I'm not a writer by profession so I feel silly when I say I've got a bad case of writer's block. Inspiration that once came easily and fluidly now takes a lot of work and energy. I used to be able to observe a scenario, think of an idea and then write about it, linking it to the various things my thought process goes through.
I even second-guess my sentence constructions now and it's not looking pretty.
I'd blame it on insomnia. Insomnia plays a huge part in my life. I use the word loosely, and I'm not medically an insomniac. No amount of exercise can actually make me collapse earlier than midnight - I'd still be too mentally stimulated and craving to put in some time for music inspiration, music arrangements, Korean study, catching up on the news etc, or even my last resort to tire myself - playing various versions of Candy Crush until I have no more (game) lives.
My eye bags have been a permanent resident on my face, and I guess a gloomy, sallow face does nothing for your popularity but I've never regretted my lifestyle. I've been working to normalise my lifestyle after starting life as a working adult - i.e. eating healthier some times a week and trying to exercise? It sounds like a feeble attempt, but I like to start with baby steps so I don't get sick of "trying to be healthy" so quickly. I don't find being healthy cool or anything - if I do it, I promise you it's just for longevity. Haha.
Anyway, I decided to write this to check in with the small number of faithful readers that I have. I am honoured to see the views on certain posts to be unexpectedly high (for my writing standard), and some of you even left messages on certain posts - so sweet of you guys! If in any way, I have inspired you or provoked you to proactively choose to be, say, happier or more true to yourself, or more gracious towards people, yay. One life inspired by my random ramblings is good enough for me. I also hope that some of my photography managed to make your day a little more colourful and that you enjoyed my post-holiday photo-heavy posts.
As you all know, I tend to take a confessional approach in my writing - straight honesty and opinions that come from the heart/mind - and I don't necessarily enjoy pretentious stuff, any kind of it. Writing can be very fluffy and big vocabulary can be distracting, but I try my very best to write with vocabulary that very purely communicate what I am really trying to say at each point in time. In the social media digital landscape that we find ourselves in right now, I think many times the essence of what we mean to say gets lost in 'translation' and get seriously misinterpreted. So that sucks, but-
Moving on, I've been working on some audio tracks with a guitarist and learning how to control my breathing and air-release (whatever that is called). I'm definitely learning to refine my vocal delivery and in a nutshell, up my game? No matter what, singing's always an avenue of release for me but to be totally honest, my first love's probably experimental dabbling and adding depth and fullness to clean arrangements --- much, much more than singing lead in anything.
Check out the latest track below (live) and HERE to hear what I've been up to:
Every day's a day to learn and improve so imma keep going.
With that, I end off!
I'll leave my engagement stuff to, well, the next time. (Yeap. I'm engaged!)
Love, and more,
Louisa
Showing posts with label Speak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Speak. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Friday, May 9, 2014
Thoughts on Success (I)
Let's face it.
Singapore is an achievement-oriented country.
Often, our worth in society is measured by how good our results are, do we have additional talents, what is our first job, even our part-time jobs pursued during university days get commented on...
Perhaps because of this, there is some degree of elitism in every single level of the so-called social hierarchy. Someone is always looking up towards someone or some thing (i.e. "I want to be a banker like my cousin", "I want to wear luxurious clothing, so I need to work hard now to afford it all next time"). Someone is always looking down on someone else (i.e. "You're just a waiter", "You're just an 'O' level holder"). It's a vicious cycle like that.
I find it difficult to define 'success'. It's just subjective and so personal that success in one person's life can be entirely different from success in another person's life. Loosely speaking, success for me is being the best in what you do. Of course I'm talking about legitimate occupations, technical skill sets or soft skills. Being really good at sleeping for long durations of time without waking up is not success, no matter how well you do it. Haha.
A successful butcher is one who is good at sourcing, evaluating, cutting, treating meat, has a wide and loyal customer base etc.
A successful chef is one who is good at creating recipes, replicating tastes, infusing different cultures into a plate, plating and making delectable food etc.
A successful pop star is one that is good at creating songs, communicating stories through song, performing and entertaining, reinventing himself/herself etc.
Success is being the best in what you do.
Wealth and personal recognition (as per the classical view of success) are great, but they are bonus items. The feeling of fulfilment and self-satisfaction that "I've achieved it" certainly doesn't fill our tummies, but that is the primary core motivation that makes one keep moving on to achieve bigger goals. I mean sure, there will always be outliers and people who just do it for the money. Or others who find it really win-win that they can do something they love and get paid for it too.
You can call me romantic but I'm pretty uncomfortable about monetizing things I love doing. I find the action of putting a price on a favourite activity takes out the vitality, joy, happiness, relaxation that the activity gives you. That kind of return is priceless.
Say I'm a tennis player. It makes me happy playing tennis, and I love playing tennis to relieve stress, relax, get fit etc. Moving to being a professional player in my opinion, takes away those 'benefits' of playing tennis. As a stress reliever, it becomes a pressure-giver and so on...
Whatever money you get doing what you love is a BONUS and should never the main reason why you do it.
I'm a practical person, so doing it for the money should be like my thing but sometimes seeing money as the sole goal can drain you of every other 'happy' benefit and from a bigger perspective, is that really practical for your general well-being? Is it really worth it?
Life is an experience. So make it good. A whole experience about chasing money down pavements just sounds incredibly exhausting and boring.
Because the fact is that the money will never be enough.
Success. Success is what you make it.
Singapore is an achievement-oriented country.
Often, our worth in society is measured by how good our results are, do we have additional talents, what is our first job, even our part-time jobs pursued during university days get commented on...
Perhaps because of this, there is some degree of elitism in every single level of the so-called social hierarchy. Someone is always looking up towards someone or some thing (i.e. "I want to be a banker like my cousin", "I want to wear luxurious clothing, so I need to work hard now to afford it all next time"). Someone is always looking down on someone else (i.e. "You're just a waiter", "You're just an 'O' level holder"). It's a vicious cycle like that.
I find it difficult to define 'success'. It's just subjective and so personal that success in one person's life can be entirely different from success in another person's life. Loosely speaking, success for me is being the best in what you do. Of course I'm talking about legitimate occupations, technical skill sets or soft skills. Being really good at sleeping for long durations of time without waking up is not success, no matter how well you do it. Haha.
A successful butcher is one who is good at sourcing, evaluating, cutting, treating meat, has a wide and loyal customer base etc.
A successful chef is one who is good at creating recipes, replicating tastes, infusing different cultures into a plate, plating and making delectable food etc.
A successful pop star is one that is good at creating songs, communicating stories through song, performing and entertaining, reinventing himself/herself etc.
Success is being the best in what you do.
Wealth and personal recognition (as per the classical view of success) are great, but they are bonus items. The feeling of fulfilment and self-satisfaction that "I've achieved it" certainly doesn't fill our tummies, but that is the primary core motivation that makes one keep moving on to achieve bigger goals. I mean sure, there will always be outliers and people who just do it for the money. Or others who find it really win-win that they can do something they love and get paid for it too.
You can call me romantic but I'm pretty uncomfortable about monetizing things I love doing. I find the action of putting a price on a favourite activity takes out the vitality, joy, happiness, relaxation that the activity gives you. That kind of return is priceless.
Say I'm a tennis player. It makes me happy playing tennis, and I love playing tennis to relieve stress, relax, get fit etc. Moving to being a professional player in my opinion, takes away those 'benefits' of playing tennis. As a stress reliever, it becomes a pressure-giver and so on...
Whatever money you get doing what you love is a BONUS and should never the main reason why you do it.
I'm a practical person, so doing it for the money should be like my thing but sometimes seeing money as the sole goal can drain you of every other 'happy' benefit and from a bigger perspective, is that really practical for your general well-being? Is it really worth it?
Life is an experience. So make it good. A whole experience about chasing money down pavements just sounds incredibly exhausting and boring.
Because the fact is that the money will never be enough.
Success. Success is what you make it.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Dishonesty Is The First Step Out The Door
Dishonesty is the first step out the door.
Human connections are often torn apart by dishonesty. There is nothing more deleterious than a little lie or a hidden truth. Being lied to or being hidden from the truth (perhaps even for our own good) stinks.
For the most part, I dislike finding out, by accident or by choice.
From human to human, we say things like "ah, feels like there's a wall between us", and "somehow we don't connect anymore" and we wonder how past friendships/relationships started off so awesome and so cool and ended off so badly you guys can't even look at each other anymore.
Sounds familiar?
You see, sometimes that small lie is like an infectious disease.
Say your new relationship is a freshly-mowed lawn equally split in 2 halves, each person owning one side. You guys talk, hit it off and really enjoy getting along and meeting up and sharing experiences together as friends/boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever. With every new similar interest or memory together, you plant a flower, a rose, a dandelion, a bean sprout (haha) onto your side of the lawn. These new plants represent added value to your relationship, and the new life on your lawn adds to the life expectancy of your combined lawn.
So realistically speaking, as with lawns, weeds and bugs come along. Weeds and bugs are natural and they come once in a while to mess up the lawn. If the relationship is quite stable, both of you work at it to keep the occasional weeds and bugs (small trivial problems and tiny arguments) off your beautiful lawn.
Little lies are like weeds, bigger lies are like super-weeds.
Every time you lie, or hide a certain truth, you voluntarily add weeds to your pretty and beautiful lawn. It begins the size of a small weed on a neatly-cut lawn, and that weed is so small you barely even notice it. As with things that you voluntarily put there yourself, of course, you won't trim the weed off when you see it. It didn't look wrong to be there in the first place.
Because the relationship is balanced by two people with a combined lawn, what happens on one side, affects the other. The thing about the hidden truths and small 'white' lies is that they snowball. When you learn to start lying, it gets easier to hide more truths. But even if you don't add new weeds, weeds grow and grow (usually requiring little or no care compared to their prettier counterparts), and eventually strangle the life out of the plants nearby. They eat away at the ties that bind the relationship until there is nothing left to hold the two objects firmly together.
There you have that plain lawn once again. That's where the wall comes in.
Sometimes even the lawn, the connection, is completely destroyed. The lawn is cut in two.
Relationships are always broken by the same humans who made the relationships possible.
So, choose Honesty. Choose the flora and the fauna.
P.S. I feel like a green thumb already.
Human connections are often torn apart by dishonesty. There is nothing more deleterious than a little lie or a hidden truth. Being lied to or being hidden from the truth (perhaps even for our own good) stinks.
For the most part, I dislike finding out, by accident or by choice.
From human to human, we say things like "ah, feels like there's a wall between us", and "somehow we don't connect anymore" and we wonder how past friendships/relationships started off so awesome and so cool and ended off so badly you guys can't even look at each other anymore.
Sounds familiar?
***
You see, sometimes that small lie is like an infectious disease.
Say your new relationship is a freshly-mowed lawn equally split in 2 halves, each person owning one side. You guys talk, hit it off and really enjoy getting along and meeting up and sharing experiences together as friends/boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever. With every new similar interest or memory together, you plant a flower, a rose, a dandelion, a bean sprout (haha) onto your side of the lawn. These new plants represent added value to your relationship, and the new life on your lawn adds to the life expectancy of your combined lawn.
So realistically speaking, as with lawns, weeds and bugs come along. Weeds and bugs are natural and they come once in a while to mess up the lawn. If the relationship is quite stable, both of you work at it to keep the occasional weeds and bugs (small trivial problems and tiny arguments) off your beautiful lawn.
Little lies are like weeds, bigger lies are like super-weeds.
Every time you lie, or hide a certain truth, you voluntarily add weeds to your pretty and beautiful lawn. It begins the size of a small weed on a neatly-cut lawn, and that weed is so small you barely even notice it. As with things that you voluntarily put there yourself, of course, you won't trim the weed off when you see it. It didn't look wrong to be there in the first place.
Because the relationship is balanced by two people with a combined lawn, what happens on one side, affects the other. The thing about the hidden truths and small 'white' lies is that they snowball. When you learn to start lying, it gets easier to hide more truths. But even if you don't add new weeds, weeds grow and grow (usually requiring little or no care compared to their prettier counterparts), and eventually strangle the life out of the plants nearby. They eat away at the ties that bind the relationship until there is nothing left to hold the two objects firmly together.
There you have that plain lawn once again. That's where the wall comes in.
Sometimes even the lawn, the connection, is completely destroyed. The lawn is cut in two.
***
Relationships are always broken by the same humans who made the relationships possible.
So, choose Honesty. Choose the flora and the fauna.
P.S. I feel like a green thumb already.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Baby-crazy.
Babies, they're all we ever talk about nowadays.
It is the sight of them that truly reminds me that everyone around me, has aged.
Yesterday was chaotic at my place, hosting two sessions of baby shower for my niece, who was born slightly less than a month ago on the 27th of January, and baby thoughts have certainly crept their way into my idle mind.
Do not misunderstand, I am not interested in having my own baby now. Haha, no not now. As my school teacher put it, "Babies are always cute, if they are not your own." As much as people say her saying is cynical and basically not a very nice thing to say, I think it's a fair statement to make as an unmarried woman at that time (She is now married and has her own kids, so please do not deem her a spinster just from that statement.)
I mean most babies are really cute, until they barf on your favourite top or something or start bawling in the shopping mall, inconsolable, and bursting everyone's eardrums exercising their powerful lungs. (Spoken from the perspective if the kid is not your own.) At which point, most people will hurry to get the recently-transformed devil-in-your-arms to its real parents. Hahahaha. Common sight, always.
So anyway, both my sisters have advanced on the life ladder, earning their place, not just as "Married" but as "Married and with Kids". I have the luxury of having a twin niece and twin nephew. (I'm not sure how you'd express it, but ok the point is one nephew and one niece born on the same day.) And last month, a newborn niece.
I've also managed to see my sisters through their pregnancies from about the 3rd month (no announcements until past the first trimester) on to the very day of their delivery, the babies in all their vulnerable smallness and fragile necks, poo-filled diapers, the smell, the milk-vomiting, the incessant crying when you remove their clothes for a bath... etc. But I've also witnessed the joy and happiness these babies bring to my sisters and the family in general.
Babies unite people. Haha. Just look at how everyone crowds round a baby.
It is the sight of them that truly reminds me that everyone around me, has aged.
Yesterday was chaotic at my place, hosting two sessions of baby shower for my niece, who was born slightly less than a month ago on the 27th of January, and baby thoughts have certainly crept their way into my idle mind.
Do not misunderstand, I am not interested in having my own baby now. Haha, no not now. As my school teacher put it, "Babies are always cute, if they are not your own." As much as people say her saying is cynical and basically not a very nice thing to say, I think it's a fair statement to make as an unmarried woman at that time (She is now married and has her own kids, so please do not deem her a spinster just from that statement.)
I mean most babies are really cute, until they barf on your favourite top or something or start bawling in the shopping mall, inconsolable, and bursting everyone's eardrums exercising their powerful lungs. (Spoken from the perspective if the kid is not your own.) At which point, most people will hurry to get the recently-transformed devil-in-your-arms to its real parents. Hahahaha. Common sight, always.
So anyway, both my sisters have advanced on the life ladder, earning their place, not just as "Married" but as "Married and with Kids". I have the luxury of having a twin niece and twin nephew. (I'm not sure how you'd express it, but ok the point is one nephew and one niece born on the same day.) And last month, a newborn niece.
I've also managed to see my sisters through their pregnancies from about the 3rd month (no announcements until past the first trimester) on to the very day of their delivery, the babies in all their vulnerable smallness and fragile necks, poo-filled diapers, the smell, the milk-vomiting, the incessant crying when you remove their clothes for a bath... etc. But I've also witnessed the joy and happiness these babies bring to my sisters and the family in general.
Babies unite people. Haha. Just look at how everyone crowds round a baby.
Haha. Now back to the real point I wanted to write about.
Yesterday's baby shower sessions opened my eyes to the fact that many of the people I've grown up with, or at least watched grow up along with me, are all slowly climbing up the "Life" ladder, including myself. Many are entering the house, no longer as 'teenagers' or 'singles' or 'dating couples' but entering as 'adults with careers', 'married - no longer dating - couples', 'married', 'engaged', 'married and expecting', 'married with kid(s)'. The older people who were originally adults are also now advancing into 'senior citizen' stage.
I think the most staggering part of it all was that some people have disappeared from the party invitation list because they have left this world.
To be fair, I am happy to be part of this ever-growing, ever-moving cycle. I live every day, I age every day... pretty much like everyone else. But it also scares me that every day may have a different outcome, and I am reminded that someone may disappear from my life just like that (or I myself, may disappear from this world). There is really no time for regrets, no time for hesitation.
Given a chance to be Edward Cullen and to live forever (minus all that blood-sucking and acting vegetarian drinking herbivores' blood...) on Earth, I suppose my answer would be no. It is too painful to watch your loved ones die away, and to be making new life for yourself for the rest of your life. The fact that I can change identity in every 50 years is pretty enticing, but other than that, living forever is just too painful.
Yesterday, it hit me that we're all (really) growing up, growing (really) old.
But the only steps we can take are forward.
Life will go on.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Top Moments of 2012
Feb 2012: Valentine's Day Photoshoot
An extremely touching surprise from JS. For those who don't really know me, I'm really an avid photographer at family events, and outside events. Because I spend so much time focusing on taking lots of pictures of every single detail of the party or event (Detailed freak speaking here...), there are really few pictures with me inside... So I mean, I do get kinda bummed out from that.
So well, he arranged a photoshoot so I could be a star of the photos for once (along with him of course). Haha. Super, super, super meaningful idea, and I can't help but appreciate meaningful ideas. (Who wouldn't?)
May 2012: My 21st Birthday Party!
Something I went completely apeshit about. I think that'd be an apt expression. Birthday party planning 3 months prior to the date, sourcing for locations, looking for the best value, best price, bargaining, ordering balloons (ensuring the balloons I want are in stock and buying them first), invitation card design, invitation cards, invitation card mailing.
I did realise that, like my dad, I enjoy throwing parties for a good crowd. Haha.
If you wanna do something, do it well.
It did turn out completely impressive (haha, to my best expectations and to my own shock) and I paid for it on my own so it felt great that I wasn't taking a cent from my dad. Still a big load of thanks to JS for all his planning help and for being there for me :)
I love this picture although it was the most poorly taken shot (not taken by my two photographers in the photo haha!), everyone looks happy.
You can view the "Birthday Thank You" post HERE.
Birthday Post with lots of photos HERE.
Snippets of some birthday love from friends and family HERE.
Aug 2012: My first overseas trip with a non-family member
Bangkok with JS. Man, we were so mad and excited about planning our shopping trip there that we immediately booked the tickets when it was possible to click those dates on the website. (We spent 2 days just deciding on which hotel to stay at hahaha)
Everyone knows we're two really detailed and crazy people. Whatever I'm anal about, he isn't, and vice versa, so we make a good planning team I'd suppose. Haha. Everything planned right down to the hour.
It was a really enjoyable trip for the both of us, covering massive ground and shopping so much, walking so fast and buy, buy, buy, it was like shopping paradise! (There were so many Singaporeans anyway, we felt like we were right in Singapore -_-) Haha. The best part of it all is that everything fits our size, so it's really great when we don't have to waste time trying out clothes in makeshift (totally unsafe, peekable) changing rooms haha. :)
It technically isn't my first trip to Bangkok. I've been there once when I was 12 for a educational trip with the school. I really wonder how come my parents allowed me to go with my school for such a trip at such a young age - I'm really not complaining. Bangkok has such a rich culture... I mean Singapore hasn't got as much since we're such a young nation (and most of the stuff are really getting destroyed to make way for new building developments. Le sigh.)
Another time I was there with my family (but I didn't get to buy much since my money was with my mother, and I had to ask her permission to get anything at all.) Her pragmatic nature meant I didn't get many things. (I remember being extremely miserable for most of the trip. Lol. You know how these moments really stick for the rest of your life haha!)
Day 1 and half of day 2's loot from Bangkok this time:
Since our 1.5 days of loot left no space to add more, we didn't bother to take the other days' shopping loot hahaha. A good trip, to sum it all up! (I also got to visit Madame Tussauds' Bangkok! Happy.)
Aug 2012: National Day Parade 2012!
Sep 2012: F1 Grand Prix Singapore Night Race 2012
Oct 2012: Our 2nd Anniversary
Psychedelic neon handicrafts of JS, as usual. A perfect restaurant with to-die-for ravioli and everything else! The kitchen also mixed up the surprise - the dessert was supposed to say "2nd Anniversary" but instead you see "2nd Wedding Anniversary" hahaha. Too, too funny.
Nov 2012: My first temporary job that was work and fun at the same time.
I've had many experiences, both good and bad, while working here and there and everywhere. I've dabbled my hand in part-time tuition, food and beverage (much to everyone's surprise), Accounting, Marketing, massive administrative work (8 months), events. So far, out of all, the best job I've had is the current one I have! (Last day 31 Dec).
I ultimately hated the food and beverage job the most - I've been a yogurt girl before, surprise surprise. It is really crappy pay for long hours and the occasional rude customers. I've ever served Chew Chor Meng and his daughter yoghurt (haha), he is really quite dashing and age-less, he doesn't look any different from his old Channel 8 shows.
For those who don't know who is that, this picture might help you remember:
Dashing indeed.
Okay before I digress any further - let me talk about the job that made me have so much fun while working. It has taught me many skills but most of all, "talking to anyone", if you'd call that a skill. I do consider it a skill because I firmly believe in "Not talking for the sake of talking" and can't talk at whim... I also have observed many falter with oddly-timed conversation starters that just makes everyone in the conversation painfully awkward. So well yeah I learnt to talk. (Uh?)
I also got to dabble in some stuff that I am genuinely interested in, so well that's a bonus!
There, that's a quick summary of the year 2012. How has yours been? I've been particularly thankful for instagram because it really keeps track of what's been happening in my life for the past 6 months. Follow me at @lxuisa!
Ending off with a song with great lyrics: Kutless - Perspective
Freedom is sometimes just simply another perspective away
Who could you be, if your lens were changed for a moment
Would you still be the same?
Since it's about to be the new year, let's stop complaining and realise how truly fortunate we are to have come so far and ate so much good food and have tasted happiness at least ten times.
All is just another perspective away. :)
An extremely touching surprise from JS. For those who don't really know me, I'm really an avid photographer at family events, and outside events. Because I spend so much time focusing on taking lots of pictures of every single detail of the party or event (Detailed freak speaking here...), there are really few pictures with me inside... So I mean, I do get kinda bummed out from that.
So well, he arranged a photoshoot so I could be a star of the photos for once (along with him of course). Haha. Super, super, super meaningful idea, and I can't help but appreciate meaningful ideas. (Who wouldn't?)
May 2012: My 21st Birthday Party!
Something I went completely apeshit about. I think that'd be an apt expression. Birthday party planning 3 months prior to the date, sourcing for locations, looking for the best value, best price, bargaining, ordering balloons (ensuring the balloons I want are in stock and buying them first), invitation card design, invitation cards, invitation card mailing.
I did realise that, like my dad, I enjoy throwing parties for a good crowd. Haha.
If you wanna do something, do it well.
It did turn out completely impressive (haha, to my best expectations and to my own shock) and I paid for it on my own so it felt great that I wasn't taking a cent from my dad. Still a big load of thanks to JS for all his planning help and for being there for me :)
I love this picture although it was the most poorly taken shot (not taken by my two photographers in the photo haha!), everyone looks happy.
You can view the "Birthday Thank You" post HERE.
Birthday Post with lots of photos HERE.
Snippets of some birthday love from friends and family HERE.
Aug 2012: My first overseas trip with a non-family member
Bangkok with JS. Man, we were so mad and excited about planning our shopping trip there that we immediately booked the tickets when it was possible to click those dates on the website. (We spent 2 days just deciding on which hotel to stay at hahaha)
Everyone knows we're two really detailed and crazy people. Whatever I'm anal about, he isn't, and vice versa, so we make a good planning team I'd suppose. Haha. Everything planned right down to the hour.
It was a really enjoyable trip for the both of us, covering massive ground and shopping so much, walking so fast and buy, buy, buy, it was like shopping paradise! (There were so many Singaporeans anyway, we felt like we were right in Singapore -_-) Haha. The best part of it all is that everything fits our size, so it's really great when we don't have to waste time trying out clothes in makeshift (totally unsafe, peekable) changing rooms haha. :)
It technically isn't my first trip to Bangkok. I've been there once when I was 12 for a educational trip with the school. I really wonder how come my parents allowed me to go with my school for such a trip at such a young age - I'm really not complaining. Bangkok has such a rich culture... I mean Singapore hasn't got as much since we're such a young nation (and most of the stuff are really getting destroyed to make way for new building developments. Le sigh.)
Another time I was there with my family (but I didn't get to buy much since my money was with my mother, and I had to ask her permission to get anything at all.) Her pragmatic nature meant I didn't get many things. (I remember being extremely miserable for most of the trip. Lol. You know how these moments really stick for the rest of your life haha!)
Day 1 and half of day 2's loot from Bangkok this time:
Since our 1.5 days of loot left no space to add more, we didn't bother to take the other days' shopping loot hahaha. A good trip, to sum it all up! (I also got to visit Madame Tussauds' Bangkok! Happy.)
Aug 2012: National Day Parade 2012!
Sep 2012: F1 Grand Prix Singapore Night Race 2012
Oct 2012: Our 2nd Anniversary
Psychedelic neon handicrafts of JS, as usual. A perfect restaurant with to-die-for ravioli and everything else! The kitchen also mixed up the surprise - the dessert was supposed to say "2nd Anniversary" but instead you see "2nd Wedding Anniversary" hahaha. Too, too funny.
Nov 2012: My first temporary job that was work and fun at the same time.
I've had many experiences, both good and bad, while working here and there and everywhere. I've dabbled my hand in part-time tuition, food and beverage (much to everyone's surprise), Accounting, Marketing, massive administrative work (8 months), events. So far, out of all, the best job I've had is the current one I have! (Last day 31 Dec).
I ultimately hated the food and beverage job the most - I've been a yogurt girl before, surprise surprise. It is really crappy pay for long hours and the occasional rude customers. I've ever served Chew Chor Meng and his daughter yoghurt (haha), he is really quite dashing and age-less, he doesn't look any different from his old Channel 8 shows.
For those who don't know who is that, this picture might help you remember:
Dashing indeed.
Okay before I digress any further - let me talk about the job that made me have so much fun while working. It has taught me many skills but most of all, "talking to anyone", if you'd call that a skill. I do consider it a skill because I firmly believe in "Not talking for the sake of talking" and can't talk at whim... I also have observed many falter with oddly-timed conversation starters that just makes everyone in the conversation painfully awkward. So well yeah I learnt to talk. (Uh?)
I also got to dabble in some stuff that I am genuinely interested in, so well that's a bonus!
--------------------------------
Ending off with a song with great lyrics: Kutless - Perspective
Freedom is sometimes just simply another perspective away
Who could you be, if your lens were changed for a moment
Would you still be the same?
Since it's about to be the new year, let's stop complaining and realise how truly fortunate we are to have come so far and ate so much good food and have tasted happiness at least ten times.
All is just another perspective away. :)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Dreamweaving in Singapore
Frankly speaking, Singapore is not the most dream-friendly of places. I guess part of it stems from our deeply Asian and traditional (Chinese) roots.
It is almost every day I hear that someone has a dream to do something big, to do something they're passionate about, to do something to make their life worth it. Within a second of expressing that opinion, that person will also be met with a whole barrage of shoot-downs, and mocking insults from the people they love - their friends, their family members - dooming them to failure.
There are dreams that can be achieved but there are also dreams (that are destined to be crushed) that form stepping stones to other dreams. People say dreams are dreams and quite literally only exists in your sleep, never to be real. I beg to differ. It forms the very purpose of our lives and gives meaning to our experiences! I mean without dreams, what exactly are we here for? To enjoy fried carrot cake at Chomp Chomp food centre? I seriously doubt it. Sounds like an utterly meaningless life if you ask me.
You'd probably be overweight too... if that's your sole purpose in life.
For me, I'd say if the dream is realisable (E.g. A dream to have the whole of America speaking Mandarin Chinese would be ridiculous and not realisable in the foreseeable future) then go for it. Don't let our chinese "saving-face" practice hold you down.
The lack of dreams will inadvertently result in the lack of social progress. That is worse than anything else.
It is almost every day I hear that someone has a dream to do something big, to do something they're passionate about, to do something to make their life worth it. Within a second of expressing that opinion, that person will also be met with a whole barrage of shoot-downs, and mocking insults from the people they love - their friends, their family members - dooming them to failure.
There are dreams that can be achieved but there are also dreams (that are destined to be crushed) that form stepping stones to other dreams. People say dreams are dreams and quite literally only exists in your sleep, never to be real. I beg to differ. It forms the very purpose of our lives and gives meaning to our experiences! I mean without dreams, what exactly are we here for? To enjoy fried carrot cake at Chomp Chomp food centre? I seriously doubt it. Sounds like an utterly meaningless life if you ask me.
You'd probably be overweight too... if that's your sole purpose in life.
For me, I'd say if the dream is realisable (E.g. A dream to have the whole of America speaking Mandarin Chinese would be ridiculous and not realisable in the foreseeable future) then go for it. Don't let our chinese "saving-face" practice hold you down.
The lack of dreams will inadvertently result in the lack of social progress. That is worse than anything else.
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