The Runaway Bride...

After a marathon courtship with:

- Numerous rounds of introduction, familiarisation and exchanging of particulars
- Innundation of research, recommendations and reviews
- Series of interrogations, performance and situational trials and tests
- Sieving, narrowing down and elimination
- Surveying, haranguing and negotiating;

The day was finally set and announced. Frens heaved louds sighs of relief that the search they were obliged to be involved in for an extremely difficult, indecisive and fussy her was at last over.

The walk down the aisle overwhelmed her with thoughts.

Of having come such a long way;of keeping her high standards albeit much pressure from most to be less picky; of staying firm despite the temptations and promises of better looks and glitzier specifications.

Many times, as difficult and confusing as the situation may seem, as alluring as it was for her to take the easy way out and give in to the various compelling endorsements, she was glad that she still manage to exercise the restraint to pull away, to take into account others' opinions and feedback, not to be swayed by flattering language but to think logically if indeed, it's worth it.
She prided herself for being rational and level headed , adhering to her belief that ample time needs to be devoted to cultivate understanding and knowledge.

She catches a glimpse of her future as she gets nearer to the altar.

There had been differences and dissatisfaction along the way but they have been ironed out. Not the best deal, but oh well, good enough, compatible enough.

BUT SUDDENLY

Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a well-built, stylish silhouette. It was nothing she has seen before or mentioned/raised at any point of time in her circles of friends. The aura of mystery unwound to boast of so much that can be offered to her and yet asked for so little from her in return. A small but burning flame of adventure was unleashed within her, of the possiblities this unknown could give her, of taking a chance for once. In that spilt second, she realised that at heart, she's not only a brand snubber but even more, a country snob. More than she would like to admit to, she's concerned about the baggage/accessories that accompanies something/someone, equally or even more than the something/someone.

So near the finishing line, history repeats itself. As she has done many times before, her defense seems to melt, her decision wavered. She ran and chose... the unknown that she got to know a few hours ago.

What would the journey be from now on?

She too, does not know. At the same time that she feels silly making the decision immediately on the scene, considering and accepting this unknown whilst rejecting so many candidates outright before, she still stubbornly defends and stands by her choice to naysayers. Perhaps its a fondness for this unknown, perhaps its pride, she can't explain it either. Sometimes, a tinge of regret crawls up for choosing uncertainty over the established, other times, she's momentarily consoled by some who have come forward to show their support and their blessings. But ultimately, only time would tell if she has made the right choice and if the choice can capture the moments, share the joys and weather the storms with her after the 1 year honeymoon.

Meanwhile, she tries to listen to well-meaning friends to TRUST HER OWN JUDGEMENT.

To be continued a year later...

Behind the Scenes

For the occasional smses I sent and calls that I receive on my HP,

Thanks goes to all who have been bearing with the uncertainty and exasperation of me not replying their smses and missing/not answering their calls

For the spontaneity, spirited conversations and wholehearted, quick replies that some have with me on MSN ,
Thanks goes to the many understanding others who I block/appear offline to. Special thanks to those who show their utmost support by probing me to block them so that I can focus on the work on hand
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For the emotional, diction- perfect rendition of those Mandarin KTV hits
Thanks goes to those who have given me crash course tutorials on the context of the lyrics and dilligently read out the lyrics phrase by phrase during the interludes of the songs

For the melodious 5 minutes suite that I play on the piano
Thanks goes to my family and neighbours for having to bear the brunt of those boring tenacious drills of scales and arpeggios during early morning practise sessions throughout the years

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For the fren who witness my zipping speed shopping spree around Orchard,
Thanks goes to frens who accompany me on those laborious, physically demanding sussing out buys cum survey trips where, after numerous tries and fittings, there's STILL no sign or sight of me getting anything at all

For the pretty heels that I bought and wore,
Thanks goes to frens who endure back breaking antics ploughing/searching through heaps of haphazardly stacked shoeboxes to get that perfect pair of shoes for a fussy me

For the camera that I'll be getting someday soon,
Thanks goes to:
1) my various companions at one time or another to Sim Lim - for saving me from the sticky situations of hard sell, high pressure tactics of the salesmen; for being the subject of venting for a Hokkien ah pek lambasting my camera of choice all the way down, for the soft and hard approach adopted to get a better price, for the jokes cracked on the otherwise, leg breaking 6 storey adventure
2) Frens who are helping me ask their contacts for the lowest prices possible. I'm depending on you'll!!

3) (Updated 21/5/05) J, who has painstakingly trawled the net on her less than stable laptop to find reviews for those models I am contemplating

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For all the ceaseless meals that I seem to have and the multitude of reviews and recommendations I give about food and restaurants/eateries,
Thanks goes to the many other frens, for

a) putting up with the inconvenience in arrangements and dampening of spirits when I don't eat because I am i) skipping lunch ii) trying to adhere to a failing diet iii) already had lunch/dinner with someone else before meeting them OR

b) acceding to my requests and being coerced to eat at Cedele, Simply Bread, O' Briens, Toast, Delifrance, Bakerzin etc despite their protests of already having bread/cakes in the morning

For the once-in-a-lifetime backpacking trip that is imminent,

Thanks goes to all who have: a) kindly shared tips and reviews based on their own experiences b) helpfully provided links to blogs/ contacts of those who are there/ have been there c) sympathising with a graduate of management accounting who has sadly burst the budget by generously loaning out backpacks, money belts, memory cards, maps, guidebooks and contributing to the gelato fund d) daily alerts on newspaper articles of tourist spots and the currency situations

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For the listening ear I had lend; doses of encouragement and advice I have given,
Thanks goes to frens who are on 24- hours standby, tolerating my nonsense on MSN, my rantings on the phone and patiently reading my incessant email complaints

For the chirpy and animated girl that others see,
Thanks goes to frens who have been there to cheer me up during my subdued, reticent, sulky moods and pick me up as I face disappointments, weather failures and cope with loss

For the mild tempered, easy going, pleasant image I present to the outside world,
Thanks goes to all at home for putting up with my impatience, quick temper, unreasonable and wilful ways, hurtful retorts and rebellious streak

For the brave smile that I wore and the 'I'm alright' whispers after the devastating loss,
Thanks goes to frens who stood by me, providing round- the-clock companionship in the darkest days, offering tissues for the tears, hugs for comfort, messages, books and prayers to heal the grieving spirit

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For the one that would one day melt my heart,
Thanks goes to my Creator and Saviour for basking me in His love, the greatest love of all, every single day

Rich Gal, Poor Gal

While the rich gal

1. Flashes her credit card to get discounts at restaurants
2. Gets a big welcome and is attentively ushered in to try the mouth-watering, uniquely crafted, freshly baked dessert and pastries at upclass bakeries
3. Redeems her accumulated points to enjoy a luxurious spa cum facial cum pedicure/manicure package
4. Receives personalised ideas and tips based on her preferences and features from her professional and experienced hairstylist when she wants a hairstyle change
5. Gets invitations to preview sales
6. Effortlessly monitors her heartbeat and calories burnt with a stylish Polar Heart Monitor
7. Plans to keep in good shape for the socialite lifestyle by signing for more gym sessions and activities with such inspiring names such as Cardio Kick, Power Steps and Body Combat
8. Draws a long shopping list filled with LV, Prada and what nots to be done in Europe



The poor gal....
1. Unglamorously takes out the coupons to get discounts at the eateries
2. Gets cordoned to join the snaking 830pm queue to get a taste of those bread and pastries, many of which disfigured by the frenzied grabbing once 830pm strikes
3. Contemplates enduring a bumpy ride to JB so as to enjoy the currency rates and get a value for money beauty session
4. Has to throng magazines/internet to get ideas and then try very very hard to activate the defunct imagination to see if the hairstyle would suit herself
5. Religiously flips through the newspaper early in the morning to know what is on sale and to forecast when/where there is going to be a storewide sale coming up
6. Puts a finger on the pulse and scares herself silly with a distracted-then-miscounted incredibly low heartrate count
7. Gets a heart pumping workout and sprint upon a fright by a cat brushing horrendously close to her when dashing across the road
8. Draws an equally long list, as consolation, to be fulfilled, not in Europe but in Bangkok


But despite it all, poor gal feels rich to have her lovely family and friends, a good book that puts life into perspective and draws her closer to Him once again. Poor gal is so thankful, for the numerous blessings that has come her way and you are one of them. :)

The Reason...

Yes! It's a new entry and nope, it's not another song lyrics this time round:)

Thought I better add a new entry so that my frens out there have something to take their boredom out on, to entertain themselves with (esp for a particular anonymous who has a tendency to check blogs during class:P), to laugh at and to add comments to. So noble huh? *blushes*

Well, to be frank, it's cos I am afraid people will 1) get impatient and give up checking on my blog, 2) forget my blog link 3) my blog address gets replaced in their address histories by other blog addresses 4) stop reading my blog or 5) as E threatened, Blogger closes my account. *shudder*

You know,competition is very stiff as it is in the blogging world, - with bloggers out there fighting to gain readership, support and participation from their readers.

What with earnest blogging newbies spoiling the market with a minimum of 3 blog entries per day, others posting lots of colourful food pictures and reviews to tempt readers with virtual gastronomic feasts and some offering precious recommendations and tips for travel, shopping, haircut, wine and dine and lifestyle choices. And well, to add to that, which readers won't oogle at the splash of vibrant photos of photogenic babes and dudes or be attracted to the constant refreshing reinvention/face-lift of blog appearances to surprise the readers and keep them coming back for more?

So ya, for the plain looking, wordy blog that I have sans sexy tongue-twirling poses, pretty faces, attractive photos and pictures, and changes in blog appearances, I feel threatened by all these competitors and thought I had better be more accountable to the readers of my blog.

Haven't blogged for sometime, and while I am on that, might as well add that I haven't shopped, read, written and exercised for the longest time too...

Typical reasons people give for not blogging are:
a) Being too busy with too much things to do
b) Having no time
c) On travel with no internet access
d) Life's boring and nothing's happening or...
e) Exciting things are happening at lightning speed to be penned down.

My answer is: All of the above except e). Nah, sorry to disappoint you'll, frens. Not gonna be sending out invitations or making any public announcements soon. *Roll eyes*....c) is nearing though:P...and for the rest of the time, I am oscillating between a), b) and d).

a) and b) is when: Ideas, thoughts and feelings fleet through and fill my mind but are forgotten by the time I am at the screen or I lose my interest, my stand, my opinions half way through and these entries are left abandoned. Not to mention my long- overdue-not- started 9 pages worth of articles that give me the guilt trip whenever I start blogging .

d) is when: I am busily occupied with being a gd citizen by making regular contributions to the food and beverage sector, putting my waistline through numerous endurability and stress tests, living out scenes in novels and movies- of peope watching, indulging in good food and dessert, enjoying intimate company and cosy girls' chat.

So no, I did not quit from the blogging scene. And yes, there will be a number of food reviews coming up ....someday. But meantime, any kind sponsors from Haach, Marie France Bodyline or the fitness centres?

The Logical Song

Artist: Supertramp
Written by: Roger Hodgson

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
joyfully, playfully watching me.
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
clinical, intellectual, cynical.

There are times when all the world's asleep,
the questions run too deep
for such a simple man.

Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am.

Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical,
liberal, fanatical, criminal.
Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're acceptable,
respectable, presentable, a vegtable!

At night, when all the world's asleep,
the questions run so deep
for such a simple man.

Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am.

Closer

5 megapixels, with a minimum 3.2 digital zoom

These were the simplified minimum specifications for a digicam that many well-meaning friends have given the gadget-idiot me. Why? I still asked unabashedly...So that the photos would be clearer and sharper, they patiently explain.

But somehow, I don't want my photos to be that sharp and focused...

What looks fine and attractive at a distance, usually pales visibly and often disappoints upon closer examinations.

Happy, radiant and peaceful faces give way to reveal blemishes of fretting & stress and creases of worry and anxiety.

An elegant and exquisite timepiece on display that constantly entices and tempts one to get it cannot conceal the awkward watch movements and a scratch on its surface when one takes a closer look

One or two songs that have tugged at hearts and induced tears might be the lead up to disappointment when one decides to buy the album .The rest of the songs may at best, only be forgettable.

Someone so attractive and desirable from a distance may upon closer interaction, evolve to someone irksome and repulsive, shattering that pristine and charming impression that one first had.

At times, it may be better not too know. So that, the good times and excellent impressions stay. So that the ugly has no chance to rear their heads to mar and distort. So that there isn't the disappointment and weariness of making a wrong assessment; devotion of time and energy to a wrong cause. So that things/people remain the way they are, at least in one's mind.

Perhaps its denial, perhaps its escapism, perhaps its cowardly behavior, but there are times I prefer not to know. I don't want to know- the reasons, the results, the truth. Sometimes, knowledge is not power, other times, knowledge is power- but destructive ones.

And for the rest of time, knowledge is simply bothersome-like reading in the Sunday Times that a small, tiny char siew pau that takes less than 1 minute to gulp down is a ghastly 363 calories and 15 g of fat. Bleah...and i didn't run today.