* over a yummy latte *

a happy day

2010-02-06T20:24:00.002+08:00

Bonjour!

A good friend of mine gently reminded me that she didn’t see any blog entry in 2010 yet ... so here it is. The first words for 2010.

This year started really busy, with the handover of my current job scope to the newcomers in January. I also figured out some goals for the new year, met up with a few old pals, made new friends (a cat at the bus stop whom I call Merver) and just finished sealing the Valentine’s Day packages that will go out this coming week.

Yesterday began as quite an ordinary day as I went for yoga class, browsed some shops and then headed home after lunch. On my way back, I saw a pigeon struggling for its last breath, and a very old lady at a provision shop trying to recall if she did pay the shop owner.

The owner looked quite pissed as he tried to reason with the old lady who was claiming that she didn’t get any change after paying 50 bucks. He told her she didn’t hand over any money yet. It looked like a genuine case of forgetfulness on the old lady’s part, but still it was a rather stressful situation for the struggling folks in the shop.

Struggles. Everyone has some of them. Most probably our struggles vary in some ways, but we still have common ones like wishing that our bank accounts have more zeros behind the actual number, that we will be zit-free every day, or have less issues at the work place.

Looking at the pigeon and the old lady, I felt thankful that my struggles were less severe. My day was pretty ordinary, but overall I didn’t have to deal with conflicts or hassles. That it in itself made the day lovely.

The day ended on a sweeter note as I enjoyed a nice home-cooked meal at a gal pal’s apartment celebrating two ladies’ birthdays, Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New Year ‘reunion dinner’ in advance. Her hubby cooked and brought out his collection of wine to treat us, very nice of him. Nothing beats having a good meal, engaging chats and hearty laughter with a bunch of friends.

Quite contented with my happy Friday.

signing off 2009

2010-01-03T01:57:00.004+08:00

31 Dec

Hoooooray!!! Time to celebrate the last (but certainly not the least) day of 2009.

Everyone seems to be in a happier and more relaxed mood today. The bus and MRT were less crowded. The office too ... seemed to get lots more "out of office" emails.

At dinnertime, we were at Mr BF's two-year-old nephew's bbq party to celebrate his birthday. His parents turned chefs for the night as they dished out a steady stream of satay, otah, chicken wings etc.

Today I gave thanks for the 365 days that I had in 2009. For every day, I was given the chance to make my own decisions, to move towards the goals I had. Though not every item on my wishlist came true, though Mom still has not regained her memory (still the same since her accident nearly 5 years ago), though not every day was a jump-for-joy day ... BUT I did survive through 2009 with my loved ones still in my life. I thank God for that.

Hopefully in the brand new year, I will live with more awareness, make wiser choices, taste more joy, be blessed more and give more as well. May next year be a worthwhile journey.
kate

the folks at home

2010-01-03T01:43:00.005+08:00

30 Dec

Okay ... I must admit that life this week wasn't that smooth-sailing. Having my home pc die on me didn't exactly bring out the best side in me. Oscar the grouch would probably be my best Sesame Street pal these few days cos we possibly talked in the same lingo.

Tired from staring at that stupid blue screen on my pc, I was glad that Mr BF took over and liaised with my Bro (our family's IT Helpdesk), trying to fix the laptop. Happy that the family folks can take over when I am a bit space-out.

Thank God for inventing Mr BF and the family ... and family includes Rufus the pet. Whenever I feel stressed, one look at Rufus sleeping with his tummy facing the heavens cheers me up instantly. Every time without fail.

So hmm ... if only the pc can be revived quickly hmm ... ... ...

(Ok, time to zzz and leave the guys to do their magic ...)
kate

the real presents

2010-01-03T01:22:00.004+08:00

29 Dec

Today was the meet-the-girlfriends galore. First up on the menu was lunch with Steph and Audrey. Very sweet of them to drop by my office area to have ramen with me during the busy lunch hour.

Both of them were on leave but true blue friends will still brave the Shenton way traffic to have a nice and frank catch-up chat with one another. Such sassy angels. And guess what? Steph blessed me with a stalk of another of my favourite flower - this time a yellow rose. Love yellow roses cos usually they bloom so prettily.

Dinnertime was a long-awaited get-together with two of my ex-uni hostel mates. We tried to meet up in November for Thanksgiving but everyone's schedule seemed to be jam-packed. But we were determined to have a meal one last time in 2009 and celebrate X'mas (just a little belated).

It's not easy to keep in touch over the years when all of us had our different jobs and life stages. All three of us went towards very diverse directions since we graduated. But our friendship only deepened through the few thousand days since we knew one another. Very precious to have friends who are open with you and who genuinely want you to do well without jealousy clogging the friendship.

Received my X'mas pressies from the gals and am delighted with the practical and thoughtful gifts like the pink polka dot pjs and the bag organiser.

Today I gave thanks for the gal pals whom I got to know at different stages of my life in school and at work. And to be blessed with friends who truly hope for me and my family to be well - that's simply splendid. These gals are the tops.
kate

eustoma on a Monday

2010-01-03T00:08:00.003+08:00

28 Dec

Initially I thought I was having lunch with only one ex-colleague. So imagine my surprise when three of them turned up. And a bigger amazement when one of them came with a bunch of flowers. Pretty purple eustoma to be exact - one of my favourite flowers. And just in time cos every Monday I'll put new flowers in the vase at my workstation.

Ain't it lovely when friends bless you with something out of the blue? Today I gave thanks for thoughtful friends who have that knack of making my days sunnier.

p/s: Wanted to post a pic of the fleur, but my pc crashed and was having some trouble getting it revived this week. Still in the recovery process ...
kate

my favourite things

2009-12-30T23:54:00.004+08:00

27 Dec

I'm simply thrilled by lucky breaks. So you can imagine my audible delight when I chanced upon a winter cap at 50% off on my way to yoga. It was adorned with a cute knitted fleur, no less. I grabbed it on the spot and thanked God, my lucky stars, my angels ... beaming.

Well, just a note on fashion, I am happy to come across a precious nugget of wisdom by Nina Garcia - "Style is a deeply personal expression of who you are, and every time you dress, you are asserting part of yourself …" And in her book, she listed 100 of her favourite things which made her feel fabulous. That set me off to do some wardrobe editing of my own.

Thank heavens for her style tip. Maybe I'll be on my way to enjoy a less cluttered wardrobe and my very own list of 100 fabulous faves.
kate

fete with friends

2009-12-28T23:15:00.002+08:00

26 Dec

After a whole afternoon of housework, I met Mr BF to buy some finger food and joined our friends at an X’mas gathering.

Was nice to meet up with my ex-colleagues ... eating and alternating chitchat with our movie critiques of whatever the HBO channel was showing. There was much food and got to taste some turkey and ice-cream paired with bread pudding. Yummers!

And well, the party ended with ... the ... gift exchange. Bien sûr. How could we miss that huh? :)

Today I gave thanks for X’mas parties. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the annual meet-ups and the spirit of giving, plus getting queer gifts hmm ...

* merry christmas *

2009-12-28T23:08:00.004+08:00

25 Dec

Christmas started when midnight came. Excitedly I opened my first pressie for the day and it was a bright cheery pink gift. Nice. Sure blends well with one of my goals for next year – which is to experience more cheer and joy.

Popped by the cinema to catch “Avatar”. Was reminded by the movie to appreciate nature more instead of indulging in consumerism constantly. Took a moment to give thanks for nature, for the air and earth which feed our bodies. Sounds mushy, but very true. We need to treasure Mother Earth more.

Dinner was at home with the family. Ours was a simple meal of McDonald’s nuggets and Korean instant noodles (one of my faves!). Well I gave thanks that Mr BF cooked it cos the noodle thing is his specialty and it was yummy. Had a warm fuzzy feeling as I gave out the presents to Mom, Dad and Bro. It feels good to be able to give.

The night ended quietly ... and I gave thanks for the spirit of giving at Christmas.
kate

Christmas Eve’s thanksgiving

2009-12-25T02:01:00.004+08:00

24 Dec

ONE more day to Christmas!! Started the day with a run, literally. I was running a bit late for the mani and pedi session and the manicurists were worried I wouldn’t have enough time as they were fully booked today. When I arrived, they swiftly started and coloured my nails a rosy pinkish-red. In the mood for the festive season!

Well I gave thanks for the meticulous young ladies who snipped and clipped away the dry and chapped skin with precision. Also thankful for the invention of nail colour and for these ladies who make our nails pretty, putting a bounce in our steps.

Caught a glimpse of this lovely Christmas tree on the way to the cafe.

Teabreak was another adventure with Mr BF and me trying a new X’mas dessert called Cherry-Go-Round. Always nice to try something new. For this one, I like how the cold ice-cream tasted when eaten together with the warm pastry. We kinda gobbled it up in 10 minutes.

At night, we went to a friend’s BBQ party that ended with a gift exchange. I didn’t know most of the folks there but they were friendly and a few kept barbecuing the food for us all. Very kind of them.

Gave thanks for Christmas time gatherings where new and old friends meet to just chitchat over food and oh yeah, the gift exchange of course. (By the way, I still find it tough to buy pressies when I don’t know if the recipient is a lady or gentleman *grin*. This year I tried something new giving cook books.)

kate

back on the yoga mat

2009-12-25T02:00:00.001+08:00

23 Dec

Finally .... finally after two weeks, I was back to yoga again. The past two weeks were the worst this year for me, health-wise. Very seldom do I fall that ill, so it was way out of my comfort zone for me this month.

Slowly I got back my energy after resting and started with the Gentle Yoga class tonight. Didn’t want to over-tax the body since I had difficulties breathing just two weeks ago.

Somehow after a period of deep illness which forces you to rest in bed, your body seems to go through a detox. And then you feel this surge of energy after recovering.

Today I gave thanks that my body has a natural healing ability, and that I am well enough to exercise again. Good health is a great blessing and I appreciate it lots.

kate

grace

2009-12-25T01:54:00.004+08:00

22 Dec

Met the babes Steph and Audrey for an X’mas lunch today. Lunch was courtesy of Ms Aud, at our favourite cafe hangout.

Maybe it was their charm, or the pure kindness of the manager there. After our main course and mouthfuls of laughter, the manager walked by and whispered that he’d bless us with a slice of cake. How sweet. Here's the surprise we got. Today I gave thanks for the graciousness of strangers.

At night, Mr BF and I went to the petrol station to beef up the two plastic Santas using the air pumps there. It was truly kinda weird to be at a petrol station filling Santas with air. But it was good fun. And I gave thanks for new experiences, no matter big or small ones.
kate

at home

2009-12-21T22:04:00.004+08:00

Another busy Monday flashed past. Kinda like Groundhog Day with the familiar flooding of the email inbox. What's new right?

As I'll be on a longer business trip soon, I thought to spend more time with my family after work. Dad scooped my dinner on a plate for me, same for Bro. Mom smiled at us, then back to eating her food. Pet hamster Rufus was running around conducting his own business.

Very ordinary stuff. But very family.

Today I gave thanks that after busy and tough days at work, there is a home and family to return to.
kate

beside one another

2009-12-21T21:54:00.004+08:00

20 Dec

Sundays are truly precious. Because the rest of the week just seem to scurry by so quickly.

Today I was strolling through the day mostly ... and spent some time just being with loved ones. In the late afternoon, Mr BF and I enjoyed our cheesy nachos during an action-packed movie (lots of blood and gore too ... yeeks).

We made it a point to head home straight after that to spend some time with my family. Though we were eating packed dinner sitting in the living room on the floor, it was nice to just be around family and friends. Mom was like the queen bee sitting in her own chair and watching us eat and yak.

Today I gave thanks for the presence of loved ones.
kate

pocket-friendly fashion

2009-12-21T21:40:00.006+08:00

19 Dec

The rain was a bummer today. The weather was clearly not on my side when I was lugging bags of stuff plus holding an umbrella, and rushing home to take over from Bro to eldersit Mom.

But ... I had a little rainbow moment when I bumped into an unexpected surprise today in the mall - a fun girly pink top made of lace with 'puff' sleeves. What a delight!

Today I gave thanks for the creativity of designers and the sensibility of businesses who price some nice apparel at reasonable prices. Cool.
kate

sit and slurp

2009-12-19T00:30:00.002+08:00

18 Dec

Finally Friday!!! So really glad that I could have more rest this morning and didn’t need to be a slave to the alarm clock’s call. But I still made it in time for a McDonald’s hotcakes breakfast. Yummy.

It was my errands day today. Less than a month later, I would be in a totally different climate (frosty winter) instead of the sunny and wet days that we are used to in Singapore. The business trip will last slightly more than a month, so I had to start getting the winter gear ready.

We went to some sales (very very crowded) before getting Mr BF’s pressie. Bought a scarf, a pair of long socks, shampoo and collected the stationery and mini postcards I ordered online. We hunted for a pair of sandals for Mr BF as well but couldn’t find them. Poor him! He had to drag his feet along the stretch of Orchard Road that whole afternoon.

Amidst all that busy activity, I gave thanks for the nice little tea break we had, enjoying our very own Ice Earl’s Vanilla drink. It was nice to be slurping something so delicious, and getting a feet rest from all that walking. Love feeling a touch of heaven on earth.

kate

month of sales

2009-12-19T00:27:00.002+08:00

17 Dec

I was hoping that today would be terrific Thursday with me working chirpily at my desk without a trace of being attacked by the flu bug. But that was not so.

I was still feeling awful so I dragged myself to the doctor’s to get some medicine to stop all this nonsense. Am really not a fan of medication, but I gave in today.

Though feeling the strain, still I had something to feel grateful for today. I gave thanks for the sales going on in December. Managed to get some cosier clothing for winter during a sale today. It was like $100 for 3 items. Definitely wallet-friendly.

kate

chomp & chat

2009-12-19T00:21:00.002+08:00

16 Dec

It was finally mid-week! I was especially happy that the days were moving along because I was so looking forward to resting this weekend. The big bad flu was a tougher nemesis than I thought, and I was struggling with painful on and off headaches whilst trying to resolve work tasks.

I relished the timeouts (lunch breaks!!) more as it meant I had a rest away from staring and typing at the computer. Today was special cos I met an ex-colleague for lunch. We had both moved on from the workplace where we first met and were facing different work issues at our respective jobs now.

We had a good time of updating each other on the current happenings in our lives now. And we found out that some of the tough challenges we faced at work ain’t so dissimilar across different companies anyways. (Ok, that helped us to feel a little bit better about our own mountains to overcome.)

Today I gave thanks for good old pals who can still chat and connect with me, offer me advice and insights, and at the end of it all truly hoping better outcomes will pop up for each other. Now that’s what I call all-weather kind of friends :).

kate

feeling Christmasy

2009-12-19T00:14:00.003+08:00

15 Dec

Steph and I had a brief but nice catch-up over lunch today. It was my first day back to work this week, after falling ill from Saturday night which cumulated to a fever on Sunday. So it felt extra great to be having some outside air today.

I brought some red hot roses for her and we had a healthy meal of soup and bread ... after which we saw this Christmas tree nearby. Couldn’t resist taking a pic!

I gave thanks today for the lovely X’mas trees and decorations dotting the malls. Sure brightened up any humdrum December days.

(courtesy of Steph)

kate

care to share

2009-12-14T21:06:00.006+08:00

Today when I read the email newsletter from Conversation Pieces, I was touched by the story that the lady shared. She was at a supermarket when the elderly man in front of her swiped different credit cards but still could not pay for his purchases, even after he asked the cashier to exclude a bunch of bananas.

In the end, the lady blessed him and paid for his purchases. The total was about $15, including the bananas.

When I read this poignant account, I gave thanks that there are people in this world who care enough to touch others' lives, even strangers. I am also thankful that I have sufficient and do not need to worry about my daily basic needs.

This Christmas, perhaps you can think of a small way to touch someone else's life. Maybe with a gift, money or your time. Spread some cheer!
kate

clowning around

2009-12-14T20:31:00.005+08:00

13 Dec

An extremely tiring day today with throbbing headaches, clogged nostrils and an itchy throat. Not a pretty situation at all.

The bed was my best buddy today and I was thankful for the sparks of cheer from a bubbly toddler laughing happily cos he had a worm in a container.

Mr BF's baby nephew was chasing his older cousin around, trying to show him his new-found fun toy (aka the worm). It was mayhem in the living hall, but sounded like good fun!

Too bad I couldn't join them in their horseplay. Still, I was thankful to hear the kids having fun at home.

kate

the special day

2009-12-12T23:42:00.003+08:00

Today was chosen by Mr BF to be the special day.

And to my amazement, he gave me the biggest pretty bouquet I’ve ever received in my life.

It wasn’t one of my glamorous days as I was still bogged down by the big bad flu and sans makeup. But how wonderful that even when you are in one of your ‘down’ days, someone still finds you special, tells you so and takes care of you.

I give thanks for the gifts of generous doses of care and of course, the garden of roses!
kate

snug and tucked

2009-12-12T00:43:00.002+08:00

It was one of those days when I felt so under the weather.

The inbox at work was more than flooded. To make things worse, a small migraine started troubling me after lunch. I finally gave in and popped a pill because there was still a lot of calculation to do at work. Later today, the runny nose crept in together with a sore throat.

My thanks for today are for the basic but comforting things when I feel unwell.

I gave thanks for the cardigan and the blanket that kept me warm. How soothing ...

kate

carpe diem !

2009-12-12T00:35:00.006+08:00

10 Dec

Tonight I had a fabulous dinner with two gal pals. The wafer, ice-cream and oozing warm chocolate were undoubtedly heavenly. But what was even better was the heart-to-heart chat with the gals that was peppered with much laughter, downloads of work frustrations and plans for the brand new year.

One of the gals shared that her hubby suggested that they create three goals for each other, to be fulfilled in 2010. Her hubby already had one in mind, which was for her to have her own photo exhibition. How apt, since my friend does take good pictures and is blessed to be able to travel much and have more subjects and places to photograph.

We started asking each other what goals we want to take on as challenges next year. The plans have to be infused with excitement and be a bit scary, so that we’ll grow out of our comfort zone. As we talked on, we became more inspired ...

Today’s thanks are for good friends who motivate and challenge us to grow more and be happy at the same time. With them around, who needs shrinks? :)

p/s: Merci beaucoup for the X’mas pressies too!

the delicious and the divine

2009-12-12T00:31:00.004+08:00

9 Dec

First thanks for the day was for this delicious and simply tasty donut. The look of it already melted my heart. I was totally satisfied with my dessert!

Then the night started with a nice surprise with this picturesque sketch by Mother nature at Marina Barrage. Took my breath away right away ... And I gave thanks for the wonder of nature which never fails to amaze me.

kate

sweet treats

2009-12-09T00:24:00.005+08:00

8 Dec

As I chatted with a nice lady over email, she brightened my day with this nifty calendar that she emailed over.

Her sweet hubby will be putting in a new gift each day till Christmas Eve. Yesterday she found candy in the pocket of the day. Perhaps one day she may find some gorgeous bling? *wink*

As a gush of giggly joy surged in me whilst feeling happy for her, I gave thanks for the delightful treats I received as well. Like Mr BF buying dinner for me first at the foodcourt tonight, before he bought his own. Small but thoughtful gestures. Nice!

kate