{Simple Happines}

Really appeciate M for yesterday. It was a simple but very happy day with him.

Told him that God must be on his side. Despite not making any plans for lunch, we found a fabulous place that we'v never tried before and I love everything about this place.

He had booked tickets for a movie at Plaza Singapura. For those who have been there, you might have passed by Tea Cosy just beside Spotlight. Beautiful little eclectic designed cafe selling all sorts of cupid angles. We've always walked passed, went in to see once in a while, but never tried the food there. Yesterday, we did so, and I must say the food tasted as good as the place looks!

Tea Cosy@Plaza Sing
http://www.teacosy.com.sg/

So pretty right! I wish I have a home like this.

Stunning! Different pieces put together creatively!

Totally my kind of shop/home!

Cute!

Isn't this dining chair beautiful?!

Lovely!

Totally in love with this place!

This is my fav. chair. It has all my fav. colors on it.

Guess how much?

Just for the chair alone, it's about S$2000!!!!

Now for the food...yummy tangy tomato crab meat soup

erm... i'm not sure what soup this is some curry lemon thingy, but it was good.

Pasta- not much ingredients, I mean there's a decent amount of prawns on mine, but that was it. But you know what? That's ok, coz the sauce was absolutely mouth-watering and it was really yummy!

So cute right the cakes. OK it's just bite-sized cakes but look at the pastry tray, so beautiful!!

After this fabulous lunch, I did some scrapbook shopping - on my own expense. Yeah! It's good to have birthdays, you actually get birthday discounts!!

After that we watched Inception. Nice! For a person who dreams a lot, I like this show. Makes me wonder if I too can go in to my dreams and create things. Don't laugh. I once was able to determine what I wanted to dream - don't play play k ha ha ha...

In the movie, they were able to go into different levels of dreams. Like a dream within a dream within a dream. The closest I can relate to was a dream within a dream. I once dreamt that I got up and was getting ready for work. Midway through the dream, I woke up from my dream only to realise that I was still in bed. So I dragged myself out of bed and rushed through getting ready coz' in my dream I was late. I was already on my way to work etc, only to realise when I heard someone knocking on the door, "W are you working today?" OOPP!!! I jumped out of bed only to find out that it was all a dream! I'm REALLY late now! ha ha ha..

So for those who have not watched Inception, go for it. Makes you wonder...

He brought me to Greenwood Fish Market Bistro for a delicious Seafood night. It's something I've been wanting to try but never did simply because M isn't into seafood. He says seafood taste like mud ha ha ha. Thumbs up for him for having seafood with me last evening!

Yes...we, I mean I, had half a lobster!

I'm not a bread person so ... this is bread... :)

Is he really sweet or it's coz' he simply doesn't appreciate a good bowl of lobster bisque with brandy. How delicious can this be... SUPER! He ordered one full bowl just for ME!

Yeah! Finally! I've been wanting to try this for the longest time. This is the Hot Seafood Platter. Let's see, it's all cooked food so yeah!

We had

• 
  
  Half a lobster
• 
  
  A bowl of octopus salad with Balsamic dressing (The octopus was good!)
• 
  
  A bowl of scallops with not sure what sauce - This was just ok for me but M likes it.
• 
  
  A bowl of clams and mussels in white wine garlic sauce - Mmmmmm... I like!
• 
  
  2 wild prawns each - nice! I had 3 :P he he he he
• 
  
  6 Baked Oysters with cheese. I must say, this is the best baked oysters I've eaten. The cheese is yummy and the oyster is still soft and juicy... very good!
• 
  
  2 kebabs of mixed fish - so so only...
• 
  
  Fried calamari - Good!

This is proof that M gave me the entire half a lobster and he had none, simply because he knows how much I've been longing to have this and yes... I really don't think he appreciates lobsters ha ha ha..he's a meat boy.

It's ALL mine! Proven!

Ay.. hang on... what's the lobster doing on his plate?

If you look carefully, all the lobster meat is already gone ha ha. By that time, it should be on the way into W's digestive system ha ha ha.. M was eating the eggs which I wouldn't touch.

In the midst of our gastronmic food experience, we found our food's food! Yes! Two baby crabs. Ha ha ha...I dared M to eat it, but he didn't :)

It is done!

By this time, it's not funny any more... I'm suffering from indigestion. Too much seafood!

We didn't even cut the cake yesterday coz' I was just feeling too overwhelmed with the seafood. Had it with our family after lunch today. Yummy! G-spot Chocolate cake from Big-O.... it's super chocolaty. Slurp!

To the man who gave me a memorable day yesterday... my 'yours truly':

Thank you!

Merci!

Gracias!

{What would you change?}

M & I watched a short bo liao Japanese movie about a time machine that could bring people back and to the future. After the movie I had a quick thought.

If I had a time machine, would I go back into time and still choose to marry M. It was an instant YES! that came from within me.

Of course, thick-skinned me asked M if he would choose to marry someone else, I mean I was the one asking, really, did I expect him to say Yes, I would have chosen someone else :) But I just wanted to hear it from him... of course he very happily said he'll still choose me... The point was that I saw that assurance and glow when he answered... aaawwwwww......

There were mistakes made in the past, regrets, but without those, I wouldn't have learnt. Would I change anything if I could go back in time, perhaps not.

{This Ends With Prayer}

I tried to be a normal person. Not too extreme with God. Not to be too involved. Do what ordinary people do.

I cannot. Life's meaningless this way. My life without God is just living everyday without a purpose, without a sense of direction. Even though a million and one things are happening, it's like inside I'm just an empty shell.

With God active in my life, He gives me a sense of purpose, a sense of direction, an inner knowing. It's like when people come near me and oops God flows out because I'm overflowing and basking in His presence. Now, when people come near me all they get is ... I don't even want to begin listing them. I don't like myself the way I am right now. And I'm not trying to be humble when I blog about this. It's true.

It's as if when I made the decision to walk into my own will instead of His, I become this horrible person that I once knew, and I really don't like who I am now. It's not as if I walked deliberately into this knowing I'd end up here. It's like subtle moves, tiny decisions that led to this.

Are you feeling this way too?

That you've faded away so far you don't really know how to get back. You're in ministry, but you're not ministering. Everything has become work. It's about completing projects, getting work done. It's no longer about His people.

Sometimes I think we try too hard to do the right things. The harder we try, the more our focus gets blurred and after a while, we're simply out of focus.

The best thing to do for times like this, is just to pray. Let Him lead us. Let Him open the doors. Let Him show us as He had done and will do.

{START Praying}

What are some things that I really want to do but somehow struggle to believe that these are what I really want:

• Go for missions trip
• Share the Word of God
• Avail myself to be used by God to minister to His people
• Participate whole-heartedly in a ministry
• Learn to love others more than myself
• Get deep into the Word of God
• Write a book
• Make a difference

For each individual point listed above, I've got so many reasons for why I don't want to do what I've listed. I almost feel like a complete contradiction. The best way to describe how I feel is ...

"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit,
and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.
They are in conflict with each other,
so that you do not do what you want."

Galatians 5:17

And I have the perfect explanation for feeling this way:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Ephesians 6:12

Stop wondering.
Stop questioning.
Stop complaining.
Stop trying.

{Happy 1st Blogday!}

It's been exactly a year since I started this blog. If you look at the blog addy, you might wonder why jul09. Well, I decided to start a blog on 30 July 2009, when I did the same routine - Took the day off and ended up staying up the night before.

Looking through all the posts, it seems the year passed with a bleh...not bad, but ordinary.

What were the higlights and lowlights for me?

• I started scrapping more often than I did since I first bought my scrap items.
• I've built up a scrap area that scares me with the amount of unused items I have and it keeps piling up.
• I had a fantastic trip in Seoul with M.
• I went through the 2nd most stressful period of my work life.
• I went through a host of emotional roller coaster at home.
• I've withdrew myself from ministry.
• Made some really wonderful friends.

When I started this blog, I wanted it to be a scrapblog. I was very much inspired by Y's blog. I deliberately tried to minus out as much religious thoughts as possible to keep this blog neutral, and blogged everything else other than about Him.

A year has passed.

I realised, for me, scrapbooking is just another hobby. I don't think I'm all that into it like G or Y where scrapping flows in their blood. They practically scrap about every aspects of their lives and I admire them for being able to do that.

The one thing I've learnt in this year is that I don't like not having God as the center of my life. I can't take God out of my blog, if this is going to be a blog about me. Without Him, my life is just bleh. Everything's great, but I'm empty inside.

Scrapbooking is not the most important thing in my life, God is. You might laugh and think, isn't that obvious. It is, but somehow I get thrown off balance. Somehow I allowed it to happen.

Will anything change this year? It's not dependent on Him, it's dependent on me.

There's 2 sides of me. One side is longing to just jump out of the current and get back on track. The other side of me is just slouching like I'm doing now, refusing to move a bit.

Happy 1st Blogday! This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!

{Ding Dong, 12am}

So I planned to have an early night. Just as I was lying down in bed, so many thoughts started popping into my mind. It's strange. As you've read, I tried to blog earlier, but the posts were just... not quite there. It wasn't something that came from within. But now, that it's past midnight, W is awake! So many thoughts running through my mind. Just now, I was practically staring at the screen with a blank mind... :) Let's see what the night brings....

{I Like!}

Mulberry

{Superficial vs Supernatural - Pt 2}

"If we're not living in the superficial, we are living in the supernatural." - Dr. Sunny.

I want to walk in the supernatural everyday. Step out of my own will and step into the centre of His will.

{Superficial vs Supernatural - Pt 1}

"If we're not living in the supernatural, we are living in the superficial." - Dr. Sunny.

W's Superficial To-Do List

1. A good spa treatment/ massage
2. Find and own that perfect bag that I've been searching for
3. Eat like there's no tomorrow (minus the possiblity of putting on weight)
4. Sky-dive
5. Travel without worrying about $$
6. Own a home. Design it. Live in it.
7. Watch Sammi's concert, Live
8. Watch Inception
9. Find a really good hair stylist and get a new hairdo
10. Go to Perth - it's been more than 10 years now...
11. Go back to Korea
12. Be surprised and be really happy about it

{Display Where?}

So I've got two trays sitting there waiting to be scrapped. The one problem I have is that I have no place to display them. My room is full. The rest of the home decor don't really go with the scrapbooking theme. So many things that can be done, but so little space to display them.

At times like this, I wished we have our own place, so that I can display everything everywhere :)

{Run}

It's another click on the year clock at 12am tonight... ticking away year by year.. :)

This has been a year of "wandering", right now, it seems more like "running". Running away from what I'm not ready to step into. It's amusing even as I type this. Ever had that feeling where you know you shouldn't be doing this but you still do it anyway?

Today, RM came up and asked if I've gone up for prayer. There's nothing wrong with that really, but for some reason, I just shrung my way out and just preferred to stand at the back and watch. Just a few days ago, as RM was jokingly "prophesying" over me, I literally ran... and she said, "You're remind me of Jonah..."

It's been like this for two years now. What's holding me back? I know the answer, but I'm taking forever to step out of it.

Do I need to be eaten by a big fish and spit onto shore before I snap out of this?

{Yes, I Understand Cantonese!}

Love this song! Sammi Cheng's first album since she returned from a 3-year break. In these 3 years, guess who she encountered?

This album is entitled 信FAITH :) Enjoy!

上帝早已預備
Verse 1
就算我可得到世間的財寶
但你卻說要我知道 是永生的道路
是我在罪人時你賜我中保

Verse 2
就算我可得到今生的自豪
但你卻說要我知道
別為因此而煩惱 在絕望裡投訴
只要仰望主哪怕會迷路

Chorus
上帝早已預備 我不相信運氣
即使風光明媚 但卻不是你預期
上帝早已預備 至少我不被遺棄
難得你為我死

Verse 1

Chorus

Bridge
感謝你 你會為我打氣
感謝你 從谷底將我救起
感謝你 縱使失去我的真理
但我沒有忘記
Chorus
難得你為我死

{Go Black!}

Esprit Salon has a GSS promotion going on for mani/padi at about $51. Never been in there, decided to give it a try. I've always wanted to try painting black on my nails but never did have the courage to do so. I had a list of why not to paint it black:

1. It'll stain my nails.
2. It looks like a corpse's nails.
3. It's too youthfy for me.

So finally, I decided, I'll paint my toe nails black :) Decided to do nail art for the first time. Yes, yes, so yesteryear. People started nail art long ago and here I am doing it for the first time...

Here's my very first nail art designed by yours truly, Me! ha ha ha... quite "me" I thought. Browns, blacks, stripes and a touch of glitter ha ha ha.

{Morning Motivation}

I don't normally read forwarded emails. It goes straight to the trash. For some reason, I read this today and found it very meaninful, so here it is:

When I woke up this morning lying in bed,
I was asking myself;
What are some of the secrets of success in life?
I found the answer right there,
In my very room.

The Fan said... Be Cool
The Roof said... Aim High
The Window said... See the World
The Clock said... Every Minute is Precious
The Mirror said... Reflect Before You Act
The Calendar said... Be Up-to-date
The Door said... Push Hard for Your Goals

And not to forget,
The Carpet said... Kneel Down and Pray.

Carry a Heart that never hates.
Carry a Smile that Never Fades.
Carry a Touch that Never Hurts..

Have a purposeful day!

{Frosties}

2 Saturdays ago I was at Yin's place. Kay was having his lil' snack. As aunty W sat beside him, she couldn't resist but took some of what was ignored by Kay in that bowl sitting attractively on the sofa... (yes, I pinched his snack)....  (evil grin....hiak hiak hiak).

I forgot how yummy frosties tasted. I used to eat so much of it when I was in uni and haven't really had any since.

Yesterday as we were walking around Cold Storage (yes... we hang around Cold Storage on weekdays... so aunty... ha ha ha ha), I decided to buy a packet of frosties.

I just ate it a few seconds ago... not nice. It's nicer when Kay is beside me sharing it... (so disappointing...)

{Saturday}

I'm "Home Alone" today. M's off for a school event. Mum & dad went for their regular Saturday walk and supermarket shopping. J was suppose to come over but she fell sick. I thought of going out but wasn't sure how the wisdom tooth extraction would heal, so I didn't make any plans.

Now, it's kinda quiet.

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I got up and found absolutely NO PAIN at all. All that "fear" I had all these years of extracting wisdom teeth has gone down the drain. It's painless. (I know I've said it so many times over the last few posts... I'm excited that's all.)

Today's a fantastic day for me to just scrap and do all the things I like, but somehow, I feel laid back. You know, one of those days when I just don't feel like doing anything...

{YEAH!!!}

M's the sweetest! He knew I was nervous, so he took time from work to go to the dentist with me. He sat there and waited patiently. During dinner, I had porridge, which I love, and the rest had fried chicken. He was so sweet... he actually took the initiative to shred the chicken so that I can eat it.

So the numbness has gone. All I'm feeling is a lil ache, but no pain at all. The jaw line is aching a lil more coz' I was chewing the shredded chicken SO SLOWLY with only my front teeth. Feels like a baby ha ha...

Thank God for a smooth extraction, a speedy recovery and a fantastic husband!

{It's Over!}

Finally the 2 top wisdom teeth is out!

The entire process was PAINLESS! (except when the dentist inject the medication to numb my cheeks... i had a drop of tear ha ha ha...so lao qui right. Ya la I know, super low treshold for pain...)

The extraction was quick and pretty smooth. Because it's numb, I really don't feel anything. The medication is wearing off, I'm starting to feel a little ache but not much.

The disgusting part is to look at the teeth.... gross! The part that was blocked and brushing was impossible is simple... yucky! All black... I'm even too embarassed to post it.

Conclusion, take good care of your teeth. If dentist suggest wisdom teeth to be removed, remove it. Otherwise when it starts decaying it's really disgusting! To think that it was in my mouth for so long... EEEEEEIIIIIIIWWWWWWW....

After this heals, there's 2 more at the bottom to consider. Those 2 requires surgery and they may need to just remove the top half of the teeth and leave the root there because it's too near the nerves. Apparantly, the gum and bone will grow over and cover the root so that it will forever be buried beneath. He said that would be a little more painful...

Thank you for those who prayed... yes I actually went round requesting for prayers coz' I was so nervous about it ha ha ha... I was listening to my iPod all the way. Told the dentist, just do what you need to do, no need to tell me what you're doing.

Although I paid S$250 per tooth and it's considered pricy, I think it's worth it. It was one of the "better" or "best" dental experiences I've ever had. Dentist looks like Mr Xiao Fei Yu (Wang Yu Qing). Was very professional at what he does. There's even a lady at the front desk who speaks Japanese, catered to the Japanese tai tai who visit them.

Anybody who wants a good wisdom tooth extraction, he's good.

Dr Lee Chee Meng
TP Dental
Taka Level 26

Thank God for a smooth extraction and painless process!

{So Ex!}

Wao! I really like this but we can't afford it: check it out!

http://www.gorakadan.com/introduction/

{Dinner Was Satisfying!}

I love the simplicity and the authenticity of the Ramen at Menya Shinchan Japanese Noodle Restaurant. No fuss, no frills, yet tasty and yummy! The Chashu melts in your mouth! I'm not a fan of Chashu but, this Chashu... I like!

Tucked away in a little corner of Robertson Quay. You'll easily miss it if you don't look hard enough. At one glance, it looks like a simple, small Ramen shop. When we went in and looked at the menu, to be honest, I was lost. Lots of Japanese words. Some English words without details of what each dish is. That makes it a lil hard to order. But no worries, the waitresses are ready to help.

After placing our order, we observed around and found SEVERAL Japanese visiting this lil outlet. Everyone's either reading their free Japanese newspaper or the free Japanese comic books. If the Japanese frequent this place, it must be as authentic as they can get in Singapore.

Honestly, the photos presented in the menu does injustice to the food. Just go and try the Salty Pork Bone Ramen (Rich). It's not that salty and not that rich, it's just right. So yummy! Comes with a few slices of melt-in-your mouth chashu, half an egg (with runny yolk so nice!!) and a seaweed. Nothing fanciful, like I said, but it's really good. For those who like vegetables, you can even order their speciality, Madam Shinjiro - LOTS and LOTS of cabbage - yucks (sorry... no vege for me please). They also have Sardine Ramen... ya, first time I see this in a menu. Haven't tried it yet.
SY first brought us to this place. Today, I brought M to try. We both love it!

After that we walked over to the Book Cafe for dessert - argh... they didn't have the Apple Pie that I so crave for!

For a more detailed review of the Japanese restaurant, click here.

{Desaru Fruit Farm - June 2010 - Scrapped}

I've been trying to fill up this mini-slot-in album that Y gave me last Christmas. Love it, the LOs are so quick and easy to do coz' of the space constraint! I love projects like these :) Here's 2 more to add to what I've done.

Ahhh... the words smudged when I rubbed over it!!!

{First Canvas Project}

I never had the courage to get started on this canvas project, even though I bought the canvas months ago. This project involves painting and splattering of paint, which I'm not very good at. Finally, got down to doing it with LOADS of help from Yin. I love it!

Looking around Yin's place, admiring all her projects, albums and canvas... so beautiful! She said both of us have very different color palettes. She's a pastel girl and I'm a "dark" girl ha ha ha... I really like her pastel colored work, but somehow I can't seem to buy pastel colored things, I should give it a go! It's actually very soothing to the eye! She says I'm the "dirty-look" girl, I like to destress all my stuff. The dirtier and older it looks, the more I like it :)

Also had some "Fun" playing with Kay-boy :)

K: No hair (pointing to M's photo below)

Y: He's wearing a beanie!

K: Beanie!

W: Kay, u want to wear a beanie?

K nods.

W: Take off ur pants and put it on ur head!

K laughs.

Y: Wen.... don't teach him such stuff....

Ha ha ha ha... evil laughter from me!

Kay keeps asking aunty Wendy to "shake your backside" ha ha ha. He even took his mini toy guitar and did a performance with such enthusiasm. It was really fun watching him.

Yin's fav coner. I added some prima flowers on them.

{My First Birthday Present!}

Yin made a beautiful canvas for me as a birthday gift. I absolutely love it! She knows me very well! Chose the exact color that I chose when I did my very first canvas. You can't really see it, but the entire canvas is glittering and sparkly!! Such a beauty!! She even topped it all up with my all time fav. Esprit gift card! Woo hoo! Thank you dearest pal! I LOVE IT!

Check out the details...

{Good Saturday Morning!}

This morning I woke up at about 9am... rare for a Saturday morning. I was woken up by "sudden" hunger! I was soooooo hungry.

We went for my fav. (it's an indulgence) plaster (prata with a sunny-side-up enclosed.) Yummy! The egg yolk was runny! Just right! Absolutely love it!

Have been adjusting the colors and printing photos from our recent Desaru fruit farm trip. It's time for a little scrapping!

I wish I had someone to just adjust the colors and print the photos out for me and all I have to do is scrap it. Most of you might think, "M can do that!"...the irony is, he doesn't :)

{Happy Day}

Recieved a really encouraging news from my boss this morning. Something that I've always wanted to do but never got down to doing it is finally materialising!

Just last week as we passed SOTA I told M how envious I was of the sec students of this generation. They get to go to a school like SOTA. If I had the opportunity I would too. I was also telling him about how I would really like to attend some design courses to better equip myself, not just for work purposes but really as an interest.

I didn't pray about it. I kinda just left it there in the car conversation.

This morning my boss presented me with a really attractive suggestion. They are open to send me for courses to upgrade my skills with relation to media communications! Ooooo... so exciting! I don't think it's going to be a diploma kind but even if it's a 2-day course, I'm still excited. I did some research this morning. Found some pretty attractive courses...

God acts so fast! I don't think it's mere conicidence. It's divine intervention :) God knows the desires of my heart :)

Went to a non-conventional wedding at Hort Park this evenig. This must be a wedding with the most youths I've ever seen!!! A very heart-warming wedding, love it! The bride n the groom were soooooo loving... awwww......

Also had the opportunity to get to know 2 lovely ladies. Yeah! That's 2 more to add to my list of 1 friend from Russia! So rare right, to get to know Russians :) God is good!

{I'm All Packed}

Haven't seen Yin for a while now. We've planned to meet at her place for a scrap session. I'm going to do my very first canvas (OK, I know, I'm so yester-year) I'm a late bloomer. Bought the canvas for the longest time and I never had courage to do it on my own. So tomorrow's de day.

When I first started scrapbooking and didn't have so much stuff, I pretty much stored my scrap materials in a scrapbag which I bought. Then the collection grew. I upgraded it to a "chest box". Now, it's a scrap table/storage section.

Here's some back to the basics of this amazing scrapbag that I bought, but it only got to "serve" me for a very short period of time. Since I'm going over to Yin's place, thought it'd be a fantastic opportunity to use it to store my stuff ha ha.. half the bag is empty, I'm trying too hard....

Aw... so compact and nice. My fav. color! Green & brown.

Unzip it and it opens to an amazing storage system.

Wala! I was so thrilled about this that I HAD to buy this bag. It belongs to ME! Reminds me of my primary school pencil case. One of those that could open up like a transformer :)

Not much stuff to bring, but it's good enough, I think.

There's even space for flatter, bigger surface items like paper and alphas.

I bought an additional A4 folder to store other stuff, which I don't have any right now.

The 2 side pockets allows storage for pens, scissors, pen-knives etc.

Zip it up and we're ready to go!