As I sit on this sunset cruise to nowhere, yet in the middle of everywhere, I feel blessed and at peace.
Lying on the deck with the breeze caressing my sunkissed face, hearing the gentle crashes of the waves and with God all around, I grin like a dork.
This is life.
Sometimes, you need to have what you deem as nothing in your life to realise just how rich you are in other ways.
And really, how bad can BAD be? If your life is really that down in the slumps, isn’t the only way up then?
Always believe. Always try. And just breathe ;)
I know I’m growing up cos my close friends are all getting married or having babies! And I’m so happy for them for reaching another milestone in their lives.
I became a 姐妹 for the first time last Saturday for my good friend, Tannia. I woke up at 5:30am (!!) and dressed up as a sailor (no kidding) as the theme for the morning was sailors vs. pirates. I’m not sure if it’s a Singapore thing but on the morning of the wedding, the groom and his entourage of male friends aka ‘brothers’ have to reach the bride’s house and fulfill numerous forfeits set by the 姐妹s aka ‘sisters’ before he gets to ‘win over his bride’.
Only for a good friend!
Arrr the pirates have arrrrrived!
In addition to the series of forfeits the guys have to do, they are also subjected to eating some really really icky stuff. These food come in four flavours - 酸甜苦辣, which translates to “sour, sweet, bitter, spicy” and are symbolic of the groom’s promise to go through the good and bad with his wife.
The list of food they had to eat:
Sour – lemon peel and lemon juice ice cubes
Sweet – bandung ice cubes
Bitter – coffee powder and water
Spicy – chilli padi and wasabi in ice cubes
Icky huh! After the groom gets the bride, it’s off to photo taking and throwing of the bouquet (rather similar to most cultures). And guess who caught the bouquet lolol
It fell right into my arms! *blush*
The wedding dinner was held at the Regent and damnit!!! I didn’t take any photos of the sword bearer walk in. As a little girl, I always thought it was soooo cool to have the groom in his military outfit, taking your hand down the aisle. Guess I was too engrossed that night, haha!
Taken with my bff at the photo booth – my longest and most complicated relationship ever. Lol!
My outfit for the night :)
And my most amazing date for the evening xx
To many more happy occasions! CHEERS!
I won’t lie and say that life has been awesome la-dee-da.
There’s a constant flow of things going through my mind, a ton of what-ifs and a load of uncertainty. I’ve been an adult for a couple of years now, but it’s kicking in, the realities of being a grown-up.. Buying my first car, possibly my first property (soon) and ensuring financial stability for my future.
But then, I see people getting sick, getting cancer, and worse still, dying.. Let’s not even start on all the man-created and human disasters.
And I ask myself, how can my problems even compare to these/theirs?
I’m not saying to be a bum, just chillax by the beach all day and live under a bridge. What I’m saying is that if we put things in perspective, what we normally consider “crisis” in our lives are nothing but a fleeting moment.
More importantly, I’m blessed with the things that money can’t buy. A loving and healthy family, a supportive partner and a group of girlfriends (and some guys) who are always there for me.
To end it off, here’s a verse I take comfort in whenever I feel like I’m ‘losing it’
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”
Jeremiah 29:11
Bowling over with LOVE
I miss blogging.
I miss having the time to pen down my thoughts and compile a list of memories – both visually and in copy.
For now, here’s my week in pictures xx
Fell sick
Got well and made a new friend
Packed my necklaces
Spun around in our test drive.. Poor Zoee, mad as hell with me
And survived mother Monday
How was your week? :)
What would I do without your support, strength and love?
Uber.
I’m sold.
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Shiok! ;)
Nature is beautiful. It never ceases to amaze me. Be it up in the sky or down in the sea, beauty is aplenty.
There’s so much we can do to preserve this gift from above.
What say you?
I’m in Cebu, sitting on a deck chair by the pool and the wind is amazing.
Thinking of going back to work sucks. But I guess for now, I’ll just make the best of this break.
It’s been awhile since my family’s been on a holiday together.
They went to Europe late last year but I wasn’t able to make it due to work commitments. Well, we’ll all be in Cebu in just a couple of hours! And as tired as I may be, I’m pretty damn excited.
Family is forever xx
(First entry from WordPress’ updated app)
With Chinese New Year approaching, I’ve started to notice the hustle and bustle of Chinatown.. People have gone out to buy new clothes to usher in the new year, some have even started preparing dishes for this auspicious occasion. To the Chinese, Chinese New Year is a big thing! It’s like Thanksgiving in America.
I don’t really have relatives in Singapore. Dad grew up in KL and mom in Penang. Dad has 12 other siblings and mom has 3 other sisters. And all these aunties and uncles of mine are strewn all over the world – in Malaysia, Australia and UK. I’ve such a big extended family that I’ve lost count of my cousins, nieces and nephews.
Previously, this distance was felt even in my own family. I was in Brisbane while my second sister was in Sydney. Well, it did help that I had a whole bunch of relatives in Australia. I would say that the only time I felt real bonding with my relatives was in Australia and I will forever cherish those memories – cousin dates, spending Sundays playing board games, BBQs at the porch etc.
In a way, I am envious of those with big extended families. No doubt, relatives can be nosey and gossipy but I still think that having a close family unit is something I’d strive to build amongst my siblings and I in future!
My cousins from Penang and Melbourne were in transit from Italy this week. And boy, was it fun! I’ll leave you with this picture.. Priceless if you ask me :)
Best kind of dinners x
We all have different milestones that make our lives memorable and uniquely ours.
Our first word, our first test, our first love, our first heartbreak and our first big purchase.
So here’s the most expensive thingy (musical instruments don’t count) I now own – Smelly French Panties Zoee Loh Chao Bin (5 Jan 2013). The literal translation for Chao Bin (a Hokkien word) is black face – think grumpy and angsty teenager haha.
She’s affectionately known as Zoee cos her car plate’s 2033. And because I live in the Internet age, 2033 = Zoee ;)
first day with zoee – say hi! x
Shine on, fighter
Just like that, the new year has started.
2012 has been kind and I am so thankful. The people that matter are still by my side, healthy and happy. I got to explore multiple cities, try lots of delicious food and meet up with family members all over the world.
I’m blessed. And no matter how tough the going gets, I never forget that.
x
I remember that moment rather clearly…
When my then-client, iFly Singapore, shared with me that they wanted to host and organise APAC’s first ever indoor skydiving world championships. Ambitious I thought. Doable. But really ambitious considering that I knew of this right right after they officially opened on 18 May 2011.
Cut the long story short, after countless meetings, tons of back and forths with the various skydive teams around the world, the world championships took place last weekend, between 13-16 Dec. 50 over teams flew in from UK, Australia, USA etc. to strut their moves in the world’s largest indoor skydiving wind tunnel.
Arizona Arsenal – 4-way Vertical Formation Skydiving (VFS)
And as if having so many teams down for this event wasn’t grand enough, iFly Singapore sought clearance from the Ministry of Defence, CAAS, the Singapore police etc. to bring in Sentosa’s first ever tandem skydives! When I saw the first jump, I wanted to cry.. Tears of pride, happiness and everything mixed into one ;’)
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT
Another highlight during the world championships took place on Sunday when the teams attempted to break 3 world records
Most number of flyers in a wind tunnel – 18 pax (position must be held for 10s)
Most number of kids in a wind tunnel – 13!
Longest freefall in a wind tunnel
The record stood at 3h 1m and 46s and guess what! All four guys trashed it! The last man came out at 4h 2m and 12 s! You might think it’s just all fun and laughter floating around in the wind tunnel but NO! You are wrong. Most first-time flyers that fly in the wind tunnel do so for 45s (the same time it takes from the moment one jumps out of the plane and before the parachute opens), and normally, they’ll ache a little the next day.
Flying in the wind tunnel requires tons of core strength. Plus, it’s mentally draining! I remember when I was involved in a photoshoot in the wind tunnel, I felt like passing out after staying in the tunnel and posing for 7-8mins. Salute to the guys!
Enjoy the rest of the images I took over the weekend!
Suave
Have you ever seen a chopper on Sentosa?
Ben and I before his flight
Ashley showing Ben just how it’s done!
On his way down, wheee!
“Best flight of my life ever”, Ben
Team Firefly really feelin it!
Bullet and Lightwing with the girls
With Lawrence, boss and friend
Always on the phone lol!
My Boo
I’m so damn proud of iFly Singapore and how far it has come. It hasn’t been a smooth journey but the rewards have always been sweet. And through working with them, I have made so many great friends. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Now, whoever said work had to be boring? ;)
I have three siblings. The younger two of them are 10 and 12 years younger than me. That’s a pretty huge age gap if you ask me.. I was basically mini mom to them.
I have no idea why, but I always remember carrying my baby brother on my lap.. Perched on my knee in his room at our old place, getting sooo amused by his little baby sounds. I was looking at the side profile of his chubby cheeks, wondering how babies were made so cute!
They’ve since grown (a whole lot) and the transformation from babies to youths has been amazing. I’ve also seen them perform at little gigs to full blown ones like ChildAid. ChildAid, held over the weekend, is an annual charity concert organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times. Proceeds raised go to needy schoolchildren and helps to also nurture artistic talents of underprivileged children. This year, ChildAid raised over S$2 million (source)!
Couldn’t be more proud of my siblings!
Opening act
Date for the night
If you want to watch my siblings in action, click on this (opening act with others) and this (this is da bomb!!)
Family is forever
To pamper them the day after their performances and after days of rehearsals, I brought them to iFly Singapore! They had sooooo much fun and really, this place never fails to make me happy :)
In action
Post-flight happiness
My family keeps me happy. How about you?
(An old post by me: Two Little People - only FB friends will be able to see this)
