(A melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of repose or resolution.)
"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever." - Psalms 52:8
Monday, December 24, 2007
busy bee
well, seeing that i won't be able to blog about my kick-ass brand new xbox, crazy guitar hero skillz, santarina costumes and the parties that keep on coming my way...
here's something for you before i disappear into the Christmas spirit.
my budget for living expenses is $300 per month. which is really quite ok since it allows me to frivolously spend $50 AND allows me to have an expensive dinner once a month.
but, 'tis the Christmas season - and i have obviously overspent... oh noes!!! :(
but hey! i got my 13th month bonus! though pro-rated, i got my $900 back! plus more!
today's service really spoke to me. nope, it's not one of those 'slap in the face' sort of sermons, but it brought me support, strength, and direction... along with encouragement.
see, this week suddenly exploded in my face.
with dread, i suddenly realized that the children's party is next week. the venue's not booked, and it's impossible to get a function for saturday already, FOR SURE.
i have a hundred and one potluck parties to attend. potluck = must prepare = lots of time taken up.
my IC50 draft is overdue. it's been 2 days.
there are still 50 slides to count for some chemistry collaboration.
we need to harvest the next batch of culture before the year ends, which means detailed planning for a week before the experiment can begin. which is during the christmas season where there are tons of parties.
i need to request 30+ quotations for the new lab that just never seems to be opening.
there are birthdays to plan.
there is a wedding to plan. (not mine, don't freak out.)
there are meetups with people i have lost touch with (exactly?) 2 years ago.
presents to buy, presents to make, presents to prepare.
i need to plan this (wedding, birthday, meetings), i have to plan that (experiments, parties) and everything needs to be done within 2 weeks.
when i think about this, i start hyperventilating a little. i kid you not. i freaked out as i watched my fingers trembling really badly last friday when i was washing blood instead of going to melville for children's cell.
the only solace i found was alvin. the only one not pushing me for something when i faced him. sigh, thanks dear. :)
i was almost late for service today. i almost, almost, did not want to go.
but as much as i really wanted to stay home and slog, everything fell into place. well, i did miss 3 shuttle buses to expo, but once i hit the train station, the train to boon lay and the train to expo arrived just as i did. and i made it into hall 10 on extremely shaky 'i just took a swim' legs.
also, God put an idea in my head to have the party on Thursday instead of Saturday... and lo and behold, someone cancelled their Thursday 'day' slot (OH THANK GOD) which was perfect for games, swimming, and more of my kids can attend now! i really, really, thank God for this. T_T
i'm not running away from my work, you know? so you don't have to worry... it's just that i'm really, really busy. i'm scared of the workaholic i can feel myself turning into, and the adrenaline i need to keep me going on working is too much for my body, so i end up getting rushes; it forces me to take deep breaths, go for a swim or run off and meet alvin before i lose it.
yes, so today's sermon really helped. in a summary - this is Christmas. amidst all your hecticness, have you forgotten to celebrate the birth of Jesus?
thinking about the birth of Jesus fills me with joy. and a whole lot of happiness. hence, knowing that this is the season of celebration allows me to feel a little perkier, and less rundown by my work.
and somehow, i just know, i'm not going to die from this... i will put in my best effort to plan the coolest party for my children, be hardworking and finish all my work, meet my beloved friends with joy and thanksgiving, and spend a great Christmas loving God and everything He's pulled me through.
it was apparent when Chi Wern, Chin Ling, Alvin and I sat down to run through wedding plans. i felt so much joy 'working' on their plans that i knew God was giving me joy, just as i'd needed, to bring me through all the work.
now, i just really need to maximise my time. heehee. and make this a great December. :)
alright. tomorrow's a brand new day. one Happy Working Song, coming right up!
YOSH.
---
Happy Working Song - Amy Adams (Enchanted OST)
All right everyone, time to tidy things up
Come my little friends As we all sing a happy little working song Merry little voices clear and strong Come and roll your sleeves up So that we can pitch in Cleaning crud up in the kitchen As we sing along
And you’ll trill a cheery tune in the tub As we scrub a stubborn mildew stain Lug a hairball from the shower drain To the gay refrain Of a happy working song
We’ll keep singing without fail Otherwise we’d spoil it Hosing down the garbage pail And scrubbing up the toilet Ooh!
How we all enjoy letting loose with a little La-da-da-dum-dum While we’re emptying the vacu-um It’s such fun to hum A happy working song Oo-ooh A happy working song
Oh, how strange a place to be Till Edward comes for me My heart is sighing Still, as long as I am here I guess a new experience Could be worth trying Hey! Keep drying!
You could do a lot when you got Such a happy little tune to hum While you’re sponging up the soapy scum We adore each filthy chore That we determine So friends even though you’re vermin We’re a happy working song
Singing as we fetch the detergent box Or the smelly shirts and the stinky socks Sing along If you cannot sing then hum along As we’re finishing our happy working song!
... but i'm really just nua-ing there and not bouncing around like a little kid anymore.
i'm so tired.
woke up at 530am for the surprise and i got to the airport pretty quick! it only took 15 minutes once i got on the bus. yay, simei rocks.
i waited. and waited. 630... 635... 640...
alvin calls. he's landed, and almost at the luggage pick-up point already. i bluffed my way through and told him i was on the way to work and about to hop on the train soon. 'dear, call me back in 10 minutes?'
hahahaha, ingenious right?
then i saw him.
XD
so i DID manage to surprise him in the end! well, he called me back while he was at the duty-free store (liquor, what else?) and i went, 'guess what... I CAN SEE YOU. heeheehee.' well, he didn't look very surprised actually. coz he was too tired to even give the O_O face, haha.
alvin's got a severe case of jet lag now.
and this is what he bought me. which is A LOT man.
from above: blue chocolate, charm bracelet, snow globe, earrings, tinkerbell necklace from swarovski, swatch watch.
he's on his way, on the flight coming in from Amsterdam, and i am so elated that this --> XD , can't even begin to portray how happy i am.
i even took leave so i can wake up earlier than usual (5am, omg) just to get down to the airport in time... plus-minus 30 minutes for early/delayed flights.
I'M GOING TO SURPRISE HIM!!
but i think he suspects. shoots man, i suck at this.
what to wear, what to wear, what to wear.....................
XD!!!
---
edit:
13/12/2007
06:39
Amsterdam
SQ323
2
CONFIRMED
yup he's coming back!!!
and guess what? guess what??
my calendar shows that tomorrow is...
THE 13TH! WHICH MEANS IT'S OUR ANNIVERSARY! (seriously, past the 6 month mark, time just flies by.)
*on cloud 8.5 now*
YAY BEBBIE IS COMING BACK! omg u have no idea how much control i had to exert over myself so that i won't whine excessively on my blog.
so i went home, and on a whim i whipped out my camera and started taking photos of my old photos.
after i was done, i wondered why i didn't use my scanner.
oh well.
i realize i hold on dearly to my memories. all the letters, gifts, and especially photos (and letter books, haha) were all collected diligently and horded up in my room where it's all cluttered... but it's all there.
and then 5 years down the road, people come up to me and say, 'eh! how come i don't have that??' and then stare accusingly at me. wah liao. :(
anyways, i am very willing to share. :D
these are some of the photos that i really cherish...
i never lost those chunky thighs.
apparently i pissed my ah-ma off a whole lot. oops.
the eiffel; her 100th year anniversary which was also my sixth birthday then.
trafalgar square?
we were the 'bananas' in primary. we all belonged to a 'special' chinese class coz all our mother tongue was so screwed.
choir performance. eeyur, the dresses... the makeup! haha!
look, i used to be the geek, and adrean was cute. it's the opposite now!
dance performance in sec 4.
after our teacher's day performance.
these are the exact same people from secondary school that i still meet often. not more, not less.
by the way, we look like that now:
haha... still the same la!
student council camp; GREAT stuff.
the ruler rules!
my favourite girls (short of mel, where's she??)
this marked the end of the 1st student council era.
yesterday was pretty bad with the cramps, and the fact that it was pouring just as i was leaving for dinner did not help.
and then i got a little nervous also because dinner was with 1. an ex, 2. his date, 3. a friend i haven't met for really long.
i.e. weiyi, yuhui and jon ong.
met weiyi first since we were travelling down the same direction, and caught up with him before the rest came. he's the same... sniffly, looks like he just rushed out of the house, wearing the same stuff i saw him in eons ago. ..
he needs a new wardrobe! (yuhui, pls help him. but not like, same design different colour, yar? hurhur!)
so we managed to get a four-seater without any problems (probably coz of the rain, yippee). weiyi couldn't pronounce cedele and told yuhui to come to 'sidala'. -_-
thank goodness she managed to find the right spot.
jon was the last. we'd all decided what to get already and weiyi's eyes kept wandering to the freeflow bread that was displayed for people who ordered soups... we were all ravenous and complaining 'where's that jon ahhhh' when he finally came stumbling in.
he looked bad man. we must have all given him quizzical looks coz then he muttered, without us asking, 'i'm damn tired. i can't think.'
which was all very funny when he tried to make sense of what to order and what he was ordering because a lot of items were out of stock from the kitchen... which made jon THINK more as he changed his order about... 3 times?
he went berserk at one point when the waiter said 'oh sorry, we have no more Perrier water so XXX is not available.'
jon screamed/went 'AHHHHHHHH'.
the waiter looked apologetic/amused/a little scared of this slightly unbalanced diner.
so eventually i ended off the order for jon (we were all afraid he'll lose it and start banging his head on the tabletop) and got him chamomile tea to try and soothe his frayed nerves.
then weiyi and i turned to yuhui (she was highly amused, thank God) and mentioned that jon's not like that... NEVER like that.
jon just stoned. with his mouth slightly open.
ANYWAYS. the rest of the evening was fiiiiiiine. jon cracked so many retarded jokes that i couldn't stop laughing and my cramps lightened somewhat. we talked about david and jade, about kel holding andrew's hand arm by PURE accident (wah, that one i laugh until got different kind of cramp), about how jon is on this 'no pressure at all!' mentality to get married.
and then they asked me when i was going to get married. so i said, 'er, still very long la... maybe when i'm 26. yar, around then.'
i laughed nervously for a bit, then i told them about chinling's crazy idea to get me married off in a star wars theme. hohoho. me as princess leia with hot cross buns on my head. yummy.
jon kept telling himself, 'wah, no pressure man, no pressure.'
and apparently he thinks he's 19 (??!?!?!?!)...
so dinner went by with us laughing at many things, and at each other. it was really great company!
OH. after dinner we walked around for a bit before heading towards hokkaido ice-cream... where jon, who tamed down during dinner, went bonkers again.
during dinner, cedele started playing 'all i want for christmas is you'. jon got all crazy about the song and he kept singing it throughout the night... until we hit hokkaido ice-cream.
jon: i'd like the durian ice-cream please.
counter girl: cone or cup?
jon: cone please.
jon swings his body around while waiting, kinda in his own world, then suddenly belted out 'ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS... IS YOU~~'
the girl behind the counter looks up, startled and shocked like a deer in headlights, and the dollop of ice cream on her scoop dropped with a 'piak'.
i couldn't control myself. i giggled so hard my whole body was spasming. jon, too... but i suspect he really buay paiseh one lor. more likely he was laughing at the pathetic ice-cream dollop than at his crazy sudden christmas carolling.
my gosh, i miss him! and his irritating-ness! and even his 'VIVIAAAAAN's...
i can't believe i miss all that, but i really do!!
of course, not as much as me missing alvin... but i have a right mind to fly over to australia next year just to visit him. hmm, ekka looks interesting... heh heh.
i was actually stuck in the office till 930pm on friday, can u believe it?
me. the person who's got so little work to do that my friends complain.
anyway, my day was dragged on by another one of those neverending meetings at CelS, where i am called in to give some input before renovation works start in the brand new lab... but i'm only there to give suggestions for barely 15 minutes in all of the 2 hours.
gosh.
once i stepped out of CelS, i called the children's parents to cancel kids' cell. it's not happening tonight kids; jiejie's day has not ended. :(
so i went back to the office, dragged out alvin's logbook and began to crunch my gears from admin to research mode.
and it was FUN. knowing that i'm working overtime gave me some sort of an adrenaline rush.
maybe under-working for so long has rewired me a little... i actually get some sort of a geeky satisfaction from working hard and fast; i sense i might become a workaholic in future.
so, the adrenaline came and hit me. one moment i was making a business call to alvin to ask him about his drug concentrations (woah), the next moment i was scribbling furiously down all my calculations, and then followed by ransacking the lab to make my concentrations.
of course, i left out the nitty-gritty... it's really not as 'duh' as it sounds.
when i was done, i left school munching on my left over subway cookie with a spring in my step.
work is good.
---
the next day: i planned my experiment to start from 7am and it had to end by 9am.
i reached school at 745am instead. eep!
but i think i still had some weird energy left over from the night before; i picked up where i left off and my mind was so clear... i managed to pull everything off by 9:04am.
that was damn shiok. *shudder*
i crashed immediately after i knew my experiments were done. i took 30 minutes just to drag myself out of the lab. i had intended to stay in school until it was time to go for dance class, but by my calculations, i could get home and sleep for a full 3 hours and still make it for dance.
i decided to cab home (thank God for sufficient money, it costs $20 from nus to my place T_T) and made the most of it by grabbing some of the barang that i'd left in school for waaaaaaaay too long.
so i walked out of school looking like some hostel kid who's packing up for the hols and going back to malaysia or something. this girl walked past me, staring curiously at my one bag of clothes, one bag of computer parts, shoe bag, bursting crumpler (filled with more clothes), laptop, and... get this, an obiang bread packet. yes, i had one of those gardenia bread packets with just 2 slices of bread inside.
i don't know why i didn't put it in my bag. and i don't know why i left so many clothes in school. gah.
so the rest of the day was nice and good; cabbed home with a friendly and polite driver, slept like a log, had lunch, went for dance (wah lao, damn good session lar.)...
then i went down to yio chu kang to shan's for zhexuan's birthday celebration. shan decided to cook! it was fantastic man... i really need to learn how to cook! ... er, eventually.
we had carbonara (shan-made), white wine, tiramisu (shan-made), and chocolate cake from four leaves.
AND THEN WE DECIDED TO GO TO A KTV AFTER DINNER.
hahahahaha, this is definitely part of my terrific weekend.
my pictures are in facebook, and i also have some vids zhexuan took of me us at ktv.
i really have a ghastly manly voice... and if i don't emote while i sing, it's just not right.
you have been warned.
sorry about the voice though... it was the early part of the night, so haven't "开嗓" yet. haha. :P
i was so proud of myself when i decided to eat healthily this whole week, since alvin's not around to take me out to have good food... but it all crashed today.
right after my lunch of yupian mifen, i had this insane craving... and now my 2nd lunch is just sitting there.
staring at me.
one 6-inch subway cold cut trio.
2 BLOODY triple choc cookies.
an iced lemon tea.
and i know i'm going to wolf it down after i click 'publish' -
CURSE YOU, SUBWAY HEROES MEAL WHICH IS SO CHEAP~!!! *sob!*
actually it's just because i didn't have 5k to spare to go hopping around Europe with him and his family... and not enough leave. pffft!
so i decided to spend the entire weekend with him... packing. since i can't go, i can at least decide what my boyfriend wears.
here he comes, dashing across the road to meet me!
come to me bebbie~!
just nice, we were both taking bus 12 from opposite directions (from simei/bugis) and our buses arrived at katong less than 3 minutes apart. i ran into alvin's arms... and swooned...
*fantasy grinds to a halt*
...
we had AWESOME tau kua pau for lunch (love, love, LOVE IT) at katong, before heading over to his place.
we started packing... and we counted a total of ELEVEN PAIRS OF JEANS (all in various shades of light to medium blue; none dark. or even black.) in his wardrobe!!!
his answer to that was, 'one pair of jeans every CNY, what.'
??!?!?!?! okaaaaay... i will make sure this coming CNY is something different. (perhaps a kilt) there was even a case of not remembering what he bought last year or the year before, so he ended up getting the SAME PAIR OF LEVI'S in the SAME CUT, of similar shades...
3 years in a row.
YES! HE HAS 3 OF THE SAME PAIR OF JEANS!!!
*look of disbelief*
anyways, here i am all squashed under his amazing jeans-of-the-same-shade collection.
can u find me?
and then alvin was wondering which 3 pairs of jeans he should bring over... so he tried them on for me to pick.
so now, i've decided to post a totally RANDOM picture i found on the net. seriously! it is just a picture that i found online of someone trying on his/her jeans.
i'm. too sexy for my shirt. too sexy for my shirt... SO SEXY IT HURRRRRTS
in case u guys were wondering... no, of course it's not alvin! oh please, haha, come on! it's not him man!! it can't be! alvin does not gyrate like that, come on.
just trust me when i say it's not him la.
ANYWAY.
we watched superbad, and shrek the halls, and had a great dinner.
but nothing beats the TOTALLY RANDOM PICTURE I FOUND ONLINE WHICH IS NOT ALVIN.
