His Grace and Peace

i hardly have time to blog these days. the 3hours of commuting to and from work everyday is sapping life away from me. getting a car would be impractical needless to say expensive or should i say increasingly expensive due to the constantly escalating oil prices. rising oil & food prices, inflation - all these while still earning the same keep. how depressing.

life has been hectic and rather bland. i wish work were better for me; doing things that i really enjoy but i shall decline to write more lest i receive a warning letter from my company - quoting the example of the singapore airlines stewardess who blogged and posted pics about her work. the driving classes, gyming and baptism course that started a week ago are the only things other than family, friends and God that are helping me tread along this ardous journey known as life as a working adult. gone are the carefree days; i miss school and exams. [yes, i finally have the chance and time (whatever is left of it) to sign up for driving classes. and yes, i've decided that wesley shall be my home church :) i'm glad) o yes, i've found a cell group too. amid all the troubles there is still so much to thank God for.

the past few months have been tough and as usual, my poor faith has had me once again trying to accomplish all that i require with my own might and little knowledge and wisdom that i have. i worry too much and do not know the grace and peace of God. the 'peace that transcends ALL understanding'. God give me this peace, your shalom peace and may your Holy spirit reignite in me the flame to continue and press on even more strongly on this faith journey ending in eternity with You.

the Lord is my Abba Father, maker, provider, rock, comfort, strength, helper and salvation. if God is for me, no one can be against me. men are nothing without God.
[Jehovah Jireh, my provider, Your grace is sufficient for me]

Hebrews 13:6
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Psalms 118:8-10
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

...and btw, i thought Narnia - Prince Caspian was great. i'm a fan so don't blame me. i know the reviews aren't that great. well if you do know the real meaning behind C.S. Lewis' intentions of a simple children's story ('if you knew the deep magic') then maybe you would change your mind. :)

Praise God!!

He knows...

I love scale-up and development, not large-scale. period.
the grey days in slough are anytime more fulfilling than the sunny ones here. project management, the interaction and the huge amt of responsibility i was given and undertook in slough - that's the core of my being, the heart of my living. o God (really), i can't even begin to describe how much i miss that work.

Its (more of) a novelty working out here (than anything else) with tonnes of new experiences and never-before-seen technology but are all these things really digging deep into my interests? at the moment, things don't seem as big as they were made out to be. (that was probably a biased statement) maybe i'm not giving SG a chance. i don't know. i'm not giving it my all but at the moment, is there even much to give? where is the opportunity?? ; there is no one to receive my all that i'm willing to give.

To forge ahead full steam and pursue my dreams or to venture into new and unfamiliar pasture?

God, only you know.

Working back in Singapore

With desks twice the size and mega storage space for each workstation compared to slough. sadly, i think we'll have to relinquish this privilege next year/ once production starts.


[L-R]: Karen, me, Peili and Iris


At my desk. my OWN desk. the days of "hot-desk-ing" are over.
for now. haha~

See you Later

... as the brits often say.

Saying Goodbye again close to Midnight
It's tough but we'll get through this like we always have and know we will. Love you darling!

Understandably so, i was a walking zombie the next day at work having only managed 5hours of sleep after an activity-filled weekend. I'm a pot of mixed feelings; on the one hand i'm sad to see him go but on the other, i'm glad that i now have more time to myself to accomplish/finish things that are long past their expiry. It's a warped lifestyle i have, swinging from one extreme to the other. When he's back, every grain of sand in the hourglass is spent with him leaving almost zilch for anything else. and when he's gone time starts ticking again and i move on with my life (go girl!). sigh... its not meant to be like this. but o well, we know the Day will come.

(hmm... time, the perception of time. interesting...)

Dear's Bday 02Mar08

Celebrated with dear's family at Harbour City Restaurant at PSA.
It was a good chinese buffet that left me quite stuffed after.
Ken's mum suggested that all of us wear abercrombie polos - the apparent "theme" for this year. that was nice, i haven't worn matching outfits in a while. and my my... it wasn't a suprise that the absent-minded bday boy forgot to bring his cake to the restaurant. '_'|||

Accidental Upside down pic

With Nic and Ken

Sis' 21st Birthday Party

i almost had a heart attack trying to organise stuff at the party!!
i bet my blood pressure went up by a few mmHg haha~
(actual bday on 6Feb)

~ Happy Birthday Baby Sis ~
My sister for 21yrs - i praise God and cry out in thanksgiving for you.
As you begin this new chapter of your life, may He be your shining light and guide your every step. Take lessons out of each and every experience. Trust in God; His plans are flawless.
Thanks for all the insane and laughable moments as well as times of sharing. Be glad that i finally love you after all those years of fighting and quarrelling in our adolescent yrs!! haha~ kidding. muah xox [p/s: i'm jealous - you're still so young! 3 yrs younger.. and u have presents!! i didn't get any on mine. boohoo. ...and words of advice, as much as you hate it, enjoy NUS =P <3

21Jan08 - JC Class Gathering

Dinner at Secret Recipe before adjourning to Bakerzin for dessert at Vivocity

My last days in England

Another lazy update:

04Jan - ken and i left glasgow for london on the overnight bus.
05Jan - arrived london in the morning and promptly took the train to slough. this was followed by maniac packing and cleaning at home ready to move out the next day.
06Jan - moved to Sand and Angi's place for 5days.
09Jan - ken flies back to singapore.
10Jan - last day at work and needless to say heaps and tonnes of cakes and sweets. got nice goodbyes from PSS and DSP!
11Jan - said my goodbyes to sand and angi and took off in a cab in the heavy rain! English Weather till the end!!! my heart was thumping at the check-in counter and praise God i managed to get everything through (11kg excess baggage) and probably another 25kg in my innocent looking backpack and duffel bags. oops.. haha~ despite this, i must have thrown away loads. too much wastage, just too much. :(

3rd Anniversary in Edinburgh

As usual, ken and i headed to edinburgh as is customary for our anniversary - unbroken tradition for 4years running! hehe..

I was quite disappointed upon arrival seeing that the fair was not open because it was a weekday. however, it started snowing the moment we stepped off the bus across princes square and it was really beautiful albeit cold. snow never ceases to amaze me. it has such a calming effect and the cold doesn't seem so cold anymore:) one's focus shifts to the beauty and purity of it and serenity it creates. think some pple love snow because it transforms surroundings into a fantasy-like world and they're able to re-live childhood dreams of being transported to a world far far away where death and evil have no foothold. i digress.

we found another good reason not to climb arthurs seat this year - that it was way too slippery because of the snow and ice. we found ourselves in the shops and the bookstore instead. it was a quiet and not exactly an activity filled day (like previous years) but i enjoyed it nonetheless for obvious reasons.

Happy Anniversary Darling!!!
What will i do without you? the last year has been incredibly amazing. i really can't thank God enough for bringing you into my life and pouring out His blessings in abundance to us both:) May the year ahead be bigger and better than the last! (haha~) p/s: i'm sure you enjoyed ur gift(s)<3

Birthday, Christmas and Hogmany in Scotland!

Just a brief runthrough of other activities/events that occurred (and not mentioned previously):

16Dec - bday celebration with dearie. went for to watch BBC Scotland Symphony Orchestra at city halls. 'Christmas at the Movies' had a great repertoire and it was the first live radio performance i've been to! overall performance would be 6.8/10. i'm not sure why it was mostly old folks watching though. hmm.. following this, we proceeded to stravagin along byres road for dinner. think its the best restaurant i've ever been to in scotland and the prices are not excrutiatingly expensive.
22-24Dec - took denis ard glasgow after returning from paris. well, ken did. i just tagged along. what would i do home alone anyway? must have been on glasgow tours at least 5 times out of the approx >20 times i've been here. christmas party on 23rd with the remaining sgreans staying in glasgow over the dec hols. it was dinner before dessert and games. i still can't forget alfred's HUGE salmon. its was a full salmon grilled with lemon and dill. and teng cheng's roast pork - it was an entire meat joint! delish. and denis was well (x100) impressed. he's kinda obsessed with learning how to cook well now you see.
25Dec - went to St Georges Tron in the morning for Christmas service and had a flat christmas dinner in the evening.
26Dec - Boxing day sales!! bought loads. well... not as much as some but more than what i would usually buy on a shopping trip. UK sales are much cheaper and better than in singapore. thought i'd just grab some bargains before i return to sg.
27Dec - had lunch with denis and his friends who visited from durham. and more shopping for denis - he's so picky! more so than me.
31Dec/01Jan - Hogmany/New year's party and countdown at teng cheng's place. Happy 2008!!!!!


23Dec - Christmas Potluck


25Dec - Flat Christmas Dinner

Left: M&S mulled wine is good!!