Not "Presenter Material" ...

This weekend was the first CHOICE Weekend of the year. I was not supposed to be involved, but they were lacking of housekeepers so I was called at the last minute.

Hence I stayed back to help a bit after the registration on Friday. My dear also came by after his interview as a volunteer for the Youth Olympics.

One thing I do not like about these people is that they tend to do things at the last minute. From November to now, are they not able to find housekeepers for two months? Do they think I am always so free to housekeep?

Besides, when I asked if I could present, I was told I am not "presenter material". What do they mean by that? Some of the presenters I have seen are more pompous and showy, some are not even articulate in communicating their thoughts and experiences, yet they are more "presenter material"?

Or is it because these people are on better terms with them, hence they can present, whereas I will always be an outsider so I can never have the chance to be a presenter even if they are short of presenters?

But that should not be the case, is it not? Anyone is free to do God's work. No favouritism should be shown. It does not mean that because I am on better terms with you, so you can do it, whereas I am not close to you, so you cannot do it. Being a good Christian should not function that way.

I just want to give to God. Why should I not be given the chance? Why should I always be left out, whether as a presenter or the outings they organise like parties or even overseas trips?

For instance, some people whom I thought I am on better terms with recently went to Bangkok and they did not even ask if I would like to come along. It is not that I so much want to go, but it is the principle. Was I deliberately left out, or was I genuinely forgotten? Or did they deem fit to even ask?

Why do I want to be a presenter? I went through my own weekend being inspired and grateful to my presenters, for sharing their experiences, for giving of their time willingly, for giving me hope that I am not the only one who face problems and there are others with worse experiences as well as similar experiences.

Hence I like to inspire people the same way. I like to help them by letting them know they are not alone, that I have experienced things in my life too, that I have emerged out of my problems so they can have the hope that they too can emerge out of what they are facing.

It is not to show off or feel good. I believe I can learn from the participants more than they can learn from me. I really wish to do God's work this way, and by inspiring and helping others, is it not the best way to do God's work?

So if I am not "presenter material" in any way, I appreciate if they can tell me the reason why, and give me a chance to improve and not just leave it at that.

Of course I can help by housekeeping, but after housekeeping so many weekends, I feel it is still better to be a presenter. One really get to experience the whole weekend again in another way as a presenter and not a housekeeper.

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Parental Disputes

I wonder how parents view their kids having partners? Despite the kids being of a certain age or marriageable age, do parents still expect the kids to do things their way?

To a woman, it is more blessed to have a man more into you than the other way. My youngest brother accuses we women of being selfish, but the fact is if we love the man more than they love us, then it is a very miserable time.

I have had my share of self-centred, fickle, chauvinistic men who think women have to do everything for them without any consideration for her needs and happiness. I am so glad I got by those periods and told myself never to go through that again!

I never thought I would be able to find someone really wonderful, who puts me first in everything, or someone so in sync with my interests and the way I lead my life, that I know whenever I do something, he will always be involved together.

I think for once, my mum is happy with my choice. Finally I have found someone who comes over more often than the other way round, someone whom she believes more into me than the other way round.

I was with someone for seven months and my parents had only seen him twice, whereas I was always at his place, after school, every weekend.

Then I was with someone for six years but throughout, my parents had only seen him three times, my relatives, twice.

After that I was with someone for two years and my parents only saw him twice, my relatives once. The next one was a big mistake because the whole "relationship" was kind of like an underground secret.

After that I told myself, no more. I never want to be miserable again! Unless the guy can prove he is worth it, or else I will never consider, never be the one to give.

And stuck to my word I did, kind of. Even when I started this relationship I was still apprehensive about giving too much. I know relationship is a two-way process, but I do not want to be the only one giving again and the guy did not even care how I felt!

But I need not have worried. I have someone who willingly comes see me before work, buys breakfast for me, goes my office and picks me up after work, comes meet me every weekend even if it is just hanging out at my place without going anywhere, stays at my place until late at night, sends flowers to my office, gives my mum a present and a cake on her birthday, gives my parents and brothers Christmas gifts, buys gifts for my relatives, buys supper for my family, and most importantly, improves himself even more for a better future.

So I feel really lucky to have someone like him. Except the problem now is, his parents think of me in a negative light. They think he is living my life, not his own.

They think I should be the one always going over, be the one to see him after work, be the one who takes care of him. I wonder if they think I should just quit my job, stay at his place, cook breakfast for him, see him off to work, wait for him after work, take off his shoes, massage him, give him a cool drink?

I do not believe in subjecting myself to serve anyone! If I do anything, it will be because I want to do it and not because anyone expects it of me! Similarly I do not expect my partner to serve me, but if he wants to be nice and loving, there is no reason to stop him as well.

In any case, they are not around to see how I massage him, serve him food and drinks, cook for him, wash his clothes, sew his stuff when he is at my place! So how can they then accuse me of not doing anything? Just because I do not go over as often as he comes over does not mean I am not doing anything for him!

Which makes me wonder, if in the event we get married, the guy and his parents are supposed to come to my place to ask my parents for my hand in marriage, will his parents then insist the girl and her parents must go to his place instead, otherwise it will deem her as insincere and not wanting to marry him?! That is totally unheard of!

Actually everything he is doing, he does it of his own accord. I have never asked nor imposed anything on him. The thing is we are both interested in the same things, the same outlook towards life. We both like to be more involved in religion, both like to travel, both like to volunteer for activities, both like to do mission work, both like to live life to the fullest, both like to study as much as we can and both like to keep upgrading and improving.

And he thinks a girlfriend and wife is someone to love, care for, protect. To him, he views a real man as putting his girlfriend's / wife's interest and happiness above anything else. So I am really blessed to be with him.

The thing is his parents do not really go out. They just stay at home and watch television the whole day. They go to church, visit relatives and that is it. No other social life whatsoever.

They do not like to volunteer for church activities, nor dine out. And his father has a phobia of taking a plane, so they do not travel too.

We tried to bring them out for a meal and it was a nightmare! So most of the time with his parents, we just stay at home with them.

My boyfriend always likes to be more involved, but it was only last year that he had the opportunity to do what he likes to do. Coincidentally it was also last year that I started being more involved too, which suit us pretty well as that was how we got closer.

Before these, he was always home with his parents, doing the same job and having the same salary for years. But it comes a time when everyone, him included, has to assess his life and see where he is going.

I can understand where he is coming from. He wants a better future for himself. He does not want to be like his parents who just stay at home and have no life of their own.

He wants to live life to the fullest. Hence he started striving to be better and not be stuck where he is. He started doing things and taking courses he would otherwise never thought of taking.

All these things happened before we got together. Because he had not met his goal, he sees no reason to stop whatever he is doing.

As a girlfriend, I just have to support and be behind him all the way, and not gripe and grumble why he is not spending enough time with me. In any case I have my own activities to keep me occupied. Besides, he comes find me anytime he can.

But that is where the issue of his parents started. They were so used to seeing him around and him living the way they deemed best, now they think because of me, he is doing so many unnecessary things.

Because of me, he is not living his life but mine. They do not seem to believe it is not me who asked him to do all those things but because he himself wants to lead a fuller and better life.

Of course I am upset to get blamed for nothing. In the past, I never had any issues with the guy's parents, no matter how the guy(s) treated me, the parents treated me so warmly and really made me feel at home!

I could go out shopping and dine out with the guy's parents on my own! They were just like another set of parents to me. I could talk to them about anything, and they would even give me advise when I had disputes with my own parents. Hence I was always grateful to them.

But this time round, I cannot do the same things as his parents do not like to go out, be it to shop or eat. I do not find that I can talk to them about anything as they do not talk much too.

Worse is they kind of blame me for being a bad influence on their son. At times I have half a mind to tell them their son is already in his mid-thirties and he can jolly well think for himself and do what he deems right without anyone's influence.

So this is a problem. I do so like to improve my relations with them, but at the same time, how am I to convince them I am not the one who asked their son to do all the things he had been doing?

He has also told them until he is blue in the face that he does everything of his own accord, but to them, they think he is just defending me.

Anyway, what do they mean by "bad influence"? Is upgrading and improving one's life a bad thing? It is not as if I bring him out smoking, gambling, drinking and sleeping around.

Or do they want us to be stuck where we are and the world progresses without us because we do not keep up? The way we lead our lives now may not even be relevant in five years, let alone ten! How can anyone remain stagnant?

I do not mean to be rude or disrespectful, but I feel his parents should be very happy their son is willing to carve out a better life and think of his future, rather than remaining in his comfort zone.

But I will not tell them straight in their faces. I will still go over as and when and treat them with respect as always. All I can do now is pray that things will improve and I can have a better relationship with them.

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My New Toy

At last, I finally have a bicycle of my own! In order to really learn how to be an expert cyclist, I thought of having a bicycle so I can spend some time everyday practicing and cycling around my estate to improve my balancing act.

Luckily I have a friend who was selling her bicycle at a very good price, complete with a basket and bell. Furthermore she is around my size, albeit much skinnier, so if the bicycle fits her, it definitely fits me.

So my dear went to collect it this morning and cycled back to my place. Rather he cycled halfway then took a cab back. It was no easy feat considering he cycled a total of fifteen kilometres, more than two hours in all! By the time he reached my place, he crashed out for the whole afternoon!

Anyway this is the bicycle I now have. Pretty right? I wish I can be an expert cyclist soon!

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Volunteer Briefing For Youth Olympics

This year's major event is the Youth Olympics. My school was looking for volunteers so I signed up for it and went for the briefing earlier.

Apparently the benefits for volunteers are rather appealing. I do not mean in monetary terms as we are all unpaid (that is why it is called "volunteers") but in terms of welfare.

I was told the committee would screen volunteers and call them for interviews and training before finally deciding which role. In short, volunteers may not get the roles they wanted.

Each volunteer is for a period of five to seven days. I hope I get it! This is after all a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so it will look really good on my vitae if I get the chance to be part of it.

I did contemplate whether I can have the time given the commitments I already have. Right now I have lessons on Mondays, Tuesdays and some Saturdays, Catholicism class on Thursdays and Cathechism on Sundays, not to mention the CHOICE weekends and the meetings for Asian Conference.

This will be my schedule until the third week of May when my examination ends. Then there will be a break in June until the next semester starts in August.

Come June, there will be the Cathechist Retreat and the Engaged Encounter which we will be attending. Then the CHOICE Asian Conference in October.

So if I am also involved in the Youth Olympics, it will be in August. Which means this year will be never-ending for me.

But if I do not do these now, I may not have a chance to do it again. The CHOICE Asian Conference may occur next year or the year after next, but it may not be held here, hence no chance to be involved in the preparation work.

The Youth Olympics may come back here again, but if I have started a family then, I will not have the time to volunteer anymore.

Thus if I intend to participate in anything, this is the time. It is always best to strike while the iron is hot as opportunity may never come your way again.

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A First For A Reunion

Whenever I hear my married friends talk on how they spend their Lunar New Year, it is always interesting to hear some of their antics on how they try to avoid the season. After all when one is married, there are two sets of visiting to do, especially for a big and traditional family like mine.

In the past I could never spend Lunar New Year with my boyfriend's family(ies). My family is the kind who goes individual visiting, then a big reunion on the second or third day.

The guys I had been with, their big reunion is always on the morning of the first day, after which they are free to do what they please. Hence I was always unable to make it whenever I was invited to their Lunar New Year festivities.

It was not as if I did not want to go, but I had my own family obligations as well. But those guys always thought I did not want to make time for their extended family during their once-a-year gathering.

My ex fiancé was so upset about that that when we talked about getting married all those years ago, he told me that the reunion dinner and first day of the Lunar New Year had to be with his family and I could only go back to visit my parents and family members on the second day.

I was not happy of course, but being young and in love and wanted so much to marry that guy, I agreed to whatever he asked for. At the same time I was also contemplating how to explain to my parents why I could only pop by the second day if those things really happened. Luckily none of those materialized.

Through the years as I started to view Lunar New Year as more than a routine and genuinely look forward to all the family togetherness of extended family members, I started to wonder, if I ever get married, how shall my spouse and I play around so that both sides are satisfied?

My best friend told me that she would have an early reunion with her in-laws then go back to her parents' place for a second reunion. She would go back to her family side for the first day then go to her husband's side on the second day. This works out perfectly fine for her as her husband's family is not as big so they visit her in-laws only on the second day.

My cousin has a big gathering at her husband's uncle's side on the first day, then after lunch everyone is free to do their own things so he would then go with her to her parents' and relatives' place. This arrangement suits them fine too.

My case will be a bit more complicated. My parents are both the youngest in their respective families, so every Lunar New Year, it is always my parents who have to go visiting (with us in tow) their elder siblings and elders.

Hence I have to follow suit. Maybe in the future when the elders have passed on, I can relax and sit back and my brothers have to visit me, but till then, I have to follow the obligations of my parents.

Which caused a problem with the guys I have been with. To them, by virtue of their parents' ranks at home, it was either their relatives who visit them or they have a big gathering at someone's place on the morning of the first day. That was it. Short and simple. Which kind of explains why they felt weird that I have so many oblgations during Lunar New Year.

I did consider if I ever get married, we have to wake up earlier to visit his parents (if not living with them) then join my parents on their round of visiting. Or else have to see how his side celebrates Lunar New Year then plan accordingly.

And during the reunion dinner, maybe I will whip up something then invite both sides to gather at my place, if they do not mind.

That was what I thought up. But now I think there is a possibility that I will only celebrate Lunar New Year on my side alone, so everything may well remain unchanged.

The best thing is that, when my mum realises my dear does not celebrate Lunar New Year at all, she invited him to join us for our reunion dinner. This is the first time my mum actually invites my boyfriend over for reunion, my exs were only invited to the gathering on the second day, not the reunion dinner.

He is so excited about that! For some reason, he has been trying to know more about the Chinese culture and improving his Mandarin (which he took from primary to 'O' levels but have not utilized since then), until I told him that I am not a very "Chinese" person myself.

But I am sure my parents and aunts are happy that he tries to speak to them in Mandarin, even though it is kind of an earsore but at least he tries!

I always wish to have a boyfriend who values both Christmas and Lunar New Year. Those I have come across like Christmas better but totally disregard Lunar New Year as just something boring and routine.

Now with him, I can have the best of both worlds. His family values Christmas and mine values Lunar New Year. Seems like in a way, my prayers do get answered, even if not in the way I wanted!

Hopefully this will be a happy and enjoyable Lunar New Year ahead!

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The Story Of A Hero

In recent years, the movies I have watched do not tug at my heartstrings anymore. They are just that - movies, where one sees for leisure.

Yes, I have come across good shows. Most of the shows I have watched either leave a warm after taste or they inspire me or they make me feel good all over. Still I do not get emotionally involved like I used to, even though there are a few shows that really touch me.

Until yesterday. I actually sobbed my eyes out in the theatre. I could not stop crying until my dear had to whip out his handkerchief as well as use his sleeve to wipe my tears away. I daresay almost everyone in the theatre were crying too. I felt as if someone turned on the taps in my eyes and could not turn it off.

So what triggered off all the tears? We went to watch the dog show Hachiko. Initially I did not intend to watch until I discovered it was starring Richard Gere. Plus the show is about a dog and its master.

The puppy in the poster looks so adorable and I cannot really resist Richard Gere so we decided to watch it, thinking it was another feel-good kind of show.

How wrong I was! The story is actually based on a true story of how an Akita puppy found its master. It followed its master to the train station every morning while the guy went to work, and would be there at five every evening to greet its master back from work and accompanied him home. Rain or shine, snow or hail, it would always be there.

One day the master passed away and did not make the train home. The dog still waited for him faithfully. Even though it might or might not have known its master would never be coming back, it still went to the station every morning and evening without fail to wait for its master.

Needless to say, word got around and the dog became famous. It went under the care of the people around the station like the station master, hot dog vendor, the butcher, the bookstore owner, who gave it food and water.

This went on for the next ten years until the dog's own demise. Its master never came back and the dog never saw him again. Now the spot where the dog waited in front of the station has a statue erected in its memory.

How can anyone not cry after watching the show? I think there was nary a dry eye in the theatre when the closing credits came on. My tears started flowing down even in the midst of this post!

To me, the dog is a true hero. Its love and loyalty to its master exceeds even the kind of true love one human has for another. All the more I simply cannot fathom why some people can bear to abuse animals or treat their pets badly. At least a dog will not bite the hand that feeds it, which is more than I can say for certain humans!

Yesterday after watching the show, I went home and hugged my dog. I am letting my dog sleep with me from now on, no matter what my mum says!

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Communing With Nature ...

I had an ambitious thought. To tie in with exercise and weight losing, I thought I would walk to my office every morning. Not from my home, but from my mum's office where she will drop me.

Her office and mine is only three bus stops away, linked by the parks of the southern ridges. Hence I thought it would not be that far.

How wrong I was! In order to figure out how to connect between the two areas, my dear and I ventured to walk from my office to my mum's office on Friday evening.

We needed to find the park connector. From the maps and guides given at various areas, the park connector looks quite near but it was one tedious walk!

We had to climb up and down stairs, uphill and downhill, and in the end lost our way and went all the way down the hill out the other end and ended up three bus stops from the other side of my mum's office.

Alright, I was too ambitious. It was not as short as I envisioned. The entire walk took an hour. But I think it was also because we went the long way and lost our way. Even then, I do not think I really want to try walking to work!

It is a nice place though. One hardly sees forested areas like these anymore here. As we were walking, we got to enjoy the greenery around, the lake, the woods and even the view from the top.

He remarks that it is exactly like a trekking track whereas I think it is a good place to go have a leisurely stroll, sit at the lake or the viewing area and just commune with nature and enjoy each other's company.

Maybe one day I will walk from my office to my mum's office after I find the shortest route. I can only walk in the evenings as it would be too rush in the mornings and I do not want to enter my office all hot, sticky and sweaty.

In any case I would like to take the walk again, armed with a camera next time to take in the sights!

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Off The Beaten Track ...

There is a stretch along the west side of the island which is pretty grassy and deserted. One side is a whole area of old colonial houses (some have been converted to eating places where yuppies and expatriates like to hang and chill out) and the other side is an old housing estate. The two sides are separated by the railway track flanked by the deserted grass patch.

We were there some time last week for a meal. After leaving we wanted to walk to the train station. The shortcut is through the grassy patch.

After all my life living here, I never know that stretch exists! From the colonial houses, we have to walk down a flight of stairs leading to a path. The path leads into a deserted patch full of sand, grass and trees.

The path is quiet and unlit. I saw someone coming from the opposite direction actually holding a flashlight just to see the way!

At the end of the deserted path, we have to step over a drain to another grassy deserted area. The railway tracks leading to Malaysia came in sight. We crossed over the railway tracks and came to a field.

At the end of the field there was a gate and when we went out of the gate, there was a clump of trees, after that it was the end (or the beginning) of the housing estate.

The total time taken to cross that entire stretch is probably less than ten minutes, but I thought I had stepped back in time! One never expects there will be such places here as that stretch really reminds me of our neighbouring countries!

It is as if we have gone off the beaten track! But it is a good thing because after all the urbanization and globalization, at least there is still one part that reminds us of the days of old and allows us to commune with nature. It is a good stretch to just have a stroll and enjoy the greenery, even though there is not much scenery to speak of.

For those interested to explore, it is that stretch linking the Portsdown area to Tanglin Halt. In between these two areas there is a part that looks suspiciously like Malaysia.

There are hardly any lights though so it would be good to bring a flashlight during the night. Although my dear says I can never go there during the night time, at least not by myself!

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Haitian Victims Need Our Help!

It had been more than a week since the earthquake hit Haiti. I am not familiar with this island, except for hearsay that it is a place where voodooism is rampant. Initially, I thought it was the place where James Bond went to in "Live Or Let Die" until I realised it was another place.

In any case, the Caribbean islands do not hold much appeal to me, except Trinidad and Tobago, although Cuba holds a lot of appeal to my dear, as he always said he would like to go there and check out the Cuba cigars (what else?) and dance salsa! (Just in case you are wondering, no, he does not smoke. Not now at least. He used to be a social smoker, but when he knew I abhor smokers, he automatically stops smoking.)

Anyway it is always terrible the way disasters strike. It can happen any where, any time. No one knew that a tsunami would sweep over our neighbouring countries so easily and massively, and all the historical structures that took years to build, were all wiped out within minutes.

No one knew a hurricane would blow across a country, rendering hundreds homeless. Or that an earthquake would occur and made many more injured. In times like these, I wish I can do more to help, but time and finance is not on my side.

I am not saying I should not help, but only the rich can afford to drop everything, go to the disaster sites and render real assistance. People like me need to eke out a living, and if I go away for months on end, who is going to feed me if I have no job left?

But I do feel for the disaster victims. The innocent lives taken away just because of the massive shaking and opening up of the ground. I am lucky to be in a place away from natural disasters (even the tsunami bypassed us and went further north, despite all our immediate neighbours being quite badly hit). So I keep telling myself I should not take for granted.

Hence, for those of you who would like to help in anyway, please contact the International Medical Corps. Hopefully a few would heed the call and help the disaster victims!

Bookworm Deluxe : How To Get Better Grades And Have More Fun!

I believe every student wants to find out how to spend less time studying yet get better grades. Since secondary school, we have to struggle with numerous subjects, take part in school activities, enter tournaments and carnivals, and still be expected to do well in our examinations.

These struggles went on all the way to tertiary level. I am never a straight A student, unlike my smarter relatives. My cousins are those who studied in top schools, watch television, play the piano, take part in school matches, exercise, read a lot, and yet still able to top the school. How they did that I can never fathom, up to now.

During school days, my mum forbade me from watching television. I could not read as well, nor play musical instruments, nor take part in many competitions. I could not even go out with my friends nor hang around after school. Immediately after school, I had to go home and start on my homework, and she would come home and quizzed me on the things I studied in school. If I so much as answered one wrongly, she would flare up and accused me of not paying attention in class or not revising my work after school.

It was not as if I did not pay attention. The trouble was that I could not follow what the teacher was saying. Furthermore I was in the science class, and doing subjects which I do not have aptitude for. If I was in the Arts class, and my mum quizzed me on History or Literature or Physical Geography, I would have answered all the questions rightly.

But she quizzed me on Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Elementary Mathematics and Additional Mathematics, subjects which I was totally confused over. I did not even know what I did not know! Just for that, I often ended up in shouting matches with her - she accusing me of not paying attention and caring about my studies, me telling her to get off my back and let me lead my own life.

Things changed when I reached tertiary level. This time, I was doing Arts and Humanities, and Law, subjects which I like and have more aptitude for. Even then, I did not do that well. Better as compared to when I did science, but still no straight As or A-averages. It would already be very good if I pulled a B-average, which I had to struggle like mad just to achieve it.

For a while, I did contemplate, am I cut out to study? Am I an academic person? Why is it that others can breeze through their academics so well, and it takes me forever and lots of sleepless nights just to even pass?

I tried many methods. I attended lessons faithfully. I made notes of every topic and lesson. I did mind maps. I made summaries. I made colourful notes. I am a visual person, so the colours do help a bit. Things got a bit better, but still not as good.

My ex could skip classes, played computer games the whole day (even during examination revision), sleep all the time, and yet still achieve straight As. I attended all lessons, dutifully took notes, spent sleepless nights, consulted seniors, studied everything thoroughly, and still struggled to even pass the paper(s).

I was starting to despair of ever graduating. Then in my final year (or before that), I discovered this book by an American called "How To Get Better Grades And Have More Fun!". The book gave tips on how studying need not be time-consuming, the trick is to study the right content and not just everything.

The book gave tips on how to focus on the important points that would come out during the examinations, like knowing the objectives of the course, listening to intonation of the lecturer on whether the topic is important, how to take short candid notes and not long essays as the more candid the notes, the better they are for memory. After all, it is proven that notes of one page are more effective than notes of eight pages!

Since then I tried to adapt the techniques. By going to class regularly, focusing on the right content, do coloured notes and mind maps, and ensuring understanding and analysis, not just plain rote learning. Somehow my grades in my final semester improved a lot! I still did not get A, but at least there were more Bs than Cs or Ds!

This is a really useful book, not just on study methods and exam tips, but how to manage one's time, how to be organised, and how to make good decisions that will enhance our lives. How I wish I had come across this book earlier!

Hopefully I can remember enough tips to help me in my studies, so perhaps for once, I can do really well in academics!

Stressed Up!

I got my full timetable on Monday. I was just looking through it and got really stressed. I know I will have a busy semester, but I did not realise just how busy it is! My lessons are on every Monday and Tuesday.

Since I am taking four major subjects, two subjects will be done every half a semester. In other words, from January to March, I will complete two subjects, and from March to May, I will complete the other two. The examinations will be all in May.

Which means, from January to March, I have to finish three textbooks, ten essays and fifteen short stories, plus two quizzes and two papers. And from March to May, I have to finish another two textbooks, two plays and thirty-two poems, plus one quiz and two papers. Not to mention the various assignments for my two minor modules. Arrrggghhhh!!!

I always wonder how people study and work at the same time, plus struggling with raising a family? I am already thinking whether I can actually cope with these plus the other commitments I have this year. I hope I do not break down and cry one day!

First Baby Of The Year

Last evening I went to the hospital to see my friend and her new baby. While there, we had to register at the counter. Now the hospital only allows two visitors up the ward at one time. Since my friend's husband was already up there, only I could go up, and the rest could not. Unless the husband came down, otherwise no one else would be allowed up.

I find that really ridiculous! My friend had just given birth, obviously her husband had to be with her throughout! The hospital staff was afraid too many of us would disturb the other patients, but my friend was in a private, air-conditioned ward! There was no one else in the room!

But rules are rules. We had to register at the counter and take a sticker before we could even be allowed up the ward. So finally we did not bother anymore and just went up one by one. Hence all of us could see her and the baby together.

The baby is so cute! He was wrapped up in layers and sleeping so soundly! I wanted so much to carry him but was so afraid of touching him. Even the way he wailed and sneezed is cute! A baby is a miracle indeed, how does a woman actually pop a baby out of her body?

I guess the pain is indescribable, until you actually experience it yourself. That is why women are so great, as men can never experience all these, and perhaps even if they do, they can never be able to stand it. Yet some men still think they are the best and women have to be subjected to their whims and fancies, without ever considering what women have to go through!

The Miracle Of Life

It was a day of wonderful surprises. First my dear got me the camera I was eyeing, then around midnight, a very close friend sent me a message that she had given birth and both mother and child are alright. She was in labour around eleven yesterday morning, and gave birth close to midnight or thereabouts.

I feel so excited! After work today, another close friend and I will be going down to see her at the hospital. Oh I can hardly wait! A new life is always a miracle, and something to be joyous about!

Preparing For Lessons

The campus courier service in my school is efficient indeed! My school books were all packed in boxes and sent to my home today while I was still at work! So by the time I reached home, the books were already at home!

Since my dear is also in the same school but a different course, I had his school books sent over too and he came by to collect them earlier on.

It will really be a rushed semester. Four modules equates to four papers. The funny thing is, if the modules have been further split up, why is it more expensive and a heavier workload per module as compared to before the modules were split up?

Anyway my textbooks consist of short stories from Kate Chopin, Katherine Mansfield, Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, to name a few. There is also an edition of Merchant of Venice and an anthology of poetry, the exact books I studied for Literature in Secondary Three!

My dear's Sociology Research textbook is very interesting too, as it consists of a study of Karl Marx's theories!

I think I am going to love this semester! Hopefully I can achieve good grades and proceed on!

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A New Digicam At Last!

I am so happy! As a four-month cum early Valentine's Day celebration, my dear gave me a new digital camera, not just any digicam, but a Sony Cybershot DSC-TX1, complete in pink!

It is the camera I have been eyeing! My Olympus is finally due for retirement after four and half years. The memory card does not seem to be working well anymore and the batteries run out very fast nowadays.

Hence I have thought of upgrading a digicam. I need one that can take good night shots, as well as food, sunrise / sunset, beach, snow and underwater, especially if I go travelling.

I was initially eyeing the Canon IXUS 200 IS, but it did not have all the shooting modes I wanted. I thought of Olympus again but decided against it when I saw that the new Olympus cameras are not as aesthetically-pleasing as the one I have.

So I decided on Sony Cybershot. I have heard reviews that it is a pretty reliable camera and it takes pretty good night shots too. Plus it is aesthetically-pleasing, slim and lightweight and fits snugly on my palm.

The next thing I knew, my dear had bought it for me! I cannot believe how wonderful he is! Thank you so much dear! Love you so much too!

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The Blind Side

How many of us help someone less priviledged out of goodwill without expecting anything back? This was what the family in the movie "The Blind Side" did.

The movie is based on a recent true story of a wealthy white family taking in a black homeless teenager, giving him lodging, food and education and treating him as part of the family. They even provided him tuition to improve his grades and went all out to get him a football scholarship so he can carve a future for himself. Now this black guy is a professional football player.

The thing is, the family was not obliged to do all these, yet they did. They even bought him a car to drive and really treated him as their own child. All for a child that belonged to someone else.

It was not just the parents who did that, the children treated him like their own brother too. It kind of made me ashamed - how many of us treat our own family right, let alone someone else who was a total stranger?

Yet why would someone else do that? Simply because it felt to be the right thing to do. In the words of Sandra Bullock who played the mother, when asked why was she doing so much for him, she said, "I am learning much more from him than he from me."

Is that not just inspiring? I do not know about others, but I was touched to tears after watching the show.

All is not lost if there are still such good people around!

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New York, I Love You

It started with Paris, the city of love. Or maybe way back in Britain, where Love Actually actually began.

In the modern days of fast paced rat race and an individualistic society, does love actually still exist?

I did not watch Paris, I Love You, or Paris, Je'Taime. But New York, I Love You gives people the hope that love actually is all around, just like in Love Actually.

The show features eleven segments, all taken around New York City. Love developing from a one night stand, love from business liaison, objects of desires, love between a middle-aged couple, and the mist touching of all, the love between an old couple, still holding hands and kissing on their sixty-third anniversary. These and all are intertwined in the city called New York.

This is a pretty refreshing show as compared to the run-of-the-mill romantic comedies or sappy dramatic love stories. At least it shows the various aspects of love in a more realistic way - that it is not a bed of roses, and it requires compromise, tolerance and sacrifice. And that is what love is about!

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First Day Of Cathechism

Yesterday was my first day as a Cathechist. I went into the classroom at the stipulated time and found most of the kids already seated and waiting.

I was apprehensive initially. Afterall it had been so long since I last stepped into a classroom full of kids. Besides kids nowadays are no longer as well-behaved as before. They now listen to mass media and computer games more than their parents and teachers.

So I went into the class without knowing what to expect. Luckily there are three other cathechists who are experienced enough to lead me throughout so I was not totally lost too!

Since it was the first lesson, we took attendance, asked the kids to introduce themselves and we introduced ourselves in turn. Then we settled some administrative matters and briefed them on mass procedures.

These are ten to eleven year old kids, so they are already articulate and sensible, but not too old to be really rebellious yet.

Facing the class made me kind of miss the classroom and teaching kids. Somehow I think the corporate world, despite making me a bit more street smart, also kills off the childlike side of me, which I hope can rekindle with these kids.

I believe I am going to love this. Really looking forward to the weeks ahead!

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Attempts At Balancing ...

I am still trying to improve my cycling skills to at least be able to balance the bicycle properly. Yesterday we went cycling but my bicycle still swerved here and there. How do people actually cycle in a straight path without once swerving and falling?

Each time I am on a bicycle, it takes very long to get me balanced. While others can jump on their bicycles and go off like that, I was still at the starting point trying to balance properly.

So I tried to go with my instincts. I closed my eyes. I realize by doing that, I could actually shut all other senses off and cycle properly.

However I cannot keep closing my eyes and cycle! What if I knock into someone or a tree, or cycle into the sea?

Yet when I opened my eyes again, I lost my balance and the whole bicycle swerved again!

Anyone who can share tips on how to rectify this is greatly appreciated! I must become a relatively good cyclist, it is about time I become one anyway!

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Improving "Public Relations"

I am not sure whether it is to do with differences in culture or just a lack of chemistry, but how does one improve relations with elders, particularly the parents of your partner?

I am never one to give others the impression that I am well-liked at first instance. Maybe because I look and sound stern, and do not have the endearing kind of tone which guys always fall for, which is why I have come across as "insincere" and "controlling" to some people.

My dear had said people have to get to know me before they realize the kind of person I am, but sad to say, no one seems to have the patience to get to know others in this time and age as everyone base their assumptions on first impressions.

Hence no matter how well-dressed and well-groomed I can be, as long as I do not have the kind of tone guys like, somehow no one ever fancied me in that way. So I am very lucky to have found someone who takes me as who I am.

But what if one needs to improve the relations with co-workers? How does one go about that? I used to have pretty close relations with my co-workers but after being stepped on and backstabbed, I tend to draw a distance now.

My boss commented the other day that I do not seem to lunch with a lot of people besides him and a couple others, so he asked if I even have friends in the company.

I told him I do have friends. But talking to them, mingling with them and chatting does not mean I have to lunch with them all the time. Just because I do not lunch with most people does not mean I am totally devoid of friendship in the firm. I just prefer to lunch in or run errands at times.

Still, it would be good to know how to improve working relations. But the fact is that most people go to the pantry to joke and gossip, but I do not. I just get my work done and do not bother about what is going on around me.

Yet the sad thing is that, supervisors somehow prefer those who partake in gossip and those who bootlick than those who do their work and prefer to be left alone.

I would also like to improve my relations with his parents. His parents are not like others; I remember whenever my exs told his parents I would be going over, they got all excited and made sure I had a feast, felt welcomed and would even call me anytime just to ask me out. So no matter how my past relationships turned out, I am still very grateful to the parents who had been so nice to me.

But not this time. His parents like the Victorian kind of girl - soft-spoken, demure, listen to the guy. I am defintely not like that. I mean, I do listen to the guy and do not insist I am always right, but I do have a mind of my own too.

But to his parents, they deem me as controlling and fierce, just because I asked him to go over and mingle with my family more often and he listened. His parents think I ought to be the one going to the guy's place and not the other way round, otherwise the relationship is not secure.

Well, if the relationship is not secure in the first place, then even if I go over to the guy's place all the time, we will still not last.

Wonder if his parents like the kind of girls who take out the guy's shoes when he comes home, pour him a drink and massage him? Then sad to say, I am not this kind if girl. Not that I will not do things like that, just that I do it only of my own free will and not being imposed on.

Having said that, I do like to know how else to improve the relations between his parents and myself. They are okay with me, not overly warm and friendly, and I like to have a good relation with my partner's family members too.

I like them to call me anytime, ask me out anytime, treat me like the daughter they never had, just like how I would like to treat them. I really hope this part can be improved!

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Film List For 2010

Last year was quite a good year for movies, considering the number of blockbusters, namely Transformers, Terminator Salvation, Star Trek, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Sherlock Holmes, and a few others.

This year, there seems to be even nicer shows coming up. After the movie weekend I had, I have compiled a list of the upcoming nice shows which I plan to catch for this year. So here goes ....

1. New York, I Love You (I missed Paris, I Love You, so this is one show I am looking forward to!)
2. The Blind Side
3. My One And Only
4. Brothers
5. Hachiko : A Dog's Story
6. The Box
7. Edge of Darkness
8. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnussus
9. Wolfman
10. Valentine's Day
11. True Legend
12. 72 Tenants of Prosperity (Hong Kong show)
13. Little Big Soldier (Chinese show)
14. Broken Embraces (French / Spanish show)
15. All's Well Ends Well 2010 (Hong Kong show)
16. Shutter Island
17. Agora
18. Nine
19. Dear John
20. The Last Song
21. Alice In Wonderland
22. Up In The Air
23. Book Of Eli
24. Pope Joan
25. Green Zone
26. When In Rome
27. The Lovely Bones
28. Bounty Hunter
29. Clash Of The Titans (more like my dear wants to watch this)
30. Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps
31. Iron Man 2
32. Robin Hood
33. Shrek Forever After
34. Sex And The City 2
35. The Karate Kid
36. The A Team
37. Knight And Day
38. Inception
39. The Last Airbender
40. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
41. Little Fockers
42. Salt
43. Ramona and Beezus
44. Beastly
45. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
46. Chronicles of Narnia : Voyage of the Dawn Treader
47. The Green Hornet
48. Gulliver's Travels

This list is not exhaustive though. I am sure there will be other nice shows coming up throughout the year. Hopefully this year will be another good year for films, especially these couple of months, what with the Academy Award season coming up!

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Brink Of A (Religious) War?

I never like to talk about religion (except my own journey in my faith) as I always view religion as a freedom of choice. Hence even though I may share my own struggles and beliefs about my faith, I do not go around preaching or converting others.

Nor do I write so much about others' religious beliefs as this has always been a sensitive issue. I do not like it if others challenge my beliefs too.

But after the recent burning of churches in a neighbouring country and the withdrawal of a "piggy" figurine by a fast food conglomerate due to sensitivity of a certain religion, not to mention the few cases of terrorism, I cannot help but wonder just what is being taught in that religious studies?

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought all religion, no matter what, despite their own practices and restrictions, have one thing in common - tolerance and respect.

Essentially religion teaches people to do good and be nice to others. Okay, religion or not, everyone should do good and be nice to others, but having a religion is like having a hope and belief that there is a higher being who can help and guide us in our lives.

I do not think any religious book in whichever language teaches murder, protest and killing of innocent lives. Yet wars have been fought due to differing beliefs.

Like the Crusaders and the Ottomans. The expulsion of Ottomans from olden Spain (when it was still divided into regions of Castile, Leon, Aragon and other smaller lands).

And of course the most famous war - the Holocaust of the Jews and bombing of the synagogues in Europe.

The mass migration from India to Pakistan, led by Nehru. Even closer to home, there was the racial riots of the 1960s. And who can forget 911?

Many a war have been started simply because some people who represented certain religions tried to stand up for what they felt was right and wanted to get what they felt they deserved.

But (to me at least), these people, admirable they were from another perspective, forgot that the fundamental aspect of any religion is to have peace and harmony. And that was why so many religious wars have been fought.

So it is not the religion that is the problem, but the people who believe and misconstrued the messages and teachings.

Is that why there are signs of an upcoming apocalypse? After all a lot of things said in the Book of Revelations are coming true - animals getting sick one after another, weather being cranky which in turn affects the climate and seasons, and so on.

If that is really going to happen, then everyone would have to make a clean start and start from the cavemen times again!

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Catholicism 101

After our induction as Cathechists yesterday, the coordinator recommended a course for us called Catholicism 101 - A Searcher's Introduction To Catholic Teaching.

This course is organised by the local Pastoral Institute and taught by priests and sisters. It will start in early February and go on all the way until mid-November.

The course is divided into five modues : Scripture, Jesus Christ, The Church, Liturgy and Sacraments, and Morality. There will also be two retreats in between the modules.

The first module, Scriptures, covers the importance of Scriptures, how to read and interpret the Bible, why the Hebrew Scriptures are still in use, Gospels and Paul's letters.

The second module, Jesus Christ, covers the importance, how He was portrayed, what did the early Church believe, how did the belief evolve over time and what is the relevance for today.

The third module, The Church, covers the Church being described as a Mystery, who belongs, how the hierarchy works, roles of priests, religious and lay people and relationship between the Church and world.

The fourth module, Liturgy and Sacraments, covers how Catholics worship, what sacraments are and how they work, how one becomes a fully initiated Catholic, ordination and marriage and how to restore relationship with God.

The fifth and final module, Morality, covers "Golden Rule" and where it comes from, evil and sin, justice and freedom, personal morality, social justice and the ten principles of social teaching.

Initially I was wondering whether to go. This is not a free course, a nominal amount has to be paid, but for such an intensive course, the fees are very reasonable. There are others that charge ten times the amount and yet not as intensive.

My main concern is time. I am not sure if I can find the time with Cathechism and my own lessons starting soon.

However I have resolved to improve my faith and be more involved in religious activities. This course does come in useful.

Besides, attending this course helps me in the lesson preparation for Cathechism too, so it is beneficial. Hence I have decided to sign up.

The course will commence in February and conducted on Thursdays. I hope I will be able to cope. This is really going to be a very busy year ahead!

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Invictus - Exceeding Expectations

Invictus is a true story on how the aftermath of the Mandela's election, he wanted a marriage of the whites and blacks of South Africa, starting from the national rugby team pushing their boundaries and winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup against the New Zealand All Blacks.

It is a movie about never giving up, about exceeding expectations, and looking ahead and putting aside all prejudices and mistrust.

I am never one who watch football or any sports matches. In fact I can never understand why a little black and white ball can earn such treipidation amongst the guys that some could even fall out over supporting rival teams.

But around the climax of the show, even I got my adrenalin rushing and rooting for the underdog to win, and going ballistic when the team did win!

Invictus itself is a very inspiring show. It is a show where no one wanted to leave even when the credits rolled on.

It is only showing at selected cinemas so do go catch it if you can!

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Couples Retreat!

Last weekend I watched two shows about couples and relationships. The first was Did You Hear About The Morgans? on Friday night and the second was It's Complicated yesterday afternoon.

Did You Hear About The Morgans? featured a typical high-flying New York couple who have successful jobs and busy lives.

The movie started as them being separated. Due to them witnessing a murder, they were whisked away to this small Western town as protected witnesses.

Of course the guy was trying to chase his wife back but she found it hard to trust him again. But after living in close proximity for a week, she found that her feelings towards him might not have disintegrated.

After numerous quarrels, arguments and whatnots, they concluded that for things to work out, they have to manage their expectations and not expect too much from each other.

That was when their protector finally could not take it anymore and told them off, by saying that both have to expect everything from each other because marriage itself does not make any sense, so they just have to f*** all rules and make it work! Well said!

This is a good show for couples, as throughout the show there are elements of what commitment to a relationship is like. I believe anyone will be able to relate to it!

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Movie Trilogy

Today I actually went on a movie marathon. I have not had a film marathon for ages. Those dramas and discs watching at my place do not count.

So why today? I guess there was time, and the shows were all at the right timings, spaced out just nice without a need to rush and not too long a gap in between too.

Besides this is normally the time where lots of good shows are coming, so I thought why not try to watch as much as possible? I missed a lot of nice shows the past couple of years, hence I thought this year I will make up for that.

And I am in a good mood today! After discovering just how wonderful my dear is, plus the induction today, I wanted to just go out and have a good time. So we went to the theatre after the buffet lunch after the mass.

You should have seen the look the girl at the counter gave us! I think no one ever bought three shows in a row before!

But I did not regret it. The shows are all worth watching. First up was Old Dogs, on the true friendship between two best friends, and how after so many years of being career-minded, they finally realist family is the most important and settled down and have kids, giving up a business deal of a lifetime.

The second was It's Complicated. Typical romantic comedy. As usual, Meryl Streep outdid herself. She plays a cook in this show too. Funny how she is always cast as a good cook in her recent shows.

The last one was Invictus. That was based on a true story, and very inspiring at that! Funny why it was only shown in selected theatres and not all over the island?

Did the relevant authorities deem this as a show which not many would watch? Yet the cinema was full house, and no one wanted to leave even after the show ended! That was the impact the show had!

I should do this again some time!

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Officially A Cathechist!

Today happened to be Cathechical Sunday and the day of induction of Cathechists. This morning there was an Annual General Meeting for Cathechists, followed by the induction mass and a buffet lunch after that.

When the call came asking for Cathechists last year, something inside me told me to go ahead. I did not know what it was then. Perhaps it was a calling to improve my faith, or go to church more often. After all, one cannot teach fully if one does not lead by example, right?

I had no idea why, but I pulled along a good friend (now my boyfriend) to see if he was interested. Before we knew it, I would be taking on Primary Five Level and he Confirmation Level.

So today, the new Cathechists were asked to sit at the front pew, just behind the wardens. When the priest called out our names to receive the badges, we had to go on stage in front of the whole congregation, where the priest told the parents to look carefully as we would be the ones to teach their children.

After the induction mass, I felt somewhat excited and honoured. But this is the start of a heavy commitment. As I have learnt in my years in the education industry, anything to do with kids is a heavy responsibility.

It is our job to guide them, nurture them, be a facilitator, someone they look up to and respect, someone they trust and their parents trust and be assured they are in good hands with.

It is never easy handling kids, but since I have made the commitment, I will just try my best to make everything work out for the best.

The term officially starts next week. I am sure looking forward to meeting the kids! Primary Five topics focus on Sacraments.

I must confess, I myself am not that sure what Sacraments are. But that is why we learn. We learn from the kids just like they learn from us. And I believe anyone who has handled kids in any way would agree that we actually gain more from them than they from us!

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A True Man!

I feel really happy! My dear let it slip that two days after Christmas, he called his female friend and told her off for behaving the way she did.

I was really surprised! Why would he do that? I did not even ask him to do anything on my account!

His reply?

"Anyone who treats you shabbily is showing disrespect to me. I do not care who he or she is, I will never stand for it if they treat the girl I love as second-class. If I cannot even protect the one I love, what kind of man am I?"

Is that not just romantic? I could not help grinning when I heard that!

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Sense of "Un-Belonging"

I blew my top on Tuesday night. I had not thrown a temper for a long time, especially not when I was outside. But that night, I blew it. Luckily only my dear knew I was on the verge of blowing my top, so he quickly asked me to go off instead of waiting around, so he could help soothe me a little when we were both alone.

What happened was we were invited to a thank-you dinner for the recent CHOICE Dinner and Dance. What appeared to be a thank-you dinner, was actually a mini-gathering of the core committee members. So there were three groups - one for the CHOICE Asia Conference, one for the upcoming January weekend, and one for the Finance and Administration Budgetting Committee.

We were asked to join whichever group we deemed most relevant, so we went to the CHOICE Asia Conference group. Our Chairman asked for feedback on how things could be run better. My dear (who played Santa Claus at the dinner), gave a remark that he felt he was under-utilised.

When it came to my turn, I as much as hinted in a roundabout way that I felt the whole thing seemed to be a one-man show, and if it was supposed to be a CHOICE event, then personally I would prefer to involve just our members alone, instead of asking people from outside.

So some people then said if people would like to be involved, they would have to volunteer. That was when I got riled. Did I not volunteer? Did my dear not volunteer? Yet what happened? Our ideas were overlooked, the services we volunteered for were excluded in the end, and the whole thing was run in a certain way by a certain person, who was promoting and showcasing the own people and services.

It was so blatantly obvious, I wonder if the rest were just blind to the situation, or they were equally involved? Which is why I was riled, because suddenly, I wondered what I was doing there, the whole thing did not even involve me, so even though I want to give to God, things like these just kind of disillusion me.

But the last straw was later on. The girl who went to visit my guy's parents on Christmas came for the meeting late. I happened to be the one who opened the door.

When I saw her I smiled and said hi, yet she just ignored me and brushed past me to go into the room and talked to someone else. I was so pissed! What was her problem?

Then when the meeting was over, she ignored the fact that my guy was standing next to me and kept asking him out. When he said he was not free, she then asked how come he was always not free lately? How come he never tell her what he's doing nowadays? Just who does that woman think she is?! I do not even "interrogate" him this way!

I have never been the kind of girl that disallows the guy to meet up or go out with his female friends. I myself have quite a few close guy friends too. I have no problems even if my guy mingles with girls.

But in this case, I think the situation is just too much to bear. I do not want to resort to banning the guy from seeing certain people but that does not mean I can tolerate being treated with disrespect too.

The guy has been great though. He does not like how his friend treated me too, so he quickly cut her off and left with me. In this way I am relieved and happy! It is always a wonderful feeling to have your boyfriend being on your side, no matter what happens!

Ib And Christine : A Fairytale

This is a title from one of Anderson's tales, incidentally my favourite one. I have always loved Andsrson's fairy tales, Grimms fairy tales, and Aesop's Fables. Which makes me wonder, why does no one write stories like that anymore?

Anyway Ib and Christine is one of his lesser known stories. In fact, I only came across it once, by sheer luck. All the Anderson's tales I have, all contain the more well-known stories, but not this. Yet this is the story that stuck in my mind until now. I remember crying when I first read the story.

Recently I added an application called "Stories of Hans Christian Anderson". In the description, it was stated as his complete collection. So I scrolled through the contents and managed to find the story!

I started reading again. The story is about two young kids - a farmer's boy called Ib and a fisherman's girl called Christine. They are best friends.

One day they got lost in a forest and could not get out. On the way they met a gypsy woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere. She gave them three nuts and told them those were wishing nuts.

Christine asked if she could wish for a golden carriage with lots of horses. The gypsy woman said yes, so Ib gave her the nut.

Christine then asked if she could wish for many pretty dresses and the gypsy woman said yes. So Ib gave her the nut too.

Finally it came to the last nut which Christine told Ib to keep. The gypsy woman then said that would be the best nut as the best things would come from there.

Then the gypsy woman showed them the way out of the woods. Ib went home and opened his nut but there was nothing inside but black earth.

Years passed. Ib took over the farm while Christine went to the city and became a housekeeper to a rich household. On one of her visits back, Ib asked her to marry him. She agreed and he said he would marry her once he saved up enough.

Few months later, Ib received a letter from Christine, saying the young master of the house had come back and taken in with her. He would like to marry her and his parents had given their blessings. However she hesitated as she was still keeping her promise to wait for Ib.

Ib knew Christine would not have a good life with him, hence he wrote back and gave his blessings. Thus, Christine's dream of a big carriage with many horses and pretty dresses had come true.

More years passed. One day, while farming as usual, Ib struck a piece of stone in the earth. He went to the local clergy who told him it was worth a fortune and advised him to go to the city to change the stone to cash.

So Ib left for the city and the stone was indeed worth a fortune. He was now a rich man. While wondering about in the city, he saw a little girl who looked a lot like Christine. He followed her home to one of the poorest districts, where the girl's mother lied, sick and dying.

Ib recognized the lady as Christine. Apparently her husband had gone bankrupt, and unable to pay his debts, he had killed himself. Christine herself got ill and as she was dying, she wanted Ib to take care of her daughter, also called Christine.

Ib was not sure if Christine recognized him, but he promised to look after the little girl. He brought the little girl back to the farm and became both a father and mother to her.

So for Ib, the best things in life indeed came from the dark earth - he found treasure, and his Christine had come back to him.

As I finished reading the story again, tears welled up in my eyes again. I remember reading this story as a little girl, and cried. Now, halfway through my life, I still cry after reading this.

I think everyone wants to believe in true love and fairy tales. While this is not a conventional fairy tale like boy meets girl, falls in love, marry, and live happily ever after, yet this story is just so much more real and pure.

Afterall, do we girls not hope for someone, not a prince charming who sweeps us off our feet, but a simple man who loves us so much that he can let us go for a better life? And give us the best things in life while he is satisfied with something small? And adopt our children when we die?

If this is not pure true love, then what is it? And that is why I love it, and still get touched by the love and selflessness shown by the hero.

I am so glad I found this story again, and can keep reading and reading from now on!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More Updates Via Mobile

So my previous experiment with BlogPress is not such a success. On the phone the post was indicated as published, but when I accessed it, the post was not reflected. I had to go to my laptop and re-publish again!

So it seems like there is still lots of tweaking before I can use this successfully. Strange that other blog portals have no problem with this at all.

Anyway today I finally went back to work. It had been a good break. Only thing was that due to the long break, everybody was in a mad rush and everything was urgent.

But it is good to go back to work, at least it helps to keep me occupied. In any case, it is best I treasure whatever free time I have before Cathechism classes and my lessons start around end of January, after which I will be craving for some free time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mobile Blogging

I managed to upload the application called "BlogPress" into my phone. Let me see if I can finally use my phone to blog. If this works, I may finally do away with the laptop in the end!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Masquerade!

The ball last night was a smash! It was held at the Tower Ballroom of Shangri-La hotel, and we were put in a table full of old couples. Masks were provided, but wine was not, so if we wanted to have wine, we would have to buy it. And if we wanted fancy masks, we would have to buy them too. Hmmm... makes me wonder why we spent so much on the entrance tickets if everything was not provided!

Anyway, the start of the dinner was speeches by the organising committee and chairman, then dinner commenced. It was a buffet spread outside the ballroom. In true Eurasian (European) tradition, ladies went first. The men went later.

It was a big spread, there were nine courses, plus carving station, plus soup and roll, plus dessert. So all in all, everyone had a feast!

Then there were lucky draws, which were not so lucky for us. The dance floor opened around ten and dancing started. I must say, the two differences between a typical Chinese dinner and an Eurasian dinner are that :

One, people are more dressed up in an Eurasian dinner. If we go to any Chinese dinners, especially wedding banquets, somehow people deem shirt and jeans as appropriate wear. Even when the dress code indicates "Formal", people would somehow still come in shirt and jeans. Or shirt and pants.

But for an Eurasian dinner, everyone was dressed up. Ladies in elegant evening gowns and bling blings, men in suits. As in long-sleeve shirt, tailored pants, jacket and tie. Nothing less. There was even one in a bow tie!

Two, people like to dance after the dinner. I heard that in an Eurasian wedding, dancing is a norm. Whether they are young and old, everyone would dance after dinner. But for a Chinese dinner, everyone is just there for the food. They would leave after the food, without participating in anything.

Just like the dinner and dance of companies, I always wondered after the sumptuous dinner, where is the dancing? Nobody would bother to stay back to dance, everyone would just leave after dinner. So whenever I wanted to stay back and dance, in the end because no one else would be dancing, everything ended just after the dinner.

So I really enjoyed myself last night. Since it was a ball and the dress code indicates "Formal", I wore a black strappy evening gown with straps down the back, which was bought from Macy's in Los Angeles, paired with a crystal necklace and matching earrings, and a gold silk shawl.

When we reached the ballroom, we chose our own masks. So I got a red one with feathers on top, and he got a silver one which I remarked made him look like the Phantom. I even saw one that looked like Zorro!

Me in my new hair (he said I kind of look like Cleopatra here)

Me with the mask

My apologies if the photos look blurry, as they were taken with the iPhone in dim lighting. We started dancing after dinner. A variety of songs were being played, so we did the salsa and the cha-cha-cha.

Then the countdown started. Everyone popped the party poopers and blew whistles the minute 0000 was reached. Then ballads started playing and slow dancing started.

I have never had so much fun on New Year's Eve before. All the accounts I read of balls, dancing and partying, now I got to experience it for myself! If only more locals are interested in things like that, life would not be boring after a while!

Start Of A New Decade

Happy New Year! Happy new decade! It was a wonderful start to the new year, as I was at the Masquerade Ball counting down. When the clock strikes 0000 on the dot, I was dancing away in the arms of someone precious.

It had been a while since I have spent New Year's Eve with anyone. In the past the New Year's Eve was spent at the guy's place, where we would have dinner with his parents, then he would watch the MTV countdown. We did not go anywhere as everywhere was crowded.

When I was a swinging single, New Year's Eve was spent either at home, or out partying with friends. So what had the New Years of the past decade been like?

New Year's Eve 2000 I was at someone's place, watching the MTV countdown. New Year''s Day 2001 I was again at his place, spending the day with his family. New Year's Eve 2001 and New Year's Day 2002 were the same.

New Year's Eve 2002 I watched a movie and went with a friend to the Sentosa coutndown. New Year's Day 2003 I went out with a friend. New Year's Eve 2003 was my cousin's wedding and New Year's Day 2004 I was at someone's place (again!). So was New Year's Eve 2004 and New Year's Day 2005.

New Year's Eve 2005 I was at home, having had terrible news that someone I respected and looked up to passed away from cancer at the age of thirty-seven. Hence New Year's Day 2006 saw me attending a wake.

New Year's Eve 2006 I was at home, bumming around. So was New Year's Day 2007. New Year's Eve 2007, I thought I would finally have someone to spend with, but after that weirdo disappeared, all the plans were cancelled. So New Year's Eve 2007 was spent with friends, attending church and seeing the fireworks.

New Year's Day 2008 I attended the birthday party of my cousin's son. New Year's Eve 2008 I was away in Japan, on a skiing trip, tumbling down the hill and seeing the fireworks in snow. New Year's Day 2009 I was again tumbling down the ski slopes.

Now New Year's Eve 2009, I was with someone dear, dancing in his arms while we were doing the countdown. New Year's Day 2010, I should be home cleaning my room for the new year, and perhaps go somewhere later.

I foresee this would be a wonderful year and a great start to a new decade!