Thank yous for 2014

I have adopted this habit from my younger sister to count blessings at the end of every year. I did it on FB only to realize some of the people I want to thank are not there, hence here.

I think it is a very good habit. We always read inspirational quotes that tell us to count our blessings but literally listing it out on cyberspace, is far more practical than just thinking about it after reading the inspirational quotes. That way, we can always revisit the post and bring in the silver linings whenever we face the daily challenges, stresses and annoyances throughout our lives as we always do as human beings. A little dose of gratitude, goes a long loooong way. 

1. I thank God for healing me of dengue after a horrible episode of prolonged decline in platelets, endless vomiting, high fever and chills. I thought that I would never pull out of it because I could not nourish myself to fight it. As those who know me would know, I am always over-confident of my strong immunity. Never in my life have I ever been admitted to a hospital for anything! Yet this time, I felt so helpless and weak. I thank all the people who cared for me while I was at my worst; my parents, my husband Alvin, my sister Yee Wean, my bestfriend Hazel, my cell-leader Elizabeth, my pastor Pr Lee Choo, my MTAS gang Mei Wei, Cindee, Vinsky, etc, my cellgroup Ee Vonn, Wendy & Patrick, my new colleague Christine, ... for being there for me in person. Every little bit of care and concern means the world to me! And thank you to those who couldn't be there but sent forth your wishes and prayers too! Nothing in modern medicine or technology could've healed me more than the cares of the people close to me. There is afterall no cure for dengue. I have never been more thankful to be alive, or to be able to sleep in my own bed, or to be able to eat without vomiting after.
2. I thank God for the Short + Sweet journey this year with my hubby Alvin. It seems that whenever we collaborate, amazing things happen. We are better together than apart as S+S proves it. ;) I thank Ross for taking our "baby" to great heights and putting our vision into action!! Thanks to Shen for making the music sound superb!! Love it!! I thank the entire team from 300 Million: A Reconceptualization of Conception and A Woman At War for a memorable journey and for the endless commitment put in.
3. I thank God for saving my dad's life after the horrifying heart-attack in April while both my sister and myself were abroad. It was a shock to us seeing how healthy and fit he is for his age. He's fitter than some 30year-olds I know! It really taught us how temporary our lives are in this world and nobody is immune to sickness or death and not take health for granted. It taught us to appreciate what truly matters in life and not just the passing distractions. I am just super glad and thankful I still have time to spend with both my parents and my entire family is still whole.
4. I thank God for my husband Alvin, who stands by me through thick and thin... and walks all my crazy journeys with me; be it in the arts, in ministry, in life, this year... in sickness and in health. Thank you for making me laugh even when I can't manage a smile. Thank you for walking all our journeys together that deepens our understanding of each other's lives; we can talk about the stuff we go through to each other and really really relate!!
5. I thank God for the privilege to produce More Than A Show for SIBKL. Thanks for your faith in my Pr Lee Choo and Ronny. Although, I kinda failed you guys at the very last lap when I got dengue, you guys took over the baton so readily and willingly. I could never have done it without you. Thanks to Mei Wei, Zara, Alvin, Janet, Charmine, Cindee, and the entire cast and crew of MTAS for your endless commitment to make the show work. You guys are so awesome!!! I love you and miss you all... post-production syndrome. :( :( I am so ready and looking forward to 2015's Christmas Production!!
6. I thank God for opening up an opportunity for me in my career to venture out of my comfort zone in the world of the sick, into the big wide world of healthy people. It opened up my mind and my perspective of the way business or marketing is done. It gave me the opportunity to learn the true art of influencing people through mass-communications, touching emotions from afar and a lot of room for creativity exploration. I can clearly see how this wider experience in creativity will add so much value back to the emotionally compelling world of niche chronic diseases, which is ultimately still my first love and I miss it!
7. I thank God for my sister, Yee Wean who shares my love for travelling... not-in-style. Whilst there are many people who crave luxuries while travelling, we share the same objective in travelling, just experiencing regular life in that place, eat their food, watch their people, see things and walk, a lot. Don't over-plan, and go with the flow... tripadvisor and googlemaps have not failed us. We don't need a tourguide. Our Italy trip was perfect that way!
8. I thank God for my best friend in the whole wide world, Hazel who is always there for me through everything and supports me in everything I do. And makes the time to spend with me even with her crazy travelling schedule. This year, we managed to make a trip together to Krabi and it was the most relaxing, agenda-less trip ever. It was super wonderful!! In the world of so much busy-ness, it is a luxury to be agenda-less. I hope to take more trips with you!
9. I thank God for the opportunity to serve in the SIBKL Creative Ministry as a Video Editor. I want to thank Wai Yan, Shu-Ling, Desmond and Mei Lee for being such patient and wonderful teachers that have unlocked a new skill in me as a video editor which gives me new perspectives to add on to my passion in the performing arts. Videos gives me a whole new basket of toys to play with in the performing arts and storytelling! Joining CM-Production team was initally just a trial as I had always been in the worship ministry all my life. But I am definitely here to stay. I love it here!!
10. For the new colleagues I meet in my new job in this new industry; I have never met someone so remarkable as you, Christine; super objective minded, responsible and genuine. I am thankful and honoured to be your peer. You have my utmost respect as a person and I hope to see you go way further in your career. I am thankful to have a well-united team; Jocelyn and Jeslyn; both whom I can always rely on and have a high sense of team-unity even in challenging times. I really appreciate the sisterhood feeling that you girls give me and make me look forward to come to work. I am also thankful for my boss, David whom has a wealth of experience and is never selfish to share and mentor. On of being a nice empathetic person, he still holds high standards, principles and work ethics in his leadership... usually a very difficult balance to strike. I also appreciate his immense respect for our work-life balance.

See, you don't even need to look very hard, there is just too many things to be thankful for. Cheers to 2015, and bring on more of life to be thankful for!!!

♩ ♫ ♬ ♩ My epic Valentine ♩ ♫ ♬ ♩

In January, hubby had a eureka moment and decided to plan this year's Valentine's Day for us eventhough it's not his turn. We have this arrangement where we take turns every year to plan Valentine's Day so that not only is it fair, but we have an unspoken competition to outdo or out-love each other. ;-)

He created the event page and left me clues every week, sometimes more than 1 clue per week.

First clue were the colourful refreshing fruits.

 Then, in no particular order there were Wong Ah Fook, Parameswara, Ash Burn and Chilli Crab

 Then came the hardest clue of them all, a love poem.

And a platipus

It seemed like a bunch of random stuff that didn't make any sense to me. Except I connected the Wong Ah Fook, Parameswara and Sultan Abu Bakar (Ash Burn) to going southbound but I had thought we were going on a cuti-cuti Malaysia journey southbound and make our way back up to KL.

V-day came, and we carried our bagpacks and started walking from home ala Amazing Race. The weeks of anticipation had already made it epic before it began. It was so exciting. We then boarded a cab, he told me to tell the cabby where we were going... I looked back at him and told the cab driver "er, KL Sentral" and looked back at him. He asked if I was sure it was KL Sentral, I said 70% sure. Since he made me pack my TouchnGo card, I deduced a train-ride involved. It turned out he said we didn't use the TouchnGo anyway. From KL Sentral, again he asked where should we go next? I was only 50% sure this time, it could be a KTM train outstation or it could be LCCT. 

As we made our way down to the airport shuttle busses, I found out we were going to LCCT.

At the airport, he was too relaxed and we took our time with lunch and 2nd round lunch for him. I knew our flight was not so early, so I guess, not the Penang or KK flight which was too early. And we cannot be leaving the country because he did not specify to pack my passport. It must be a domestic flight.

So many flights, yang mana satu??? With the earlier clues connecting Johor and Melaka, I deduced that it had to be Johor since Melaka had no flights.

As we made our way inside the boarding area, he still hadn't shown me the ticket. He asked how sure I was about Johor, I said, 60% due to the clues. I deduced that we will not fly back but take a bus northbound after Johor so that we can go to Melaka, our favourite foodspot on the way back, hence the Parameswara. Ok, my history really really sucks back in school. I wasn't sure about any of my hypothesis but I sure was excited no matter what it was.

Finally I managed to peek at the ticket and saw the number... Indeed Johor was the right answer!!!
Our flight called for boarding anyway, so I would've known sooner or later.

Arrived in Senai!! What the hell will we do in Johor?? Or is it just the starting point of the journey? he said the he will give me a note to let me know what else is in store once we reach the hotel.

The first few clues started to unravel and make sense, we went to Jalan Wong Ah Fook, and checked into Citrus Hotel!!! Hmm, checking in to Johor does not sound like it's a starting point of a journey northbound.

Lo and behold, he showed me a Singapore Dollar "note". Then I asked how??? I didn't bring my passport. Guess who stole it?? I didn't even know he knew where I kept it. Moreover, I don't always keep my passport in the same place due to convnience, laziness or procrastination. Even I have to hunt for it when I need it usually.

We walked over to the CIQ and were on our way! The immigration officer asked for my address in Singapore eventhough it was a day-trip. Errr... I bet if he was one of those guys in "Lie to Me" he would've caught me. I said "Marina Bay Sands" with so little conviction that my acting teacher would cringe. I suspected we'd be watching a show. Why else would we go to Singapore... takkan la food?? he let me pass anyway. Phew!

 

I am ready to go over the causeway!

Past the causeway, a couple of MRT rides and voila... we were in Bugis Junction. As we walked around, he said that I had to find our dinner spot as he is not going to lead me there. Let me see... Chilli Crabs?? That would be in Clark Quay. Not right. So I went through the shop directory and saw... jeng jeng jeng!!! 

So, that's why the random platipus swimming photo was about. The place was lovely and quiet. Our table was ready for us as he had already made reservations.

The smug planner and the happy traveller. :) The pasta was great... there were many many choices and I had this truffle carbonara thingy that was yumz!

He gave one last clue about what we will be watching... something to do with rain. I said "Singing In the Rain?" I didn't want to use roaming data so I can't google what was on in Singapore at the time. He didn't seem convinced and it suddenly hit me..."the rain in Spain stays mainly on the plane". We are watch my childhood favourite "My Fair Lady"!!!!
My Fair Lady! Wouldn't it be lov-vely... lov-vely?? Turns out the love poem was Audrey Hepburn's favourite. It was even read at the funeral. Lovely.

Everything revealed itself... not all at once, but layer by layer, like an onion. Making that reeling feeling last longer. And you just want to savour every waking moment.

I love you Alvin... more and more each year. Only you know me like the way you know me, only you can love me the way you love me. ❤ I LOVE YOU!!! ❤

OMGEEEEEEE... next year is my turn to plan. How to out-do this??? @_@ But I think it's uber cool that we compete to love each other better, that way... we keep getting better at it. Right? ❤

A beachy break

Sawadeekah Phuket!

Hubby and I have just returned from a nice break in Phuket. It's been from one hectic production to the next. First Empress Wu: The Musical, then straight into EverWorld: The Musical. We've been looking forward to some "OFF" time together. Off from productions, off from work, and off from data roaming hehehe.

Our abode... cosy

swim swim swim!! 

Other than the heavenly Thai massages, everything else in Patong is horribly expensive. Food, shopping, transportation, excursions, etc etc. A regular meal at a kopitiam-ish place costs us about RM60!! Initially I thought I'm on sabbatical and is extra broke at this time, everything feels relatively more expensive... but even McDonald's costs about RM18-20 per medium combo meal. Bleh.

We had a wonderful time anyway, we both love Thai food... to da max!! And we both love massages. For RM25, you can get yourself an hour's worth of a full body Thai massage! Nice!!! Can get massages to our hearts' content! :) :) :)

We obviously ate to our hearts stomach's content!! We did minimal shopping only... it's not as satisfying or as good a bargain as shopping in Bangkok. 

burgers!!

mango sticky rice!

on the bus to Phuket Town

We took the long route to the airport via the public bus... other than costing us less than a taxi, it is always enchanting to take long routes because of what you see along the way; community of kampungs along the way, independent children taking the bus home on their own about 20km from their school, small vendors along the rural roads... just people living their simple lives reminding me how brattily spoilt I can be in the comfort of our blessed nation. Yup, we should always be thankful.

Thai food galore!! Hubs sure loves his tomyum & green curry!

all kinds of everything!!! YUM!

Time away from everyone and everything is always nice... and hubs brought his Dale shirt, the cute shirt he wore years ago at one fateful sales meeting in Lumut... when I first had a mini-crush on him. hehehe. Look what that crush has grown into!! ♥ ♥ ♥ 

see the resemblance??

Guys' Guide to Gifts for their Gals

Wanted to write this post for some time but never got down to it til now. I know that February & March is a stressful season for my hubby in the area of gift-giving... Valentine's Day, my birthday then our wedding anniversary all in the span of a little over a month. The fact that he IS stressed is already very sweet. :* So, this post is pretty much dedicated to him to help him ease that stress whenever this season comes by. This guide may not be effective for all women out there unless they are the same species as me...hehehe.  the problem with women is, no two are exactly the same. Yes, we are complicated. :p I will only cover 4 occasions; Valentines, Birthdays, Anniversaries and Christmas. All gifts should be planned ahead, it shows sincerity and effort. The monetary value of the gift is insignificant.

Valentine's Day

A day I suspect marketeers of the Floral and Chocolate industry probably created to boost sales. But thankfully, hubby has never been a victim of this marketing ploy... coz erm, I don't like flowers and I don't like chocolates. I'm weird as chocolates will end up expiring in my fridge, even the best kind. For this non-personal commercially created day, the gift need not be very personal but should be something romantic that both persons can enjoy. Eg. sexy lingerie on a bed with rose-petals and aromatherapy candles lit up, or a night in a hotel with a big jacuzzi for 2, etc. Get the picture? Anyway, since this is just a commercial holiday, we have decided to take responsibility for planning it alternate-yearly.

Birthday

This is her day. It's all about her and her alone. This gift should be something she has been eyeing for weeks or months. The longer she has been looking for it without finding it, the better the effect of the gift. It should not be something practical, not a need. It should be something she wants. Go stalk her computer for stuff she left in her favourite online shop's "shopping-cart" or stalk her facebook for any wall conversations with her girlfriends about stuff she is looking for. Or call her bestie or sister. In this case, stalking is a good thing. 

Anniversary

This is a celebration of your union. This is the significant day when 2 became 1. Like Valentine's Day, it should also be a gift that both persons can enjoy. But unlike Valentine's Day, this day is personal... it is close to the heart and it is only significant and important to the 2 of you. So, just like the day, the gift must be personal... something both of you share. Eg. a vacation to the place you had your honeymoon, a class learning about something you are both passionate about, reenact your wedding proposal, etc.

Christmas

This is the easiest, as this is not a personal holiday or a romantic one. It where you give presents to all the human beings close to you; mother, father, sister, best friend, church mates, etc etc and of course your partner. So, this gift can be practically anything... for me, it would be anything practical. I hate receiving generic gifts like photo-frames and paper-weights which is why I refrain from being involved in any gift-exchange activities. I think it is a waste of the Earth's resources. At least those secret santa / secret guardian angel type of activities will have everyone ending up with gifts they can actually use.

I hope this helps to eliminate the need for mind-reading and alleviate the pain of gift-planning for hubbies out there! =)

Think With Your Heart

Finally have a little bit of free time 4 my much neglected blog.

Back in my school days, I used to love Debbie Gibson coz I thought she was very talented... She writes songs, plays the piano and sings. I loved her songs too as they were all about idealistic love, the kind of love that I believe in. I particularly liked the album "Think With Your Heart".

Coz I believe in thinking with your heart... well, at least as far as love is concerned. And I used to love the first song "For Better Or Worse", dreaming of singing it & playing the piano to my future husband one day.

My sister and I used to play the album really often... it was a cassette! (yeah, I'm that old...hehehe) But now, with the extinction of the cassette player, I couldn't listen to it anymore. And I was hunting around for the CD but since that album didnt quite do too well, and it is really old... it was nowhere to be found. :( Then I sorta forgot about it after a while.

This birthday, when I unwrapped the pressie hubby gave me... guess what I saw???


Now I really have someone to sing and play "For Better or Worse" to. :) :) :)

Another beautiful song

What a beautiful song... but so sad... true love should always have a happy ending.

And that dress, so romantic, flowy and in the colour of the ocean. So pretty!!

Hmmm... can ciplak some ideas from it for my wedding dress! :)

Wedding planning

Finally found a place for the wedding banquet... unlike house hunting, this was a pretty easy task. We both practically fell in love with the first place we looked.

1. It is close by to our church. About 5-10 mins drive away. :)

2. Plenty of parking spaces. :)


3. Nice big banquet hall... :)


with huge glass windows overlooking some greenery. :)

4. Strictly halal; no headaches in seating arrangements! :)


5. The walk-way into the restaurant is pretty too...plenty of greens. :)


Pretty koi fishies!! :)

6. The food is good, I know coz our church had a function there before. :)

Am so excited!! :) :) :) :)

I'd better get back to studying... only 2 more days to exam!!

The proposal...

Last nite was our usual cellgroup meeting. After the usual Bible study stuff, it was makan time. They celebrated my birthday for me and Eric, as we do every year.

While we were having our supper, Wai Ling, my cell-leader said she had a video to show us. Me, missing church so often lately due to my studies thought it could be an event I missed in church.

As the video started... I realized, this aint any ordinary video. Know what was in store for me?





How can a girl not say yes to that??? :) :) :)

The next big step...

Guess what?

Alvin proposed tonite, and I said yes!!!


It's d next big step for us... towards our very own happy-everafter! And I can't wait!!

Wanna know how he proposed? I'll save that for later... :)

Wedding nuisance

A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with my ex-boss. He asked... "When are you getting married?"

Then later that week, I had dinner with my cousins. One of them asked... "So, when are you getting married?"

Then last week, my mom just asked me... "So when are you and Alvin getting married?"

The several days ago, I went to HKL. The nurse asked me... "So, when are you getting married?"

Today afternoon, I went to University Hospital. Another 2 more nurses asked me...
"So, when are you getting married ar?"

The later in the evening at the gym, another friend asked... "So, when are Alvin and you getting married?"

AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!! Why does everyone have an obsession with other people getting married?

I know that most people get married around my age. That doesn't mean I have to get married at the same age as everyone else. Since when is there an unwritten rule that people can only get married before they hit 30?

The right timing for marriage is indiviualistic and unique to each couple. Some get married after a couple of months of dating, and some get married after 10 years of dating. Marriages are not mass-produced products that have the exact same characteristics down to the T.

I got home and found that I've received a wedding invitation from an old friend. I am happy for her and am looking forward to see her at her wedding. However, I truly dread THE question that will definitely pop-up from the other guests at my table... "When is your turn ar?"

I will definitely let everyone know if I am in fact getting married, OK??!!!


Right now, there is NO wedding yet so get over it and get a life!

The worst part about this annoying question is that there will be no end to it. Once you are married, the frequency of these annoying questions won't stop... just rephrased... "So when are you having kids ar?" For someone like me who never wants kids... I guess I would have to put up with that question for life eh???

Who to give your best?

I wonder why is it always easiest to hurt those closest to you? Why is it most difficult to take criticism constructively from those closest to you?

When your boss tells you your flaws, you take it constructively and improve yourself in your work.
When your lecturer/teacher tells you you are weak in a certain area, you works hard on those areas.
When your dance/vocal trainer tells you you gotta work on your rhythm, you spend many more hours practising.

Are we born great employees? Great students? Great sportsmen? Great dancers? Great singers?
No, we take conscious effort to better ourselves to reach that level of greatness!

But...
When you mom tells you you should not befriend your drinking, partying fair-weathered "friends", you yell at her for denying you your rights to choose your own friends.
When your church friends tells you to break-up with your married boyfriend, you yell at them for imposing their self-rightous ways on you.
When your wife tells you to write down things so that you would not carelessly forget, you yell at her for nagging... you can't change, so accept it or leave!

Your mom loves you and worries about your safety.
Your church friends loves you and worries about your future.
Your wife loves you and worries that carelessness could cause you detrimental consequences.

But because they love you, you know they will forgive you.

Why do people do the best in their efforst to improve themselves for everyone else but those that love them? Don't these loved ones deserve your best?
Do give them your best before one day when it's too late. For your best will give them the greatest joy in life... much more joy than your boss, your lecturer, your trainer to whom you give your best to, ever will.

Vacation with baby!

Notice that I've checked off "vacation with baby' from my "heart's desires" on the side bar?
Well, we went to Kuala Terengganu last week!! Bf won the stay in Suria Merang Resort.


A quiet resort...

But the highlights of the trip was not the resort. The ingredients that made this a wonderful trip are:


The company


White sandy beaches


Clear blue sea

What more can a girl ask for?
Stay tuned for more on the trip!!