Without a doubt, one of the best guilty pleasures to have ever been produced. There’s only been 2 episodes and I’m obsessed already.

Helps that there’s a completely charming teacher, and a cute-as-a-button-and-hot quarterback. :p

Our first-ever family retreat/chalet was cramazing. We laughed so much and everyone had a great time. I’m definitely for the idea of making this a yearly or biannual thing.

We checked in to the very spacious executive suite at Aranda Country Club on Friday. It’s no hotel, but it wasn’t bad. My only gripe was that the TV did not work. I know people don’t usually hang around a holiday apartment to watch TV, regardless, it was a basic amenity that should have been completely operational. So in that area, epic fail for Aranda. After checking in, we went out to buy groceries for our 3D2N stay, and got ourselves ready for the BBQ. Typically, all the effort that goes into preparing for a BBQ takes half the fun out of it. Not wanting anyone to feel taxed, we hired a BBQ assistant so none of us had to do any of the dirty work. Needless to say, we were more than happy to sit back, enjoy each others company and gorge ourselves with the nicely barbecued food.

After dinner, we indulged in a massive singalong and that got everyone partying and laughing. We were like the von Trapps, singing one song after another. From CCR to Michael Bolton, Christian contemporaries to hymns. We even threw in some Malay community songs cos y’know, we’re a typical Peranakan family who likes nothing more than to be loud and sing when we’re together. :p Amid all that, I remember feeling extremely blessed that my family is as tight as we are, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Day 2 was spent hanging around E!hub a whole lot. We hit the arcade, bowled and did some KBox-ing at night. In between, I had to run out to attend my weekly Spanish class, during which I totally kicked myself for missing out on the fun, but I also didn’t wanna miss lessons because I love learning the language that much. If only I could’ve split myself… KBox-ing didn’t quite go as well as I would’ve liked, because so many of the key players couldn’t come earlier (I know the older cousins were disappointed they had to work on a Saturday) and because we had to be separated into 2 rooms, we missed out on enjoying the experience together. Nonetheless, everyone had fun and of course, I did all my crazy schtick – including screaming to Aerosmith and rapping along with the Spice Girls. Apparently, mum was very impressed with my ‘Wannabe’ performance. She said that was my best of the night. And no, she was NOT kidding. Heh.

Sunday morning, we did an express check out and dragged our very jaded bodies to church. Despite getting very little sleep over the previous 2 nights, God kept us awake throughout sermon so we didn’t end up dozing off. Yay us! Most of us managed to go about our usual Sunday routines at church and I only caved to the weariness shortly after I got home.

Being an only child, family has always been extremely important to me and I’m very thankful to have this supportive network of relatives, one who is constantly looking out for each other, and one that I know I can always depend on. It’s even more amazing that we share the same love for our one true God, cos then we’re able to share so many experiences together and continue creating wonderful memories for a long time to come.

Was trying to see if my old sites/blogs were archived on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Well, what do you know? This was written 10 years ago, back when my site was known as “Hedonism”. *rolls eyes*:

18 April 1999

Oh boy… my mum’s 50th birthday is just three days away and I still do NOT know what to get her! My grandma got her this really nice wallet so I can’t get her a wallet! Grr… I can’t get her perfume, ‘cos I don’t have enough money to get her a decent one. Oh geez… what am I supposed to do?? What can I get her? Oh no, oh no, oh no… I have to get her something! I didn’t get her anything last year! Oh boy, this is killing me! I’m feeling so frustrated!

On a happier note, I’ve finally completed the new Hedonism today. Ahh.. I feel a great sense of achivement now… *L* Only last month, did I realise that I have not added a journal entry since *gasp* January! I’m pathetic! If this goes on, I’ll become a procrastinator in no time. Talking about procrastinating, I haven’t even updated my Hanson site since April 3rd! What am I thinking?? I have so much free time and I keep putting things off… I’d better start changing soon.

Anyway, church was good today. The speaker, Dr. Freddie Boey, delivered this really motivating speech, not to mention funny too. ) Oh, and my grandparents left today for their 4-day cruise. They went with 8 other ‘old’ people. My grandpa tells me he’s gonna spend some time with the jackpot machine. Hope he doesn’t overdo it. But I shouldn’t worry too much, grandma will control him. *L* With both my grandparents gone, I can finally watch TV in their room! *evil grin* No more fighting with my dad for the remote control. And I don’t have to go to the living room to watch TV anymore! Heheh… Although it’s just 4 days, it’s more than enough for me. ) What can I say? I’m easily contented! ) Well, gonna watch PO5 now… Later!

Believe it or not, I was cringing the whole time while reading through this post. I’m SO glad I’m older and wiser now. :p

Then the “Red Chook” phase came along… Did you know I wanted to be in advertising?

2 December 2001

anyhow, the school term begins again tomorrow and i’m really looking forward to it. i’ll be learning advertising and media management… i think? i’m not sure. i love advertising. it’s one of my career options actually. however, i don’t know if i’m up to it. i’m not exactly that creative. i guess i’ll just see how it goes. i’ll take one step at a time and try not to think too far ahead. sometimes, over-planning isn’t all that good. right?

Things got emotional when I left for Brisbane:

4 June 2002.

my grandma has been acting all weird ever since friday, when she found out i was definitely going to QUT. this morning, when she found out that my flight has been confirmed for july 1st, she got all quiet. i nearly cried but i forced myself to hold back the tears. i knew she’ll start crying if i started crying and i really can’t bear to see my grandma cry. i’ll get all choked up. and just 5 minutes ago, my grandma came into my room and started crying and telling me how much she’s gonna miss me when i go to brisbane. i couldn’t control it anymore and started crying too. i love my grandma to death and i get weak whenever she cries. damn. i really can’t bear to leave her, and my mum…

Here’s one of the funnier incidents that happened in Brissie, that I’m glad I noted down:

11 February 2003

now, here’s something andrew badly wants me to mention: so, we’ve arrived at the airport and there he was, waiting for us (*cough* mainly huaiky, as we all know) and a certain uncle of mine was there too, to pick us up, as well! (see how loved we are? ) now, steff and i were in this uncle’s car and the other 2 were, we all know where… so, when we got home, this uncle just takes our bag out of the boot and then he happily says goodbye! poor ol andrew was in a state of “shock” cos now he had to lug 3 of our very heavy luggages up the stairs, all alone! hee. oh well, i’m sure my uncle was just giving him a chance to display his strength and sense of gentlemanliness (is there such a word?).

After uni, I came back and worked for a year in the PR & Events industry. This post here occurred during the last leg of my time in the industry (and got myself into teaching):

17 October 2005

i’m now officially jobless.

i did end up working the extra two weeks but it wasn’t too bad cos there wasn’t a whole lot to do, and most of the time, i was just sitting around, doing bits here and there and um, chatting on msn. heheh. i’m definitely gonna miss my kick-ass colleagues, without whom, my dwindling sanity would have long been devoured by the she-predator.

See what I did? I called my ex-boss a “she-predator”! Heh.

As mentioned earlier, I got myself into teaching, and here I’m singing the same song over and over again. Even up till today:

18 April 2006

i still love teaching, in case you were wondering. it’s been awesome. exhaustingly awesome. i’ve devoted so much time to it that i hardly have much time to do anything else but indulge in tv. after such a long day at work battling my composure no thanks to annoyingly-adorable teens, i am simply too decapitated to fathom anything else. thank goodness i enjoy watching tv, huh?

But getting into teaching wasn’t easy. It took me about 3 tries, I believe, before I was confirmed as a teacher. Here was when I finally got my letter of acceptance:

29 November 2006

When I opened my mailbox earlier this evening and saw this big, brown envelope with the words “ON GOVERNMENT SERVICE” stamped in big, bold letters on the top, I knew this was it. This was the exact moment I’ve been waiting for for over a year, ever since I decided to teach. Funny how I always imagined this moment to be a lot more exciting. Not like I’m expecting fanfare or confetti or anything like that — although… how cool would that be? — but I certainly expected to have a much bigger reaction than “oh, finally!”, which was exactly what I said in my head when I saw the envelope.

Ah, good times, Internet. Good times.

It was the simplest of birthday celebrations. There were no concrete plans, except that we’ll be meeting at the newest mall to spring up on our tiny shores. We’d go to a restaurant, have dinner, chat the night away. Only thing was we didn’t quite expect the place to be as packed as it was (how naive of us, really) so we ended up having dinner at a food court (no kidding) and indulged in a greasy plate of ngoh hiang. Yet, it was a time well spent with my best friends in the world, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

When you’ve been friends with these people for as long as I have, and have known each other so well that we can freely talk about anything (and I do mean anything), it’s easy to be satisfied. No attempt at celebrating a birthday can be considered too small or too feeble, because all you really want is to enjoy their company, let loose and laugh. With these girls, their sheer presence automatically allows me to be myself and let all my idiosyncracies emerge without any hesitation, as I know they’ll continue to love and accept me no matter what. It’s the sort of friendship where we are able to openly express our feelings, our annoyance with each other and still walk away knowing that our bond remains as strong as ever.

Each birthday, I thank the Lord for constantly being my guide and for blessing me with the family and friends that I have. This year is no different. And I continue to be amazed at the people He has surrounded me with and the relationships He has helped me foster. In the past, my birthday prayers have always been focused on being happy and content. This year, my birthday prayer is that my God will make me an even better daughter, friend and teacher so that I can be His testimony of the love that He has to offer.

Thank you to everyone who remembered my birthday.

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed I wish I could just hide in a corner and make everything go away. I wonder if it’s because the system simply tends to overload, or if it’s because I’m incapable of handling it. And the fact that I used to be an events coordinator, where multi-tasking was at the very core of the occupation, doesn’t help one bit. It gives me the false sense of belief that I, of all people, should be able to handle juggling that many things on my plate. Apparently, that hasn’t quite prepared me for this.

I marvel at those who seem to have it all figured out. People who have more administrative duties, have a family and still manage to stay on top of things. I would love to observe them for a whole day and pick up some of the strategies they’ve employed that has helped them achieve everything. Not surprisingly, the word ’sacrifice’ immediately comes to mind. But exactly how much have they been sacrificing? Because I know for sure that I’m not willing to sacrifice “me-time”; times such as these where I can reflect, recharge and recuperate after a long day. After all, it’s one of the factors that has kept me sane thus far.

The other factor being God, of course. It’s my dependence on Him that has kept me going, kept me breathing. But even so, I often find myself leaning on my own strength, and asking God to just hang around so He can catch me when I fall. But y’know, I don’t want to make God stand behind me. I want Him right there beside me, holding my hand, carrying me. That’s His rightful place in my life and I want to honour that. I just hope I’ll always remember it.

In the meantime, excuse me while I go scream into my pillow.