought home things they felt to be lacking. They kept the house up to a high standard in wine and tobacco, and got books and gramophone records out from Europe for me. Berkeley arrived with his car loaded up with turkey's eggs, and oranges from his own farm in Mount Kenya. They both had the ambition to make me a judge of wine, as they were, and spent much time and thought on the task. They took greatest pleasure in my Danish table glass and china, and used to build up on the dinner table a tall shining pyramid of all my glass, the one piece on top of the other; they enjoyed the sight of it." (Pg 183- 184)

The pleasures and joys of a well-loved home.

"Denys had a trait of character which to me was very precious, he liked to hear a story told....Fashions have changed, and the art of listening to a narrative has been lost in Europe. The Natives of Africa, who cannot read, have still got it; if you begin to them: 'There was a man who walked out on the plain, and there he met another man,' you have them all with you, their minds running upon the unknown track of the men on the plain. But white people, even if they feel that they ought to, cannot listen to a recital. If they do not become fidgety, and remember things that should be done at once, they fall asleep. The same people will ask you for something to read, and may then sit all through an evening absorbed in any kind of print handed them, they will even then read a speech. They have been accustomed to take in their impressions by the eye.
Denys, who lived much by the ear, preferred hearing a tale told to reading it; when he came to the farm he would ask: 'Have you got a story?' (pg 194)

The art of listening - a real treasure seldom truly practised.

"The giraffes turned their delicate heads from the one side to the other, as if they were surprised, which they might well be. They had not seen the sea before. They could only just have room to stand in the narrow case. The world had suddenly shrunk, changed and closed round them.
They could not know or imagine the degradation to which they were sailing. For they were proud and innocent creatures, gentle amblers of the great plains; they had not the least knowledge of captivity, cold, stench, smoke and mange, nor of the terrible boredom in a world in which nothing is ever happening." (pg 257)

My love-hate relationship with zoos; as well as representation of self-inflicted prisons.

"The people of the farm who grieved most at my departure were I think the old women. The old Kikuyu women have had hard life and have themselves become flint-hard under it. Like old mules which will bite you if they can come to it. They were more difficult for any disease to kill off than their men, as I learned in my practice as a doctor, and they were wilder than the men, and, even more thoroughly than they, devoid of the faculty of admiration. They had borne a number of children ,and had seen many of them die; they were afraid of nothing.
...
The old women took a keen interest in everything that was going on on the farm, and would walk ten miles to look at a Ngoma of the young people; a joke. or a cup of tembu, would make their wrinkled toothless faces dissolve in laughter. This strength. and love of life in them, to me seemed not only highly respectable. but glorious and bewitching. The old women of the farm and I had always been friends. " (pg 325-326)

The true glory of living

Call of Duty: To reign in life!

2011-08-19T21:16:00.001+08:00

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:17
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The Little Thief

2011-08-18T16:06:00.000+08:00

How clever!

Watch this.

Afternoon Tea With Anne Marie

2011-08-17T16:42:00.001+08:00

Just had afternoon tea with Anne Marie. I feel like a lady who "lunches".

It was all so random. I was at home and working and suddenly Anne Marie called. I looked at the clock and realized I had only 2 hours to finish my work. And somehow I made it!

It all proves that things can always be done more efficiently.
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Pursuit of Freedom

2011-08-17T13:29:00.002+08:00

"to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the success is to labour." - Robert Louis Stevenson

How do you rebel?

2011-08-13T00:59:00.001+08:00

In an act of rebellion (against the logical side of myself), I decided to add more variety to my schedule. I suddenly had enrolled in a dance class, joined a ministry in church in unfamiliar and uncharted territory, ordered more rare books from the UK, set up my urban garden and finally hung up that gold mirror that had been lying nonchalantly against my walkway for months.

I'm also looking into at least 2 to 3 courses for next year and dreaming up an exciting travel trip next year.

I kind of got fed up with chugging on with life, hanging around to see what will happen, and can't for the life of me see far ahead. I am also impatient with boredom, especially with time wasters - it drains the life out of me.

I know I have a lot on my plate, responsibilities for work, my home, being a wife and especially my investments (mainly time and sweat) and I do not wish they will amount to nothing. I have lots to learn and things I need to pick up and do better - I've got a long way to go!

Maybe this crazy load up is not the wisest thing to do. But there is not one part of me that I'm doing for the sake of it.

I wonder if my "break free" period is just another bout of cabin fever ...
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Happy National Day Singapore

2011-08-09T18:55:00.000+08:00

I love my country. :)

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Daily diary

2011-08-09T13:50:00.002+08:00

The past few days just flew by.

Sat morning: roti prata with Junice, XY and Phoebe, Colin and Audrey

Sat Coffee: coffee with Junice and Audrey

Sat afternoon: Salsa dance class

Sat evening: dinner with Colin's boss and family (was a wonderful meal)

Sat evening drinks with the gang: Pio, Penn, XY, Phoebe, Mun, Liana, Jen, Caroline.

Sun: church, lunch and ministry training session

Sun evening: Japanese dinner at out place with Kenny and Tania + uno attack games night (wahahaha)

Mon: Finalize proof and finish readings. Family dinner with the Tan clan and Yvonne's parents.

Tues morning: massage session Esther (thx darling!)

Tues late brunch/lunch with Colin (see picture above) - celebrating the national past time on national day!

Tues late afternoon to evening: national day parade

Tues late evening: drinks at someone's place

Woohooooo!

Gotta go now, colin's threatening to start the show entourage without me and I haven't quite finished my tea!
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Love the good days

2011-07-31T18:29:00.001+08:00

I'm at east coast park now, reading a book with a glass of ice lemon tea and enjoying the breeze. It's times like these that I think the weather in Singapore is bearable! Colin is off running somewhere...

The sermon today was really good. It talks about dark days...we all have them but thank God, the bible says those days are short. I'm starting believe that there will always be good days and bad days - when we accept that - those bad days won't be so bad after all.

I had a really fun day yesterday. First of all, I collected my kindle and pen scanner from Yung who brought it back for me in Chicago. Then we had a mini dinner party at my house with a few of my favourite people. I was busy scanning in the spare 30 minutes before we had to cook.

Alright, I'm going back to read. Hope you had a fulfilling weekend too! :)
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Jeremy's house special

2011-07-30T14:53:00.001+08:00

I apologize for the lack of quality in these pictures! I can't wait for the time when I upgrade my phone so I can post better pictures!

Oh this a special concoction Jeremy made for us at his place. It was yums!
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Courtesy of my neighbour

2011-07-30T14:37:00.000+08:00

Imagine my pleasant surprise when my neighbour sent this over!

Very grateful. It was a perfect way to end the dinner party at L and J's. :)
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Etiquette at it's finest? I'm being sarcastic.

2011-07-28T11:34:00.001+08:00

The best gift I had lately was a shared experience with a friend who confirmed that I was not indeed crazy. I am normal! We sometimes feel so alone in certain feelings, thoughts and puzzling situations.

I believe it was a God moment. I remember writing on my Twitter, "sometimes we grumble at life's inconveniences, but looking back, it was by divine appointment...either a blessing or for you to help."

I've always believed that the happiest you'll be is when you are true to yourself and when you make others happy. I try to help out as much as I can and I believe I'm as true to myself as I know how to be. But there are days which chug along, with nothing much exciting other than the usual (and I believe this is due to a lack of meaning in the activities.) and you don't see ways to "help others". In other words, it is not so easy to live outside our own self-centred lives.

Sometimes, in our abundance and lack of a life crisis at the moment, we fail to see the person who needs help, who is hurting or struggling or the trail of sadness in one's eye. Sometimes, somebody just needs a friend. And that was me. I failed to see it...though I've noticed that this person always had a sad look on her face. I just assumed that her temperament was not one of those who is smiley and excited.

So incredulous as it sounds, it was not so much that I was sent to help someone but my eyes were opened to someone else's perspective (which I secretly confirmed that I was not crazy) and I was put to shame at my perceived problems, which really, in the larger scheme of things....not problems at all. It is caused by my own perfectionistic attitude. Seriously, I get slightly upset when life is not going the way I imagined it to be, but seriously, whose life is what they imagined it to be! And I have a God provides abundance, and looks out for me, all the more, why should I feel sorry for myself? It doesn't mean they don't matter...I should not let that hinder me. After all, if it matters to me, no matter how silly they are, it matters to God.

How can I get upset when life is not perfect? When life is NEVER perfect!

One other thing. I also find people who boast and brag of their happiness difficult to tolerate. I hope I'm not one of them. I suppose that's not very sensitive to people around them who may be having a hard time. I remember once when my friend just shared in care group about how he struggles to pay his rent, another person who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth sugar-coated his words with fake humility and actually is trying to boast, "although my wife and I can afford to travel around the world and not work..."

Don't tell people what a dream wife or husband you have on Facebook one time too many, seriously. I mean say it to your husband not to everyone. Why must you announce it on Facebook to solicit "likes"? The reason why you have many likes is because you have exposed yourself more than those who are more gracious. I mean it's okay to express your love publicly a couple of times, maybe in a blogpost (so that way you don't force everyone to READ the declaration of your love) - I mean we all understand sometimes you are really happy and want to share. And we are all really happy for you! Yes we are. But sometimes, one of us or someone else might be struggling with their relationship or is painfully single or has other issues to deal with. You also don't need to tell everyone that you attended this prestigious society event again and again. We get it. Some of us struggle with our finances and our jobs.

I know sometimes I get 'accused' of travelling too much and I guess I understand from this perspective. I mainly want to share my travelling photos with my fellow friends who love to travel too and of course my family. But lately, I realized how it makes people feel, sometimes unfortunately. So I decided to limit my travel albums. I guess no system is perfect too.

In all of good etiquette and manners, sometimes blunt honesty is the best. We all need someone to tell us sometimes. I don't know - maybe I can find a second blessing who feels the same way as I do.

Beautiful Sunsets

2011-07-25T16:39:00.000+08:00

A beautiful sunset from my window.

Maybe I haven't noticed it before, but there are some very beautiful sunsets here in Singapore!

Brunch at Rider's cafe on the Weekend

2011-07-24T13:59:00.001+08:00

My rewards for jumping on the bed until Colin gets up.

A Friend Like Henry

2011-07-22T10:04:00.004+08:00

Hmmm...I hope I don't bore anyone reading my blog but I'm here to write about yet another book. So recently, I've been reading a lot of books about autism and trying to understand what parents of children with autism go through, and of course what the autistic kids themselves face. It was such an eye-opening experience.

I'll never take for granted ever again that every normal child is a gift and a miracle.

So in this book, A Friend Like Henry: The Remarkable True Story of an Autistic Boy and the Dog That Unlocked His World

Nuala, author of the book, tells of the incredible story of her family with their autistic son Dale who conquers his disability with the special bond he has with Henry, a golden retriever puppy.

Dale's autism was so severe that the smallest thing could stress him out and provoke a terrifying tantrum. I admired Nuala and Jamie's courage to not give up and press on, resulting Dale's transition to normality in teenage years and adulthood so successful that most of his friends and peers have no idea of his autism. That is, to me, an astounding autism story success.

I really admire Nuala's courage, mother of Dale and author of the book. What she went through, or is going through seems like hell on earth. I went through an emotional roller coaster as I read the book.

She also tells of her heartbreak after years of trying all sorts of things to have a second child, and when she finally did but her daughter who seemed normal at birth but started regressing around 1 year old. (Really really sad.)

I couldn't help it but texted a long series of messages to my friend Dr Weng, who works with children with autism.

I've received a new insight to autism and gain greater compassion for this disability.

Some of my favourite passages:

(On pg 287): "We have therefore learned that it doesn't really matter what level of autism you are dealing with; it is how an individual's particular autistic traits impact on their life that is important."

(pg 340)"If I had to say just one thing about autism as a disability, it is this: we must never understimate how hard a person affected has to work every day, all day to live by our society's rules and to fit in."

Perspective of an Autistic Child

One of the gems of the book was that Dale, who conquered autism, wrote the last few pages of the book, explaining in his own words and gives us his perspective of why he did the things he did all those years ago. It was an insight to the world we seldom get to see and understand.

Eighty percent of our communication is non-verbal, coming from eyes, faces and body language and it is in this area people with autism often have the greatest difficulty.

Dale says in his own words, "I hated trying to work out what someone's face was telling me, especially if it was a new one or someone I didn't know every well. I found it scary as I couldn't work out if they were angry or feeling all right, and I found the whole eye contact thing very confusing and frightening."

I'm humbled by the read. In the few pages, I remembered the thoughts going through my head as I read through the eyes of the mother - I don't think I would be so noble.

You'll be grateful for your normality and life. Read the book if you can, A Friend Like Henry: The Remarkable True Story of an Autistic Boy and the Dog That Unlocked His World

Have a great weekend!

The Privilege of Life

2011-07-18T11:46:00.000+08:00

Born Free

Born free, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart

Live free, and beauty surrounds you
The world still astounds you
Each time you look at a star

*Stay free, where no walls divide you
You're free as a roaring tide
So there's no need to hide

Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
Cause you're born free

Lyrics by Don Black,
Music by John Barry

Dull, dull, dull.

2011-07-14T18:40:00.000+08:00

I had an eventful past couple of weeks.

I went to the dentist.

Ate some satisfactory-by-Singapore standards ramen.

Ate my favourite green tea ice cream.

Got a fabulous amount of work done.

Went to care group.

Got the house cleaned.

Went for a facial.

Watched Transformers with Joe. (Thanks Tash for the tickets!)

Made some business purchases.

Read a couple of books.

Had a dinner party.

Yet all day today I felt like my week was dull. I was not unhappy, but I think there is some parts of my life I'm getting used to. Maybe the lack of intellectual stimulation? The lack of interesting agents to inspire life into me? The fact that there are some things I'm more or less forced to do or forced to attend to and this is my way of rebelling? I was also pretty tired and that contributed to my zombie like feeling.

Hmmm. I wonder if I can get used to this.

Stay resigned? Or break free and create a ruckas!

We'll see.

How to know if you are boring

2011-07-11T23:08:00.002+08:00

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/200912/eight-tips-know-if-youre-being-boring

I thought it was pretty funny and very true.

But what happens if you are with a bunch of people who aren't interested in anything but themselves and trivial things?

Yawn.

The Reason for Being Self-Absorbed

2011-07-09T11:03:00.002+08:00

This came about for the need to survive, but we also tend to survive better now if we have good social relationships. An aspect you might want to think about putting in your book. - the reason for being self absorbed says my very tough editor.

I thought it was an interesting thought.

Quick Update

2011-07-08T10:52:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to say that I'm alive!

I've been rather occupied lately and STILL catching up on work after my 3 week holiday. The main deal is I've more or less finalized the print version of my 2nd book, and I will be taking that daring step of actually publishing it and making it mainstream. So far, I've been cowardly, just selling them to readers of my website whose response has been encouraging. At least I've made back my very expensive professional editorial fees and more for me to buy lunch.

I've also recently got a tonne of inspiration for new sections for my websites which essentially mean, I've mapped out the blueprint for just about under 100 pages. I'm also researching my THIRD book - God knows when that will be complete.

I've two other baby sites which I'm grooming them like a mother eagle so that I can just about kick them off the nest to survive on their own.

A lot of my work involves reading, thinking, researching, writing and hunting - which involves tracking down rare books and out-of-print books and sometimes books in french (oh goodness), so in those times of isolation I live in my mind and then pour out through writing...which makes me not want to blog because I've got nothing to say any more!

But I'll just thought I'll come in and do an update.

Colin's been very nice and he has taken over my social life because I didn't want to do anything else but meet Sas and Jen on the weekend or the occasional after work coffee. He has planned so many things on the evenings and on the weekends, which I really appreciate.

Alright you have a great weekend!

My favourite Breakfast

2011-06-30T09:35:00.000+08:00

It is a rainy morning but it makes Singapore nice and cool so I love it and I'm happy because I've got fresh salmon for breakfast today!

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At the private viewing gallery of the esplanade

2011-06-29T16:45:00.000+08:00

Thanks to PL for the recommendation! It is perfect! :)

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The Meaning of True Rest

2011-06-27T00:10:00.000+08:00

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At the foot of my reading chair

2011-06-24T11:38:00.001+08:00

A typical scene at the foot of my reading chair is illustrated in this photo.
This is the usual pile of books I have to read for work and leisure.

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Once a Lion decides

2011-06-23T09:47:00.001+08:00

To share your tent with you there is very little you can do about it.

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There is so much more to life, BIG CITY!

2011-06-22T11:53:00.003+08:00

I'm finalizing the print version of my second book...and I'm enjoying my delicious read of George Adamson's 'My Pride and Joy', an autobiography of his life, which I find is not a great combination.

The book I wrote is about the history of social classes and a social study of human behaviour among a certain group of the elite, written mainly as a loose guide for those who are interested in the mysteries of what makes a person refined and classy. The research was fun but writing the book to its point of publishing is NOT.

The reason why I feel that it is not a great combination is while I'm relishing of George and Joy Adamson's adventures in the African wildness and their simple life, I'm less interested in reading and reviewing notes about pretentiousness, country clubs, aristocratic titles, wine and opera etc, which is part of the study that I had to include for my audience.

Not to say that those things are irrelevant to the robustness of life and exhilaration of becoming accomplished, but there are some days where I appreciate the simpleness of life and peace. Those are usually the days when I feel I'm perfectly content and happy ... without the the need of the materialistic side of life. I think we need more of those days, especially those of us living in a big city, where we are the most susceptible to superficiality. There is so much more to life than materials!

If only we can catch a glimpse of this....we can really understand why heirs and heiresses abandon their fortune and possessions to purse their greatest passions.

Possessions and clutter only victimize you. Now that gem of wisdom I will always remember...and it came from the most unlikely mouth - Karl Lagerfeld.

Born Free by Joy Adamson

2011-06-20T13:07:00.000+08:00

Just finished reading this book by Joy Adamson written in 1960. I really enjoyed it.

I'm utterly convinced this is the kind of life Adam and Eve enjoyed. I am amazed by God's creation.

Being born and bred in the city, I'll be the first to admit that I'm afraid of being in completely nature, in the bush and 'roughing' it out to some extent. But I've realized that the fear is due to the unknown and unfamiliarity of the climate, the animals, insects and the ground and all the dangers. Reading about Joy and George Adamson's ease in Africa amazes me. Their knowledge and experience inspires me.

I can't wait for when, perhaps in Heaven, these things no longer bother me or have the ability to harm me - then I will indulge my curiosities and embark on endless adventures to study the beauty of animals and nature. Same applies for the ocean and its wonderful inhabitants. So while I'm on earth in my earthly body, I prayed and told the Lord to not just be with me but surround me with his glory for at least a metre around me three dimensionally - so that nothing, not quicksand, hookworms, soldier ants and cobras can come near me!

For now at least, I'm glad I can enjoy reading it pretending I'm there in the comfort on my bedroom.

Live relaxed!

2011-06-19T09:58:00.001+08:00

:)
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Friday night at Mediya

2011-06-18T09:47:00.001+08:00

That's Colin over there joining the kids watching our childhood cartoon Siow ding dang! (Also known as Doremon)

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Hello midweek!

2011-06-16T10:09:00.001+08:00

I can't believe it was just a week or so ago I was on my honeymoon.

It was a fantastic honeymoon.

It's nice to know that we travel well together. And it wasn't boring either. A friend once told me that if you and your partner can travel well together, it means you both can get married.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back. There are tonnes of things I want to do and get to, apart from all the drudgeries of life like laundry, housework, bills, sorting out paperwork and emails, managing the fridge and food etc etc.

Friday is almost here!

Jen's Birthday on 20th May

2011-06-15T11:58:00.000+08:00

Hello from my desk!

I'm determined to spend 2 hours on email today and clearing my folders. Anyway, I found a picture of Jen's birthday party which is so cute. I thought I'll archive it here.

We had such a great time!

Wife Duties

2011-06-13T17:13:00.002+08:00

Today I felt like a real wife. I sent my husband to work. I also did the mountain load of laundry from our trip and stocked our fridge.

Having the car all to myself was great. It was easier to get things done and was more comfortable too. I've missed having my own car for so long!

Anyhow, from all that packing and cleaning, I've decided to re-organize my wardrobe and cupboards. I made a little happy trip down to Ikea to get all those organizers and little things and came back with a mirror too. Woohoo! Husband is not around and I can shop in peace! I couldn't believe my luck.

In the late afternoon, I had coffee with Josh who is back from Switzerland and was on my merry way home when Colin called and I had to pick him up with all my spoils in the backseat.

*BUSTED!*

He said, "I left you with the car for one day and look at what happened."

Hahaha but anyway. I wonder how long my luck will last.

Hope you had a great start of the week!
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Unequal Childhoods - Class, Race and Family Life and Reflections from Tokyo

2011-06-11T08:08:00.004+08:00

Good morning from Tokyo!

For some reason, I got up extra early this morning which is very different from yesterday, when I could barely drag myself out of bed! I'm not sure if it is jet lag, because it was inconsistent.

I spent the next hour or so lying in bed, thinking about my life and thinking about other fun things to think about...but somehow that didn't quite work out because I ran out of things to think about so I decided to record my thoughts on this blog. I thought about the book I had finished yesterday (No!!! What will I do tonight? Everything here is in Japanese.)

Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life

and how it clashes with a previous book I read

Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn--and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less

and also how is it relevant to these books that I also read The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition)

Baby ballet can start as young as 2 years of age.

and The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had

In short, Annette Lareau, author of unequal childhoods concluded that in society, children whose schedules are jam-packed with activities are better off in the long run and have a brighter future than those just 'left to their own devices' to grow up naturally.

Despite that the privileged children seem to be more self-centered, entitled, mean (to their siblings) and spend lots more time questioning and challenging authority (parents, teachers etc) and the tremendous economic burdens and time constraints their classes and grueling schedule is placed on their family, namely parents.

Why? It is because employers view a child learning more and benefiting more from soccer practice than watching 2 hours of television. (just to summarize).

The book is not quite what I expected. It is essentially a study of 88 families from a variety of economic background from the poor, working class and middle class. Annette basically describes the house, the home, income, how the kids and family spent their time, school, relationships between the school, church, siblings and parents, teachers, peers, neighbours etc etc. So I've pretty much spent most of my time reading about how families live with a couple of comparisions at each concluding chapter. The real juice is probably the last chapter; chapter 12 "The Power of Limits of Social Class" where it concludes the study and findings.

To me, the most interesting part of the book is its statement that up until recently ... well, the period after 1920 was a dramatic decline in the economic contribution of children. In the past, children were seen as someone who contributes to the family in terms of work for example, farm hands, flower picking, tag tying, baby sitting. In colonial America, a boy of 6 and 7 was expected to move out of his parents home to live with a skilled craftsman as an apprentice (like in Great Expectations)

Young Gardeners

She writes (shortened):

...it appears that it was for only a relatively brief historical period that children were granted long stretches of leisure time with unstructured play. In the period after world war 2, children were permitted to play for hours on end. Other than going to church, few organized activities children participated began at a later age than is typical today. The "institutionalization of children's leisure" and the rise of concerted cultivation more generally are recently developments"

Hmmm.... my conclusion?

I'm generally a big fan of education. Though that is a recent statement for me because I've only changed my view of education about maybe 2-5 years ago. While I was in the education system, I was more interested in other intelligences and felt that academia was too rigid, recognizes only 2-3 out of the 10-15 types of intelligences and stifles creativity. I never believed in papers (read certificates) as well though I have some (haha).

After reading the book, I would say my education style - or the approach I was brought up in - was definitely poor or working class. I was left to my own devices and allowed to play as much as I wanted all the time. However, I was also privileged enough to attend ballet, piano, art, swimming classes though I never took them seriously. My mom also never withheld books from me. I was a bookworm. I would say it was probably back then when a child's life wasn't as serious as it is now.

Personally, I felt my real education began too late. I would think that maybe it started when I was about 17-19? But I only stepped it up maybe a year or two ago. I constantly find myself playing the game of catch up.

Though I don't have children yet, I was reading these books for work and interest trying to figure out why people I admire behave the way they do...as well as writing for elegantwoman.org.

I think, exposure and environment and positivity and having role models are some of the most important in raising a child and anyone can make it work within whatever economic budget. Of course, it will be easier with a larger budget. However, I do not believe in jam packing schedules that makes the child dependent on being spoon-fed and easily bored requiring the parent to entertain or conjure some activity for him. Of course, this is a very watered down version of my opinion because it would be a couple of pages if I wrote completely what I thought. Hahaha

Hmmm. Thanks for your company on this blogpost. I think it's time to drag Colin out of bed for breakfast.

Support Japan!

2011-06-08T22:08:00.004+08:00

On a totally random trip to Japan. Honeymoon extended! Turned out we could use our miles to get a free flight and so we did but was so jet lagged from France and Italy we missed it. (Sigh I know. It's Colin's first time and not my first.)

After some fines (bleah), we are here and loving it!

I'm actually blogging from one of those capsule hotels in Japan - ALWAYS wanted to try it! It is so fun. What an experience. Not for those claustrophobic though. I never used to think that I was (claustrophobic) until in the Vatican city when I was climbing to the top where the stairways was so narrow and windy and lots of people including screaming hyper kids and smelly lamb-eating tourists from my front and behind...I felt I couldn't breathe...but that's another story. But for this cool Japanese capsule hotel, we are staying for the night and will check into a proper hotel (boring!) tomorrow.

Saw this note in the hotel and I thought it was very sweet. The earlier part was to suggest I facebooked and tweeted it. Cute huh? :)
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Singapore Airport Checks Passport a GAZILLION Times

2011-06-08T09:18:00.002+08:00

I can't believe Singapore airport checks my passport at least 5 times from the time I check in to board the darn plane. And that does not include the general check in at the station or ticket counter.

After checking in at the counter and off loading my bags, I head to the departure halls where a police person will check my boarding pass and passport. (1)

Then I head to the electronic clearance where I press my thumb into the glass and wait for the beep - where it matches and confirms my identity in the system and passport.(2)

Then another police officer double checks. (I mean what's the point of your fail proof system?)(3)

I walk to my gate and before entering it, another police person or airport staff checks my passport and boarding pass before letting me in. (4)

And once in, the bag scanner guy asks for my boarding pass and passport again. Check.(5)

Then I pass through and gives the airline ticket counter my ticket and they check my passport again.(6)

I have also once in a while encountered someone standing at the plane doors asking for passport checks. (7)

Seriously, how many times do you want to check my passport?

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Cinque Terre

2011-06-07T19:56:00.000+08:00

Back in Singapore now and catching up with life but dreaming about Cinque Terre
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XY's Wedding in Singapore

2011-06-07T03:11:00.004+08:00

Small weddings are best. Though we only got in from France about 4 hours earlier, we managed to look fresh and have fun at XY and Phoebe's Singapore wedding.

It was great to hang out with friends and laugh all night long.

Almost Home

2011-06-05T16:12:00.001+08:00

I have travelled two-thirds of the way home...almost there. I'm in Dubai now. I'm tired and I want to sleep properly. I also want to take a nice long bath, preferably with bubbles.

When I get home, I hope to take a nap before heading to a wedding with Colin and Jessica. I've been trying to remember what is in my wardrobe so I can plan my outfit!

Just met an ungentlemanly guy who cut my queue and when I told him that the line was at the back, he said he is on business class. So I told him, then you should go to that line. Firstly, he has probably never travelled on business class before, otherwise he would have known better. Secondly, so what if you are on business, that doesn't give you the right to cut any queue!

I've had a great time but I must say I've met lots of a******* on this trip, and conniving thieves or cheats. I'm glad to be going home. Phew! Almost there.

Going to board now. Goodnight!
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Heading back to Rome

2011-06-03T18:29:00.001+08:00

Hello!

We're in our hotel room because we wanted a break. I've never walked so much in my life! I think I need a deep foot massage when I get back.

Today, we spent some time in the Uffizi gallery, bright and early this morning when it opened at 9am. We bought the tickets 2 days before to escape the crowd and queues. It was worth it! Apart from admiring the artwork from the greatest artists Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, it is quite amazing to be in a building that has been standing for 500 years. But after being in the Pantheon in Rome, what is 500 years when you can stand in a building from 126 AD or in the Colosseum in Rome since 70 AD?

We are more or less preparing to head home soon, and our next stop will be back to Rome. I still have a few hours here and there in a few lovely cities as we make our way back to Singapore. We both received some good news regarding work, and we feel refreshed to take on the next half of the year!

Will head off to a wedding a few hours when we land - I guess I will use this as an excuse to enjoy more coffee on my way home. And I'm looking forward to seeing and spending time with Jessica who is flying from ...hmm can't keep track of her global treks...to Xy's wedding and hang out in Singapore.

Hmmmm, now what shall I wear this weekend?

I'll never go to outlet malls again!

2011-06-02T05:43:00.000+08:00

I went to The Mall in Florence Italy. So not impressed and was a waste of time. I never have luck at outlet malls! Either they don't have what I want, or there are no sizes.

I think the outlet malls in the USA are far better but I don't usually get anything there either. The only time I can remember is when I got a bunch of things from Brook Brothers.

I will never go to an outlet mall again!

Guess who ended up buying stuff? (See picture below). The men's stuff are 10 times more affordable than women's stuff. It is really not fair. That's why he is actually more designer-clad than I am. Hmmm.

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Italy leg of the trip

2011-06-01T14:52:00.001+08:00

We have been in Italy for a few days already. It is quite beautiful and the weather has been really nice.

I really thank God that my last luggage died in Japan and my brother was there to lug it for me to the last leg of the trip - the airport - prompting me to buy a new one which has the spin-all-around type of wheels. It was such a lifesaver on this trip!

There is so much history to take in here. I can't help but marvel at buildings built in AD 100 and standing tall and proud. I can't wait to go back to reread my history books and feel the knowledge come alive in my imagination.

I've been eating lots of pasta here too. I eat almost one plate of spagetti vongole everyday and some other form of seafood especially when we were on the coastal towns like Amalfi coast or in Capri island. Colin eats many servings of gelato everyday. And oh, the coffee here is strong!

In some ways, I felt my european travel dreams have come true. I've always wanted to go to london, paris, rome, florence and capri and now I have! Of course these are the classics. I have many other travel dreams to see the world. Colin's been a great travel companion. :)

Oh and it's a great chance for me to take out my dSLR to practice! Gotta go now, later!
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Cassiss, France

2011-06-01T04:23:00.002+08:00

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Breakfast under a big old tree

2011-05-27T17:01:00.000+08:00

Breakfast in Provence

Good morning!

This picture was just taken an hour or so ago by Colin's iphone. My blackberry takes such awful pictures. I haven't uploaded any of my photos because I'm relishing the time here. I will surely upload them if I'm bored, which I highly doubt.

I am so grateful to be here.

Dream house and life in Provence?

2011-05-27T05:39:00.001+08:00

I think this is the closest I can ever get to enjoying this dream of living in the country in a fair big house, backyard, garden with beautiful weather, my family, two cats and a dog! :)

I will spend afternoons outside reading and writing, most probably with a pot of tea or coffee.

Well...I'm not entirely sure about the bugs though. I've been a city person all my life - by birth not by choice.

But I'm grateful for this chance for me to at least come out here and live in it for a day or two.
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Walking along the beaches of Cannes

2011-05-26T05:51:00.000+08:00

Loving the skies at Cannes. Isn't it the most gorgeous? It looks better on my digital camera.

I have this thing for skies. I'm always on the lookout for beautiful skies! They are like masterpieces of art.
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My Favourite Travel Companions

2011-05-26T03:46:00.001+08:00

We are on the way to St Tropez and I thought of this blogpost as I was packing.

These are my favourite Travel companions and they almost always make it to all my trips except my longchamp bags if I'm travelling for a wedding (they are too casual for a wedding).

Here goes:

1. S90 camera
2. Longchamp bags - light and foldable
3. Blackberry - for emails, Facebook, note taking, blogging, diary writing
4. Travel samples of all my favourite beauty lotions, including the must-have Carmex lip balm
5. MAC studio fix - minimizes time and I don't really need much else
6. Sunglasses
7. A book - to read or study
8. Ballet flats
9. World travel adapter
10. Passport holder or case that fits my passport, air tickets, a pen, multiple currencies, emergency US dollars, train passes, notes etc.

I tried several toys/dolls as travel companions but I realized I end up either booting them off a trip because I love travelling light. Or forget to take them out of my luggage. If I did, I'll forget to take them along on my daytrips to photograph them. Oh well! It just doesn't work for me. I loved the idea though!

What are your favourite travel companions?

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Musee Picasso

2011-05-25T04:17:00.001+08:00

This chateau was offered to Picasso to use as a studio.

The inspiration from the sea, the castle, the light and intense colour of the south resulted in a major work, which he called La Joie de Vivre, symbolised his entire stay in the chateau.

P.s. The little roads here are so narrow! I've never been on narrower roads. :)

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Hello From Nice!

2011-05-24T00:15:00.000+08:00

I'm having a nice relaxing time with Colin here. I was so exhausted before the trip and the flight on the way here took its toil on me that I spent the first day sleeping most of the time.

I think I needed it!

Before I left, I launched my second book quietly through my newsletter readers. And before that I was working with 2 companies who helped me professionally edit my book and format it for both print and epublishing. That was fun and both a new experience. Print is not ready but it is at the final stages. I have decided to not bring any stress with me on my very delayed honeymoon. But I didn't expect that I would mess up some code causing the price to double. I then got a flurry of emails letting me know of the problem and couldn't concentrate watching Fast and Furious at the theatre. The funny thing is people bought at that ridiculous prices so I spent the entire night till 7 am, fixing code, sending refunds, replying to email, sending out copies to those who didn't know how to 'right click to save'.

The internet is still is a huge learning curve. I seem to make every mistake in the book except that I don't spam my friends on Facebook. There are tonnes of things that I should be doing but have not done. Oh well. I'm good with slow and steady for now.

I was also trying to get my educational travel site ready for when Jessica comes. Oh well. And was trying desperately to revise french. I'm proud to say today I had my first real convo in french! It is still terrible and I don't know how she could have understood me but she did. I probably got 50 percent of what she said just by vocab alone. Geeez. Let's hope we don't need to use my caveman speak as we travel to more remote parts of France.

Alright then, maybe I'll blog later. I have to go grab dinner now. I just came home to put my feet up for a while! :)

Lots of love from south of France!
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Born Free, Born Wild

2011-05-12T11:48:00.000+08:00

Last lap of the journey - I'm now on to my last project, and I'm fixing, fixing, fixing, editing, writing, linking and all the works. It is frustrating because I've left it off for so long, it took me a while to get back into it.

As I am working on my educational travel project, I can't help but think of Africa and its beautiful reserves and national parks. I remember about a decade ago when I was so fortunate to have the chance to travel to South Africa. I remember walking with the rangers in the early mornings to see animals in their natural habitat and sleeping in pitch black in beehive huts. That was one of my favourite travel experiences and I hope someday I'll be able to go back soon.

I've also been reading about wildlife and lions lately. I was so inspired I even wrote my first Amazon book review!

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching Account of the Love of Animals and for Each Other, May 10, 2011

Eunice Leong (Sunnyvale, CA, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Born Wild: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Passion for Africa (Hardcover)

I've never written a review before though I'm an avid reader. Until now where I can't help but tell someone how much I loved this book!

I've thoroughly enjoyed Tony's writing. I can see bits of British humour in it, which I really loved. It also made me appreciate the work of conservation of wildlife. I'm also more appreciative of good governments and anti-corruption - growing up in developed countries, I sometimes take that for granted.

I can never do the work that Tony and George does, and so it has made me appreciate how I can read about it! As you read, you feel as though you are just right there, witnessing everything. The many photos in the book help put pictures in your head as you read. This book inspires not just about lions and wildlife but about life! I believe they have a divine calling and purpose for this work...I can feel the passion in his words through the pages of the book.

It has made me a more conscious consumer, making me realize how my decisions and support can make all the difference. I've become fond of story telling and almost preachy as I rave about the book and their work to my friends.

This book has impacted me in many ways. I've cried alongside Tony as I read, feeling compassion during the moments he shared with George or when a loved animal has died or killed and mutilated by illegal poachers. I feel deep sorrow when I read about how beautiful landscapes and homes are destroyed by greed and corruption. I've rejoiced when they made breakthroughs in their work. I've also learned to appreciate the simple life. Most of all, I've learned a lot about animals, and how each animal is special and different and amazing. The accounts of each animals were my favourite parts of the book, as well as those stories about Tony and George. Tony and George must have enjoyed what the first man on earth, Adam had, when he was free to roam the earth...

If you loved the book 'A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion' and its now-famous YouTube videos, you would absolutely love this book! It has more stories of Christian and other interesting lions like Leaky the diplomat, Jipe and Lisa the friendly lionesses and Fred one of Tony's favourite lions. There is even a jealous leopard and some crazy lovable rhinos, and a very smart elephant called Nina and her hyper active baby elephant Jonny.

The most touching part of this book is Tony's relationship with George. I can't help shed a tear when Tony writes how he missed George everyday. George Adamson would be so proud of Tony's work now, I'm sure! I just want to say thanks for all the work that you do Tony, you've all a great fan all the way from SINGAPORE!

A bowl of Heaven

2011-05-08T20:27:00.001+08:00

On Mother's day!

Yummmmm
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What Adam might have enjoyed

2011-05-07T11:35:00.001+08:00

I'm reading this amazing book Born Wild by Tony Fitzjohn. It is about this British man who worked as an apprentice under George Adamson, who worked with rehabilitating Christian the lion to the wild. He met Christian too of course.

After reading Christian the lion, following the documentary, I tried getting a hold of George's biography and looked forward to all the interesting things about lions and other animals and the beautiful wild parks of africa. Unfortunately, it is a really old book and was only available in 2nd hand bookstores in america.

George also worked in the documentary film Born Free.

So imagine my surprise when I stumbled on his assistant's biography which is new and released last year! It was just sitting on the faceup shelf staring at me, when I went into the library to do research. I believe I'm the first reader of it too!

I'm enjoying the book thoroughly.

Reading this description of how Tony and Christian the lion hung out made me imagine that was how Adam, the first man must have enjoyed hanging out with all the animals when God first created the earth.

:)
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Meet Prince William's Expressive Goddaughter, Grace Van Cutsem

2011-05-06T11:44:00.000+08:00

I've been wondering who that cute little girl on the left of Princess Catherine whom I remembered had a cute little frown. It is quite amazing how these little three year olds did not throw temper tantrums, even though they've been quite distressed by the crowd, noise and the camera flashes of photographers. Prince Harry gave the other 3 year old bridesmaid a wriggly worm to keep her distracted.

She covered her ears when the planes were flying past and she covered her ears when the royal couple kissed (because of the crowd roaring).

She's so adorable, isn't she?

My Thoughts On Ministerial Pay -

2011-05-04T23:46:00.003+08:00

No, I'm not concerned about ministerial pay.

2 hours ago · · ·

Nathan Wu likes this.
- Eunice Tan I like looking for solutions, not looking for heads to blame.
  16 minutes ago ·
- Eunice Tan I also believe in the speed of exchange of money, which creates value. And that money is not in limited quantity, such that if someone has more, others will have less.
  15 minutes ago ·
- Eunice Tan ‎Nathan Wu Today I was really at the sunset way long kang!
  15 minutes ago ·
- Eunice Tan I also believe in meritocracy.
  13 minutes ago ·
- Eunice Tan I also don't believe in comparison only when it is convenient, especially with other countries. Unless, you consider tax structures, cost of living, transport, welfare benefits in the whole darn big picture.
  12 minutes ago ·
- Eunice Tan No matter what happens, I believe the rightful leaders and its followers will make it work and progress regardless.
  6 minutes ago ·

I can't blame those who think it is an issue.

It is the mindset of limits, that the amount of money has a limit and it is not enough.

Unfortunately, understanding why this is actually not important is the comprehensive of economics and financial education.

I did it! Hurray!

2011-05-04T22:45:00.000+08:00

And now, I can (almost) go off on my honeymoon in peace.

I've placed so many things on hold, potential weekend trips, classes I wanted to take, books I want to read, things that I had wanted to buy, my language classes, sometimes exercise sessions (haha okay I used this as an excuse) other projects that needed my attention...almost my entire life!

I've written my second book!

And my manuscript is off to my editor. (yikes!) I can't wait to get it back to see all the red marks on it. I think my writing sucks (as evident on my blog), so I'm grateful for the extra help. I'm also very surprised that most editors and freelancers seem to like my material, often emailing me to say how much they've enjoyed working on it...I take great comfort in that.

I've also finally finished another, quite tedious, year long project. What a relief! I thought I'd never see the light of the tunnel. Thank you to all of you who kept me company on-line and tolerated all my whingeing and complaining.

.....

....

I can almost smell the countryside.

But, it's back to work for me! I've still go a bit to before I go au revoir!

I Didn't Mean To Be Political - No Matter What Happens

2011-05-03T02:03:00.004+08:00

What meant to be an outlet of expression became a highly charged discussion on my Facebook status.

The funny thing is, it stirred up all these uncomfortable emotions in me that I NEVER thought I had. While I don't care for debating, I became surprisingly affected when I read some of the comments on the news, on community sites, on blogs and of course, Facebook and twitter. I'm appalled at the audacity and lack-of-depth. I cringe at the influence of sensationalism.

I used to be apathetic to these opinions until I start to wonder about the power they have to influence my future environment, especially the ones my children will be living in.

The way the arguments are put forth as well, is ... rather ungracious. I'm not just referring to the people who use Facebook but the politicians as well. Shouting? Being harsh? Making sweeping statements (though admittedly they sound intelligent)? Is this the example we want to set on how to disagree, solve conflict and progress? Are we inspiring people for better governance or just hitting 'sweet spots' to get others to feel charged up and more negative?

PM Lee and both his deputies have been the most gracious - but I can't say for sure because I've not been following to a tee. Nicole Seah as well as been perfectly poised and gracious though I did hear her shouting, "THE PAP!", which I thought, sounded quite unlike her. I rather she didn't.

I've overstepped my personal policy not to discuss politics carelessly and insensitively when I responded to my Facebook comments. But I must say, I've enjoyed this thoroughly. Why? It is because I've had a chance to face some of the biggest questions and make those decisions for my life. It might be a tiny little vote but what I'm doing is I've decided on how I want to live my life, how I would like to raise my children and how I would hold my family together. After all, I believe the family is the core unit of society.

In all that campaigning and speaking on national television, I am inspired by some of them (not all from the same party). I have enjoyed reading up a little history, as well as comparing perspectives. I like expanding my international and long term view. I've also enjoyed pondering and making my own decisions. On the whole, I'm glad that I'm convicted.

The elections are a great opportunity to see what works. It grants me opportunities to contemplate why people reason the way they do. I observe from a respectful distance to what they respond to. It gave me lots of interesting food for thought. It was also encouraging for me to have a chance to scrutinize and challenge the people I highly respect and admire.

No party is perfect, neither will I be completely convinced with everything. However, I remain completely satisfied. No matter what happens, no one can take away the principles I've chosen to live by and the things I believe in.

You can be the cleverest, independent thinker who dares to be different (or not) and make your opinions heard. But at the end of the day, we all have to go back to our households and keep them in order. At this point, I just know who I want to become and the where I would like to go...I'm eternally grateful to those leaders who has shown me 'greater possibilities' of how to live.

Lying in Bed - Favourite Activity

2011-05-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

What a great way to spend the weekend!

Of course, that is not possible in Singapore without air conditioning.

A Royal Wedding - An Elegant Affair

2011-04-30T13:57:00.002+08:00

The much anticipated kiss on the balcony.

What a wonderful wedding! Kate Middleton was absolutely gorgeous, graceful and elegant. Prince William was unaffectedly handsome. And I can't help but notice Prince Harry's cheeky but lovable look. Pippa, Kate's sister was also very elegant.

I wish them many blessings! :)

Did you catch the wedding on television?

If not, here are some beautiful photos from the BBC.
There is also a official Royal Channel on Youtube.

P.s. It was such a beautiful wedding dress. It reminded me a more modern version of Grace Kelly's wedding dress.

In time for the royal wedding!

2011-04-29T16:50:00.001+08:00

Phew, I've finished the 3rd revision of my manuscript with a total of 45,000 words and 225 pages. Groan.

Today I've used my princess mug today to commemorate Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding day! Soon to be Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aww I wish them lots of blessings and happiness. May they continue to inspire us...or at least paint the dream that we had when we were little girls to marry a prince.

(The mug was from many years ago, from one of my first few Colour Conferences in Sydney. I think it was in the year 2001 when I received the mug?)

Just in time to watch the broadcast of their wedding ... now I can watch without guilt. Woohoo can't wait.

Happy weekend!

Handbags at Chanel Fall 2011

2011-04-28T12:43:00.003+08:00

I'm probably missing my bag, and that's why I'm browsing and these handbags from the Chanel Fall 2011 show look great! They have an edgier feel - I really like the clean, flat look with the rarer bijoux chains (like mine hehehe)...though I'm not quite the edgy girl. I'll probably still stick to my safe, boring classics!

I have not bought a new bag in a while but I don't intend to. But I can admire them all the same!

The weekend is coming...yay! Hope all of you are having a wonderful week!

Singapore, oh Singapore

2011-04-27T12:34:00.000+08:00

I've realized that I haven't been blogging.

Yeah sure I've updated my blog about events I want to remember but I've not seriously sat down to be alone with my thoughts, some of which, usually make it to my blog.

I knew that it would happen starting from November last year. It seem that the year has not slowed down, it was one thing after the other. I feel sometimes as though I hardly have the time to breathe. I tend to retreat a lot into my books, and literally can't be bothered with other things, especially things which I used to go out of my way to do.

But I'm happy to say that despite the too-fast pace (than I would have liked), I've more or less settled into Singapore. Sure, it's not perfect and there are always challenges or comparisons. Like they always say, you really don't know what you have until you have lost it. When I log on to Facebook, I see all these comments complaining about Singapore, the government, LKY, other politicians etc.

Don't get me wrong, I have my own issues with Singapore as well. For instance, rude people and drivers (they probably didn't know better, no one smiled at them or gave way before), the weather (can't be changed unfortunately), complaining culture (again, it will take another generation to lose the negativity and I'm guilty myself sometimes), materialism (then again, it's a compact little city - what else is there to do plus those types that we have made our heroes.)

But Singapore can be darling in so many ways. I've grown to appreciate it over the years.

1) A few darling people in Singapore that I'm soooo glad I met, and of course my family.

2) Church!

Seriously, that is a problem for most of us when we move to different places around the world. It's hard to find a church you are in love with.

3) The fantastic, state of the art library!

I'm permanent resident there, when I'm not working in my home office. There is nothing like it, not in Sydney University, not in Melbourne or the US or anywhere else in the world ... which is why I think Borders has gone bust. I use the affordable 2nd hard books from Amazon.com but sometimes I just like to browse.

4) The safe city, especially when there is freedom to move.

If you don't have a car, you can just take a cab or a train ride anywhere and it is relatively affordable. I've stopped buying magazines and travel everywhere by cabs or my preferred alternative - the bus - whenever I'm not able to use the car.

When I lived in the US with Colin, I was a prisoner at home, because driving 40 minutes there and back 2 times a day is not worth it. Even if I had the car, there are not many places to go honestly! Just a few generic malls and a couple of cafes. I suppose it would have been perfect if I was had children but I've not come to that stage of life so it was pretty boring for me. I just spent all my time working at home then. Which brings me to my next point...

5) The availability of food!

Oh yes, and to get food for lunch was difficult, so I often cooked at home (which in retrospect a good thing). Or microwaved last night's dinner. Singapore is excellent for this, and VERY affordable.

I can already hear many people complaining about how I'm wrong - that food is expensive blah blah blah. It's true, but if you want cheaper food, you'll have to move to a less developed city and cope with it. I think Singapore is as advanced as cities like Sydney, Melbourne, London and San Francisco - maybe not as artsy yet - but our food and public transport prices are low in comparison to average income.

6) Education

We are thankful that our country knows to prioritize education highly, above and beyond many other things. I've never realized or appreciated this until my recent years. I'm eternally grateful that it was a British colony and a multi-racial society. I'm SOOOOO GRATEFUL that I was schooled in English and...yes, I hate to admit it, but mandarin even. I like observing Malay and Indian culture and find what I like about it, and over the years add on to other cultures from people I've met. (I'm also eternally grateful to have studied in Australia thereafter).

Gosh, look at the time...I have to go now, I've got a manuscript to complete! Yes, appreciate all you have - try to, even though you may not be able to fully do so until you spend a week somewhere else. All the best for nomination day!

Love, me.

Photo Entry

2011-04-18T11:43:00.000+08:00

So, my Europe photos did not make it because my macbook died.

It surely has taught me a lesson to upload my photos fast! I tend to upload them to Facebook, because it is kind of my way of organizing my photos. My only regret is losing many other too personal photos that I did not upload.

So anyhow, my Hong Kong photos of Xianyi & Phoebe's wedding are here.

And the photos of Beauty in Black exhibit are here.

Alright, I have to write my monthly newsletter (what will I write about?) to finish off this afternoon. Later!

A Lion Called Christian

2011-04-15T16:05:00.004+08:00

Friday Night In's Reading!

So excited. We've been cooking a bit lately and staying in. And I can't wait to read this tonight!

**UPDATE: Whooops, I forgot Colin is taking me to a concert tonight.

***UPDATE: LOVED THE BOOK. READ IT IN ONE SITTING. You'll be amazed how much personality animals have, once you get to know them.

Sent from my BlackBerry.

My Yucky White Bag and All-Girls School Nostalgia

2011-04-15T11:15:00.010+08:00

I really thank God for girlfriends. Unexpectedly, this week was girlfriend week!

It made me feel as though I was in girls school all over again. I thank God for my mother who enrolled me in CHIJ. In retrospect, I wished I hadn't opt out of continuing my high school education in an all girls school. Knowing me - and I remain unchanged today - I wanted a new experience. Going instead to a government high school with boys was an absolute culture shock. Perhaps it had made me more grounded....but that's another story.

So Michelle my fabulous jetsetter girlfriend was in town (AGAIN) and though we had a few fun nights out in Hong Kong last week, she organized a yong tau fu lunch with Tania, her previous housemate in Melbourne and my neighbour. Tania and I went first to Lucky Plaza (since we lived in the same estate) and it was just as well, I had to bring in my bag which was previously white turned cream turned all sorts of mucky colours in for professional cleaning. I read a review in a magazine that recommended this place so I was excited to see my bag brand new again.

I was so embarrassed to have Tania there because when I, shamefaced, took out the mucky white bag from my bigger bag, both Tania and the lady from the professional cleaning shop gasped in horror.

HK last week - it still looks good from a distance

"Aiyoh, how old is your bag? So dirty!"

"Er...about two years? But I use it everyday!"

"I think you better do colour restoration, not just cleaning."

I cringed as Tania and the lady carefully inspected my bag. I felt as though I was sent to the principal's office to be punished.

"Of course, since I shelled out so much on a bag, I might as well use it everyday." I defended myself feebly.

From gently reprimanding me for using my bag so carelessly (hey, it's white!), they gave me suggestions on the colours I should have gotten (I already have a black bag and I wanted something to go with my usual light-coloured day outfits), to other disgusting bags (pictures shown) to how Chanel is better than Louis Vuitton for night time (totally agree - Louis Vuitton is for casual wear only), to Tania's pregnancy and her 1 year old at home to how young we looked.

I left with a hefty bill for this bag repair. I used to say that I don't have expensive habits but now...I'm not so sure!

We then met Michelle for lunch giggling and laughing and talking about girly things up to we got back to Tania's place, more giggling and laughter at the cake shop/cafe, until we got scolded by the grumpy auntie (whoops) and back at Tania's place surfing the net for who we think is hot and arguing and debating until Christian (Tania's son) cries. Oh dear.

This is us, the flipflop gang! Though Mich has abandoned her flipflops.

It was hilarious! I'm so grateful for such great times. I can't wait for the lau lang to be back for good.

Jen and I having a long brunch on the weekend

I also met Jen for lunch the next day, and she took me to Forty hands, which I bimbotically called it Forty Winks. That is a mattress company in Australia if I recall correctly. But the sandwiches and coffee were YUMMY! As usual, Jen and I can chitchat forever and so it was a good day.

Other than that, I've been trying to cope with work and deadlines as well as not trying to be overwhelmed. Yes, it made my times a little tight running off to Hong kong and meeting up with friends, but you know what, IT WAS WORTH IT. I will never trade anything for the time spent with my favourite people. :)

Some melon it must be!

2011-04-14T13:09:00.001+08:00

This melon in Meidi-ya costs $89.00
Sent from my BlackBerry.

Off to Xian yi's wedding

2011-04-07T15:39:00.000+08:00

What a sleepy afternoon. I'm at the airport now waiting to board the plane to attend Xianyi's wedding.

Though not a fan of Hong Kong, I'm really looking forward to share in Xianyi and Phoebe's joy!

On a lighter note, I really love this picture! I've always been afraid to carry babies because they look so frail so I seldom have pictures like this! Tyler is pretty tough and when he squirms - I panic! I'm sure I'll get better at it when the need arises.

He's been such a good baby and he's getting pretty active! He smiles when I play with his chin. I love watching him "have a conversation" with his dad. Alright I got to board now, later!
Sent from my BlackBerry.

Dinner at the Hobelsbergers

2011-04-03T23:20:00.002+08:00

It was a great dinner party on Friday at the Hobelsbergers!

This awesome photo was taken by the Nicoliers. Thanks guys! :)
Sent from my BlackBerry.

Happy April Fool's Day

2011-04-01T17:13:00.000+08:00

Not being a child anymore, I forgot it was April Fool's day!

Guess who reminded me...
Sent from my BlackBerry.

If Only I Could Paint as Well as My Iphone App

2011-03-30T15:58:00.001+08:00

I have an unfinished oil painting I am doing for my house that I've abandoned for a while...

If only it were as easy as adding artistic effects using phone and computer apps these days! Who has the time and patience of real master strokes?

Strictly English, Hello and Goodbye

2011-03-30T01:49:00.001+08:00

And so I spent the my late evening with Mr Simon Heffer re-learning English.

I'll be the first to admit how appalled I am at my own language. I can't believe I used to win essay writing competitions.

In my world and my choice of occupation, words are very important. Thus it matters that I learn the correct way to write.

I was initially put off by this book because when I looked inside, it looks like a whole lot of text to get through. I've just finished part one and I found myself enjoying it. Mr Heffer has answered my many questions that I wondered but couldn't be bothered to find out! (And in the Queen's English too)

My suspicions were correct. "She wished he were here." is the right form, not "She wished he was here." Okay if you know this already, great! I was not completely convinced.

Anyhow, maybe it is a good thing I have quite a bit to do because my macbook died on me last night. Now I'm feeling sorry I have not got down to posting my Europe photos on Facebook. Thankfully, I transferred my work files to my desktop and my Blackberry has been serving me well for basic functions. (Like this late night blogging.)

Maybe I don't need a laptop after all...

Sent from my BlackBerry.

Friday Night In - Great Expectations

2011-03-26T01:15:00.007+08:00

I have just finished reading the old Classic, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, in my late Friday evening activity. (I was supposed to go out for drinks with Raj who is in town with Sass and Dep but I'm so sorry - I've been feeling worn out. Hopefully I'll get to see them tomorrow night.)

Great Expectations

I've thoroughly enjoyed the book, though I feel a little sad at myself and at human nature. To me, the book is a little moralistic but in an unintentional way. Though we no longer live in the Victorian times, I'm sure we can all relate to sometimes the cruelty of men when it comes to discrimination, judging by looks and hurting another person's feelings (all activities independent of each other). And the unchangeable truth is we all can't help it to various degrees... it is in our nature.

Also, to know who your true friends are and to pick out those whose good character make them rare gems of people - I'm so lucky to know a few, one of them I'm married to, and another one who is my mother.

If you haven't started reading Classics, I encourage you to! It is rewarding on so many levels.

Painting last friday

2011-03-25T10:15:00.001+08:00

I can't believe a week flew by!

It was just last friday afternoon that I helped Cara a little with her non-profit project.

I have more things to do and my backlogged work is piling up but for some reason I've become relaxed about it though logically, I should be panicking. Anyhow, it was the perfect couple of hours painting, catching up and laughing like we always do.

Happy friday!
Sent from my BlackBerry.

How do you answer, "What have you been up to?"

2011-03-24T12:43:00.001+08:00

View from my study, in the evening, where I spend most of my time.

Do you find that you get asked that a lot? What do you usually say?

I often find myself struggling to answer that question. What have I been up to? I guess I struggle because I'm not sure what I've been up to!

Most days, I spend go about my daily affairs of attending and developing my portfolio, trying to meet deadlines. I've been reading quite a bit, since I got back, I have a pile of books from London and Paris, a pile from the Singapore library, a pile of out-of-print books which I've acquired and the pile of $5 classics I accumulated whenever I'm in town and in Borders which I couldn't resist picking up.

I particularly enjoy the classics and the out-of-print books. I can't believe it took me so long to get back to the classics. I think I've stopped reading classics, or fiction in general when I started reading non-fiction at the age of 17 (probably to study for General Paper) and the occasional indulgent chick-lit in the years on. So it has been more than 10 years since! Now that I've started going back to them, I wished I had done so much earlier! I just can't get enough of them....luckily, there is so many of them. I don't think I'll be finished with them this year. In the past couple of weeks, I've read The Great Gatsby, The Age of Innocence, Anna Karenin (absolute favourite!), Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Great expectations ... - I see myself in so many of their characters. But yeah, although I wish I picked up the Classics again earlier, I agree with Italo Calvino in his famous essay, "Why Read the Classics?" that Classics are to be enjoyed when one's a little older, with more life experiences to be able to relate and enjoy the brilliant work.

Other than that, our lives are pretty simple though we are happy if we have an evening alone together! Like last night, Selina was in town and Natasha was back from Australia, so we went out to newton circus with Ado and Yung to have a Singaporean dinner, with stingray and satay and sugarcane juice. It was fun and cringing at times but then I had to take my leave and kick all of them home because I wanted to make it back to watch Planet Earth at 10pm on Wednesdays.

And oh, I look forward to seeing my little nephew Tyler every week. He is starting to smile very heartily now and he loves it when I play with his little chin. Haha, he is the cutest.

There are a few weddings coming up...I hope it will be fun!

I guess....I've not been up to much?