..and xmas came n gone...

2009 on the whole has been a relatively smooth sailing year...there were some slight hiccups but things blew over quickly. i remember wishing at the end of 2008 that 2009 would be a better year and this wish came true.

my wish for 2010 is to...
earn more money!
travel more
enjoy life more
and be healthy......
and for everyone around me to be healthy.....

more photos from korea

just couldnt resist posting more of the photos taken in korea, for remembrance sake..

let it snow let it snow

i'm back from the land of 'kimchi", as zx so put it. indeed, every single meal came with kimchi and those small little bowls of seaweed, veg and more veg, which both me and bf do not eat. but the bbq pork, the ginseng chicken and rice were tasty. the trip was great, really did enjoy myself. we went with a tour and met some interesting people. the group was mainly made of families, parents who brought their children out during the school hols. me and bf got acquainted with some aunties who the way they treated us, reminded us of our parents.

the weather was cold but not as cold as expected when we were at jeju at the start of the trip. we could stay outdoors without jackets. however progressively, temperatures dropped. just before we left seoul, it was close to -7 degrees. VERY cold. regrettedly, we didnt get to see any snow. sigh!

some of my favourites in korea (not the full collection yet as i havent uploaded all my photos) . it's the real stuff, no photoshopping at all!

my favourite activity - skiing at yongpyong resort, where winter sonata was filmed.

the thrill of the speed when you're skiing down the slope..whoa, wish i could do it all over again.

the coldest place during my trip in korea - we took a cable car to the top of the mountain, dragon peak, where the ski slope starts.

snow snow everywhere, freezing cold when the wind blows.

my fav pic - the most beautiful place in the entire trip - nami island, where winter sonata was filmed also.

the happiest place in korea - everland


the most adorable animal - sexy bear at safari in Everland

myongdong - korea's shopping district. the lightboxes reminded me of hong kong!


more to come soon!

**

i saw how this pair of sisters treated each other and their mum during the trip. it made me feel ashamed of myself. why cant i give my love to someone as unconditionally as they do? why cant be as selfless?

perhaps once upon a time i was like that, but i've already learned the danger of giving it all. it's like forcing yourself into a dead end with no other way route to escape should plan A fails. so we have learned to adjust and accommodate - give in moderation, so that if the blow does come one day, we already have an airbag prepared in front of our chest to buffer the pain.

having said that, i've this sudden impulse to love him more
give him more of my love
wish for nothing in return
letting it go
is it possible to do that?

also, i've come to realised - the older one gets, the more one understands the meaning of fear
it doesnt get any easier; it gets worse
like a baby who has never fallen before, has no fear of walking
like a hand which got scalded before, will stay away from kettles
like a teenager who was humiliated in front of his classmates, will shun the limelight
some things just dont get easier with age

team werewolf

i was 3/4 into the book when i watched the movie, new moon. for those who didnt read the book, they must have found the movie painfully slow and draggy. but for me, the pace was actually much faster than the book, cos i know i took damn long just to get to the part, but we were just 15 mins into the movie.

the movie follows the progression of the story quite religiously, so much so that i could recognise most of the dialogue as straight off the book. but as in twilight, i cant help but find the exchanges between edward and bella awkward. why is he speaking like he is constipated?? and she really does seemed to have one expression only throughout the book - that pained, blank look.

wish the movie skipped some of the parts, and spent a bit more time developing the characters and relationships between the wolf and the girl, and the girl and the vampire. instead, there's length but no depth.

anyhow, i totally agree that this movie is targetted at ladies between ages of 13 to 30. if you dont fulfill either criterias, chances are you'll hate the movie.

***warning! you'll think i'm a 16 yr old teenage girl after reading the following paragraph***
i'm in love with jacob black. yes, he does look a little weirrrd (and i think he looks crappy with long hair). but he was so sweet and endearing, with this everlasting happy aura surrounding him (before he turned in a werewolf that is). he was obviously head over heels for her; you can tell just by looking at the way he looks at her. in the presence of such intense fierce love (even though it's really only on-screen and fictitious), it makes my heart melt...

and let's not forget, that HOT BOD. he is officially my fav character in the movie hehehe. i'm officially on the team WEREWOLF HAHAH.

love - in reminiscence

and this was something i wrote on this very blog 5 yrs back.

***

Love

Sunday, August 01, 2004 // 2:49 PM

How do you know when the person you're in love with is the true love of your life? I always believe in a person's lifetime, he or she will meet this other person, this person whom he is destined to be with...and when this person appears, you will know. You just know, deep in your heart. It's true. I have seen many examples around me. But sometimes people break up. Sometimes you meet the right person at the wrong time, sometimes you meet the wrong person at the right time...


***

isnt it sad that marriage and love arent always synonymous? marriage is about meeting the right person at the right time. as for love, it has no limitations as to where or when or how you would meet that special someone.

it seems that at the age of 19, i have already grasped this basic concept.

am 1/4 into the book NEW moon now and i'm still waiting for the action to begin. it's such a whinny book, i have no idea why people said it's good!

anyway, just read some totally horrendous reviews on new moon, the movie. think i've second thoughts whether i want to watch it.

i'm so glad i'm on off tomorrow!

although i must admit, i havent been working as hard for this show as i did previously. without really meaning to, i have taken a step back and taken a huge chill pill. not that i've been particularly useful before, but at least i had made an effort to be actively involved.

oh well, my excuse being the additional job scopes assigned to me. you take some and you give some right?

afterall, i'll be going KL on friday and experiencing the same things all over again!!

this weekend, i
1. shopped for wii
2. played wii and bought wii guns and more games
3. successfully organised bf's semi-surprise bday dinner
4. worked
5. took the train from changi airport to expo so as to avoid the jam and long queues at expo
6. clubbed at zouk where i havent been to for at least 6 months.
7. drank long island tea and flaming lambo - both which i havent touched for at least 1 yr odd.
8. got a really bad hangover at work the next day.
9. clubbed at dragonfly/boiler/lobby with colleagues
10. contemplated buying a netbook

NOV is gonneee...DEC will be a happy happy month with xmas just around the corner...

oooh checked out the weather in korea and it's already -2 °C over there now.

brrr...

freeze the brains

suddenly feel the urge to take a month off, and fly fly fly away. to anywhere will do. to rome where you're literally stepping on hundreds and thousands years of history to cambodia where we once climbed the steep steps of angkor wat (which according to alex, has already eroded by now and is closed off to the public), to vegas where we were staying at golden nugget hotel and playing with the water tunnel, to new york where i was happily eating pinkberry (saw this yogurt place at iluma that appears exactly like pinkberry except for the name, shall go and try it one of these days), to mauritius where there was only the sun the sea the sand and me...

i'm going korea in dec - the land of the frozen. did i mention how much i hated feeling and looking like a dumpling the last time i went to korea, because of all the thick clothing we have to pile on?

but perhaps, just for the sake of a change in environment and lifestyle, it's good to freeze my brains out.

i had a good weekend meeting up with old friends. the pa 7 groupie on friday night, where fengyi handed out her wedding cards to us. also found out that X and her bf have broken up, just when they were about to apply for a flat (this procedure comes before marriage these days). the guy's mum told them they can only get married at 30, otherwise they will get divorced. honestly!? who still believe in such things these days? X is my age, 24.

that wasnt the worst. the guy agreed and did not stood by her. we agreed that she is better off without him. better to end it off now when they're both still young than to wait till she is 30 to realise they're not meant to be.

also met up with the rgs girls on sunday. rachel is going to be a mother and she looks wonderful! done deal, she said. no more partying and late nights, but hey, we all got to move on one day. and looking at the number of people around me tying the knot, it shouldnt be too long before we all move on.

A, B and D

so tired. it's only monday, and i know i should be feeling refreshed. but neh, i'm not.

i feel so sian.

last week was madness. i was so busy i was like a tornado moving from meeting to meeting, trying to resolve one issue after another. i literally had no time to pause and take a breather. on one hand it does feel good to be so pseudo-productive; on the other hand, you just kind of get lost in it all.

i try so hard to juggle A, B and D but these days, it's starting to occur to me that i will be better off abandoning A and just concentrating on B and D.

my sister's keeper has got to be one of the most heartbreaking show i've ever watched in my life.

dont you feel lucky just to be born with 10 intact fingers and toes?

i feel blessed just to be alive.

no money? no career? no car? no looks?

they only matter if you're healthy.

never knew eating could be such a chore!

Things are slightly better than before now. i'm starting to realise how everything seems so much lighter now when i have learnt how to let go. nothing is fair in life - that's a fact. someone might get more chocolates than you, but if you really think about it carefully, you probably had more strawberries. frankly, it serves no purpose counting those lost chocolates that you thought were rightfully yours. what's lost is lost - brooding backfires and decreases productivity. look forward. you might have taken a longer route, but you turned out just fine.

in life, you got to lose some, in order to win some - you cant have best of everything. you cant visit the pyramids, and expect to climb mount fuji at the same time. exactly what i've been trying to do, and hence the reason why i'm still stuck at the first few steps for both.

the bf is right. you're who you think you are. if you think you're a superman, then you can fly. if you think you're a chicken, then be prepared to get slaughtered.

it's time to rise up to the occasion.

you're better than that.

got to keep on believing.

a mother's love

the fundatmentals for one's existence is purpose.

this must be the reason why there are so many suicides in this world.

human beings cant live without a purpose.

i remember a period in my teenage years when i was constantly in a state of depression, searching for my sense of identity.

i didnt know what i was living for.

i'm in a similar state now, albeit in a different context.

i'm tired of seeing everything, but not doing anything.

i want to know what i am supposed to do and know how i'm supposed to contribute.

come to think of it, the root of the problem lies in the lack of fulfillment, the lack of self-satisfaction and hence resulting in a lack of motivation.

this has to be rectified.

***

on another note, just being random, thought of something my colleague mentioned the other day:

i never knew my husband has the capacity to love a person so much, until we had my son.

i'm curious. is anyone really capable of loving someone so much, whole heartedly, unconditionally?

would i feel the same way, when i become a mother?

would it only happen, when i become a mother?

do all mothers feel the same?

does the love for your children, surpass any other sort of love that exist?

wouldnt it be tragic, if someone live through life, without ever knowing what love truly is.

congratulations myy besstieee!!!

it's heart warming to think about the ups and downs i've been through with you, and now finally, you've reached the finishing line.

i have always known that YOUR day will come sooner than mine.

anyway am soo happy that you have found your happiness. WHEE!

lateral training

quite excited really, although i understand i will once again be improving laterally, but losing out on in-depth training.

jack of all trades, but master of none - which may not exactly be a bad thing right?

kind of reminds me of O levels, where we took 9 subjects, as compared to 4 only for As.

oh well, i guess i will give myself a bit more time and see where it goes.

lesson no. 1:
in order to succeed in life, you must learn how to package your words. never bare all your thoughts out on the table. THINK, process, filter, package, and then present your points systematically, with supporting evidence, and always keeping in mind the objectives.

if you dont filter, you may end up saying things that would turn around and shoot you in the face.

if you're not systematic, you may end up talking about everything else except the point you're trying to make.

if you dont have supporting evidence, your claims will end up crumbling and you'll end up looking really stupid.

if you dont have an end in mind, then sure enough, you'll never get to your end.

there's a reason for everything.

i got to keep all these in mind, because too often i do things based on feel, and not logic. this concept totally does not work out in business.

there IS a REASON for everything.

time traveler's wife

last week was hell. i have been so busy. by the looks of it, the coming week ain't gonna get any better.

the word that reverbrates through my head most often these days, sadly remains to be the same subject i brought up some weeks ago: incompetency. somehow, i'm still unable to shake that lousy feeling off. i have done nothing that has remotely impresses me enough to be make me feel clever. and note that i have said impresses me, and not my bosses or colleagues, because most of the time, it's really all internal.

in fact, in all instances, i'm the one grading myself. and the more i do, the more things i find myself lacking, be it in negotiations, knowledge, analytically, strategic planning..... so much so that i find myself not comprehending why some people can still hold such confidence in me, despite seeing me fumble and fall so many times.

sigh, ok moving on from the heavier topic...

watched time traveller's wife today and i thought it was pretty decent, though it is in no way comparable to the book. i'm a massive fan of the novel; there was so much more content. the movie pretty much stayed true to the book, though there were many other stories revolving around the couple, friends and families that werent illustrated. figured they werent be able to squeeze everything into a 2hr film, so that wasnt quite surprising. i thought rachel mcadams was perfect as claire, still can remember her from the notebook, another heartachingly touching movie. i knew the ending right from the beginning, but was touched all the same. in fact, i was SAD before it actually happened because i already knew what was going to come next.

me, the weirdo.

alba, we named her alba

was gym-ing on sat, and came across this quote on someone's water bottle:

you're what you do repeatedly
excellence is not an act, but a habit.

hmm.

this is why people who succeed in one thing, seem to do well in every other thing also.

it's not just the aptitude that matters, but the attitude.

i need to buck up.

after so long, why do i feel like i'm back at square one again?

have i been circling? have i made no progress?

sigh.

Mauritius

Arrival at the Mauritius airport - we were welcomed with fantastic weather!

My boss dying for a smoke, after the 7 hrs long flight

we stayed at sofitel resort, wonderful hotel with the most COMFY BED i've ever slept on. the room was very nice, too nice for one person...

the balcony at the end of the room opens up to a sea view, (although it was kind of blocked by some coconut trees), the perfect place to chill with a glass a wine..

a huge pool, but a pity the water was ice cold, probably because it was winter. my teeth starting chattering the moment my whole body was submerged in water, had to keep swimming laps to generate heat. brrrr...

cold it might be, but i still couldnt resist it.

horse-riding in the sunset -a heart-achingly romantic moment

watching the sky translate into different shades of purple and orange


blue blue crystal clear waters that put sentosa to shame

soft fine sand that collaspes under your feet

in the presence of such pristine beauty, there stood a lonesome figure...THATS ME!!

couldnt resist taking a few more pics of the sea, just to give proof to myself how BLUE it really was.

to be honest, i kind of thought the beach and the sea look better in the photos than in reality...but who is to know until you go there and see for yourself. i dont want to burst anyone's bubble!

taken to lunch at a restaurant surrounded by nature

me on the streets on port louis, the dusty and congested capital of the country. roads have been laned since the colonial times.

new showroom showcasing toshiba notebooks

my boss and our mauritian partner

all in all, i must said i had a good trip, although it was really more work than play. i treasured the little time i had by the beach, and the peace and tranquility one can almost never get in singapore. it was just me, myself, my thoughts, and the sun, sea and sand standing witness to my presence.

life in mauritius is obviously slower paced. the people there are also more carefree and easy going. when it relates to work, there is a lack of tension and stress that we would normally feel in singapore.

i wish i could stay there longer; to enjoy the illusion that i'm living in another world.