Don't Postpone Your Happiness 别延后你的幸福！

别延后你的幸福！

别说等你念完书，结了婚， 才幸福。
别说等你有了屋子，有了孩子，才幸福。
别说你孩子长大，才幸福。
别说有了钱，才幸福。
不如说，幸福，就趁现在。

Question to us: What do you need to be happy? When will you be happy?

I thought I had already knew this and had the answers.
But when I was at the Art of Living workshop last night, I answered that I am already Happy but would be happier if I (XXXXX etc etc). gosh. what kind of answer was that!!
And to think that I knew all.

Ok, don't postpone your happiness.
Your happiness starts now.

Non-extravagant Living

INDOCHINE (we gave a treat for two friends, dinner & wine)
462.67
VPOSTSINGTEL SINGAPORE SG (home phone bill)
30.15
PARAGON MARKET PLACE SINGAPORE SG (fruits)
16.40
HANG TEN-IMM SINGAPORE SG (blouse for work)
27.50
BOSSINI-IMM SINGAPORE SG (T-shirts for gang- Jac's farewell gift)
96.60
M1 LIMITED - BILL PAYMENTSINGAPORE SG (mom's & my mobile bill)
51.58
STARHUB CABLE VISION LTD SINGAPORE SG (cable TV)
60.46
BEST DENKI-GWC SINGAPORE SG (phone set for home, old one spoilt)
60.00
DELL SINGAPORE PTE LTD 10/12 (installment for laptop)
164.07
PARAGON MARKET PLACE SINGAPORE SG (fruits)
13.70
SOO KEE SINGAPORE SG (gift for sis)
19.90
OG P/L-ORCHARD POINT SINGAPORE SG (Catherine's & YC's BD gifts)
79.90
THREEPIGS PTE LTD SINGAPORE SG (can't remember!)
39.00
SISTIC-INTERNET (MOTO) SINGAPORE SG (treat for Jonathan & YS to A Capella concert)
64.00
GROOVE DESIGNS SINGAPORE SG (2 T-shirts for Bren)
64.90
WATSON'S SINGAPORE SG (toilteries)
14.55

Total S$1,265.38

Okay, the above are bits and pieces of my expenses which i just copied it from the on-line bill statement. the expenses are all very little and i do not want to be stingy on anything!
I mean, giving people dinner treat is not an often thing but we would like to cultivate the habit of treating our friends! so is buying BD gifts. It is just a yearly gesture, why stop?!

After adding petrol & food expenses,,, it is common to hit $2k and beyond.
And that is not buying myself anything I really like. (like an i-phone!!!)

I do not agree that i overspend and I do not advocate spending less.
I feel that we should all live Magnificently!
Why not!

I know the text book defination of Inflation
We learn it in Economics.

But the real life experience of Infation sucks.
Price for my eye drop rose from $6.50 to $7.15 to $9.30 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it took 7 yrs to rise from $6.50 to $7.15 but it took 3 months to rise to $9.30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How do I know that?
I've been buying the same prescribed brand of eye drop since I've done Lasik in 1998.

The house that we were eyeing, a 5-room point block at Dover Crescent,
was priced by HDB at $220K in 2006 but became $330K this year.
we were hoping to buy it when we're eligible to sell our current flat, but it was nevertheless snapped up by another family. Ya, at that inflated price.

So anyway, me being me, will always look at the brighter side of things.
and we seek for great values amongst times of Inflation.
But I do have to point out that prices once gone up will never (can i say never?) retreat to its old prices. (unless with intense competition or in a phasing-out trend)

So how?? Got to stick to my job?

Gathering

Friday 22-Aug

Ex-colleagues gathering.

Usha has gotten married in India. It never fails to amaze me how some people have the courage to marry someone they hardly know. I guess they must have made a calculated risk and decided to go for it. Our Prime Minister says that match-making works for some, and encourages Singaporeans to go for it if necessary.

Saturday 23-Aug

Chalet @ Parsir Ris

Tim's BD celebration. The guys are just laughing a lot, playing "five-ten" guessing game not to be forefieted with liquor but with food. It helps to clear the buffet table full of Satays, corn, sweet potatoes, garlic bread, salmon & sotongs.

I always feel warm when people (friends & family) make an effort to go for stuff like that.

I mean, any party or gathering may not be like most glam or most fun. So, you do not go with an expectation of being entertained. You go just because of friendship or kinship. So, I like.

It was also very nice to be catching up with cousie Liang.

I mean, it's been a while since we chatted so we had lots to catch up.

Also, cousie Alex came like midnight and we played the ususal "chor dai di", "24" and "Gin Rummy".

I couldn't sleep much, cos I need familiarity & comfort mostly.

If you like it, then it's art!

大家来看！
这是我有兴趣，没事无聊画出来的。
好看吧?

前两天surf net 时看到有位 Art Director 的作品，
心想，其实我也会嘛。
这只不过时乱涂鸦一番，(doodling)
If you like it, then it's art!

post note:
emmmmm.... unfortunately, the resolution here is terrible,,
I must have saved the file quality wrongly or the canvas size too small... too bad, cos the actual picture is sharp & you could see the intricate designs

= (

Social life, 我回来了！

刚观看Oprah Winfrey talkshow；
今天主题有关aging & reverse aging.
其实main culprit is,,,, you guessed it:
<<压力>>。

压力导致种种心理，身体问题。
The good news is; it is easily reversible IF you make an effort now.

譬如: 多做运动，每天做stretching，
还有静坐，time-out. "OOOOOmmmmmm" time.

重点是注意呼吸，深呼吸。以及运动。

在我们忙碌的都市社会，真的容易 lose sight这细节。

第二便是饮食。

大家总误会减肥，
其实人的身体原本就该吃的是蔬菜，
少许的肥肉与糖类。
那位医生说，人类其实大可健康的活到整百岁，
该多注意的是压力 & 运动。
ok, enough said.

过几天我不会update my blog了。
我在家里没有internet access。
这两天subscribed了"surf per day" package。
所以才会有空整理心声，一下写了那么多。
喜欢吧?

再多两天我会在家里打扫，
ya, 不知为何， 整天只想打扫。
可能我心理是有点问题。
总是想“打扫心情”。

anyway, 剩下三天“病假”，
星期三得回去医生那里，remove stitches.
各天便返回工作去。
不知工友会有什么样的反应。

星期五有个gathering of ex-marinehub colleagues.
我是在那公司认识我现任老板，
被他挖了过来，建立了新工司。
前任的工友都偶而聚一聚，但总是由我安排。
每次ringleader都是我。
唉，oh well, 谁叫我最不喜欢人们总是说说没做。
所以，偶而有时间，我便安排大家聚一聚。
有马来同胞Sarina, Noura, and Usha from India，
她太感激我鼓励她apply for PR， 应为她热爱新加坡，
and finally got her PR here.
还有好几位朋友 Candy & Jac。
有大两年多没大伙儿聚了，他们兴奋着。
我嘛，，，还好啦。
我对自己说，该是时候去go down the phone list,
把朋友一个，一个的约出来。尤其是那多年没见的。
Social life, 我回来了！

今天出门去！ An Outing Today!

医生说48个小时不准洗脸， 我可有得忙了。
那是应为我无法办到。
也只好慢慢，慢慢地，小心翼翼
inch by inch 地把脸擦干净。
只要小心别碰到脸上的 stitches 和伤口就没事。
自我幽默一下，脸上的stitches 看起来像shoelaces.

没勇气独自出门，硬吩咐brendan下午得陪我去far east plaza一 趟.

先去妈妈那儿吃饭。当然不是饭啦，
我还在免吃 carbo，
所以，吃的都是steamed fish. 美味可口。
近来在外吃的都是caeser salad，
难得有蒸鱼，那可不能错过哦。

妹妹说她少穿那双亮晶晶的运动鞋，
还是别浪费，她说给我好了。
我们就是这样，脚号不分大小，
偶而我给她，她给我。
以前还没结婚时，常俩人的皮鞋共穿,
回想起来还蛮实际。
我们的皮鞋可多呢！
addidas, nike, reebok, were the old ones we had.
我买的总是五颜六色，lime green, gold, dusk blue，
而妹妹买的总是白。
anyway,
去 far east collect 我为妹妹做的迷你相簿,相当可爱。
而且还买了三双鞋！ oh my gosh, 整天就知道买鞋！

老实说，blogging in 华文实在是费时花力。
但我想practise一下，just in case 有那么的一天，
会到祖国去工作。ha ha。
事到如今；你该了解我时常做白日梦，
也时常说笑吧！
nevertheless, just bear with my fancy. (while it lasts).
Sohcool, 没问题吧?

Pointies

一口气连买三双鞋，
那我该赶紧去约一约朋友们，出去聚一聚。

买给妹妹的迷你相簿

还廷可爱吧?

can be hung onto the mobile phone, etc.

随身携带

Quite a good customized gift idea.

$19.90.

18 photos

Green fees

restaurant 吃的沙拉菜还好，
自己乱煮一番miso soup with soft bean curd, with egg!
其实味道还真的不错！

Regain Form 恢复原形

恢复原形 Regain Form

原本就没有这颗痣的我，终于撇开心理的障碍。

老是苦恼着想除去它。。。

担心人们所说的是颗好痣，勉强接受了很久。

近来 restless 起来；找了位 aesthetic 整容医生

Dr. JJ Chua.,

就这样鼓起勇气，整了整我的容貌！

起初只是询问关于mole, 但既然要做，不如询问全部。

比如哪个chicken pox pit mark
and the huge scar left by an acne some 15 yrs ago.

最后，也顺便询问了鼻梁的做法。(filler)

请你千万别误会，这不是 spur of the moment,

而是经过非常慎重的考虑； 日夜分析；才做出的决定。

因为已经面对了许多争论 与 criticisms,

我真的不想为自己辩护。

whatever the case, i'm happy!, so, please be happy for me.

其实真的没甚么。

说真的，我从来没想过自己会去做这个。
well, never say never.

假如你seriously wanna know more, please email.

但若是想 nag at me, sorry and no thanks.
topic is not open for debate ; )

Family

Fathers And Mothers, I Love You.

Lost Ones

p.s: this is the 08-08-88 picture I was telling you about.

Goodbye

I want more!

Airy Fairy

Fancies

We Rock

Sukiyaki

If this photo looks familar to you, you probably have seen a similar one in my July's entry last year. Sukiyaki is our yearly affair where I meet up with YC, whose birthday is in July.
This time, we were so busy we postponed it till August and our group of seven dwindled to just the three of us. It's ok, cos it is just as warm.
Oh, ya. the price per set went from $70++ to $90++.

New Occupants in the Fridge

Change is Good.

Some Progress

For the past three weeks, I've abstained from Carbohydrates.

No rice, bread, noodles & sugar. It was tough to stop eating my favourite toggies chocolates but I tried. So far, 3kg loss.

Finally, fixed the breaks onto my sis' inline skates last night.

I can now go skating in the night.

The skates brought me a lot of memory, particularly one when I first bought my skates in 1995 for almost $700 then, and my mom, my dad, sis & I took a bus to the marina bay; that evening, sis & i took turns to skate there, along the river. that was before Esplanade was built. I loved that day and I am very glad that my parents are rather sponteneous people. That accounts a lot to my happy-impromptu outlook I guess.

And of course the "high" associated to skating is in-built in me when I had countless outings to the disco roller-skating rings back in the 80s. Rolling Good Times.

080808

I am one of the few I know who is quite oblivious to the Olympics.

080808 is not about the Olympics. It is about me leaving school for almost twenty years now. And I have always thought to visit my ex-teachers in my Secondary school when I've "made it". That day never came.

Yet.

(You must always put a "yet" on things that are still on your To-do Checklist. If you're planning to accomplish them that is. And carry them out successively so that you can then move on and not think about it on your deathbed.)

The buzz about 080808 reminded me of 080888 (8th Aug 1988) when I was in school and we celebrated National Day.

I should go dig out that photo and show you.

I was in Sec. 3 and there was a buzz about that date, though there wasn't any $8 million dollars TOTO draw, which i think is phony.

To me, the chances are better on a normal day, rather than an exceptionally large prize draw where the top prize would normally be shared by more persons due to oversubscription. So anyway, we were in school and we wanted to commemorate the date, so we took a picture together.

By sec 3, my original group of eight has been dismantled by 1. - my form teacher's deliberate intention to split us as she saw that our group was influencing each other in a delinquent way and 2. - there was "power-struggle" among two of my friends on who was being more popular with the boys. So, we didn't hold together in eight but we somewhat paired up which wasn't bad. Looking back now, I think my teacher was really very smart. She sized up our group and paired the least likely pair together in a class. So we each had our best buddy gone and was left with another buddy whom we had least chemistry with. The person who suffered the most was my group leader - Josephine. She wrote me a heart wrenching letter about how devastated she was feeling and how she missed me. Although we were in classes next doors, our group-strength withered. The only pair that was still having a ball was my new buddy & I. Once, many years back,, I think it was in 1998, I met a senior on the street. He told me that my group of eight was like the envy of the cohort, we were the live of the party and everyone he knew secretly wished to be us. I said he must be exaggerating but he said it was like that. So anyway, I'm glad I had my days.

I am a gregarious person and yet very personal at the same time. I have many friends who are enemy with each other but are all personal with me. They know very well that they could never bad mouth about the other to me because I fiercely guard the other and they know I will do the same for them. So anyway, I know that my form teacher Ms. Li & Literature teacher Ms. Leong are still teaching in QSS cos my cousin just finished schooling there and he told me. I really can't imagine how it will be like if I visit or what on earth can I tell them, but I would really like to visit them. Perhaps I could tell them that I turned out well. Or that she shouldn't have meddled to break up our group. Or that her worst fear about one of my friends happened. Or that my first puppy love BF was really gay and is now a dashing model. Or that I really was not a delinquent. I think I should just tell them that I turned out fine. You think?

Anticipation of Fear is Greater than Fear

Last Wednesday, I went for a Endoscopy / Colonoscopy.
The night before, I was instructed to take 2 bottles of "Fleet"- an oral medication to clear bowels. It was a terrible concoction that not only is very smelly, it made me shit till bowels became water. Luckily I had the commonsense to take just one bottle instead of the prescribed two or I might be worse off. It is very frightening to be on the bed stark naked except for the patient gown that I was wearing. Good thing the doctor gave me some emmmm... what you call that-- general anesthetic; to make me drowsy and relaxed. The TV monitor was in front of me and I could see the inside of my intestines. Light Pinkish smooth. I think there are "piles" in there but I think it is not much of an issue. Just bear in mind that intake of Fruits & Veggies is important. Period. ok, I was gonna tell you that the fear I had for this procedure was greater before the procedure, but the actual procedure itself was not as frightening. It was uncomfortable, ya- uncomfortable and there'll be bruising at the anus but overall, it is not painful. hence, the anticipation of fear is greater than fear itself.

Been busy with work and the stress spilled over and occupied my dreams for many a nights.
Dreamt that my customer Matthew Tan asked me to buy 4D & Toto for him but I lost his tickets as it was eaten up by a sea creature that had the head of a dolphin and body of an eel. Long, long white eel that is.

Watched "Evan Almighty" yesterday while home alone.
To build an A.R.K is to build an Act of Random Kindness. Cool.

It says, when you pray for Courage, God does not give you courage.
He gives you an Opportunity to have courage (or to be courageous)

If you pray for Family Closeness, he doesn't give you that fuzzy feeling in your heart.
He gives you the Opportunity to have family bonding.

After all, it is you who will have to make the move.

Farewell, Jac

I bought identical T-shirts for groupie-ness.

Just a touch of fun to show our spontaneity & support for Jac who is leaving us to return home. (M'sia). Farewell, Jac.