Ever since my return from the JB trip, I have been pining for a few things. In the past, I have been too cooped up worrying about my trip to even allow myself to be pampered. Recently, I have been going around town thinking about me myself again and I realise that I truly have many desires and these items are truly practical and not just indulgences. (trying hard to convince myself) I should just buy them by faith really. =D

Just yesterday, I met my would-be backpack at the royal sporting house in funan centre. It was love at first sight and I am feeling quite miserable now that I can't have her.

Here she is in all her alluring beauty. Simple and easy to match for clothes but I really love the big square prints. It belongs to the Superbreak range and the name is Black/white buffalo plaid. I hope to go queensway and see if I cld get it at a cheaper price. The one I saw at Royal Sporting was going at $49 which I believe is definitely overpriced. If any of you spot my beauty at a cheaper price please let me know.


Here's another love of mine. I like it because it has a suede leather bottom. Very classy looking backside you think? And yes I am preferring the brand jansport for some weird reason I can't explain. Anyone to queensway with me for some window shopping?


This drawstring synthetic leather double pocket backpack at JB was selling at SGD 40plus, if anyone sees one for below 25 please let me know. I think this can last me for a long long time.


And lastly,



In case you can't tell, they are trucker caps! Haven found a brand nor design i love... but I kinda like the mesh look behind. I dun own any trucker caps hence the desire. I just might allow myself one guilty pleasure to bless myself this christmas. How big hearted of me hahahaha..

I think its window shopping time in december. Esp since christmas is coming and I am feeling really carefree because 2008 is coming to an end, and there are so many things to look forward to in the brand new year... 33 days to 2009

I am really excited.

=)

Yesterday evening till this morning, I always had Angie dear at the back of my head. I knew she was in Bangkok but I did not know when she would be coming home. The riots and fighting have started at the new airport in Bangkok and this morning I even read that grenades were thrown and tourists were injured. It was to my great relief that Angie replied my sms an hour ago. Praise Jesus.
-------- // --------
Anw, deviating to a more cheerful topic, I would like to talk about my current obsessions and things that I love.



One would be scarves of which I am controlling so much from purchasing any because I know I will regret it once I go overseas and see way cheaper ones. I love winter scarves, spring scarves and even those fendi, chanel lookalike thin kind that can be worn on a work outfit. I think you know what I mean. Pashminas are also welcomed to join my wardrobe. Maybe I will just succumb and get one before my trip. It's unnerving really.



As you can see I can never have enough of my rainbow umbrella, I am actually hatching a plan to take my umbrella out for a photoshoot. You know how boring it gets in Singapore. I think its the best time ever to do something fun whilst I am still young.

I think the foto is trying to say I heart Colors! Can you see the person hands in a shape of a heart? So expressive really.



And yes, I can never have enough of wellies. I guess its the rainy season so I'm going all fuzzy about scarves, umbrellas and wellies. Sighz..


Here's an appeal to suggest to me good books to read. I have been having a book drought for the longest time in a few months. I would really like to grab a good book to read. I've read almost every book from classic authors like Agatha Christie, James Patterson, Jeanette Winterson, Ben Elton and so much more. Suggest to me something that will make me want to read the WHOLE day haha and take me away from reality. I am very extreme. I love books that have continuations like Chronicles of Narnia but I also love books that have murders, mysteries CSI kind. I don't fancy sci-fi or too fantasy like stories but I love autobiographies and real life stories.


<3

I am really looking forward to xmas this year. Last year I did not think so but still I had a blast of a time with the clique 5. This year I'm excited but I cannot let go ofthe fact that I'm travelling next year and hence am a lot more frugal in my spending. I have been cooking alot and sometimes I'd rather have people cook for me than to cook for myself because after all that cooking, marinating, cutting, and washing I don't really feel like eating my own food haha.

I just got my paycheck and I am very very VERY thankful that I have just alil extra to spend this month because I do not need to set aside for JB or Vietnam like last month. However, I still need to save up for my trip and christmas presents. I don't want the buying time to get very weary for me having the wrong mentality that I am blessing out of my need and I don't like the feeling of having no faith.

However, I know that and I'm letting the fact sink in slowly but surely that Daddy God is my EXCEEDING GREAT SALARY. Believe that with me and keep me in prayers. As much as I joke around and have a ball of a time, I do still have my daily struggles and I pray that people who love me would form an armour of support around me to believe with me that It is impossible with me, but possible with God.

Matthew 6

Do Not Worry

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Keeps me going. Also sometime last week, the pastors went to Israel, not only were there pictures of a rainbow and the face like the sun but they also spotted a cloud that formed a cross in the sky. I don't have that picture with me but I know that God has His awesome ways of telling us that He created the earth and He can leave His fingerprints anywhere as a testimony of His grace and loving kindness.

Exams was not too easy I must admit. But its over now and I am rejoicing because I am free to do whatever I want with so many activities planned out. I am truely excited though I will still weed out those I don't want to meet hehe.

Well, last Saturday was no exception to enjoying a good after exam breather. As usual I was hunting and googling and browsing for activities to do on a Saturday and what better activity than to attend the Hungrygowhere.com Big Eat Out! at the Peranakan Museum. It was awesome because it combined 3 of my favourite activities

- Food ( Hock Lam Beef Noodles, Hill St Fried Kway Teow, Peramakan etc)
- Flea Mkt Stalls
- Free Entry to the Peranakan Museum with every $5 spent at the food bazaar

As you can guess, the beef noodles from the Char Kway Teow, n the bottom is a peranakan pancake with banana sauce dessert. Very very nice and old fashioned.
It was just so much fun even though it was just two girls enjoying an afternoon out.

the flea mkt, good food and toilet session

posing with props haha.. was fun

the collection of bridal jewellery, hall furniture etc

beaded slippers, little bootie like 100 yrs old kind, catholic prayer altar, large spoon and chinese fusion bowls

posing with backgrounds

"shu tou" the chinese word = combing hair what I was trying to do, sitting on lovely stairs and taking a pic with the bridal mirror

taking a picture with the nyonya lady, sitting on peranakan influenced chair, smelling fake flowers

taking happy pictures

I really loved the gate

Some of our spoils. Dresses at 5 - 10 dollars. 53 is the combined number for the birth month of Anais and I. Anais in May, me in March

We ventured to Town after taking the 53 foto and took some xmas shots with the deco. I must say this year's deco is not as pretty as compared to previous years. What a pity.


Had alot of fun, understood my mum's heritage a lot more and I was surprised to even see that some of the peranakan belts and brooches and cloths I own as well as like 3 4 sets of the sarong kebaya I own are very very valuable.

I appreciate their rich culture, awesome food, spatters of Malay mixed with Hokkien, vast traditions and grandness in celebration. A typical Peranakan wedding can be as long as 12 days. From birth, to weddings, to birthdays to death, they are very elaborate.

I also realised that Peranakans are very arty people. They loved to sew (beaded embroidered items), had very detailed taste in their kebaya, loved to sing and dance and act, loved to experiment in their cooking and were and are still very sentimental towards their heritage and culture, wanting to preserve the memory of traditions once followed.

And no, Peranakans are not just Chinese traders intermarrying malays. It is also chinese traders intermarrying with the Indians to form a type of Peranakan family known as the Chitty Melaka. The Peranakans of today look chinese though not typical chinese with a tinge of something I would describe as olden splendor and beauty being passed on from generation to generation in our blood.

I have been a lil busy doing my assignments, sleeping and watching ALOT of teevee. Exam is on this coming Saturday. I'm actually half looking forward to it because I want it to be over. On the other hand, I haven't got my brain to adjust back to serious studying mode, nor my hands to do the writing of notes.

I'll get round to it tonight. Studying one textbook, 12 chapters just a triple hundred pages of font size 10 shouldn't be too hard right? haha.

On a cheerful note, I went for a free check up for cholesterol, sugar and blood pressure this afternoon. I am very healthy and all my results are in the perfect range. Let me just say that I am not an advocate for check ups and what nots but one perk about working in an industrial park is that you get free stuff, sales upon already discounted goods and much more. Just like how British India warehouse is beside my office. The check up was run by volunteers (many expatriates' wives) and my tests were done in 10 min. Of coz, pricking of fingers was something I have not done for a long time but I was rewarded with sweet victory of results.

The lovely ladies something like the kind version of stepford wives got me a paper bag of beehoon and an apple for my snack upon completion of the tests. I went during lunch and I was absolutely famished when I got back to the office. Of coz, one lacklustre thing that came out of the testing was my BMI.

I don't look too different from my JC yrs in terms of shape but my height has definitely shrunk another 3 cm. I am now back to my primary 4 height. Like WTH? Haha.

I am NEVER going to go on a diet. I don't really know what is moderation. But my mind has been constantly cajoling me to exercise. I really want to. For starters I love walking and I love the threadmill. I love swimming but I need to buy new swim wear. I hate jogging around my housing estate though coz my stamina wasn't like before.

I do find joy exercising. Maybe I really ought to do so after this exams. Find an activity I enjoy and start getting my butt out of the house and MOVE. It would definitely be a plus on the happy hormones- endorphins as well. We'll see what develops. I have a month till my next module.

On another happy note, I'm having my USA trip briefing next next Saturday. YAY!! It makes everything more real, though I still have not figured out where I am getting the money from. And I can finally discuss with Sammi the JEALOUS MONSTER about lodging in LA when she comes home nx mth. I already am surpressing my shopping SO MUCH. I used to have a budget of 200-300 for shopping every month ever since I was 19, now its like 25 bucks wahaha. But if you were to look at my stash of stuff, I'm just glad that I spent in the past when I had no worries for school and study trips.

I have been reading ALOT of girly blogs with their own take on fashion. And I am aiming these brands in USA when I'm finally there for a month.

- Target
- Old Navy
- F21
- Victoria's Secret
- H & M
- Macy's
- Coach

Oh oh oh! And I definitely want to go Disneyland (yesterday was Mickey Mouse's 80th Bday I think) and also KMart or Walmart or whatever mart there is because I know they have superbly cheap stuff including clothes.

I am not sure if the above brands are even found in LA and Okla. I'll just cross my fingers then hee.

An appeal. I'm asking Angie dear to look out for pocket watches with a neck chain for me in Bangkok. But if any of you happen to see any in Sg, do let me know. It's my latest obsession silver or gold.

Good morning lovelies. After my very long post on my thoughts early this morning (read below) , I decided that I need to do another entry.

I have always been crazy over original fashion. But I seldom read up on Vogue or the latest trends. I lean more towards a number of things and I find that not all my peers can actually understand my taste.

1) Vintage
2) Quirky
3) Kitsch
4) Dramatic
5) Bold
6) Bright

Even though I am an adult now, but from time to time I still find extreme joy in mixing and matching my clothes and being the unconventional me. There is no greater joy than being myself. I see no sense in following trends and to this day do not own a single pair of skinny blue jeans haha. My Levis has currently a lovely hole near the backside and I am quite thinking of doing patch work on it.

Though one thing I must admit, I no longer accessorise madly like I used to. I no longer own 100 pairs of all kinds of earrings. Just a subtle 20 pairs of which I only like to wear 3 pairs haha. And my collection of necklaces is currently very much part of my studyroom deco.

BUT, I have a recent obsession. It all started with this particular top I had of which the bra strap could be indecently seen. So I panicked one morning while dressing for work and pinned my black bolero to the dress with a BROOCH.

Then 2 weeks later, Anais and I had exams and thereafter we ventured to the Bukit Timah Salvation Army. There Anais told me how she used to accessorise her dresses with brooches for the festive season and we saw many a beauty as well.

Today, I am decked in a pink dress with little square prints and a grey bolero. Having found my outfit plain, I jazzed it up with a brooch. It's a vintage one with pretty seashells on it from my mother's costume jewellery box. And instantly I think brooches are the loveliest things on earth and my current obsession.

I have always been vintage at heart and maybe I should start my own collection soon.

Kitschy brooches


I also love the peranakan brooches called the kerosang. I currently only own a pair of a triplet set because I lost one of it during a racial harmony day celebration in secondary school. It is my eternal regret. The kerosang is worn in 3s over a Peranakan woman's Sarong Kebaya. And I just had a flitting thought that that would be one of my costume changes for my wedding ha.

I did not photograph some of the vintage pieces but I have searched online for identical pieces that I have and this should do for now. This is a 1940s brooch, I have 2 similar pieces one in pearl and the other jade instead of this pink piece.

I have two insect brooches of an ant. One of pink and the other of blue crystal. And I just found out that Peranakans are very fond of prints of animals, insects, butterflies and flowers. I believe that is why (my girlfriends should know) I am so in love with such prints.

The set of kerosang. Mine comes without the chain as it is much older.


I really hope to find a set of beautiful kerosang with a story some day. And I believe brooches are pretty because many of them tell a wonderful story of love, celebrations and eternal beauty.

I really wanted to sleep but there has been this urgency in my heart to just let my words do the talking for once. Somehow, I find myself so speechless at the transformation that God has bestowed on my life.

I sometimes forget that I am all of 22 years old. But I feel myself going through a valley, a mountain peak and then another. All these journeys taking me through different levels of faith but always finding myself emerging from the end of the tunnel victorious. I cannot even sit down and recount to you the number of glorious victories I have in my life. Victories that include winning myself over, that self esteem that had been trampled so many times, the terrors of self doubt, of looming circumstances.

I was looking back at my past pictures. I realise through those smiles I had how low confidence I was. I placed my trust in the material things that I thought would satisfy me. But now at 22, I've turned back and looked upon my life and I have truely come a long long way to be where I am now. I am really confident not in who I am but who I have with me and for me. I really have metamorphosized and I do not need people to tell me so. Pictures do not lie and I see how easily I can be contented with life these days. I see the simpliest joys in life's treasures.

True transformation only begins when you least realise it and a true transformation should come from the heart, from within, from a change of mindset and a realisation of whose I belong to and not who I should be. Conformity is not cool because we have all been set apart for a purpose in this life.

I realise that the things I least care about are often most favoured. I've learnt to let go and just love myself. I've learnt that no one's opinions matter more to me than how God sees me and He sees me righteous, beautiful, a daughter of Sarah. I'm so much more joyful now and I do not yearn for people to understand me because the people that do need no words for comprehension.

Marcus, my favourite boy is going to India for CIP and then to Himalayas and I look on with such sweet envy because I yearn that life too. A life to be free and run around in beautiful pastures. I am living in a generation that is filled with tears, turmoil, uncertainty and global downturns. But I do not believe I will sink. I will not take my eyes off the prize that has been left for me on the cross. My brother and da sao is in Israel and that's where I tell myself I will be in 2010. And suddenly life isn't bleak anymore because I have so much to look forward to. I want to see the sights that these beloved people in my life have seen. There is so much more to explore of God's glory and I cannot allow myself to be shortchanged like that.

He created me unique and beautifully made and in all God's kingdom, I am the only one. The only one Grace, special in His sight. I value myself so much more because of an irrevocable revelation in my life.

And the bonds I've forged that have seen me grow up to be a woman, a woman of God, a woman after God's own heart, a woman of destiny, will continue to be on this journey with me through the storms, the waves, the rain, the wind the world we are living is facing.

But we shall sing and dance with the wind against our faces and the covenant rainbow above our heads and a land below us flowing with eternal sweet milk and honey.

There lies our sweet victory. At the cross.

I'm convinced.

I've been a little lazy lately. Been going home to eat, watch the HK drama Ultimate Crime Fighter (starring my handsome Kevin Chang, though he hasn't appeared yet and I am at episode 6) and then going to bed.

My exam is on next Saturday and I am still left with one assignment to complete. Thank God for ALOT of favour because I have been too tired to think and do my pre-assignments properly but still I managed full marks for both assignments. That's really amazing because it is not me. I really do not like to do research but I guess Daddy God has His plans for me. I see the X in this situation and I hope to kickstart my rudder and get moving on those revision.

I finally posted up pictures of my vietnam and JB trip on facebook. It is tiring to sort out from 4 cameras and save them according to events and then choose the best 140 photos out of 700 to post up. It was really tiring work.

I will just post a few up. The 5 albums you can find them on facebook.

At the airport at 6am

Taking pictures before proceeding to our gate

My breakfast. Omelette is very good

In the plane

Company dog in Vietnam. Very cute fella

Pretty flowers and the butterfly. Not bad my camera zoom hehe.

Exhibition hall and taking pictures with engineers

Me with Ginormous Uncle Ho. (Chi Minh)


Alright, am too tired to post more. There are the museum, meal, dinner party, pubbing, Sheraton hotel, mekong boat and departure pics.

Maybe after my exams or something. And I hope I don't procrastinate. Because after 1 yr 5 mths I haven posted any of my Sydney pics yet hahaha.

And I have been craving for prata with egg, onion and fish curry for 2 days.

I hope I get to eat them tonight.

In life, there are many pivotal moments that make up a person. Many of you who read my blog now, never caught a glimpse of my JC life and how I looked like or who I was. These happy pictures were taken during the time my mum was fighting her battles and I was overwhelmed with teen ignorance. But yet throughout it all, these memories are part of my history and what moulded me into who I am today.

(Warning : my past pictures may be of visual disturbance to some hehe)

BBQ at East Coast

After PE and pizza treat by lit teacher

At Tirene's house with the long passed on Fatty. I purposely am not editting any pictures. Being as real as I was then =)

Watching Hansel and Gretel play in JC1.

Studying for Econs paper with Reney in the defunct Orchard Library

Attending Suri's sis wedding in my punajabi suit

CNY 04 at Sammi's study room. We were all in wrap around sarong skirt.

Edith Wharton's Play The Age Of Innocence and me representing theme of marriage

GST outing and neoprint time

At the same wedding wit Chrys and Aisha. I love the blue punjabi suit and my long hair. Suddenly am missing it loads.

Before sending Sammi to the airport ( I remember she went to Tokyo with her mum for a holiday) we were at Tirene's ex bf's lok lok restaurant. Reney I just realised that in my time of knowing you, you have changed 3 boyfriends wahaha.. While I am erm.. hmmz.. hahaha

Celebrating nana and my bday at Tirene's house

2A03, the most race diversed class who were also very disunified as well

Chinatown ktv to celebrate reney's bday

JC play. Sammi was participating as a dancer. Damn chio rite.. like some halloween doll hahaha

When animal farm first knew each other, we went kite flying and then steamboat at Marina Bay. Sammi has always been a poser. Here's one shot of her NOT candidly flying a kite.

Us at the MRT. My gawd how kiddish I looked. And one of the first few shots of me and Sammi and Reney

I love this shot simply because Sammi has an awesome pose

Lao go came along. Here he is at aged 19 and in the NS, we went to watch the school musical together. The flowers Reney held was for Sammi

Alrite here we are near the backstage door with the ugly I mean pretty dolled up woman

In JC1, white coordinated for the musical

At east coast, I enjoyed lying on Reney's (meaty) lap

Tutorials was always fun because I had you by my side (to secretly eat french fries and bitch)

At the now defunct Centro. Yes I invited them for some hair show and clubbing and Reney before she knew what clubbing was about, wore this tak glam entire outfit. She has comed a long way too.

At SAFTI MI with the class

When my fringe was long in JC, I swept it up to look like some superbly nerdy individual. Taken with Sammi, I always thought our canteen was the best to chill apart from the aquarium.

At Preeti's house with my favourite punjabi suit. This is how I look like full bodied in a punjabi suit and I really love wearing it.


But above all, I miss Sammi and Tirene the most from memories of my JC years. It was just maybe 1 and half years of JC life but I miss the times we shared in 2s and 3s.



I'm still very thankful you 2 are in my life.

And just in case after viewing these old pictures, you forgot how I look like now, this is a photo for comparison. Taken freshly on tuesday the 4th.



I think I do look very much different now. Outward, in heart, in mind and in spirit.

=)

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