Wednesday 30 January 2008

new beginnings (again)

feeling rather festive again =)
next week so busy with cny (and preparations). booked in for mani pedi (yes again YES YES YES!!!!) on monday, tuesday i've an appt with my derm (which I presume will be my last regular visit because my skin has recovered. Thank God!). tues night reunion dinner with one side of the fam, wed the other side. I've got new outfits for both. but rach and I decided we'll be wearing our mario t-shirts to one of the dinners (I bought them for us at a school bazaar). act cute but you know, it is our united front. SOLIDARITY! haha. so political. well, big families are political. cny is a time to testify of your personal progress in all aspects of your life since last year (or maybe I'll just admit that I am competitive). SO. I AM READY!!!!!!!!!!!!! skin a-ok, loving being in uni and enjoying my course (last yr I was toughing it out at ngee ann. eeks), reaching 5 yrs with Terence soon, still having plenty of nice clothes, healthy, having a much better attitude towards life and of course, all the above because of God's providence and blessings =)

finally finished Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Bronte) last night. I was tearing away. Qiulin, if you are reading this, please go get a copy. am sure you'll like it. It's so romantic but still grounded in reality. neither airy-fairy nor cheesy. as a reader, you really feel as if you've been taken by the hand and journeyed through all of Jane's experiences with her. I really enjoyed it.

I love a happy ending.

Thursday 24 January 2008

bold is beautiful!

just a snippet of a conversation I had with terence recently. just for your entertainment.

r: darling i know! i will have 3 dogs next time. one black chow, one brown chow and one samoyed!
t: no, you only can have one.
r: nono, you listen first. the names are SO cute! One will be...
t: no, you only can have one.
r: ok wait you listen! the black one will be Chin Chow, the brown one Mr.Chow, and the white one Chowder! so cute right?!! *squeals and laughs madly.
t: hahaha! quite funny. but you only can have one.
r: no dear. one is not enough. the kids must all have one so they can ride them to kindergarten. we just put the saddle on and the leash then they can ride to school.
t: that's so mean!
r: (in all earnestness) no what. chows are dogs from the working group.
t: you promise?
r: no. HAHAHA.

ok. haha. i dunno. i thot it's rather amusing.
today was manipedi day =) i chose sth totally not like my usual colours. BRIGHT coral. name is Sunbody loves me. the code for the colour was KO4 and mel said it is actually KOH. awwww. i love him very much too! and all my friends who can love me for who I am. those who accept my ocd handwashing habits, listen to me list what I want to buy, remind me that terence is truly a gem (well. an outside perspective only serves to reinforce what I already know and cherish) and wait while I hem and haw whilst deciding between two. oh, and who will patiently type directions to me when I am so lost. =)

Sunday 20 January 2008

loving, praying, reading, dancing, shopping. in that order.

been thinking abt my weaknesses. and i think one major fault of mine is not knowing how to say no. it's really tiring trying to please everyone; thinking up ways to broach subjects without hurting feelings, being afraid to offend. i suppose some of you can't imagine me this way. cos i know how to put my foot down when displeased and i damn well make sure i'm heard. but it's more along the lines of people i care about. i don't believe in horoscope, but apparently it is a common libran trait to love harmony. and perhaps this is why i always try to please. and i'm also overtly sensitive abt people hurting my loved ones. i take it upon myself to always try to make them feel better. hmmm. at times i admire straight-forward people. i think: just how do they do it? but then again. i feel abit taken aback when they exhibit their directness. haha see! there's no escaping this!! anyway i'm gg to try and liberate myself. just to say no and not feel guilty abt it. let you know how i fare =)

been CRAZY shopping the past week. trying to squeeze in time when not in sch/reading Jane Eyre to hit town. been buying every possible thing under the sun in the name of Chinese New Year. my friends like to tell me everyday is CNY/Christmas cos i always have new clothes. eh hey. this time, i'm really hoarding everything i can. not just clothes ok. new sheets, dresses, bags, lingerie, accessories.. well. you know my resolution. and i'm proud to say life's much more balanced now. shopping= spending time with mom. and dg my readings everyday= less guilt when splurging. dancing over the weekend = even less guilt. AHAHA. i am so pleased. i am a champion shopper. a new week dawns tmr; more opportunities to hit the shops!

FINALLY FINALLY i am gg for a mani/pedi on thurs with mel. i have been un-manicured since Christmas cos i got back to dancing and i feel very unpresentable with my nails that i refuse to cut myself. i have completely sold myself to having my talons pampered regularly. this week taking some time out from dance to catch up on MORE readings so i booked in immediately. you have NO idea how much i look forward to the appt. just sitting there and being attended to. it's a habit alr. and i don't see it as extravagant. manicures and pedicures complete every girl. if you haven't, GET STARTED.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Thursday 17 January 2008

unmasked.

don't really follow celebrity gossip like a bloodhound, but i saw a feature on my homepage (yahoo.com) just now that got me: celebrities without makeup.
ha! i never felt shortchanged by God in the looks department (cos long ago, i learnt to live with myself and accepted that there'll always be someone prettier) even when perusing pictures of celebs all glammed up, glowing on the red carpet, lalala.
I mean, there's no desire to emulate them. I simply love how I am because me being just me; THIS is who terence fell in love with. THIS is who has a happy life.
the celebs, ya they look great. but i am a champion of asian beauty and i don't appreciate all the jessicas (alba, simpson), nor the jennifers (lopez, aniston) at all.
today, i saw for myself a reason why kids really SHOULDN'T diet/surgically-enhance themselves because of the saturation of images of gorgeous celebs. cos warpaint aside, they are as normal as normal goes. without the airbrushing, the professional artists primping them, haha.
perhaps this doesn't really affect asians. apparently a news report of late indicates that singaporeans are the least concerned abt their weight in the world.
but i think plastic surgery is picking up here.
and i read in the papers (papers ah! not tabloids) that hollywood stars cite breathing difficulties as to why they fix their noses. HAHA. i can lie better than that.

please people. live with your imperfections and love yourselves. think yourself as the best, but somehow not quite better than others. I'm still learning how to maintain that balance but I know that no matter the struggle, humility will ultimately make me more beautiful.

forget that REALLY crap cliche: there are no ugly people, only lazy people. that's a joke ok, not mantra.

just live with yourself. and believe that someone up there watches over your coming and going. you'll do much better, trust me.

Monday 7 January 2008

schooling style

second semester starts tmr. WHEE! excited! (the trans-seasonal sales are SO horrid anyway. i don't even want to shop! more abt that later)
my core modules are Asians in Hollywood, Victorian Lit, Singapore Lit & Culture (yay!!), survey of English Lit and my elective is Fundamentals of Linguistics.
i still dream of being a well-paid private-practicing speech pathologist, so i think i stand a better chance at getting that Masters of Speech Pathology spot if i do a minor in linguistics.
it's early days yet, but i hope it interests me. i heard linguistics is like a science (eeks.)

back to the shopping, sighs all around. the post-christmas/new year sales are driving me mad. Mess, mayhem, flawed clothes, YAWN... so what if prices are slashed. plus they advertise via ugly-looking-just-for-the-sales plastic bags that everyone totes all around. oh please stop the bargains. bring back the normally-overpriced clothes please!

a word of warning on Mango bags. i used a birthday voucher to get a white one recently. drawstring. gold-accented. A4. perfect for school. i used it on the day itself cos it complemented my outfit and guess what! the whole inner lining tore. how badly sewn! bad workmanship! i think my wallet in the zipper compartment was too heavy and dragged down the whole thing but STILL. no excuses. high street better start being high quality too. i was very displeased and got a cash refund. =) now i'm happy. but i mean, maybe might consider getting the same bag again. when the raw disappointment has faded off (haha. SO dramatic). cos i really like it and need a cheap white bag for school so there's no heartache when the pen-ink stains/dirt marks start to set in.

on a better note, i recommend those in favour of the nautical trend (that is very telling of spring's arrival. oh yea!) to hit topshop. tons of navy-and-white pinstripes, gold buttons, red, sailor-esque french-riviera-reminiscent stuff. i was so excited when i discovered a pair of tailored shorts at the wisma branch. navy-and-white pinstripes, gold buttons. HAHA. sound familiar? $90. shorts are good for school. good investment. no need to dwell on the price further. proceed to cashier. pay. browse somemore to check if neglecting any hidden good stuff. leave shop.

VERY HAPPY. now, i need a manicure. but i can't. cos i'm back to dancing. which is another topic worthy of squeals and shrieks. but i'll leave that for another day. heart rate rising. haha. take care

Saturday 5 January 2008

love at first sight

yesterday at pet safari at vivo, i asked to see a 2mth old chow chow puppy.
instead of just allowing me to stroke him, the guy passed the baby to me.
as i held him on my right shoulder i was the happiest girl in the world.
he stank so bad, but he had the softest fur and the most adorable face.
dogs are one of God's best creations ever.
they completely own cats, rabbits, hamsters, fish and all that jazz. bah.
dogs rule.