To plan or not to plan... and how do you...?

I recently rewatched The Wedding Planner (can’t believe I actually bought the DVD which goes to show how much I love the movie), one of my old-time favourite romantic comedy which I absolutely loved. I maintain my view, it was such a brilliant make.

Filmed in 2001, this movie starred Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. It tells the story of a wedding planner who being the perfectionist and ambitious she is, in fact is just like any other girl hoping to seek true love, having been scarred by her ex-fiance who cheated on her.

Some of the memorable quotes from the movie -

“… those who can't do, teach? Those who can't wed, plan.”

“It's a good thing I didn't marry him. But most of the time I think... I just wasn't enough…... ”

“… what if what I think is great really is great... but it's not as great as something greater?"

Then of course, I’m currently hooked to the soundtrack “Plan on Forever” by Sue Ann Carwell & Mervyn Warren.

I have planned my life, to the last detail

With a story book romance to fill my daysB

ut the funny thing about answered prayer

Is they come to you in unexpected ways

How could I plan on forever?

When I never planned on you

Someone to fall for

To love for all eternity

Baby let's plan on forever

And watch all our dreams come true

You're what I live for

Who I can give for ever to

My destiny is you

Cause you danced with me, and the earth stood still

My heart can't quite believe how right this seems

When you're in my arms the truth of us

Is better than the best of all my dreams

How could I plan on forever?

When I never planned on u

Someone to fall for

To love for all eternity

Baby let's plan on forever

And watch all our dreams come true

You're what I live for

Who I can give forever to

My destiny is u

Sometimes the one you're right for is standing too close to see

But u saw the light and never gave up on me

Baby, let's plan on forever

And watch all our dreams come true

You're what I live for

Who I can give for ever to

Now I see

My destiny

Is you

Where then does my destiny lie?

Time out from work, time to blog.

Dear blog,

Gosh, it has been like what… a MONTH (where did it all go) since I last made an entry to my blog. My most hated 4 letters in the English dictionary, W-O-R-K, I suspect.

And I wouldn’t have been reminded if I hadn’t been perusing Leesh’s blog and realized I was probably the only unactive blogger (since all others had like a heading for “entry of the day” kinda thing). Still, he was kind enough to include me in his list of bloggers.

I must say, I am damn pai seh (shy).. especially since there are many who visits/ reads his blog and might just accidentally happen to click on “m3ngchoo’s journey”…. *gulp* and find that nothing has been posted. Hahaha, well, this is one of those lucky days when the blog gets updated.

I wish I am as diligent as Leesh and all the other bloggers whose websites I occasionally log on to kepoh (busy body me). As I hardly have the time to contribute to mine, it makes it so much easier and fun to read other’s blog.

Some of their writings really crack me up, and it’s good to share a light-hearted moment with yourself at least once a day, really makes up for the gloomy office environment. Don’t get me wrong, my colleagues are absolutely FUN (note the emphasis) people to be with, but after awhile, work really gets into your nerve and, it’s not so fun anymore, and the funny colleagues then become cranky… chain reaction, they call it. (Interestingly enough, I just noted, if one's FUNNY, that could denote that one is a FUN person.)

Sigh… and WOW, I’ve actually managed to blog almost a page now about what seem to be something on absolutely nothing… maybe there’s some hope of me becoming a more regular blogger…

The Sound of Music

This morning, I had the luxury of time to rewatch The Sound of Music, one of my all time favourites. And I still enjoyed it tremendously. It must be something about the movie. The singing. The happy sounds of children's laughter. As I watched it, I couldn't help but wonder what had become of those 7 Von Trapp children. Have they changed much? So off I went googling, and this was what I found.



The cast of Sound of Music reunited after 40 years (missing in picture is Christopher Plummer aka Captain Von Trapp)



Another group picture.
Behind: Lisa, Fredrich, Louisa & Kurt
Sitting: Brigitta, Marta & Gretl

A Gemini

Over time, I've come to wonder whether the description of our zodiacs has any truth to it?

A Gemini is described as -

Smart and witty.
Outgoing, very chatty.
Lively, energetic.
Adaptable but needs to express themselves.
Argumentative and outspoken.
Likes change.
Versatile.
Busy, sometimes nervous and tense.
May seem superficial or inconsistent. (Hmmm..)
Beautiful physically and mentally.

A picture speaks a thousand words..

They say “A picture speaks a thousand words”. Pictures help us to remember and reminisce the events that shape our lives of what it is today. Moments in life which needs to be captured so that we will never forget them. Most of them were left forgotten. Then there are those who have actually left or are no longer with you.

The Ear.

Argh. It's starting to frustrate me big time.

First a litle echo. Then a blockage. Followed by a series of imbalance. Now, it's the feeling of pressure perpetually building inside. If you're guessing what I'm referring to, it's my ear.

Gawd knows what's going on that tiney hole. I feel like I'm being punished, as if the work load is not bad enough. Ok, the work load is relatively not as bad as the ear condition. Even the two ENTs I visited couldn't detect the source of the problem with my ear.

I remember vaguely my first encounter in December 06. Then thinking it was just a minor thing, I brushed it aside and the discomfort disappeared within days.

Then came Sept 07. I was suppose to be on holiday and enjoying myself in Singapore, for gawd's sake. But no, it HAD to haunt me for 5 bloody days. The irony of it, by the time the bus arrived back in KL, any blockage/ imbalance went away and everything was back to normal.

We must have not parted well, or just maybe it missed me. In Jan 08, the imbalance returned. To make it all even better, I was in bloody Bangkok. The view from Vertigo was simply amazing. My friend joked about me being in the state of "vertigo" on top of the building Vertigo. Sigh, not funny at all. The days that followed were a nightmare. I'd get sudden waves and attacks of imbalanceness. After one month, it was goodbye. During the one month, not even the ENT's prescribed medicines could help relieve the pain I was going through.

I have since resorted to all sorts of remedies. Including more sleep, more water, exercise (am starting), less stress (those within my control) but the good imbalance-free days did not last. I swore it was a good 2 weeks that I could finally begin to hear everyone properly.

Alas, it has now made a comeback. I wonder how long it will last this time?

"She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her. His understanding and temper, though unlike her own, would have answered all her wishes. It was an union that must have been to the advantage of both; by her ease and liveliness, his mind might have been softened, his manners improved, and from his judgment, information, and knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater importance. But no such happy marriage could now teach the admiring multitude what connubial felicity really was."

Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen (17175-1817)

Worth reading.

Received a forwarded email from a friend, which is worth reading. On a lighter note, here's wishing a Happy Chinese New Year to everyone! Hope you'll have a good break and come back rejuvenated! More importantly, may you receive all the ang pows your heart desires. And by that I don't mean just the red packet for the content is what matters most! :-)

MENSTRUAL CYCLE- PLEASE PASS TO YOUR FEMALE FRIENDS

PASS THIS ON EVEN IF YOU DO NOT USE IT

Recently this past week, my cousin Nicole Dishuk (age 31...newly graduated
student with a doctoral degree about to start her new career as a
Doctor...) was flown into a nearby hospital, because she passed out.

They found a blood clot in her neck, and immediately took her by
helicopter to the ER to operate. by the time they removed the right half of her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain, the clot had spread to
her brain causing severe damage.

Since last Wednesday night, she was battling.. they induced her into a
coma to stop the blood flow, They operated 3 times.. Finally, they said
there was nothing left that they could do.. they found multiple clots in
the left side of her brain.. the swelling wouldn't stop, and she was on
life support..

She died at 4:30 yesterday. She leaves behind a husband, and a 2yr old
Brandon and a 4yr old Justin.. The CAUSE of DEATH - they found was a birth
control she was taking that allows you to only have your period 3 times a
year... They said it interrupts life's menstrual cycle, and although it is
FDA approved... shouldn't be - So to the women in my address book - I ask
you to boycott this product & deal with your period

once a month - so you can live the rest of the months that your life has
in store for you.

*Please send this to every woman you know - you may save someone's
life... Remember, you have a CYCLE for a reason!

Fyi.

The name of this new birth control pill is Lybrel. If you go to Lybrel.com
http://lybrel.com/ , you will find at least 26 pages of information
regarding this drug.

The second birth control pill is, Seasonique. If you go to the website of,
Seasonique.com http://seasonique .com/ , you will find 43 pages of
information regarding this drug.
The warnings and side effects regarding both pills are horrible. Please,
please forward this information to as many daughters AND sons, co-workers,
friends and relatives. Several lives have already been changed.

A relaxing weekend

Last weekend was rather awesome for me. I don’t think I’ve had such a relaxing weekend for a long while. On Saturday, I was invited to a BBQ party which ended late. It was good fun meeting new people every now and then. Reminded me of those care-free days in UK when work and deadlines were not the only things in mind.

So get this, I slept in on Sunday after a late Saturday night out. Woke up, and for the first time, I didn’t have to rush somewhere to run errands or to meet friends etc. It actually felt nice in a weird manner that I didn’t have to do anything much without feeling like my weekend was completely wasted.

Happily I laid by on my couch and off I went, catching up on the latest DVD which I had bought the weekend before. My first choice had to be Becoming Jane. My brothers’ collection of other action movies did not interest me whatsoever. So I find myself, swirled back into time……



In the winsome, heartfelt trifle Becoming Jane, the young Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway), a budding artist in a world where art by women isn't taken seriously, finds herself trapped by the very romance that has set her free. She meets Tom LeFroy (James McAvoy), a rascally lawyer, banished to the countryside by his scolding benefactor of an uncle, and after the usual gavottes, impish-insult flirtations, and peering through the leaves at skinny dipping hunks scene, she falls for him (not surprisingly)! In speculating how Jane Austen became the writer she was, the film views this man through her eyes and offers a not-bad thesis: “To understand love is to confront the agony of losing it.” All in all, it was a rather charming and enjoyable affair!












I was rather sceptical of the movie initially as I was never a big fan of English literature. Surprisingly enough, I actually enjoyed myself. The only reason why I had bought this movie was because of Anne Hathaway. I enjoyed her other movies, in particular Princess Diaries and Devil Wears Prada.

Later that night, I watched my all time favourite tv show. Beauty pageant. It is the time of the year again. In previous years, I'd monitor the pageant news as to who’s who, who’s the favourite amongst the media and what not. It was mid-Jan before I realised that Miss Chinese International Pageant 2008 will be taking place. I had a quite glance at the usual beauty pageant websites and skimped through the delegates’ profiles this year. I really thought KL should at least have made it to Top 10 but I guess I was wrong. After having watched last night’s pageant, I am convinced that these pageants are biased and rigged!

But I guess it’s no fault of the judges since they’re mostly HK celebrities and well known people in HK, surely and possibly even mandatory that they are required to ensure that Miss HK makes it to top 3 placing. It would have been alright if Miss HK satisfied at least 2 out of the 3Bs (in my humble opinion) – (i) beautiful, (ii) body, and/or (iii) brains. Needless to say, I didn’t think she deserved the title. You are of course entitled to your views. Maybe she’s smart, she did make it to Top 15 and even won a title at Miss Universe last year.

I’m happy that Oceane Zhu, Miss Paris won. She didn’t strike me initially as having the “winner” look but over the 2 hours of the pageant, slowly it began to sink in. She was definitely deserving of her title and most of all, she had that charm in her. Charisma and quick wit. Notwithstanding that she’s only 20, she’s was calm and put on her best show! She appears to be bubbly and had a cute personality. In one of the segments (where the delegates had to role play based on a short video clip), Oceane played the role of a friend who was being accused of “stealing” her good friend’s boyfriend and having been slapped by her friend, she was suppose to look pitiful and shocked, instead she actually barked at her friend rather angrily. I thought it was quite hilarious. She definitely scored points there!



Official profile.



Swimsuit



Crowning moment.



Group picture.

Dreams - overloaded with or lacking in meaning?

I woke up this morning and was shocked to find that my gums were bleeding. It wasn’t overflowing or anything, just a slight bleed. It was as though I had over-brushed my teeth or applied just a bit too much force. But I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet.

Later this morning, I had flashbacks of strange dreams that I had last night. In the dream, I was “visiting” my current law firm. Note the word “visiting”. It meant I was no longer with the firm. It was like I had left many years and when I was making my rounds in the firm. Some of the people I use to work with were no longer with the firm. The rooms that me and my colleagues use to sit in were long gone, some were made into storage rooms. The feeling was weird. That was dream no. 1.

In dream no. 2, I dreamt that a partner of the firm passed away. I still can’t quite recall the details of the dream but it was a rather sad one.

As I made my way to the office this morning, it got me thinking. Is the dream a message?

· A message from the unconscious or psyche or myself-to-myself?
· A message from God or a spiritual entity?
· A message from the future itself?

Or maybe IS this a sign that I’ve been with the firm way too long that even my dreams are associated with the firm and people from the firm?! I usually sleep like a baby and that means no dreams whatsoever. Fingers crossed, these kind of dreams don’t persist.

Bangkok, here I comeeee...

I finally visited Bangkok. In short, I had a great time, as can be seen in my picture collection on Facebook. Three folders containing most of the (nicer) pictures taken in Bangkok. I have posted the rest of the more candid shots here for story telling purposes.

So, here goes. It was a pretty last minute decision for me to crash the Banking & Property team in my firm for their trip to Bangkok. It was all well worth it, I don’t think I would have enjoyed myself as much but for the company of my dear friend/ colleagues. We departed on the early Saturday morning of 14 Jan with the entire team. There were 5 of us accompanied by 3 partners from our firm. As soon as we arrived in Bangkok, we headed straight to a seafood restaurant for lunch. There the customers were asked to pick their selection of seafood including the ingredients to be cooked with. In fact, you could even tell the chef how you would like the dishes to be cooked.

Later that night, we headed to a fancy Thai restaurant Baan Khanitha (listed in most of the Tour Books). It comes highly recommended, and not surprisingly it did meet up to our expectation (at least mine). In fact, me and my other colleagues who stayed on (after the others left back to KL on an earlier flight) visited Baan Khanitha for the second time. We had to try the other dishes! After dinner, we covered the Suan Lum Night Bazaar. For awhile, I felt like I was at the Penang Batu Ferringhi Night Market. Basically, the stalls all had the same things you’d find in Batu Ferringhi. Fake branded watches, earrings, souvenirs. You name it, they have it.

Come Sunday. We had an early breakfast and headed to one of the recommended local tailors to have ourselves measured to tailor-make some office shirts. We then headed to the main shopping area. As we strolled the streets of Bangkok, it kinda reminded me of Orchard Road in Singapore. Only the buildings in Bangkok were older. We didn’t shop much as we were waiting to shop in the less expensive night markets and flea markets. Rather unfortunate, we didn’t get to visit the infamous Chatuchak Market which only opens during the weekend. Half of our entourage left home for KL that night itself.

From then on, the 3 of us stayed for a couple of extra nights. We covered most of the tourist attractions in Bangkok including the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Keow/Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha), Patpong (the so-called red light district of Bangkok), ride on the not-to-be-missed Chao Phraya taxi cruise and not forgetting Vertigo, a bar perched on the 61st floor of Banyan Tree Hotel. The view from above was simply breathtaking and amazing (though it was a tad hazy that night).

No more spicy food for me, for awhile at least… Here are more pictures from Bangkok which speak for itself.


CY does not like boat rides.








At VERTIGO.




Siam Paragon, one of big shopping malls.




I really was trying to take a picture of myself. He just happened to be looking this way.




I had no part in contributing to the shopping bags.




Alrighty, one for the road.

Every beat of my heart.

So here we stand
Anchored in hope
Letting the rain wash away every fear
Stars in the sky
Twinkle and shine
I pray they won't disappear

'cause I don't know where your journey goes
or how long it will take to unfold

But as long as we keep this moment shining in the dark
I will be watching over every beat of your heart
I wish that time could be replayed
I'd keep you here with me everyday
They say that love is letting go
I hope that you find your way

'cause I don't know where your journey goes
or how long it will take to unfold
But as long as we keep this moment shining in the dark
I know you're watching over every beat of my heart

-Corrinne May-

Reality check.

They say life is short. A friend once joked "What else other than life is longer?"

When you're in moments of depression, you'd wish your pain would go away and wondered if life could ever be any longer. You celebrate your birthday and count the days you've lived. Have you ever wondered maybe it's counting down to the days you have left to live your life? The sad truth is life is indeed short. You often hear people say "live live to the fullest", "appreciate those around you" and that "life is fragile". How have we taken those words for granted. We simply do not realise that in a split second, anything can change your life. There will always be the "what ifs" and the regret for not doing what you had always thought about and wanted to do. No doubt, it's always easier for me to tell someone else what I think is right and is best for them and which they should do. I also came to realise, it's never that easy to actually "do" it when someone else asks me to do something which they think is best for me. Procrastination always has its ways. Either that or I'm just not as brave as I thought I am. As it is, I already have difficulty coming to terms during difficult moments and what more putting words and thoughts into action despite my mind telling me that I should be doing the right thing.

I received news on Sunday that a friend has passed on. She's no longer with us and is (hopefully) with God in his Kingdom and in his good care. I could not believe it. It was all too sudden. Questions (being the inquisitive lawyer I am) that popped to my head "HOW?" "WHEN?" "WHERE"..... There will be answers to those questions. The only question which will remain unanswered is "WHY?" Why her? Why now? Perhaps we'll never have the answers. The only consolation I can provide to her friends and even to myself is that she's in a better place and God will be providing her with his unconditional love. Although our times together were short, she has already left a great impression in me, and for that I'm thankful and honoured to be able to have known her as a wonderful friend. Our memories will always remain close to my heart.

The clock just struck 12am. It's yet another new day. Life goes on. Later today, I'll be bidding her farewell for the final time. To those fun times we had. When you turned over to me and made me laugh with your comment "Eh, you see that dress? Damn ah lian right?" That time when you were too shy to take the picture of the beautiful desserts displayed over the counter and sneakily slid your digital camera into my hand and although having snapped dozens of pictures, you're just not "feeling it". Thank you for uploading our fabulous pics. You were amazing and beautiful in those pictures and always will be.

It is only a matter of time before you are reunited with your family and loved ones. For now, rest in peace Shu Zanne.

Love.

Bored.

I'm just so freaking bored out of my wits. Of what, I'm not too sure myself, but I'm sure I feel bored. It's a saturday and I thought I would be enjoying the start of my weekend. Somehow I just ain't feeling it. It has been a rather long week for me. The week started with 2 days of due diligence inspection at the client's place and the rest of the week followed with me falling ill (yet again) and I hadn't time to properly recuperate.

Last night, the firm had our yearly corporate dinner at Ciao restorante at Jalan Tun Razak. It ended pretty late at about 12am and I was completely zonked out by then. Had to stay awake whilst driving home. Thankfully I didn't have a sip of alcohol as I was on medication. I had 3 glasses of orange juice and was probably the most sober of the whole lot. Overall, it was a relatively fun night out. A time to just not have to think about work and deadlines. At least, we were not working in the office on a late Friday night. For most of us, we have a lifetime of work ahead.

Tonight, I had actually made plans to have a farewell dinner for a friend of mine, but due to my sudden attack of ear imbalance, I had to take a rain check. As it is, I'm still hearing a slight echo in my ear. I sure hope to get well soon. This has been recurring way too often and the ENT specialist can't even find out the cause for it. He suspected it may be stress-related. Hah! So, that's the culprit. I really shouldn't be surprised.

Saturday at work

Here I am, in the office on a Saturday morning. Wasn't my choice. It's the time of the year, my Saturday duty. Was suppose to get in to the office just like any other working day, and that means punctual at 8.30 am. Instead, I found myself waking up at 8 (ordinarily I would still have been in dreamland until at least 10 am), and scrambling to get myself ready. Drove a freaking 35km at 110km/h. In the end, I arrived at the office at 10. Don't ask or wonder what took me so long,.... it's a Saturday, and everything's suppose to be in slow motion. It's suppose to be a day to unwind!

As I start my Saturday in the office, I thought it might be nice to put an entry to my blog. It has been a relatively short week for me at work as Monday was the Hari Raya break and I took Tuesday off. Which reminds me, traffic will be hell as usual this coming week since the school holidays are over and everyone back at work. On the bright side, at least it's coming to end October. And as I've blogged earlier, most working people are probably looking forward to the end of the year. $$$

Don't be mistaken, I do have work to do. At the very least, my office room needs a clean. Papers everywhere. Was told by most of my colleagues that I have one of the neatest room (at least from what they can see). Truth is, there are loads of unwanted scrap papers lying around and I've been meaning to throw them away... it's just you never know when you might have thrown away a very important piece of (what you thought was scrap) what may turn out to be valuable information.

Though, I do admit, I have a tendency (since at a young age) to dispose off things (unwanted or no longer useful to me), to the point where my mom actually has to go through the bin to see if I have disposed of things which may still be usable. Hehe. Well, as the chinese saying goes "how will new things come by if old ones don't go".

Anyway, I'd better bugger off and start cracking on my advice. Draft draft draft ....

Time Out?

It's almost year end, most of us are probably looking forward to our bonus. With God's blessings, we hope that it'll be a good one to reflect the hard work that we've put in the entire year. But the more crucial question is, what's in for us after this? 2007 is almost coming to an end. Most of my new year's resolution for 2007 has not yet been achieved still. Where do I stand?

To make things worst, weekends are never long enough. Holidays are what we need, but before you know it, you're back in the office on a Monday and by Friday, you're planning your next trip because you are exhausted. Often, we find ourselves looking forward to the weekend and dreading going back to work on Monday. Jobs once handled by a team are now dumped on just one, and that would be US.

Stress levels are sky rocketing. Deskbound and stagnant, we are envious reading and hearing about people, may it be friends or an article somewhere about where they had been jetting off to over the weekend, attending some friend's wedding in Bali or enjoying a spa in Phuket. And here you are, stuck in the office, going absolutely nowhere but amending the sad pathetic looking voluminous agreement. Sucks, yes it does. Don't we all want Anthony Bourdain's job? Travelling, eating and getting paid well?

What do all these symptoms mean? Does it mean we need a change in our life? A haircut? A makeover? A new wardrobe? Or do we need to change our lifestyle? A new job? New friends? Shopping, also known as retail theraphy which used to be a cure for most women, at least for me was my way of de-stressing. Unfortunately, a weekend at the Pavillion, an up and rising shopping destination in Kuala Lumpur has made me even more stressed than before as I think about the credit card statement which is due to be paid in 2 weeks.

What now? A sabbatical may be a way out. Sabbatical, an extended hiatus in your career to recharge and rest or perhaps acquire new skills and training. Learn to speak Korean language maybe? Improve your cooking skills? Furthering your studies might be an option too. Or maybe all you want to do is to finish reading that chic lit of yours sitting on your rack collecting dust.

It's always easier said than done. If you are thinking of going on a sabbatical, perhaps you should really start saving your money because money matter. Savings aside, you should take as much time to weigh your options and plan for a sabbatical.Mentally, you'll need to prepare for the change to your lifestyle and adjust to the lack of income. Perhaps this may the beginning to something even bigger ahead for you.

Kim Jeung Eun

I am back. It's been such a long time since I last blogged. Time flies.
Noticed this draft saved in my inbox, something which I wrote a long time ago. Decided to post it anyway. :)


Kim Jeung Eun

When I first watched Lovers in Paris few months ago (a year now!), I thought that Kim Jeung Eun just didn't quite fit the 'role'. She was rather plain looking, not the typical good looking korean actress one would expect to see. But considering that the main actor in that movie was also not good looking, overall I guess they kind of matched in that sense.

She was way too skinny (even on screen). But she did look good in the dresses she wore. Her hairstyle in that drama also didn't match her. Also, I had been wondering if she had something done to her eyes. Those who have already seen that drama would probably have wondered why her eyes didn't look too natural. Her eyelids rather deep and sunken. I read on some forum that she has had plastic surgery over the years. If you compare pictures of her when she was in 'All About Eve', she looked totally different there. But that besides the point, her latest movie is out. It's called 'Wisdom Tooth'. Yeah, I think it's a rather odd title for a movie.

Saw the MV for the movie, and it seems quite promising. The music was definitely thumbs up, but will have to watch the movie first before I can comment further. This movie tells the love affair between an older woman and a young boy. It seems Kim Jeung Eun plays the role of a 30 year old teacher who finds herself falling in love with her 17 year old student (because he looks like her first love).

Here are Kim Jeung Eun's pictures ..





















I guess Kim Jeung Eun is alright. For a korean actress, she's not considered good looking but if she hasn't had any plastic surgery, then she's probably better looking than 70% of the korean female population. :) but I am guessing, she's no exception, probably had something somewhere fixed.

Words of the Lord.

I stumbled upon this by chance. Whoever who happen to stumble upon this website by chance, I hope that you'll find peace from reading this, as I did.

God bless & may peace be with you always.

Somewhere else

by Jon Walker

“For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11 NIV)

Community — Have you ever been somewhere you didn’t want to be? Maybe it was a job, a town, or a marriage. Maybe it was a stage in life, like singlehood, or a state in life, like a disability. It’s very possible that as you read this, you’re wishing you were somewhere else – anywhere else – living a different life, but you know it’s not likely that anything is going to change any time soon.

God has a word for you. It’s the same word he gave a group of people when they were stuck in another country, exiled from their homeland. They’d folded their arms and said, “We’re going to wait this thing out, and when we get home, we’ll start living our lives.”

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God told them, “You’re not going home any time soon, so start making your lives here. Plant gardens, buy homes, let your children get married, and pray for the peace and prosperity of the place where you’re currently living because, by doing that, you too will be blessed with peace and prosperity.”
To use a modern cliché, God was saying, “Bloom where you’re planted.”

Don’t invest your energy in hopes of leaving; instead invest your energy in the people around you. The Christian martyr Jim Eliot expressed it this way: “Wherever you are, be all there.” Don’t be physically present but mentally somewhere else, thinking of the future or the past, thinking of someplace else. Our journey with Christ requires that we be fully present in the present.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it “this worldliness,” and said, “It is only by living completely in this world that one learns to live by faith.” This focus allows you to see that your life is centered in God and not the place you live or work, not the person you’re married to – or not married to – not how you feel or how you look.
Investing in the people around you is exactly how you find life. Jeremiah even told the exiles that God had arranged for them to be in exile. So it was God’s plan all along to push them to the edge of their existence, so they would end up centered solely on God.

You may feel like you’re in exile too, but God is still working in your life; and his message to you is: Dig in and fully embrace the life around you.

So What?
· Center your life in God, not in your circumstances. God is constant; your circumstances are temporary. Ask God, “What do you want me to learn or to do in these present circumstances.”

· Change me, God – Instead of asking God to change your circumstances, ask him to change you in the circumstances.

· Practice being in the present – Today, whenever you find your mind drifting to another place, bring it back to the present, and ask God to help you stay in the present.

· Determine to be a good steward of what you have, instead of focusing on what you don’t have. Make the most of what God has given you.

Road ethics that really ticks me off ...

Over the last year of driving, I must admit that my driving skills have improved significantly. Indeed they are also slightly better than my parking(parellel)skills! Having to go through a whole block of bad traffic for at least an hour everyday is made worse when there are drivers who -

1. switch to the fast lane but drives SLOWER than everyone else.

2. read the newspaper while waiting at a traffic light.

3. brake the last minute/ where the car in front is 10 metres away.

4. honk for no apparent reason.

5. doesn't know the use of the headlights.

6. turns on their lights in the MORNING (wth?)

7. leave their signals flashing whilst they happily cruise along the highway.

8. can't keep their distance from your car/ to their lane.

9. drives a Kancil but has a MINI sticker on the car (wanna-be).

10. Non-KL drivers who don't have a sense of direction but again drives FAST & reckless.

*sigh* Am I grumbling yet again??

Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Su-San!

Although it has been a couple of days past Su-San's actual birthday, a bunch of us celebrated with her on Saturday night. CH, her bf was so sweet, he had actually informed us girls that he intended to have a surprise birthday cum get-together for her.

So yes, she was rather surprised when all of us turned up on saturday night. It was a fun night, lots of catching up.

7 Hoole Road ( without Theng Theng & May)..




Birthday Gal & her friends