[who wants to be my pen pal?]

the things far finds....heh. those were the days...i was 9 and young and collected stamps and stickers..lol. i still read tho. :P

[the lab rat]

[breast talk]

It was a day of breast, breast and more breast. No we weren't watching some porno movie...Much more tamer...our Breast Cancer Symposium held in conjunction with our 60th anniversary celebrations. It was cool to see our department on TV, apparently M invited CNA to film the thing. I was quite lucky to catch it on TV..actually came out of my room just to refill my cup. Then as I stood by the TV (distracted for some reason), they were like "Breast cancer is on the rise in Singapore..." and I was like hey that sounds familiar lol. CKS, PH and KWP were on TV with their interviews..kewl. We had guests from all sorts of places...even the National Cancer Registry, Breast Cancer Foundation, AWARE (we think), and even a couple of breast cancer survivors. The article also appeared in yahoo news and CNA. We're famous!

Anyway what did we learn? Yeah breast cancer is on the rise..we might catch up with Sweden/US in a couple of decades so better do something about it now. Obvious causes: lifestyle factors like diet and having fewer children and later. Take home message:

1. Eat soy. Just a minimal serving a day is sufficient. It seems to protect Asians against breast cancer.
2. (Get married and) have kids. Not 1, not 2, but about 3 to reduce ur risk significantly. No I'm not promoting the PM's national day msg haha. But hey, double benefits...reducing ur breast cancer risk and contributing to the nation..lol.
3. Breastfeed..and for a longer time. It was found that Malay women had more kids and breastfed, for a longer time, than Chinese...and their breast cancer risk was reduced by quite a bit comparatively.

The 2nd and 3rd point lead me to think about how Muslims have been rightly guided. How getting married and setting up a family is considered half of faith, and how a seemingly small point like breastfeeding your child is highly recommended. Verily Islam is indeed a way of life. Even surrogate breastfeeding is recommended if for some reason a mother can't breastfeed her own child. Interestingly even the WHO states that: "The second choice [after breastfeeding] is the mother's own milk expressed and given to the infant in some way. The third choice is the milk of another human mother. The fourth and last choice is artificial baby milk (formula)." Glory be to God for guiding us with such precision.

And then of course, there are a whole lot of other benefits associated with breast-feeding:

-- Bottle fed infants are fourteen times more likely to be hospitalized than breastfed infants.

-- Bottle fed infants are three to four times more likely to suffer from diarrheal diseases.

-- Bottle fed infants are four times more likely to suffer from meningitis.

-- Breastfeeding reduces the risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

-- Children who were breastfed as infants have IQ scores which average seven to ten points higher than children who were formula fed.

-- There are one million white blood cells contained in each drop of breast milk.

-- Breastfeeding reduces the risk of juvenile-onset diabetes.

-- Formula fed babies have a higher rate of allergies than breastfed babies.

-- A breastfed baby often has smoother, softer skin than a formula baby.

-- Breastfed babies have a lower incidence of eczema than formula fed babies.

-- The mother who breastfeeds passes on her antibodies to an infant whose immune system is still developing.

-- Breast milk contains DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid which is widely considered to be vital for the growth and development of brain tissue. Formula does not contain DHA.

-- Breast milk is rich in cholesterol, while formula has none at all. Cholesterol helps build the brain and manufactures hormones and vitamin D.

-- Breast milk contains lactose, while formula contains glucose and galactose. Lactose is valuable for brain tissue development and promotes intestinal health.

-- Children who are breastfed are less likely to be obese during adolescence.

-- Breastfed babies have better jaw alignment than formula fed babies, and are less likely to need orthodontic work when they are older. This is because the suckling action for breastfeeding is more complex and involves more "work" than the suckling action for an artificial nipple.

-- Breastfed babies develop a larger nasal space, which can reduce problems of sleep apnea and snoring later in life.

-- Breast milk contains the easy-to-digest whey proteins, while formula contains harder-to-digest casein proteins. This means that breast milk is digested quicker and is less likely to be spit up by baby.

-- Breastfed babies have diapers which are much more pleasant to change than the formula fed baby. Because formula is harder to digest, their stools are harder and more foul smelling than the breastfed baby's.

But the advantages aren't just for baby. There are advantages for Mama too, such as:

-- A faster post-partum recovery. The sucking action of the breastfeeding baby stimulates the release of oxytocin, which helps the uterus contract to its pre-pregnancy size.

-- Breastfeeding mothers normally have an easier time losing weight than formula feeding mothers. (woohoo..I've witnessed this with my own eyes..)

-- There is a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer in the breastfeeding mother.

-- The mother who breastfed her infant is less likely to develop osteoporosis in her older years.

-- Breast milk is free. With the costs of formula, bottles, nipples, and additional medical expenses, formula feeding can cost up to $1,200 a year.

-- Breastfeeding promotes mother-baby bonding.

-- Breastfeeding allows a mother to take some quiet relaxed time for herself and her baby.

For the environmentally conscious mummies out there...I even read that breastfeeding is better for our environment because there is less trash and plastic waste compared to that produced by formula cans and bottle supplies.

Hurray to breastfeeding!

[birthday fun!]

As usual, I had an awesome birthday thanks to my dear family, friends and colleagues. Thanks for making my day guys! **Kisses**


Just for fun...AwArDs of BiRtHdAy 08:

• Most fun outing: Bird Park with the HP gang
• Loveliest "surprise": Bouquet of roses from my darling MB..hee
• Most yummy cake: Awfully chocolate that yun n gang got me...mmmmm
• Most innovative: Birthday pizza by my colleagues (should I add the b'day sash and candles that never extinguish? heh)
• Coolest gift: 8 GB Creative Zen from dad & sis...now I can watch movies on the go..haha
• Best thing I did for myself: Makeover..wee!
• Longest day out: Shopping till we literally dropped with aunt & cousin...good thing I relaxed myself with the spa first heh. Finally got my engagment outfit. Yay!
• (Couple of disappointments but I guess I shouldn't add those heh.)

I'm one satisfied 26-year-old. Haha. =)

Party pics here.

[i love my makeover pics...la la la la la]

don't have to say more...hehe

[a night of BUTS]

Yes finally! After two years of procrastinating and waiting for company to attend Ballet Under The Stars, I watched it at last. I was so determined on watching it this year that I actually bought a ticket for myself. Luckily I persuaded Sakura to join me, so I didn't appear to be such a loser afterall. Haha.

I had one fantastic day, which started off with meeting the girlz for lunch at Go India @ Vivocity. The buffet lunch was really cheap at only $20++ per pax. I could've spent the whole day there eating the yummy chicken kebab. Heh. The disappointing part was when the manager was dishonest about the discounts we were entitled to...nvm lah..next time I should be more persistant about it. Anyway, was really happy when I got my yummy choc cake from awfully choc. Thanks for getting it yun! And thanks safari-Ruth for coming even tho ur tummy wasn't well. The cake was complete with my name written on it (was claiming it to be MINE lol). Mmmm. If the lunch hadn't been so heavy I'd have eaten the whole piece haha. We had a good time catching up with Mz and Azzy (hey it rhymes!) and too bad I had to leave early but I had a picnic to catch. Heh.

Almost had a heart attack when I came home to find Sakura sleeping (as usual!). So I dragged her out of bed and surprisingly she was responsible enough to prepare our lil picnic snacks even tho she was still a lil groggy. Thanks for keeping your word babe..enjoyed the picnic lots! =) The performance was amazing, even better than what I'd expected. There was a medley of short dances from SDT's different performances over the years, so it wasn't like one draggy piece. And the variety was also good, they had classical pieces, contemporary ones, and even fusion pieces like an African tribal theme fused with classical ballet movements. Awesome! My favourite was the African themed one...as I've always been a traditional arts form buff. The most abstract was the animal piece...I think the only two animals I could make out were the monkeys and frogs lol.

Another thing ticked off my list of things to accomplish before next year. Yay!

[moovie weekend]

Had a pretty fun time last weekend. It started with my makeover-cum-photography session which was part of the UOB Lady's card birthday treats. My philosophy: if it's free, why not. Haha. Except that it wasn't so free, with the "compulsory sponge for strict hygiene purposes" they asked me to buy. But ok lah..just $14 :P. It was really exciting...I was nervous at first cos I didn't know what kinda make up they'd end up doing, didn't even have an idea of what hairstyle I wanted, in case they asked. Thankfully the lady who did my makeover was really pro and experienced...I loved my makeup every bit, right down to the fact that she knew red lipstick didn't suit me. Heh. And I was planning to let my hair down..so yep..she did that too even without me asking. Gooood! And as if they knew me inside out, the photographer even asked me if I liked purple cos he had that backdrop. Woohoo..really felt like it was my day! He was really friendly too - and I realised that it was important to have a good sense of humour cum vibrant personality along with great photography skills for the job. After a few of his jokes, and the "warm up" poses, I was raring to go! Lol. Wouldn't have had half as much fun if the photographer just stood there saying..ok hand here, leg there, smile how. After a few poses and some awkward hand positions (u can't really look natural with ur hand on one hip I thought..unless u were scolding someone in that position..haha), I was actually tired. Wonder how models do it whole day long. And I thought it was easy being a supermodel..just having to smile or act sexy in front of the camera. The only disappointing (although expected) part was the freakishly expensive costs for getting the soft copies of the shots since the b'day promo only entitled me to one free 4R print. Hey, after all that hard work (may I add pretty shots..haha), I wanted more than one pic to take home. So since they were so expensive, out of the 30 odd shots, I decided to pick the best 10. Even picking the photos were fun, though a bit painful cos I had to abandon so many... sobs. But something tells me I'm gonna really enjoy my bridal shots. Looking forward to that already! ;)

After the lady took my heavy "studio" makeup off (actually more like just fluff some off with a piece of tissue...I could've done that myself...) I went off to meet Sakura for Hancock. And yeah, my friends were warning me about the mediocre reviews it got...even Sakura wasn't that keen..but like her sister's motto..if it's is free, why not. Didn't regret it one bit...especially when scrubby Hancock transformed into glorified superhero-Hancock. Woohoo..that's my Will Smith. Lol. There wasn't much of a plot, but the acting was good and Charlize Theron was hot (especially the scene where she got all heated up with raging hormones when Hancock entered the kitchen). Now I know why MB likes her!

On Sunday I was filling in for Far's friend who couldn't make it on time back to Singapore. I've never been a fan of Batman, so I was warning her that if I get lost during the movie she has to help me. But not too bad I guess, I don't think I needed the prequels to understand it. After seeing Joker's role, I realised what a pity it was that Heathe Ledger ended his life. Or perhaps there was some possibilites of truth to the rumour..that making the movie drove him to his end. Dark, as what I recall from previous Batman scenes I've watched (never sat down long enough to watch a whole movie..heh). After the movie, had dinner at some Indo restaurant at the basement of cathay. The food portions were a bit disappointing but I guess the food was not bad. Had a good time talking to Far's friends. I'd thought they'd be a wild bunch who weren't my type initially. But they turned out pretty tame and easy to get along with heh. Was even surprised they were actually interested to find out more stuff about me e.g. how I met MB and my travel escapades. Maybe cos Far's been gossiping to them abt me behind my back. Haha. Ah and we found out too that there are a lot of older brothers out there who are pretty useless/undependable/or just plain lazy. Comfort in company...

Unfortunately am back in office to face the reality of WORK. Ahhh, too bad weekends don't last long...

[we're healthy at work]

***yes we march on!*** ******one team ****** ***naughty banana***


according to prof, one of the few times we can do silly things to him..and boy did we take advantage of it lol

What better way to promote healthy living than organising a departmental walk (020708). Thanks to the NParks idea of buiding bridge connectors between different parks in Singapore (with the ultimate aim of connecting ALL parks in Singapore), we managed to hike our way from Mount Faber through Henderson Waves and ending at HortPark at Alexandra road - the Southern Ridges trail. The trail consists of a series of stairs and sloping footpaths that descend about 70 metres from the top of Mount Faber.

The weather was threatening to dampen our event but luckily the rain stopped just in time for us to commence the walk (and apparently started to rain again just after we departed...maybe GK asking us to pray to "our respective Gods" did work afterall lol. Or maybe it was me singing "rain rain go away, C-O-F-M wants to play" hahaha). In fact it was pretty sunny halfway through and everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves while munching down the bananas they got in the little "healthy pack" we provided. The walk through the secondary rainforest was pretty effortless and the stop at HortPark was fun cos we got to see lovely orchids and take silly photos with each other. Definitely wouldn't mind going again some time...perhaps next time equipped with my camera to take pictures of the scenic walk. Well done to the Health & Wellness team for organising the very successful event! Yay!

[the countdown begins]

on another note, today marks exactly one year from D-day. if things go as planned. maybe it's time i start my countdown. monthly perhaps. heh. ;)

11 July 2009

(note it down on your calender folks..hehe)

[automated lameness]

Talk about lameness... check this out:
http://www.eppendorf.com/int/hawkpopup.php?contentid=13

[the lil big getaway]

Oh what a relaxing getaway it was. 13 of us trouped to Pulau Besar ("Big Island"), a tiny island 20 mins off Mersing. We dreaded the 6.30am (on a Sunday morning!) assembly at Golden Mile, but I have to say it was well worth it. We had almost the whole island to ourselves, not counting a few ang moh families. The beach was awesome and the resort was simple but service was great (including the yummy food!). D'Coconut Island Resort..so good we're likely to take the super deluxe rooms next time heh. The only disappointment was the no snorkeling cos the weather wasn't good. Rained on our second morning there and the resort said the waters were too choppy to go out to sea. Ah too bad. Luckily we did our mini snorkeling on the first day albeit pathetic. Imagine 13 of us out at sea, or rather just a few metres away from the shore, desperately looking for (live) corals and (many) fish. We were happy with what we saw though, and I'm glad Sakura had her first adventure at snorkelling.

The highlight was definitely the treehouse with hammocks on top. It was like..wow the perfect hideaway. Sakura, Soefie and I discovered it first...so we declared it ours lol. Imagine just lying there, enjoying the brilliant view and breathing in the fresh air amidst the cooling sea breeze. It was definitely calming closing my eyes and listening to the waves crashing to shore. Oh what a perfect escape.

I had my first try at mahjong - I am proud to say I can now recognise Chinese numbers, and I even won a few games (beginner's luck they say...when I won my very first game heh...see grinning winner on the right lol). Of course I had a bit of help lah...from Lyn and whoever else who was coaching beside me hehe. Thanks PE for being my mahjong shi fu! :P

We also had an adventure to the set of Survivor 2 Norway (or some other Scandinavian country). There was an Angkor Wat replica on the island so the local seeing how bored we were without our snorkelling trip brought us to the set (God knows what a Cambodian structure was doing in Malaysia..ah but well..maybe the ang mohs didn't care to differentiate just "another" southeast asian island...hmm). Alas we discovered how we've been fooled on TV, as we realised how the ferns and even moss were plastic and the "rocks" were made of wood and styrofoam (note how "strong" the boys look carrying the "rock"..it's all camera trickery..hahaha). Still it was pretty fun posing as "survivors" and exploring the set. Survivors Singapore!

We were having such a good time it was a pity we had to leave so early. Next time we should check out later, afterall we had to wait 2 hours till our bus arrived at Mersing. How did we kill time? As typical Singaporeans, we were dying for a place to shop...so we ventured to the town nearby and shopped at Giant (only "shopping centre" we could find lol). We were happy anyway, some of us even managed to get some stuff haha. After some chocolate waffles and kaya balls, we headed back to our bus.

Must say it was a very good trip and I got much closer to my colleagues after that weekend. AW's HK friend, cousin and her friends were a fun bunch too and it was no problem getting along with them. In fact we more than got along with the nonsense we yapped abt heh. Looking forward to the next "lab getaway" already. Wee!

Had a trigger happy time with Sakura as my main model lol. Glad she didn't strangle me. Enjoy more Besar pics here!

[congrats siti!]

14.06.2008

they pulled off a terrific event for something that was planned in 4 months. wow! and i guess i should be thanking siti for providing me her contacts, and helpful hints for planning my big day. heh ;) May God bless your sacred union always =)

[grrrl power]

From an email I got from a friend

"To all the lovely ladies I know"

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour... ;)

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age.... interesting ;)

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra... need to get the last one..haha

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry... very important

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored... me cook for guests? wait long long...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself.. oh how true

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder...
and when to walk away...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents.. darn..lol

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...
but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW..
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally... oh the life lessons :P

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...
and a year...

meaningful...

[eat raisins campaign]

I'm not exactly a proponent of eating raisins, but since it has been my regular source of snack while trudging through my thesis writing, and since I think of a million and one other things to do other than focus on it, I researched and found out that my snack was notably healthy. So I thought I'd advertise it's remarkable properties to qualify for my snacking. Or perhaps just so that I had something else to do other than write. Haha.

[is it worth hoping?]

Life is about experiments and risk. Sometimes you don't realise you're in one, sometimes you don't realise you conjured up one, sometimes you don't realise the experiment has been going on for almost all your life; till you take a step back and look at the big picture. As unpredictable as life is (I read somewhere that the only constant thing about life is change), some experiments turn out great, sometimes they blow up in your face. Good thing none of my lab experiments haven't blown up in my face, at least not literally.

When you're being bombarded with problems, insurmountable hurdles, there is always that chance to succeed. But rising above that challenge is difficult when there is the people factor, a factor other than you, which is more often than not, even more unpredictable than life itself. Or perhaps predictably unpredictable. As in any (failing) experiment, you can try, and you can try. But how much do you try? Often you think of giving people second chances without even realising it. But if compound A isn't gonna react with compound B no matter how many different ways you approach it, are you still gonna go on like a mad scientist? Or do you say enough is enough?

It's not easy to put an end to hope. Hoping that perhaps this time the experiment might work. Hoping that if you do things differently this time, the outcome might be different. Maybe, just maybe, A and B will produce C this time. And then when you receive a slap in the face (or perhaps realise, finally, that you've been receiving too many slaps in the face), you decide: it is time to stop this experiment. Enough.

"It's not enough to know how to ride - one must also know how to fall" Mexican Proverb quote

No it is not quitting. How could it be quitting when you've tried repeating the experiment for years, without even knowing consciously you were hoping for the best? How could it be quitting when all this time there has been no evidence that the experiment would succeed? This is probably what is meant by a reality check. The reality is, sadly, that no matter how many ways you try to combine A and B, they simply aren't gonna react. No you haven't failed. You have succeeded in accepting the situation. And you have also made a discovery, albeit not the one you hypothesized: that A will not react with B. Probably not, ever.

So where do you go from here then? Do you give up hope entirely? It would be easy to say, since my experiments have not been working, there is no point being a scientist/experimentor anymore. Yet being the basis of what life is, where would the challenge be if we stopped experimenting and gave up hope? Perhaps it just means it's time to move on. Experiment with different materials, hope for different outcomes. Hope for Life. Because some dreams do come true.

[thank you jie jie]

It's nice to have an "elder sis" giving you fruitful advice on love and marriage, etc. It's always good to have someone who has similar experiences (or gonna have similar experiences with) dish out a word of advice or two. And when you can sense it's been all sincere and not in a naggy, this-is-how-it-ought-to-be way, you can't help but feel cared for. (Much more refreshing than advice from those who haven't been there or haven't done that, but seem to have limitless words of wisdom on how things should be done or will turn out to be; which mostly seem to reflect on their own insecurities...bleah.)

Thank you jie jie!

[I'm Yours]

Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
And now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We're just one big family.
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love love

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

Well no no, well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
I like one big family (2nd time: I like happy family)
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love love love

I won't hesitate no more
Oh no more no more no more
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

No I won't hesitate no more, no more
This cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours, I'm yours

Jason Mraz

[beauty underwater]

all smiles after first dive
still smiling after 2nd dive

bye bye Aur
Nudibranch
Clown Fish in Anemone
Crown of Thorns

Photos courtesy of Daniel and Ross..one of the advanced divers and instructors

[I love GSS!]

When else would I be able to buy 3 $70-$80 bras for only $69 in total? Haha. Next up: diamond ring.. ;) Yun says I might be able to get twice the carat for the same price. Let's see..heh.

[hanging up my fins]

I was there for an experience, and an experience is what I got. After last Monday's pool session, I didn't think I'd make it for the real dive. I panicked just submerging into the 2m(!) deep pool with the respirator. Haha. But after some personal attention and calming down Mr Alex, I managed to convince myself that I could breathe underwater lol. Funny how the brain took time to be convinced it's possible to breathe through the respirator and not thru the nose at all. After a very difficult first session, I was ready to call it quits.

Fortunately (in some cynical way), Far also experienced the same sucky 1st session. After comparing notes about how we panicked at several points along the session, we motivated ourselves that we'd do better the next time. And we did! At least I submerged without panicking and the rest of the session was fruitful despite the several instances where I couldn't keep myself "sunken" (fats must've made me too buoyant lol). Oh and I still grabbed onto Alex a couple of times haha.

Alas after a grueling 6 hour bus ride to Mersing (with the usual crazy Fri nite jam at the Woodlands causeway..dunno why they didn't use Tuas as originally planned...) and a 4 hour boat ride to Pulau Aur (imagine what a "bumpy" sleep we had), we had only an hour's rest before we were off to sea. I guess the thing that kept us awake was the excitement of the dive pumping thru our veins. I was disappointed that Alex wasn't gonna take us for the dive. Sob sob. Was looking forward to that. Good thing was that I was shifted to Far's group so at least we could be buddies...yay! Jumping into the sea alone took a lot of guts cos we didn't have the comfort of the walls of the swimming pool around us. The first dive was scary yet exciting. I was almost in denial that I made it...so I took a handful of sand to prove I was really there. Haha.

The second dive was also alright..we did more skills this time. But again my problem was that I kept surfacing so they had to put on more weights on me. After Ross "rescued" me from surfacing a couple of times, we surfaced earlier than the rest of the group. By then I was a lil dizzy and thought I might not go for the 3rd dive. Of course Christophe was like..oh I won't be able to certify u etc, which I didn't mind since I was really there for the experience. But since I was feeling better later, I went ahead for it. I didn't know what I was in for.

18m underwater was a longgggg way down. Equalization was more crucial this time cos my ears started hurting. I didn't feel quite right at first cos I heard something clinging at my tank. But Christophe must've thought it was my usual panicking so he said I was alright to continue anyway. The dive was great - saw a lot of corals, a few schools of fish...there were clown fish, baracudas, rainbow fish...all sorts of fish..even sea cucumber of various kinds! Mashallah, the wonders of God's creation! It was definitely lovely, but I must say Redang was much better with better colours and more abundant corals. I was getting better at getting my buoyancy right...I could bring myself down whenever I was floating higher, and up when I was too low. Oh, but except a few times when I was too low that I hit some corals. Ouch!

Somehow things started going wrong. I was floating up too much - a couple of times Far managed to bring me down. Then I must've drifted too far from the group cos no one came to pull me back down. And weirdly enough I couldn't deflate my BCD to go back down. Luckily Far was such a sweet buddy and surfaced with me to find out what's wrong. I told her to go ahead without me and that I'd return to the boat cos I don't seem to be submerging even tho I was pressing my deflate button...that was enough to make me worried. After some checks she realised my tank was dislodged from my BCD. Later on she told me she was wondering why my tank was floating upwards even tho I was kicking downwards. She tried to get our instructor's attn back down but apparently they asked her to continue on with them (thanks a lot ha). So I did the emergency gesture on surface and another instructor on the boat came to my aid. As she was trying to refit my tank, I think it was sort of pulling my into the water so I panicked even more. Then she said the simplest thing..put the respirator back in my mouth and breathe - duh, the littlest things u don't realise when u're panicking. She asked another guy to sing for me to calm me down but in my head I was like..come on..I'm not 5 years old lol. So after that lil rescue I floated on my back while she towed me back to the boat. Phew. It must've seemed minor to the pros but to me it was scary enough an experience. Who knows what might have happened if the tank totally dislodged and floated away...I don't think damaging the corals would be top of my worries. When we were back on the island I finally looked at my cuts...which were plenty. Ross said he noticed I was struggling at the area with the "dangerous" corals, and true enough, I had several "burns" from the fire coral (Wiki: Even though this fire coral looks like real life coral, it is actually closer on the family tree to jellyfish and other stinging anemones.) Yikes! The burns were quite deep and needless to say, stang really badly. The stinging got 10 times worse when Ross sprayed some anti-sting thingy. It was like goddddddd please help get rid of the pain. Had to ask Far to convince me not to wash off the medication. Lol.



The most disappointing part of the incident was that Christophe was unaware it ever happened. When he surfaced with the group, he proceeded to undo his gear as if nothing happened. Only later he came by our room to ask me what went wrong and well, at least he apologised for not checking my tank. I was a lil pissed that he didn't notice I was doing fine all along till that point, and instead went like...u should try to help urself instead of waiting for help. Bleah. Ross was even more clueless, teasing me about how I probably killed some corals and how the stings must've felt multi-orgasmic. I didn't feel so bad cos at least he was "only" the assistant. Only when I told him how the stings were hurting and what happened to my tank..he took me more seriously. Good thing I got towed back before things went worse.



After that harrowing experience, I didn't think I was in the mental nor physical state to continue diving. 3 out of 4 dives - so close to certification. But I guess it wasn't a big loss, since after all I was there for the experience. And I don't think I'm likely to dive again soon or anytime. I accomplished what I set out to. I went to the abyss and back (must exaggerate a bit lah..haha). And I'm proud of myself for acheiving that. Woo hoo! Diving's not for me I guess, I'll stick to snorkeling! Definitely less hassle...no more tanks and dive gear haha.



Oh and of course, I have to thank my dive buddy - Far, for helping me throughout. I think it's our first trip overseas together..sorta.. (after so many years..ha) and it was fantastic! Here's to more adventurous trips eh? Cheers!

[Happy Birthday Far!]

Finally after a longgggggggg time we accomplished our mission to have a non just-eat-out meetup. And boy was it fun! Although our original plans were interrupted (bowling alley at CSC Bt Batok was full cos there was some tournament going on), it was good that we still dropped by the place - at least I got to check out my shortlisted wedding reception venue. Heh. I'm still wooed by the greenery...ah I love Bukit Batok. I should really give them a second chance and call them again for quotations heh.

We managed to force our bums to Chevrons to the bowling alley there instead..and Min was like..wow in one day we see both ur shortlisted venues. Haha. Talk about being efficient! ;) Mel was the outright champion of the day and although I picked up in the second round, I couldn't keep it up for the third. We were very much awed by Min's "zen" bowling style...even tried to emulate it tho it didn't always work lol. After some nachos with cheese and lots of laughter, we decided it was time go off - especially since the junior expert bowlers were making us feel pathetic. Picture 10-14 year olds who were so used to scoring strikes that they weren't even smiling whenever they did vs. us erm young ladies who clapped gleefully each time we managed to knock down some pins. Heh.

Japanese seemed the theme of the day since after Sakae Sushi, we had a "ramen" cake for the birthday gal. Must've been her lucky day cos she even got an ang pao from Mel's mum haha (thanks auntie *on far's behalf*). Had a lovely time with the HP gang as always. Here's some pics to prove it! (and gals..upload the rest soon ya?!) =)

far strutting her stuff!
ramen cake complete with chopsticks!
b'day gal intrigued with the cake
awww lovey pose
cut us some pieces!
the cake dissected

[Verses of love]

I don't usually watch Indonesian movies. In fact, can't remember the last time I watched one. But this was a really good movie. A few lame lines here and there, but the movie's really worth a watch for the concepts of life and love portrayed very well in the story. Not just love for another human being, but love for God, and pursuing life to get closer to Him. My favourite line: I now realise love and wanting to possess someone is not the same. Oh and not to forget, Rianti Cartwright is beautiful, even when it's just her (alluring) eyes with her face covered up. ;) It's so good I even feel like watching it again. Or maybe I just love the mushy parts. Heh.

Ayat Ayat Cinta is a beautifully portrayed Islamic love story – a tale of a virtuous Muslim protagonist who overcomes all obstacles of life maintaining pure ideals.

Fahri bin Abdillah is a poor, intelligent student who wins a scholarship to complete his graduate degree at Egypt's esteemed Al Azhar University. Very disciplined and dedicated by nature, Fahri embraces his life in Cairo, completing his studies and translation of religious books with full enthusiasm, exactly according to pre-determined targets.

Only one goal is left unattempted: the pursuit of marriage.

For Fahri is innocent and pure, and doesn't believe in the concept of relationships prior to marriage. He is inarticulate and shy around women. All his life, only two women have been close to him – his mother and grandmother.

Life changes drastically in Egypt for he suddenly finds himself surrounded by four beautiful, distinctly different women.

Maria Girgis, a shy, open-minded Coptic-Christian neighbor who is attracted to the teachings of the Holy Al Quran, finds herself falling in love with Fahri (a fact she only reveals to her diary).

Nurul, a student at Al Azhar like Fahri, is the Muslim daughter of a renowned Indonesian cleric. Fahri feels unworthy of her and thus ignores his feelings for her, leaving her confused and guessing.

Noura, an abused Egyptian neighbor, develops strong romantic feelings for Fahri, who in turn simply sympathizes with her situation. His romantic rejection destroys her and eventually leads to a false accusation of rape.

Aisha, a German Turkish student in Cairo haunts Fahri with her beautiful eyes. Following an incident on the metro where Fahri defends her against narrow minded bigoted Muslims, both immediately develop feelings for each other.

As the story unravels, the protagonist makes the audience face the daunting decisions he himself faces, and forces us to marvel at his undying loyalty to the true ideals of Islam as he ultimately makes the choice of a lifetime.

[Meaning of flowers]

Not sure which flowers say it best? Use this as a guide:

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (the best flowers to apologise):
Geraniums – stupidity, folly
Yellow Gerberas – I'll try harder to win your love
Orange Gerberas – You are the sunshine of my life

Don't Worry, Be Happy (the best flowers to brighten someone's day):
Freesias - thoughtfulness
Orange Roses – feelings of enthusiasm, fascination
Sunflowers – adoration, following the sun
Yellow Tulips – there's sunshine in your smile

Thank You For Being a Friend (the best flowers to say thank you):
Pink Roses – gratitude, admiration, appreciation, friendship, thankfulness
Peach Roses – gratitude, appreciation, admiration
Yellow Roses – joy, friendship

Be My Baby (the best flowers to express new love):
Red Tulips – declaration of love, believe me.
White Roses – spiritual love, happy love
Lavender Roses – love at first sight, enchantment

I Will Remember You (the best flowers to express sympathy/condolences):
Forget-Me-Nots – memories, remembrance
Crimson Roses – mourning
Pink Roses – sympathy
White Roses – reverence
Lily of the Valley – humility, new life
Chrysanthemums – passing of a life

An Apple A Day (the best flowers to express Get Well wishes):
Sunflowers – sunshine, following the sun
Orange Gerberas – you are the sunshine of my life
Freesias – thoughtfulness

Celebrate Good Times (the best flowers to say Congratulations):
Birds Of Paradise – magnificence
Lilies – magnificent beauty, wealth, pride, majestic
Sunflowers – adoration
Yellow & Red Roses - congratulations

I Will Always Love You (the best flowers to express true love):
Yellow & Orange Roses – passionate thoughts
Thornless Roses – love at first sight
Red Roses – love, passion, respect, courage, I love you
Orange Lilies – flame, I burn for you

while we're on the topic...

10 Reasons to Send Flowers to your Sweetheart
10. To remind her that you exist.
9. So she'll forget that you came 2 hours late for your last date.
8. To prevent her from dumping you for someone who will give her flowers.
7. Because you can't figure out what else to give her.
6. Sending flowers is easy – you can order them while you wait for the match to start.
5. She'll tell her girlfriends about it, and soon you'll gain a reputation for being a gentleman.
4. Because life is a bed of roses. Avoid being the thorn.
3. She'll expect them. Sooner or later.
2. It makes you happy to see her smile.
1. Because you love her.

To the guy(s) reading this..hint hint ;)

from floweradvisor.com

[unguided sense of humour]

talk about humour

[double celebrations!]

Firstly, my exams are over! Woohoo. And they're over for good! At least until I decided to torture myself with another degree, which I doubt will happen anytime soon. Haha. Although it was a right decision to do my Masters as soon as I graduated, it's been kinda exhausting working and studying at the same time. And this even after I've had it pretty easy, with my boss cutting some slack (or so I think heh). I guess this was sort of an "optional" degree so I didn't see it as a die-die-must-get kinda thing...lacked the motivation in that sense. Plus after 4 years of undergrad, u really do need a break from studying. It gets too much sometimes. But of course, my choice in taking it immediately to keep up the study momentum had its payoffs. One of the most important factors was that at least I wasn't scared of not having sat for exams for a long while, which many of the older graduate students feared. And then of course course material were (relatively) fresh in mind - which meant I did not have to rely on extremely [note: extremely] heavy mugging to remember what went on during Bio 1101. Heh. I also have a lot of friends who have gone on to have children - who had the mentality "I'll do my Masters later." But the later never came. Ha. And with 3 children I don't think it will ever come. So yeah, carpe diem. Do it while you can! Oh and another advantage, I don't have to worry about looking after my kid and mugging at the same time; I really admire the mums who managed that! Kudos to you!

Ok so much rambling, but there's still my thesis to go. Ah...wonder when I'll get down to that. For now, I'll just be high on the fact that my modules are overrrrrr and that biostats was actually a breeze. I actually got worried that I finished one "round" in an hour. Kept checking and rechecking the paper to look for errors...and still had plenty of time left after that. Not that I was sure of all my answers lah...but at least all the blanks were filled up lol. I was so relieved that I even had time to look up and smile back at the lecturer haha. And the review questions she gave were a pretty good (and terribly obvious) hint to what was coming out..so yay to that too heh.

Went to Vivo with Sakura to celebrate; and if she hadn't stopped me, I'd have, in my euphoria, spent $25 x 2 on Gold Class tix to watch The Other Boleyn Girl. Heh. So as a comfort she promised to give me Gold Class service for a movie on my birthday. I'm writing it down here girl, so I'm not gonna forget! Haha. Don't forget to serve me good food and chilled drinks and check on me every few minutes whether I'm enjoying the movie. Lol. We settled for Definitely, Maybe only because it was at a suitable time and the only other movie we knew. The movie was like...god..really lame and super cheesy. It's like cheesy from beginning to end so yeah, unless you have absolutely no other movie to watch or are in a really lame mood, or you're in the mood for cheese (oh no I'm getting influenced by the movie) please DO NOT watch it.

Another good news I had this morning was that I published my first ever paper with me as the first author...yay! That's definitely motivation to start working on my thesis. Woohoo!

[confidence]

You know he really cares when he digs up (yucky) stats notes and studies it for an hour while u're asleep just so that he can explain to you what confidence intervals are.

=)

[woes]

Seems like this isn't gonna get any easier. First there was the need to balance both of them being happy. She being hostile with him, he being hostile with her. Each not focusing on the occasion at hand, but rather their own childish bickering leading to animosity.

Just when things calm down, new situations arise. Personal aims become more important than being part of a larger entity. Selfish goals lead to abandonment of responsiblity. Apparently a trip like this isn't as important as setting up an education system for a bunch of strangers. Don't ask why I don't understand you. Because I simply do not. Makes me think that I should have stuck to my original plan.

Although the first matter got resolved, albeit in an unpleasant way, something else crops up. I can't believe you invited him - him of all people. Do you not understand the struggle I went through, do you not realise the pain he has caused me? Even if you don't understand that, were you not there everytime he ruined an occasion, were you blind whenever he caused a nuisance at our gatherings? Do you think things change overnight and he'll be an angel now? Again, I am speechless. I have only one thing to say - if you still insist on it, you will be solely responsible for ruining my special day.

I can only pray, that things go smoothly.

personal time

How Should You Indulge Your Senses?

My Result: Little Personal Time

For someone who's as on-the-go as you, the greatest indulgence of all is a hearty dose of rest and relaxation. Charming and fun, you love spending time with family and friends, but there's also a mellow and quiet side of you that relishes time alone with your thoughts.


Whether you like to take long walks, catch an afternoon blockbuster, or check out a hip new art exhibit, you like exploring the world on your own terms and learning more about yourself in the process. Not one to harp on the past or obsess about the future, you have a confident and graceful way of savoring each experience as it comes.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=indulgesensesogt&c=50652

[9 days]

9 days passed by so quickly. It started with the anticipation of picking you up at the airport. Did I look alright, would you be excited to see me, would you enjoy the trip? Where are you...did customs hold you back, did the visa not work...cos so many are out already? Tick tock, tick tock, I grew more nervous. And then finally you appeared. Finally I see you again. Yes, dreams do come true.

It was fun showing you around town, as bad a guide as I was. Hey I know Sthlm better, next time I'll show u around there haha. I started feeling a bit like your PA, telling you who you'd be meeting, when and where tonight. I'm glad meet-the-dad session went superbly; then again, I think all the meet-my-family/friends sessions went great. Wee :)

I enjoyed our moment on the beach. If I had known how terrific it felt to just sit beside you all day gazing into the horizon, I'd have spent the whole day there. But then again, we needed to get the ring, so first things first. Haha.

Thank you for putting up with a 10-year-old brat, thank you for putting up with a terrible guide and a driver with a terrible sense of direction. Thank you for making me talk, thank you for opening my heart up. Thank you for coming.

Till we meet again...

It's hard for me to say the things
I want to say sometimes
There's no one here but you and me
And that broken old street light
Lock the doors
We'll leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words tonight

Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes
When I couldn't see
For parting my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me
I never knew I had a dream
Until that dream was you
When I look into your eyes
The sky's a different blue
Cross my heart I wear no disguise
If I tried, you'd make believe
That you believed my lies

Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes
When I couldn't see
For parting my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me

You pick me up when I fall down
You ring the bell before they count me out
If I was drowning you would part the sea
And risk your own life to rescue me

Lock the doors
We'll leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words tonight

Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes
When I couldn't see
You parted my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
When I couldn't fly
Oh, you gave me wings
You parted my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me


Thank You For Loving Me - Bon Jovi