Bathroom Invitation

I was packing my office workstation the other day and i found something.
Sometime back in June, i returned to my desk from my boss's room to find this sitting quite inconspicuously on top of my mess of documents.

'INVITATION'...? on a white piece of paper folded in half? Oh who has nothing better to do...

Then i opened up the other half and lo and behold.
Ah yes, who else could it have been other than my toilet-break good friend.





She could have just dialed my extension, you know.

Sunday Lunch with my lovely family

So it was Mum's turn to pick a place and she chose this quaint little place that's really obscurely hidden from civilization. La Braceria is an authentic Italian restaurant that's located right smack in the middle of a private housing estate and looks really inconspicuous from the outside. But once you set foot in, you'd be transported into a whole new world of cozyness and subtle classiness that's neither superficial nor pretentious. Not to mention, their service is really impeccable.

I must say the food's really quite good! I wanted more even after i was done although i was already bursting at the sides. I especially enjoyed their Roast Pork dish that was served with salad and slices of lemon. Ooooooo when squeezed over, the lemon juice & pulp really brought out flavour of the pork.

Their pastas were pretty good too but serving was quite small. Pizzas were placed into a metal 'spade' and pushed deep into a build-into-the-wall authentic wood-fire oven so that the crusts were really really crisp and flavourful. And they taste nothing like our conventional pizza delivery pass-offs. For starters, they use really wholesome and fresh ingredients in abundance.

My family really had a great time there and everyone finished up every morsel on our plates. GOodie!

Emotional Quotient

Emotional Quotient (or Emotional Intelligence), tact and mutual sensitivity are all fundamentals in Today’s social requirements, yet unfortunately are grossly underrated in the busy minds of our corporate commerades.

Ironically, it IS the very fact that they lack this significant neurological part of their being, that they would not be able to sense the silent scream for it in the society today. Hence, they forego fringe benefits or the opportunity for creation of positive impressions and sometimes stir up situational awkwardness without a dashing clue about it. When pushed, fellow folks might even put them to the bar for a decisive judgment on the motives of their tacklessness.

Why did she say this? Why did she do that? Was it intentional? Everything becomes a blur after multiple occasions of ‘inadvertent offense’. The Benefit of Doubt very much has its limits, and vary vastly for each individual.

What about that guy in your office who does not seem contribute much to the company yet gets a ginormous bonus (yes, even larger than your sad sorry mugging butt) every year? He’s the one with the entire works of EQ. You’d usually find him leaning by the pillar, chatting up the big guys in the office, acting all chummy with lots of vocal contributions of ‘insights’ and a generous helping of praise. He seems to have everyone on his side, even without having to draft a single report or come up with an ingenious proposal. That’s because he knows when to say what at the right time. He knows what others like to hear, and how to harp on those wonderful notes that make people’s head swim.

To conclude, I cannot stress how important EQ is in one’s life. Everyone should get their antennas up and be incredibly vigilant not only to the rapid changes of the stock exchange, but also to the gradually changing mood lines on your neighbour’s face.

Gina's Birthday & Chalet

31 July to 1 August 2009


The pretty flowers Aisyah & I got for Gina's special day :)))

Gina decided to hold her birthday celebration with a barbeque & stay at Goldkist Beach Resort (formerly known as Costa Sands East Coast Chalet).

Since I was sorta like the co-organiser/helper, I got up early and went over to her place to help with the packing and moving of stuff to the chalet. Also had to make multiple trips to various supermarkets to get whatever foodstuffs & alcohol that was still needed ready. We got the bulk of the food meant of barbequing from a supplier. But it was STILL REALLY REALLY HARD WORK I TELL YOU. Moving the alcohol alone was so so tough. She had so much of it!

Yup so enough talk about the preparation. She had her own friends over on the first night. A few of our colleagues & lawyers as well. We had a great time sharing secrets and funny stuff we usually wouldnt talk about in the office. Ahh, must be the influence of alcohol. Hahas.
We barbequed really yummilicious otahs, chicken wings, cheese tofus & the likes!
I think i really liked the raw food supplier & the quality of food they provided us with. Especially the otahs! Couldn't stop feeding myself with them!
Im sucha pig...

Second night, the main group of our colleagues came down. We were really busy balls. I was really glad Aisyah came early to help lighten my impending grumpiness due to exhaustion. Continued with the pigging out. Darling Ed came over to join us too! But he was also a bit grumpy that day unfortunately...
I got an ice-cream cake from Swensons for Gina's cake-cutting. Heavenly yummyness!
We still had an abundance of alcohol for the second night. Oh my head hurt just looking at the entire lot. Played card games & even OLD-SKOOL games like Heart Attack. I think the last time i played that game was with my cousins like 14 years ago. So funny~



Pictures of just us. Because Gina did not put on make-up, she refused photography of herself.
I was too busy the rest of the night to take anymore shots of anybody else or the celebration.

Yups, so the next day was just clearing up and stuff. Thats the boring and tedious part. She had an entire huge Styrofoam box filled to the brim with alcoholic drinks and melting ice that had to be moved by the both of us back to her home. We must have looked so silly with the warehousing trolley that we borrowed from our company.

But alls well, ends well yea.
I hope Gina had a wonderful birthday :)))

Touched by voices

Every now & then we come across certain artists' voices, that make us tear uncontrollably. Maybe it's just me. But it's not because it's the kind of sobfest song, with melanchonic lyrics that makes me wallow in sadness or whatever.

It is solely because the genuine heart & emotions of the singer is unknowingly reflected in the voice. Infusing such wonderful waves of stirring emotion throughout, these artists successfully allow their audiences to feel exactly how they felt at the point of song. And needless of explanation, we know they mean what they sang from the bottom of their hearts.

Like a shot to the heart, the singers to these songs really moved and touched the softest part of my inner soul.


If Tomorrow Never Comes by Kevin Skinner

This guy comes on stage and announces he's a chicken-catcher back on his farm.
Everybody laughs.
And the moment he sings, he melts the hearts of every single girl on the set.
I can only imagine the extend of his innocent but genuine love for the lady of his life. Because i have forgotten that in these complicated times, such a pure and simple love still exists, I cried.






Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Katherine McPhee

One night quite some time ago, i turned on the telly and she came on. Singing her heart out on that stage, I couldn't help but shed a few tears at the end of the song. I could not find the reason for it too.






The Blower's Daughter by Damien Rice

Oh this is the ultimate.
About 6 years ago, I saw on the music video of this song on MTV.
I cannot tell you how touched i was by it.
Until today, i have not heard another song of such a moving standard.

"I can't take my eyes of you
I can't take my eyes of you
I can't take my eyes of you
I can't take my eyes of you
I can't take my eyes of you
I can't take my eyes...."

I cried BALLS dude.

Foot note

I've just removed my Voicebox (chatterbox) from the side bar.

It was really starting to annoy me as i had to constantly delete those advertorial postings of pariah blogshops and whatever beauty services at discounted rates.

Also, if however occasional, some nice friend feels the urge to drop a note about something i wrote, I actually prefer it to be commented under the post itself. That way, in the future if i suddenly feel the need to reminisce by back-reading, i'd know which post he/she's referring to.

I understand that the previous comments friends made for me on the cbox would be lost, and i am very sorry about it too.
Thanks for those nice notes, peeps!

Yup! so happy reading! Cheers! :)))

Besties in Booth!

The other day, I had to take passport-sized pictures for my new residential card so i dragged Toreen along with me.
See, i needed someone to guard the booth curtain while i was inside. My need for a guard stemmed from a long time ago when i was 13 and i took my first instant-picture in a booth. I went alone.
I was smiling silly-ly into the camera-screen and concentrating hard to make sure i don't wobble or whatever, when this kid suddenly poked her head thru the curtains and into the booth from outside.
I looked at her, and she looked back at me.
I sort of expected her to like NOTICE im taking a picture there, and leave me to my solitude in the booth again. But NO. She just stood there in between the curtains and stared at me.
And that was the time when the camera took the shot.

Needless to say, that picture turned out weird.
It had me, still smiling silly-ly, but somewhat forced. And my eyes weren't to the camera. They were slanted to the left of the booth. I know i should have just looked straight ahead, but the fact that the girl was just staring at me from the side made me so nervous and conscious of myself. I couldn't help but steal glances at her.

SO folks. That is why from that time on, i need someone by the booth to protect me from such incidences. Else i won't be able to rest my mind at peace and take the picture with a expression.



Bestie standing guard! I think we look nice together in this one.



Trying to be funny in the booth... Gosh, i look so 'auntie' with the Carrefour plastic bag in hand!



This will make a nice wall shot! It's a picture taken by Toreen's Omnia of my Olympus that had just taken a picture of us.
Is your brain rattling yet?

Thanks girl, for accompanying me :DDD

A Possible Glimpse (an article found and emailed to Mum)

Heys Mum,

I was reading a surfing the web the other day and i came across this article that's really special.
It's an account of this lady's experience when she was in a comatose state and what she saw within that period.

I keep imagining what it is like to be in that lovely place she describes, and to have that one-to-one walk and be able to communicate spiritually with Jesus. Also that feeling of total peace she speaks of, and the eagerness to be with him and nothing else... She speaks of all of these with so much joy and anticipation.

Could this be a short glimpse of what heaven is really like?

I mail you this article in the hope that it touches you as much as it has touched me.

Love, your daughter


Here's the story:


Derry's Near Death Experience testimony in her own words

"Many people ask me what was the first thing I thought or felt when I came out of my coma, about three weeks after the accident. I could feel Christ's love and compassion for me and I believe the prayers of many for me made him tune into me personally, and led to my incredible experience with Christ in that heavenly garden. I now no longer hope that there is a heaven and that Christ's life experience and atonement are real. Now I know! Just as I know that I gave birth to all five of my children and tangibly held them in my arms.

My testimony of Christ burns within me. Now, when I think of him, I have a visual memory of him looking at me there in that heavenly garden.

I now have the time to focus on spiritual things daily because I can no longer work as a nurse.

I thank God I'm able to communicate with others instead of being severely brain injured and unable to communicate as was expected.

All the doctors say my recovery, to the extent I function now, is a miracle!

I had a near-death experience after I'd been seriously injured in a near fatal automobile accident which caused me to stop breathing necessitating the use of a ventilator and an accompanying coma. Since coming out of my coma I've had vivid remembrances of the time I was on the other side of veil in a heavenly realm.

There was a bright mist permeating everything. The light was everywhere, it even passed through me! I can remember looking at my hand and the light passed through it. I could see my hand was transparent, but this did not surprise me. As I walked with this heavenly personage his countenance shone forth with such a brightness that I can't describe. I knew this heavenly personage was Jesus because I recognized him as a familiar friend. He didn't announce who he was because this wasn't necessary.

I remember walking with Jesus, but we weren't walking in the physical sense, the best way I can describe our walking was that we were walking in mid-air, floating a bar spare above the ground of this beautiful garden we were walking in. Everything in this garden had an overall whiteness and brightness about it. I was seeing the bright green of the plants. I could see the water, and a bright glow surrounded it and the burbling of this water had a musical sound to it, the water fairly sang! The water was so sparkling clear! I remember wanting to bend over and take a drink from the stream that was running through this garden we were walking thru.

When I tried to scoop up water with my hands the water ran through my hands, literally, and it wasn't wet! Jesus stopped walking and looked at me while I was bent over trying to drink this water. I could feel his eyes on me. My thirst for this water even though I wasn't able to put to my lips and drink it was gone at that moment! I can't describe the sensation I felt when the water was running through my hands, but I did feel something. I felt this overwhelming desire to experience everything about this garden.

When I and the heavenly being talked it wasn't with our mouths, but I knew we were communicating, his countenance fairly shone, and how he felt about me shone forth about him. He simply exuded love and concern and caring for me just by standing there. The feeling of peace I felt was indescribable!

I was given the choice that I could either come back to this Earth and live more life or stay with him there in Heaven. We both knew that returning to this Earth would be a struggle because I'd told him that I wanted to return to this Earth if I could help myself and others. He knew that I didn't want to live more life on this Earth if life meant being trapped in unresponsive body, unable to communicate. The look of love in his eyes filled me with joy then, and as I remember that feeling of joy I felt then I'm filled me with joy anew.

I don't know how I did this, but then I remember that I was in a hospital room looking at my husband holding my hand and talking to me. Only I wasn't seeing from the vantage point thru my own eyes. I recognized that was my body, but I was outside of it, looking at my body. As I viewed this scene I felt a strong desire that I wanted to return to this Earth and live more life with my husband, if I could communicate with him and help him. I was understood and the desires of my heart were heard.

The next thing I remember was being trapped in my body while others cared for my physical needs. I can remember that I could tell what the nurses were thinking about me by how they touched me. I knew if they thought I was going to live or not through their touch. I knew if they thought they were caring for a basically dead person whose spirit wasn't there. I remember trying to scream out, "Look! I'm alive! I'm in here! I'm going to live!" I relaxed and trusted that person much more if I knew that they knew they were caring for a living person. I obviously could read their thoughts!

While in my spirit body I remember communicating telepathically, this is how I and Jesus communicated in that heavenly garden. It was so easy, it required no effort, you thought the thoughts and they were communicated. Speaking through my physical mouth is so difficult, and frustrating, and sometimes you're misunderstood, and they get the wrong meaning of what you're trying to say. The phrase the world uses of being soul mates is referring to the communication between two souls, spirit to spirit communication.

To communicate on a spiritual level is a very profound. I believe I've had this spiritual gift ever since my near-death experience, and it has profoundly blesses my life as I use it. I feel this great need to communicate on a spiritual level with others, and one of the only ways I'm able to communicate in this way is through writing. I have to prepare myself mentally to be able communicate on a spiritual level. You have the time to do this as you are writing in your home, without distractions. We are what we think. I find trivial thoughts distracting, I rarely watch TV and then only if it stimulates good thoughts. I listen to different music now, and gravitate towards the ethereal.

My near-death experience has changed me, I desire righteousness and I abhor evil. I'm actually quite thankful for my accident, even though it has changed my physical abilities adversely, at the same time my spiritual abilities have blossomed enormously. Ever since I woke up from my coma I've had an attitude of peaceful hopefulness. I believe the reason why I still live, one of the reasons I came back to this Earth to live is because I'm supposed to testify that the spirit world is real and beautiful, and that Jesus is who he says he is, he is our brother, and we knew him well as a friendly brother in the spirit world. This knowledge, this belief, affects every facet of my life, and my desire to communicate this to others is why I am here on Earth now relating this experience to all who will listen."

- Derry Bresee; The Trigger of Coma (http://www.near-death.com/experiences/triggers13.html)

Some pictures of us :)

Me & darling Ed at Vivo deciding where to go next.



Us again being silly :P



He's slurping his drink & playing with his iTouch pretending to be unaware of the camera that's pointing at him.



I look very funny here when im trying to twist my mouth into a :/ expression... My beef is too well-done *frowns*

Yours truly; at 9am & at 6pm on a random workday

At 9am; the workday just started not too long ago.



That's me at my office workstation.
Gina wanted to test her new Blackberry with a picture of me me me.
I don't always put on my blazer coz it kinda stiffens movement but i happened to be wearing it at that point of time.

I look so sleepy but oh wells, what's new?


At 6pm; work ends! a quick scramble out of office is needed.



On with the falsies and some touching-up of make-up.
Im hailing a cab and headed to town with friends :)
It's one of those good days i can leave work on time :)))
You can see the beaming happiness on my face and i don't look at all tired anymore.
Hahaha!

Love!