Je Ne Sais Quoi

OF JOY AND WEDDING BELLS!

2013-12-03T15:11:00.003+08:00

This is pretty old news by now : WE'RE ENGAGED!!! :)

It has been months already! Caught up in the midst of breaking the good news to family and friends (the majority of the latter being via Facebook), taking photos of the actual proposal events, celebrating of (my) birthday, hunting of pre-wedding photoshoots, wedding venues and hotels, and getting drunk in this new chapter of giggly love with an awesome man, finally I am able to sit down, relax, chill out and blog about it! (oh yeah, we managed to sneak in a Boyce Avenue concert, a visit to the River Safari, and a short trip to Bali, too!)

Oh, man, I love this guy.

Can't believe he spent 9 months preparing for the big popping-of-question day! During this long tedious 9 months, he went hunting around for the perfect ring, venues to propose at, learning of guitar (*swoons*), stealthily "stealing" of my friends' contact numbers, and coordinating the whole event - even down to the food - on the actual day so I could bask in this happiness in the presence of my close friends (shall blog more about it another day)! So touched by all the efforts he has put in, just for that one moment!

I love this ring; because it's just oh-so-pretty and The Hubby-to-be went to miles to get it. I remember him asking for my preference (cut, shape etc) and this is exactly what I envisage it to be! What's more, this ring was specially chosen as it has a sentimental significance to it (shalln't reveal!). All in all : LOVE IT!

Love you, baby.

BLISSFUL CHAPTER OF A JOURNEY!

2013-10-21T21:09:00.001+08:00

We're engaged! :)

BUSY WEEK

2013-07-13T21:50:00.000+08:00

Title says it all!

Such a busy week; I hardly slept enough!

'Nuff said. Will be conking out early tonight!

BLESSED AND HAPPINESS

2013-06-18T20:59:00.002+08:00

... is being with you. :)

TREKKED!

2013-05-19T11:21:00.000+08:00

Bangs and pixie ears make a strange but lethally cute combination!

YAY!

2013-04-28T21:44:00.000+08:00

The documents we're waiting for have finally arrived!

Exciting journey ahead! :)

SICK!

2013-01-21T21:08:00.000+08:00

Running a sudden onset of high fever. Bleah.

And the cooling weather is making it worse. My teeth are literally chattering away!

Off to the doctor's tomorrow.

WORK!

2013-01-13T22:05:00.002+08:00

Life is getting so busy! I've hardly any time to sit down and blog properly.

CIP trip, for one. And end-of-year holiday with The Boyfriend (yay!). And the recent Christmas season. And the upcoming Valentine's Day. AND the transmission into a new job, and the consequential adjustment that comes along with it.

Glad to announce that I'm still coping well. So far, that is. Just a lil' too busy for my liking, for now, but I guess it's just a matter of perspective and adjustment! :)

New Beginnings

2012-11-27T21:30:00.000+08:00

As per title, 2013 is a year of changes! It feels like treading on the unknowns; a sense of exciting trepidation!

May all things turn out to be good; in fact, better than good! Yay!

JUST WANNA USE THIS SPACE TO DECLARE...

2012-09-23T22:38:00.000+08:00

... YOU'RE THE BEST! :)

Yelp yelp!

HATHA-ED

2012-09-06T20:34:00.000+08:00

One of the terms and conditions of the online Yoga deal which I got off from the internet is that the 5 Yoga sessions have to be completed within 3 weeks. In view of the looming deadline (this coming Saturday!), I had to squeeze in two sessions of Yoga this week. As such, I had my first taste of Hatha Yoga yesterday!

The instructor started off focusing on easy breathing exercises, starting us off with deep and slow breathings. While doing the deep-breathing warming up, I was beginning to have my doubts about Hatha. Compared to Hot Yoga, Hatha seemed harmlessly gentle. Breathe in, breathe out. Lungs expand, lungs relax. This nostril, that nostril. Stretch here, stretch there.

Oh, boy, as usual, how mistaken I was! The beginning of the lesson was treacherously deceptive!

Mid-way into the lesson, the workouts got more and more ridiculous (not all, though). I thought my spine was going to break into half! If you listened hard enough, you would have heard me cursing particularly venomously under my breath at Shoulder-stand pose, Locust pose, and Full Locust pose. To make things funnier, the instructor went around pressing down on our back to challenge our limits. It was a little hilarious, hearing poor innocent moans of "ahhhhh~~ ahhhhhhhh~~ ooooowwww~ AHHHWWW OUCHHH~~" when Instructor pushed the poor fella down during the Sit-Up pose.

The real killer turned out to be this pose called the Scorpion.

Source : http://www.yogaclassesonline.net/hatha-yoga/

You need not listen hard at all to hear me swearing and whining this time round. None of us could execute this pose, and poor Instructor only had enough time to aid one person in this pose, while the rest of us tried to "smoke" our way through. Again, when lesson ended, everyone let out a collective sigh, and the fellow yogi who was on the mat next to mine exchanged glances with me and rolled her eyes tiredly.

Anyway, my last session of Yoga will be on Friday (tomorrow!). And I'm still deciding on whether to take up a 'per-session' package with them (too busy for unlimited packages). Anyone with any good Yoga places to recommend? I'm keeping my options open!

YO-YO-YO.... GAAAAAA!!!

2012-09-03T23:09:00.002+08:00

I've recently embarked on an activity which is totally new to me. YOGA. And hot Yoga at that.

I've always warranted Yoga a lackluster mindset, believing it to be all hype and no substance. Flexibility, yep. Balancing, ditto. Flushing off body toxins, sure. BUT!!! Meditation? Chanting? Calm and inner peace? Spiritual tranquility and mental well-being? GAH! IT ALL SOUND SO FLAKY. Unimpressed and dismissive, I was.

I've always been in favour of core exercises; preferring Pilates over flexibility-focused Yoga. Yoga just seemed, well, soft. And what good is flexibility and balancing without a strong core? It's like a tree without deep roots.

And so, it was with this nonchalant-cum-haughty attitude when I purchased a Groupon deal online for Yoga a couple of months back. I figured that it would be no harm a try. After all, it is a good deal; working out to be less than SGD$6 per session (totally worth it!). And, after Pilates, what is Yoga? Or so I thought.

The first session (3 Saturdays ago), surprisingly, induced a limp jelly out of me. The seemingly innocent-and-oh-so-easy poses, surprisingly, are a bit of a challenge to hold with the passage of time. Regardless, I completed the first lesson with relative ease and a good ending note; giving myself a mental pat on the back while using the showering facility post-Yoga. THE NEXT DAY, however, my entire body was aching and crying foul. Arms. Thighs. Hamstrings. Shoulder. Upper back. Butt cheeks. You name it.

The second session (2 Saturdays ago) got relatively tougher. The poses started to get more and more demanding. I had some difficulty holding the Balancing Stick. And nearing the end of the Yoga session, I was sweating buckets and was developing a slight heavy head. The resultant muscle ache the next day made the previous one pales magnificently in comparison. Oh gosh, in fact, my muscles were protesting like rebels!

The third session (2 days ago on the 1st) nearly wiped me out. The instructor is going on to more and more advanced poses. At the end of the lesson, a collective sigh of relief was heard from all the yogis. Me? I wasted no time and grabbed my bottle and towel, retrieved the necessary items from the locker, and headed to the shower.

In conclusion, Yoga is totally NOT as 'soft' as I had mistakenly anticipated it to be. It is definitely not as easy as it looks. And I'm not regretting taking up Yoga one bit! I'm enjoying it loads! Tremendously!

LONG TIME NO SEE = HONEST JUDGEMENT?

2012-09-02T17:41:00.002+08:00

At a work dinner on Friday night at Mount Faber, an ex-colleague dropped by and commented casually, "Hey! You've lost weight."

My gosh, this is such a heavenly delight to the soul! Considering that I was just commenting casually in the previous entry hoping that I would lose some weight, and indeed, voila! Someone just had to comment on exactly that a week later! Coupled with the fact that I've not really been keeping up with exercise (read : pilates or workouts or sit-ups), this is such a pleasantly unexpected surprise. And, of course, this coming from someone whom I've not met in months (honest judgement!) is like the icing on the cake!

I'm still lightheaded with pure happiness! Gawww~

Ohhh... Let me preen. *contented sigh*

TIRED. BUSY. TIRED.

2012-08-26T21:50:00.000+08:00

Have been up to my neck lately! So much so that my eyelids are feeling so mightily heavy at a mere 9.45pm on a Sunday night!

Was out the whole of yesterday (including a session of yoga). Woke at 7.30am this morning (on a Sunday! Sigh!) for work followed by spending some time at The Boyfriend's house before reaching home at 7.15pm!

And this coming week is not getting any better. There's a course to attend tomorrow afternoon until 5pm, and followed by yoga at 5.45pm. On Tuesday, meeting The Boyfriend (yippie!!!) for dinner! On Wednesday, work finishes at 6pm, and followed by yoga (again!) at 7pm. On Thursday, work ends at 630pm. And on Friday, there's a work dinner to attend.

Oh, I foresee a lot of energy is going to be expended.

May I lose some weight. :)

COMEBACK

2012-08-17T21:07:00.000+08:00

It has been quite a long while since this blog has been subjected to purposeful neglect. More than half a year, to be exact. For the past 6 months and more, I've been ~~quite~~ rather mindful of what I let on. This blog has always been (and still is) an intricate part of me, and indeed, cutting blogging off does have an effect no matter how I try to overlook it.

Most importantly, I do not need to change myself for anyone, particularly when there's no direct inter-personal connection. I owe this to myself.

______________________

Plenty of things have been on my mind lately! For the past weeks, questions upon questions have been swarming my mind like pesky, stubborn flies - all of which I have no answers to. How I wish, at times, that the brain is like a light bulb; switching on and off at the flicking of a finger!

With the upcoming change of job (~~maybe~~ ~~might be~~ ~~hopefully~~ most probably), there is this tingling feeling coursing through every fiber of my being. Like butterflies fluttering inside my body. Like red ants racing down the spine. Like million of jingle bells and ho-ho-ho. Of course, it is all exciting, and at times I can't wait for time to fast-forward; but undeniably, lurking sinisterly behind all this ecstasy is a pungent hint of unbearable suspense (which I hate!) and trepidation. And, oh, add on to the possibility of further studies. Gah! My mind is imploding!

The most frustrating thing is : only time will unravel everything. As the saying goes, " 船到桥头自然直"!

WITHIN A YEAR

2012-08-05T11:10:00.001+08:00

It's scarily amazing how much things can change within a year - short though it may seem.

What more 2.

2 years ago, Feb 2009, I was counting eagerly towards the fulfillment of the bond. Can't wait to jet around countries and do all the traveling and meeting new people in new places and having fun adventures. It was with tangible regrets to give it up against my will after being offered a placement after all the effort and relentless series of interviews. I made a mental note to myself to try again once freedom is regained; something that has been lost for 7 years. 7 LONG YEARS.

2012. What mattered no longer do. Alright, maybe they still do, but significantly not as much. I still like to travel and chill. To visit countries and places of interest. To meet people, try untried food, experience new cultures. The only difference now is, there's something else that matters more than self-centered fun. And I'm not complaining one bit!

A couple of significant things have happened for the past 2 years (all of which are good!), and the thought of it makes me shudder a little. Should there be any take-home lesson to learn from, it can only be this : what seemed eagerly important might no longer be so 1 or 2 years down the road. Priorities. Similarly, whatever plans or direction we have right now for the next 1 or 2 years into the future may not turn out the way we had envisioned, though well-intented it may be. Priorities. Because priorities DO change.

I guess that's why it's important to get things right from the start. Not to take things for granted. To decide on what is important; what are the things you will not let go of or compromise on. The rest of what remains are 'the mutables'; things that decidedly can be done with. Or without.

It is akin to an anchored ship against the wavering winds. Anchors hold us to the base ground, reminding us what we had decided on, rather than drifting along directionless according to the flippant calls of the winds. Because like winds, priorities do change.

ONCE

2012-07-22T15:55:00.006+08:00

Have been hearing (quite a bit) about Annie. Am wondering is it worth watching.

On another note, Marketa Irglova is performing live in Singapore this August. Was flirting (casually) with the idea of catching the concert, but am not really sold on it. The plot of Once, the musical, sounds cliche and hardly out-of-the-world impressive (apologies to Once fans) and secondly, I am not crazy over the artist enough to spend that much on an-hour-plus concert.

Granted, I do like the songs "Falling Slowly" and "Go Back". Nice soothing music it is. Too bad liking 2 songs is not motivational enough!

HANDSOME AND GORGEOUS

2012-07-17T17:54:00.001+08:00

Love.

Gaming.

Love gaming.

Love and gaming!

WITH DESERT THIS TIME ROUND

2012-07-02T12:43:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday, I went for a spa package (at a delightfully special promotional price for first-time visitors only), courtesy of The Ultimate.

Initially, I was a tad worried about hard-selling tactics and poor customer service. Admittedly, I personally find spa a little too pricey to do at a regular basis (and by regular, I mean more than twice a year). It's okay for an occasional relaxing indulgence. Anyway, when I do spend on said indulgence, I would want one that is worth both the while and money.

What are some of my personal no-nos for a massage spa? Firstly, I don't want unskillful masseurs (of course!) and pushy hard-sell tactics. AND I don't like spa with pretty, young, overly-perfumed, and superfluous staff who are sooo slim, trendy, and gorgeous that I'll feel like an UGLY misfit just by being there!

What I want is just a relaxing and CLEAN environment, with staff (not young squeaky ladies) who know what they are doing and are happy, warm, and inviting. And there is one thing that I look out SPECIFICALLY for : hygiene. (so sue me for being a health freak, or for being a Biology/Chemistry major).

The last I went for a massage, it was only mediocre. It was all business, and then, go. I reached the massage center, changed into clean underpants and wrapped myself with a towel, the masseur came, massaged (the masseur was friendly, to be fair), massage was done, get dressed up, followed by some promotion package hard-selling, and then bye-bye!

It was fast. Efficient. Forgettable. And that was just it.

Thankfully, The Ultimate does not disappoint. Upon arrival, a cup of warm chrysanthemum tea was served while I was filing up the routine form. Once done, I was first ushered into a cosy room (dimly lit at that, yippee!) which felt so homely and inviting.

The masseurs provided me a pair of clean underpants and bath robe to change into. Following which, I was brought to an outdoor jacuzzi (by outdoor, it's not really 'al fresco' per se. Instead, it's a comfortably-sized container situated nicely atop the roof) for a good 20 minutes soak. It felt so heavenly splashing around like a mermaid, with bubbles and all!

(pictures courtesy of The Ultimate)

After the 20 minutes of warm soaking, I was redirected back to the room for a full body scrub. The scrub was pleasantly enjoyable; it didn't feel like my skin was getting ripped off! It was a REAL FULL body scrub; all the way down to the sole of the feet. It was unbearably ticklish that I couldn't keep from giggling (I've always been ticklish). After completing the full body scrub, the masseur brought me to the shower area, complemented thoughtfully with another clean bath robe, a towel, and another clean underpants. So pleased! Plus point!!!

After shower, I headed back to the room for a good full body massage. The masseur was definitely skilled, and checked with me once (around 5 minutes into the massage) regarding the pressure, and whether would I prefer lesser force. I replied in the negative, stating that the current firmness and force is just nice. True to her professional skills, her pressure remained relatively constant throughout the entire massage, which is really impressive. And she did not check with me again regarding the amount of force she was exerting (which I really appreciate, because I honestly have no wish to have my peaceful rest disrupted with every 30 minutes of, 'Is this pressure ok?').

The masseur gave good back petrissages and focused on my upper back, which I had indicated on my client form earlier. She worked patiently on my tight shoulders and attempted to loosen the muscle knots umpteen times, which I really am grateful for. In the middle of the massage, my allergic nose (I've allergic rhinitis) acted up, blocked up both nostrils, and I had to sniff a couple of times. My masseur noticed that, and asked whether am I ok and offered to get some tissues. *contented sigh!*

After the massage and having changed back to my clothes, I ventured (regretfully) out of the room and into the main reception. And there, on the coffee table, is a bowl of delightful red bean soup. DESERT!!! Gah! I'm a happy lady!

Overall, there was definitely no hard-selling (one of the managers did come over to chit-chat while I was enjoying the red bean soup and filling up the feedback form, and she promoted some spa packages. To her credit, she respected my wishes when I said I need time to mull over before committing). The jacuzzi was relaxing. The body scrub was pleasant. And the full body massage was skillful (with soft tranquil music playing in the background, too!). All in all, the experience was pleasant beyond words!

BEST HOURS EVER.

Hygienically, it fared well too. There was no miserly reusing of personal robes, towels, and underpants. The Ultimate is one which I would recommend to friends if asked!

If there's anything to nitpick about (if I REALLY have to), firstly, it would be the lack of hot towel treatment. If you've ever had a hot towel treatment, you'll definitely know the magic within. It's something that just takes your breath away. And I thought it's such a pity that such a simple but yet wonderful treatment is left out. Another thing that I would have preferred is that they had asked for what type of body scrub and massage do I want. It was written on the online brochure that there are two types of body scrub (green tea or honey oats) and five types of massage to choose from (Swedish, Balinese, Javanese, Shiatsu, Aromatherapy), but strangely, my preference was never asked. Not something I would kick a fuss over, but still, it would have been nice to have a choice to try something new.

Overall, I AM VERY HAPPY with the spa at The Ultimate. I'd do it again in an instant! The price is awesome too, at a comfy average of $40/hour (and that's jacuzzi + body scrub + massage!), considering it IS Singapore and all!

Too bad the promotional price is only available for first-time visitors! Gah! :(

HAS JOURNALISM SUNK THIS LOW?

2012-05-15T16:20:00.002+08:00

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/man-dies--4-injured-in-ferrari-accident-in-bugis.html

The heading of this news article reads : "Japanese Woman in Ferrari Accident Identified".

But why is the mention of "Ma Chi" taking a big proportion of the news report?

Angrily and dismally irritated by the media reports and news articles these days. Seriously, no one is interested in - or cares about - his riches, how many condos he owned, which penthouse in East Coast he and his family live in, how many millions he's worth, where's he from, what sector he worked in, how 'handsome and tall and smart and successful and young' he was, how many years he has stayed in Singapore, how he was planning to apply for PR citizenship, his cremation, or that stupid red limited-edition Ferrari which was bought during the driver's 30th birthday. (seriously, just spare us the details. We don't care. And neither are we impressed. At all. Yawn.)

There is no justifiable need to glamourise crime.

Readers are not interested in the Ferrari driver who not only was speeding (and, according to eye-witnesses, was reeking heavily of alcohol), but also illegally ran a red traffic light.
The things that are of key concern are the innocent lives of those taken due to one's man reckless display of grandiose splendor.

The 20-something-years-old Japanese passenger in the taxi.
The 52-years-old taxi driver who has been making an honest living for the past 10 years as a taxi driver, with a son (due to take A levels this year) and a daughter who's planning to go to university soon, but whose plan has to be put on hold due to this family tragedy.
How the taxi driver suffered massive haemorrhage in the brain, liver, and lungs, and was given only half a day to live by doctors, but yet held on with determination while in a comatosed state for more than 39 hours.
How are the families of the victims coping; the loss of loved ones during Mothers' Day.

I totally despise the local media. While it's undeniable that mass media is an universal tool for conveying messages (including those hidden one) in countries all throughout the world, and given that our society has a pro-foreigner policy (which isn't really up to us to decide anyway), but still, this is a little too overboard.

Has journalism sunk this low?

Distastefully pathetic.

To think that my first, serious ambition is to be a journalist.

Shudders.

And, most importantly, this is not how respect from citizens is earned.

LOVE

2012-05-02T15:24:00.000+08:00

A special bouquet.

=)

MEANINGFUL WORDS BEAUTIFUL VOICE

2012-04-26T22:20:00.001+08:00

Have always like this song. The first time I heard it (so young I can't remember when), I was enchanted by this 1982 one-hit wonder. The lyrics, too, is mindbogglingly profound but yet so painfully simple; so much so that every so now and then, I would think back of this song to remind myself of what's truly important.

(parts of lyrics)

(quote)

'I've no doubt you dream about, the things you'd never do.

But I wish someone, had a talk to me, like I, wanna talk to you."

"Oh, I've been to Georgia, and California, and anywhere I could run."

"But I ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free."

"Please lady, please lady, don't just walk away.

'cause I have this need to tell you, why I'm all alone today.

I can see so much of me, still living in your eyes."

"Oh, I've been to Nice, and the Isles of Greece,

while I sipped champagne on a yacht.

I moved like Harlow, in Monte Carlo,

and showed them what I've got."

"But I, took the sweet life and never knew that, I'd be bitter from the sweet."

"I'VE BEEN TO PARADISE, BUT I'VE, NEVER BEEN TO ME."

(unquote)

Sad song of wistful and much-too-late regrets. And I think it's an awesomely beautiful song which holds such amazing truths.

Not letting go of what is important. Knowing what is important. Prioritizing.

No one lays on their deathbeds wishing that they had played more. Partied more. Earned more money. Traveled more. Or studied more.

RECIPE TO HAPPINESS

2012-04-15T16:01:00.001+08:00

"Happiness is good health and a bad memory."

- Ingrid Bergman

MOVE BUT DON'T LOSE

2012-04-05T13:29:00.004+08:00

Went to the stadium this morning.

The sky was clear and bright. The field patch was irresistibly inviting with lush cheerful green grass. The day looks promising, and the morning birds chirped perkily. People were on route to work and, for some lucky few, were beginning to rouse from their sleep.

And the moment hits me. Ya know, one of those moments when you get all philosophical and wistful and weepy and all.

It came hitting, just like that; BAM!

Life. It revolves on. Life never stops moving on. It's either you catch up, or lag behind.

But most importantly, in the busy midst of playing catching up, don't forget to stop and smell the flowers once in a while.

Prioritise and find the things that truly matter; and when you do, don't lose sight of them. Hold on tight and never trade them in for anything else. And, DON'T LOSE YOURSELF.

Don't win the battles, but lose the war.

WAIT!! THAT'S A.... ... ...

2012-03-24T22:47:00.000+08:00

Over the last weekend I was out running an errand when this peculiar piece of weird-looking blob on the pavement caught my eye.

Curious piqued, I stepped nearer for a closer look. And gasp!! THIS PIECE OF BLOB IS ACTUALLY THE CORPSE OF AN ILL-FATED FROG!!!

I was truly disgusted, but yet at the same time, amazed. It is impressive how the outline of the corpse still remarkably resembles a frog. It is beautiful too, the intricate details which can be so easily overlooked without purposeful observation - the gagging eye, the telling triangular shape of a head, the folds of the limbs, the webbed feet. Oh my, it is so awesomely intriguing (albeit a tad morbidly) that I find myself gagging in amazed wonder.

Poor frog. It must have died a painful death. My bet is that it got ran over by a vehicle. Geez! I can't imagine! SPLAT! Just like that. Ouch.