When St. Valentines and Cupid collaborate

So totally outdated, but this entry is gonna be about my Valentines Day. My dear Valentine fetched me from school at abot 4pm, and yes I must admit it was weird riding in the car cos it was in broad daylight and all. It was simple enough, but I guess I was completely spoilt as usual. I'm blessed lah, and eventhough I STILL think Valentines' Day is completely overrated and we shouldn't all have to wait for 14th Feb to declare our love and remind those around us of how much they mean to us, I'm glad I had such a great time. =)

I got chocolates and a gorgeous Esprit bag, which Juz and Haha felt was something that was quite "me". That left me clueless cos I dunno, I've never thought I had a particular style or anything, I just like anything that's nice enough I suppose.

Ok photos!






This bag costs freaking $89.90. But I like it though.



Milk chocolate with strawberry truffle! =)


Anyhow what was most memorable about that day for me, was that I rushed on impulse to get both my grandma and mum something from the all time reliable shopping centre, Mustafa Centre. Which has anything and everything! Shopped around, and eventually got my mum a watch and my grandma a musical jewellery box which were both gorgeous in my opinion, but you'll have to wait until blogger stops being so anti photos.

Oh yeay blogger got the hint, so here are the photos.





Thats the musical box. Pretty exquisite isn't it? It has a ballerina inside, the kind that twirls around everytime you wind it up. Oh by the way, my grandma was really touched but decided she won't be using it cos she thinks it'll be too much of an open invitation (to burglars) to have her jewellery hanging on display in such an attention seeking jewellery box and has thus passed it to me. Not that I'm complaining lah. Hahaha.

And this is the watch I got my mum. I like it. And surprisingly, my normally fastidious mum liked it too. =)

What was both hilarious and memorable is the fact that I had to rush home, get them wrapped without both of them noticing the big bulky Mustafa plastic bags and quickly scribble sweet somethings onto each card before passing it to them. All under 10 minutes, which may not be such a big deal for some, but no less an extraordinary feat by my standards. If you've seen me wrap presents before, you'll know why. Better yet, they turned out quite decent looking. So yeay. Hahaha. Before passing them the gifts, I tried to play the fool, and asked if they've got any presents for V-day, to which both shook their heads rather forlornly. Haha, reverse psychology la right. Seeing them smile surely made the $70plus worth it.


Seriously though,I think consumption probably increased on a trifold on Vday and I'm not kidding. Look at the prices of flowers alone, and you'll be shocked. And if you were out on V-day, you'd be able to see that every random couple had a bouquet of flowers in hand. I on the other hand, don't really like flowers. I think they're a waste of money. I mean yeah so they're really pretty and all, but really they're bound to die someday anyway. But no, that doesn't by default make plastic flowers okay of cos. I'm all for practical gifts, which explains my totally unromantic but nonetheless PRACTICAL gifts for my Valentine. Don't ask.

Absolutely touched.

Check this out. Heh, love the girl.

And just cos I found the convo sweet too, I'll be posting it up here too. I love Adilah to bits, and its frens like these who add meaning to life, really. WHo would have thought I would be close to a darn Crescentian eh. ;)


Halida.. says:
khai!

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
adilah

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
hehe how are u babe

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
what is not easy

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
if its ur history essays, then yeah i guess they must be tough

Halida.. says:
nah

Halida.. says:
history essays are of course never easy

Halida.. says:
but at least i noe i'll get thru them

Halida.. says:
and i didnt noe u were so affectionate for Ah Meng

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
i am!

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
i have this photo with her

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
when i was 3

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
haha i mean she was till smalll part of my life la but still a part of my life nonetheless

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
anyway enough nout ah meng whats bothering u dear

Halida.. says:
ahhh

Halida.. says:
oh nothing nothinhg

Halida.. says:
im just moody lah

Halida.. says:
i think my period is coming soon

Halida.. says:
but it could also be

Halida.. says:
1) i hate my modules especially the china ones

Halida.. says:
2 i hardly see ppl like u clare and jannah anymore in sch

Halida.. says:
and 3) i canNOT believe my past 3 days are spent at home and online

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
how come im not included in number 2

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
but ok relax girl it will pass

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
school will resume and then ull start wishing u WERE at home doing NOTHING n going online

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
anyway it was cny pe nothing outside was open anyway

Halida.. says:
i said u waht!

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
OH yeah

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
hahahahaha

Halida.. says:
tsk

Halida.. says:
hahahahahaha

Halida.. says:
AAAAPA DAH

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
hahaha alah same here lah somehow i dun even get to hang out with anyone in skul anymore

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
not even the bunch used to go to tutorials n lectures with

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
guess its the whole 2nd yr going on to 3rd yr thing u know

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
somehow everyone's just a bit more stressed n independent or smtg

Halida.. says:
yeah

Halida.. says:
and soon

Halida.. says:
ppl will be gg for exchange

Halida.. says:
are u?

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
no babe i wun so ull have me ard k even if im in ulu biz

Halida.. says:
YAY YAY

Halida.. says:
jgn ur timetable superbly clash with mine sudah lah

Halida.. says:
and u would have stepped down from aerobics already?

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
yeah shud have stepped down by then

Halida.. says:
okie

Halida.. says:
eh wat time u finish mon?

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
monday bout 6pm..

Halida.. says:
dinner?

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
yep sounds okay with me

Halida.. says:
ok yay

Halida.. says:
i think raudhah is free then too

Halida.. says:
i somehow feel that ur this enlightened person

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
wow

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
thats the best compliment ive heard all year

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
hahahaha

Halida.. says:
oh really?

Halida.. says:
hahahahahahahahaah

Halida.. says:
well

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
but why do u say so

Halida.. says:
well from ur blogs, from ur nicknames

Halida.. says:
its like i can be saying all this pessimistic stuff

Halida.. says:
and u'll be like "its alrite, it will all be alrite"

Halida.. says:
then u will be telling me from A to Z how its all gonna be alrite

Halida.. says:
while i dun always agree with u, u just sound like Buddha on a lotus flower

Halida.. says:
ZENNNNNNNNN

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
HAHAHA

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
u know i guess its impt to have that positive attitude la, so even when things dun turn quite as well, u atleast tried ur best

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
n i believe in this whole law of attraction thing, where ur thoughts attract and shape ur reality

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
n besides as a fren, its only right to be positive for ur frens, cos whilst it may not be as apparent to the person with the prob, it often is clear to the others

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
that ull be fine

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
ok that was a mouthful

Halida.. says:
yep

Halida.. says:
that was

Halida.. says:
but i understand what u mean

Halida.. says:
and thanks

Halida.. says:
and i agree with u

Halida.. says:
esp abt the positive for ur frens part

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
hahaha yeah

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
ur the same too babe

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
really as in ur alwasy positive for me too

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
n i think ur a great fren

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
GOSH this good fren overdrive thing is really going on an overdrive eh

Halida.. says:
HAHAHAHAHAH
Halida.. says:
yahhhh
Halida.. says:
but thank u!

Halida.. says:
it helps that i make a difference to at least one of my friends...

Halida.. says:
love u babe

Halida.. says:
can i put some of what u wrote her on my blog?

Ah meng has passed away =( says:
hahah sure that'll be like an honour

Yeah, be positive dearies. It'll help. =)

blah blah black sheep

This is such a digression from what I'm supposed to be doing, but ah heck it. =) I'm feelng blah, like I can't care to do anything at all at this point, but the ever-growing list of obligations forces me to atleast attempt something. Sucky (no?), to have to go against your wishes just so you can keep up with the rest, or even with yourself. That's the basis of the 'Kiasu' atitude I suppose. There's no more time to rest, cos here are the thinsg you HAVE to do, or else risk being left behind, or pulling others behind. If the first effect is excusable, the second would be a deadly sin cos what right is it of yours to pull others behind just cos u can't do what ur suppposed to? I dunno if I'm making alot of sense now, but well I hope u get it. Went to mustafa just now, grocery-shopped a bit and attempted to study with kai at macs, which wasn't very successful, as expected. Ah well. I'm not really looking forward to next week really. Next Monday marks the beginning of WEEK 5 of school, people. Time doesn't fly, it teleports at lighting speed. To make me feel a little cheery, I intend to dress up for everyday of next week. And another random comment: i want nice colourful chunky bangles.

Singapore Human Resource Challenge 2008

Singapore Human Resource Challenge 2008

yesterday was fun, and we kicked ass! We won second place and I won Best Presenter award! Hehe. There were two rounds; first the qualifying round and the grand finals. Out of 57 teams in the qualifying round, only 6 made it to the grand finals of the Tertiary and Open Category. And we were worried, cos there were THREE (and i must add, really formidable looking) teams from SMU, one from Hartford Institute( a private institution), NTU and only one from NUS (that's us). The SMU teams were all different in their own way, and we were certain that atleast one of them would win the first prize, BUT they didn't. It was NTU who won tops, and we were second! =) Of course, we fervently hoped to do well enough to clinch the top position, but we did our best, so I'm really proud of our team. Go METAMORPHOSIS! The whole 'Best Presenter' award was quite unexpected although one of the judges did tell me he was rooting for me. And the prize awarded to best speakers? AWESOME.

The Sony Ericsson W910i phone, the SHAKER phone!! The one I've been eye-ing for months! Wee. Though I would have preferred the white one. But hey, who am I to complain?? I'm excited for the future prospects that may lie ahead for me, cos this competition has made me certain that HR and marketing are the fields for me. Yeay, so happy. I think I screwed up the whole post-interview thing though. There was this interview for the Human capital magizine on whether I expected the award and all, and I honestly have no idea what I was blabbering.

Anyway SPECIAL Thanks to Kai who selflessly came down to support me all the way. Oh, I also realised that I don't have many supportive friends who are willing to support me during such important occasions. Like no one was really willing to come down for the HR challenge or for the dance concert for that matter, but that's alright. Okay maybe I'm over-generalising, there ARE the nice people like kiran, rachal, nadzirah who are willing to come down for the dance concert atleast. Heh. Love them.

OKAY, now for the photos!

One of the prizes was this Cerebos Hamper. Yeah the Brand's products. Very, urm healthy.

Us with Madam Hanoi (extreme left), she's our mentor and we couldn't have made it this far without her. Dr. Wan's right in the middle. he's a darn nice Professor. When I asked him if my grandma and aunt could take the two seats next to them (in the front row) cos she can't really climb the stairs, he was really nice about it, and even led them to those seats when they came in. =) He was the advisor for the whole Challenge.

Team Metamorphosis, for you. From Left: Kiran, me, Hui Ling & Has. Jin Lu's not in the photo though cos she's in Hong Kong and couldn't make it for the presentation.

Omg, i wanna post this photo of me n my grandma yesterday, but blogger's being difficult. Anyway my grandma's truly wonderful la, she walked all the way from the National Library car park (where my aunt parked her car) to SMU's admin building, and that's FAR even for a rather healthy no leg-problem 20 year old person like ME, so imagine how tiring it must have been for her. I love her to bits la, and she actually cried when I won the Best presenter award. So cute. =)

Anyway, I'm glad this whole challenge ended well, definitely worth the time we put in. And now i gotta catch up badly on my studies n aerobics stuff. k, till next time! Chiao!=)

fall right in :)

Wow, this is my 99th post. Coolios! Haha, i shud round that up to 100. Well, sure will in no time. K, I was journal/blog hopping and i read/saw how so many of my frens are doing so well and are happy in their own relationships and it makes me feel so happy too. Its beautiful don't you think to watch ppl feel so much in love, and find yourself involuntarily basking in and smiling at their joy and then u can't help feeling excited and hopeful for them. To be in love, Its a beautiful feeling, hands down. Sigh, so nice. I wish everyone would lighten up and fall madly deeply in love too. It'll do us all some good. Huda had this fren whom she said claims to be able to tell a person who's single apart from one who's attached, and oddly enough he proved his claims more than a couple of times by guessing correctly the relationship statuses of strangers he never met before. And when pressed, he confided that his observations had alot to do with the way a person walks, and how if ur attached (this is especially teh case for us girls), you'll walk with a little lilt, a little spring to those steps, like an unintended bounce. :) Haha, you know, I think thats true. Maybe you should try that. You really CAN tell if someone's single or sttached. I guess being in love truly does wonders to a person's morale and esteem. It adds so much more meaning to life, its the colour to that polaroid shot of your life. Without it, life becomes the greyish routine that loses meaning as days go by. You, if ur life's falling apart, go fall in love, its the all time elixir of life . =)

Grown

Something wayyy freaky happened today but I won't talk about it cos the mere thought of it gives me the jitters. Just a couple of minutes ago, some of these long MIA relatives popped by for a visit, and I remember them. I used to visit their house wayy in bukit batok and be that PLUMP, fat, cchubby round little girl everyone used to dote on there. Haha, and now everyone's grown, the 'teenager' aunts and uncles all have their own families many with kids already, and here I am feelin old, at 20. GOD, no 21, this year. And like all realtives who have been MIA for quite some time, they pointed out how much I've changed, how much I've grown and how it seems like it was just yesterday when I was that round plump girl. Haha, its a wonder, isn't it? Everybody says the same thing, and I'm not doubting those words, of cos they're true. Heck, when I look at those photos taken when I was younger, I realise how much I've changed TOO. And, I think I've changed ALOT, to say the least, not just physically and all, but of cos emotionally, spiritually and mentally, yes I HAVE. haha. But what's funny is, when u live with urself for everyday of ur life, u don't notice these things, u fail to realise how every small little step, every second passing has done wonders and milestones in ur growth process, how the span of the very last minute alone could have had something to do with how ur hormones have decided how ur going to look like and be like when ur older, say 20 years from now? Who would have known how each little decision, how every small passing thought would have contributed and been that unique, irreplaceable moment that shaped you to be exactly the way you are, no way less, or more, or different. But of course, then once in a while it strikes you, like when u get ur driving license, or when u turn LEGAL at 21 (*sob*), how much u REALLY have grown. But these are just small landmark achievements and there were so many more not so obvious moments and events that we forget or overlook. But all the same, doesn't it amaze you how much we've all grown? I really am. Sometimes when I look at photos of when I was younger and it seems like the young me is looking at me NOW, I wonder if I could ever imagine that that would be how I would turn out. Cute eh, imagine the present you going back into the past to see the young 'old' you, what would you have said to yourself, "hey, don't worry, u'll be fine?" or would u have warned the past you to avoid doing some things that you regret having done in ur past? But that would work against the law of nature see, if you manage to warn the young you (in the past) to avoid somethings u regret having done, then, the present you wouldn't be who you are right now. Simply put, had anything in ur past been different or turned out any different from the way it turned out, you wouldn't be yourself. Would that be ok? Its almost like losing yourself for a better you, except this begs the question of what constitutes the Self, of which I will not discuss about, cos that will involve a great deal of philosophy i dun feel quite up to at this point.
Oh btw, school's starting in like a couple of days! I'm just very bo-chap about the whole thing. Thank Goodness the bidding system has decided to be less of a bitch this time, and I've got all my modules, though it really was because of some other circumstances. But well, I'm happy and excited almost, to do my best this time round, Inshaallah, and because I've GOT an event to plan! woo hoo! Actually my whole Aerobics team does. Its this mass Aerobics event for about 300 ppl called 'Hyperjive' thats scheduled to happen somewhere in August 2008 (Inshaallah, if everything goes according to plan), and so we're busy sourcing out for the possible venues, the sponsorships, tentage, sound system, tee shirts, yadda yadda yadda. Its really exciting lah! First event! =) And then there's the MJC dance concert that I'm involved in as an alumni member. That one will take place on the 28th of Feb at Victoria Concert Hall. Tickets selling at $18, so how, anyone interested? =)

OH, and I've got a new FAVOURITE author! Jodi Picoult. She rocks my literary world and my heart. The only writer thus far, besides J. K. Rowling and a few others, who've managed to leave me in awe, breatheless, get me blushing., laugh out loud, leave me sad AND give me the creeps ALL in a span of a few hundred pages. How can anyone write such superb stuff. I feel like I was born to read her books. If I could write, I would want to write every bit like her, with emotion, empathy and an acute sense of awareness of current trends, events and issues. I HIGHLY recommend her book, 'Second Glance". It will leave you breathless. Although the ending was a bit too rushed, but well the rest of the novel made up for that.

So anyway, I'm off now. Anxiously waiting to talk to someone who's out now. Boo hoo. I'm a lil nervous bout the dance 'audition' thing that we've got to put up for Zaki tmr, hope he's kind. Haha, take care everybody! Stay happy!=)

Goodbye yesteryear, I'll see you tomorrow.

I feel a strong urge to blog, which is weird firstly, given the time( 3:36am) and secondly because my blog for some strange reason cannot be accessed at all, as in I can still type out my entries, but my blog can't be viewed by the public who type in the url. So it's almost like typing to myself. But the fact that the urge remains strong despite those two reasons point out one main thing, that this entry is an honest one, not something I intend to write out of any ulterior motive or not something I write for any intended person. The thought is refreshing as well, cos it also suggests that I find myself interesting enough to want to have a silent one-person soliloquay kinda entry. Ah, so many things to say, where do I start? Like if so many things have happened in your life and u wanna spill all, but u forgot what the head n tail was of the story to be able to arrange or give any kind of structure to ur account. Also, its tiring to want to remember the sequence cos not all the events were pleasant memories that are worthy of recollection but I'll spill as much as I can without subjecting myself to anymore undue pressure and pain. These past few weeks have been CRAZY, to be honest. Emotional as always, family issues as always, results didn't do anythign to make things better. The first few times, two times to be exact that I cried to myself whilst praying. And I realise how crying helps, and that crying is often spurred by a bout of self pity, but relieving all the same, cos when u cry ur just fully focused on the pain and misery alone, and everything else is shut out, its a way or addressing ur pain and facing them squarely, highly therapeutic especially for those who have been running away and suppressing all for the longest time. I miss my grandpa, I really do, but I'm taking it much better than my aunt who's been crying at the slightest things that remind her of him. And whilst I can't blame her, my cousin pointed out that its rather selfish of her to cry and make it harder for my grandpa who has left. But who can blame her eh? Like I said crying is therapeutic. I love so many people, like my mum and my grandma, but loving them sometimes becomes the hardest thing to do. Especially when they appear to be the cause of your misery, but of course I don't mean that, I can never mean that, I love them to bits, but they're oblivious to the pain they put me through sometimes and then its hard not to hate them, at those points atleast. I guess given the fact that its new year and all, I should do a kind of round up reflection nd resolutin of sorts, but the fact that everyone wants to wait for a new year to start bettering themselves with optimistic vows and resolutions is ironic, cos why wait when u could have done it way back? But thats probably a tad too cynical, I mean perhaps the new year makes it more apt and customary, but remember theres no right time, the right time should be the moment you realise there's a need to change. Mahatma Ghandhi said, "Be the change you want to see". Okay thats not all too relevant but still worthy of mention. My 2007 has been life-changing in many ways, primarily because I lost one of my guardian angels, my grandpa. Its funny how you start missing someone so much when they're gone and when they're around, you take their time here for granted, never do that, atleast not for too long. I suppose this entry will have alot of the little lessons I've learnt, maybe if I have time i'll highlight all those little lessons in a different colour just to quantify and see how many lessons actually colour this entry. Then again, this entry might not even be read, by anyone else I mean given how my blog URL can't seem to be accessed. I've met many interesting people, the kind I've never had a chance to befriend before, teh emotionally unstable ones and the volatile ones. I've had a taste of how friendships can be so taxing and stifling and leaving you greatly stranded at times. Yet, its a step, it has taught me that there are really so many kinds of people, and just when you think you've got it almost figured out, someone surprises you. Its amazing, cos you can never really be too sure about anything, the moment you are, will be the exact moment before life throws another shock and revelation to cast doubts on your once-entrenched certainty. My dreams of yesterday, or yesteryear remain the same this year, not because I've left them unfulfilled, but because these are the kinds of aims and resolutions that remain a continuos process of self -betterment, to be a better Muslim, to be a more empowered individual, who's confident, hopeful, excited, dilligent and disciplined. The same old same old resolutions because you can never really be perfect in any of these, or even when u think u've got it all nailed, there's still chance you'll stray. Allah has been amazing to me in so many ways and things, I am again left humbled and in awe of his Greatness. From the way he prepared my family and I 3 months before my grandpa's death, from the way I still scraped through my exams despite the slackish efforts, despite the fears of leading a committee, despite the family problems and fights, depsite bouts of insecurity and pain, He's guided me through it all, leaving me brave enough to take pride in my efforts but humbled enough to realise that nothing would have been possible without his guidance and help. So many things I wanna talk about cos I feel so much wiser after this year, like how we humans, me included just enjoy bringing some people down. Its an inherent need to bask in the satisfaction of pinting out someone's flaws, all the time ignoring the fact that the only reason why u enjoy doing that is because ur greatly flawed and insecure yourself. I've met so many people, directly or indirectly and formed so many views and impressions of them, but I ask myself at the end of the day, who am I to think these things or to claim to know them? Actions can be mis-intepreted and mis-jugdged and everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their actions cos you can't know someone so well to be able to judge him or her. At times, I feel like this wisdom makes me smirk on the inside at how some people bask in their ignorance and how they paint for themselves a false representation of their lives, only because they haven't really gotten teh chance to face their issues squaely. There again, that was a judgmental statement, but yeah well. I pray and hope that this coming year will bring new experiences that help me understand myself and those around me better, that will continue to help me in my pursuit of becoming a better Muslim, a better daughter, grandaughter and a better person who not only dreams but realises, who not only talks, but walks, who not only claim, but proves. I hope to be the empowered leader and girl I've always wanted to be, to ease up on my fears and be a little more selfless in my strive for perfection. A bit too cliche and complicated, perhaps even a tad too optimistic but its a start and I will try my best, Inshaallah. Special mention must go to those who have stuck with me through my toughest times, like Kai. I cannot begin to describe how much you've done to help me ease my troubled heart, how you've tolerated my screaming, my tears, my irritating nature and always went out of the way to make me smile. Like the time, on the 24th dec when I needed to submit my competition report to Tekka Mall by 12 noon but I only managed to complete the editing by 7am that day, and both of us haven't slept the whole day before but you stayed up to accompany me, with your words of encouragement and with the offer to print it out for me and meet me that morning only to realise that your printer cartridges were running low on ink, too. I planned to go to school in the morning to get them printed at about 9am, so that I'll have sufficient time to print the 3 coloured copies and then rush back to Tekka Mall in time. BUT, I had to succumb to the temptation to lying down on my bed, and wallah next thing I knew it was 10 plus am, I freaked out liek crazy, woke u up, took a cab to school after rushing to withdraw money and after realising the color printer shop near my place wasn't opened, and then print the copies, and got you to save the copy for me on a Cd and meet you at Tekka Mall. You sacrificed your sleep, even after a night of no sleep, and rushed to Tekka Mall for me, for no gain at all, but just to help me out. The other time when you bought me spaghetti cos i was craving for it and had it sent to my door step, or ok lift lobby. AND like today when life was once again unbearable what with the stress my family was giving me, you agreed to picking me up and sending me to Mustafa Centre to get my assessment book fo my tutee and then send me all the way to her house for tuition, waited for me and then sent me home only after me giving you a hard time about the whole wiper thing. You are amazing, and really I mean this when I say you are my God-sent angel, and the things you've done for me, like burning Cds of all teh songs and movies I like without my asking, just affirm how very special and wonderful and how kind someone can be. I love you, thank you.

And friends like Susu, who I trust and pray will remain my friend for life, Amin, n all my othr beloved darlings, thanks. =)

I think I'll end this entry with photos, for pictures speak a thousand words n risk ending up with a thesis like entry. Happy New Year, may you be blessed with happiness, love, peace health and success!=)