Sunday, July 25, 2010

A riddle

It’s time for change, and everyone is invited to join me at my spanking new hideout, one that’s hidden from view, yet out here in the wide open. It promises to be candid-er, interesting-er, mighty-er. Get a glimpse into Jo’s life without even meeting her. Look how communication has evolved! Thank God for the gift of words. It is given to everyone, yet not all will fully embrace it. Some may even feel oppressed by it. All are invited. Are you coming?

Posted by Jo at 7:56 PM

Thursday, June 17, 2010

First words as Mrs Hoe

I know for a fact - because you told me so - that if you open my blog link to find Bohemian Rhapsody as the first post for the 3rd month running, you'd probably start boycotting this place. (I would too, if I were you.) So before that happens, I've decided to sit myself down, even if my head's all messed up today and I have difficulty downing a bowl of porridge.

Life after marriage seems to be everyone's favourite question. And to be honest, I don't really know how to start answering that, especially if we're bumping into each other for a mere few seconds. Which aspect of the marriage are you asking about? What exactly do you want to know? For the record, the relationship is stronger than ever. We've just returned from an awesome honeymoon (more about that in upcoming posts). We're waiting for the paperwork of our new home to be processed. Meanwhile, we're shuffling between our parents' homes, sorting out domestic issues and waiting for the marital dust to finally settle so we can get on with life. And no, I'm not pregnant - yet.

I really do hope to document all the various aspects of the wedding so that at least when I'm old, senile and skeptical of others, I can believe what I've written. I am, in fact, starting to feel old considering I've fallen ill twice in the past month, and oh, I'm days shy of turning 27. *hint hint*

Anyway, my head's feeling light from the meds. All that Mediterranean food is definitely not sitting well at all. Before I take my siesta, here's my favourite picture from our wedding album. I just love how clean this photo looks and how the sunlight falls on all the right spots. Later!

Posted by Jo at 1:11 PM

Monday, March 15, 2010

Bohemian Rhapsody

It's atypical of me to discuss songs this way but this is simply too good to ignore. I'm a sucker for good literary works, and Bohemian Rhapsody, written by the late Freddie Mercury, just never fails to blow my mind each time I listen to it. As far as I can remember, it's the only song that comes close to bringing tears to my eyes and the imageries that I concoct in my mind are just so emotive and powerful. Simply amazing.

"It's one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them..." - Freddie Mercury

Anyway, you can read more about the song on Wiki or check it out on youtube. I like...

"Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy
I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
Little high, little low
Any way the wind blows
Doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life has just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

Mama, oooooooh (Anyway the wind blows)
I don't want to die
Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

[Guitar Solo]

I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me
(Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo Figaro Magnifico-o-o-o-o

I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go
Let him go Bismillah!
We will not let you go
Let him go Bismillah!
We will not let you go
Let me go (Will not let you go)
Let me go (Will not let you go) (Never, never, never, never)
Let me go, o, o, o, o No, no, no, no, no, no, no
(Oh mama mia, mama mia) Mama Mia, let me go
Beelzebub has the devil put aside for me, for me, for me!

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

[Guitar Solo]

Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows..."

Posted by Jo at 11:50 PM

Friday, March 12, 2010

My perfect world

In my perfect world, I'd have my own backyard garden where I'd grow all sorts of seasonal vegetables and fruits. Every morning, I'd carry a basket and pick out the day's fresh offerings to cook a meal with. I'd have carrots of all colours, red juicy tomatoes free of insecticide, and beetroot that actually grows in the ground.

In my perfect world, I'd own a vineyard and make wine in some obscure part of New Zealand. I'd hire a team of qualified winemakers to do most of the work while I help prune and trim the branches. I'd spend my days telling others about the raw beauty of nature; how every season of wine-making is different from the next; how the taste of wine is not about how much sugar or preservatives you add, but about how much sun, rainfall and frost there had been all year round.

In my perfect world, my children would grow up running in sprawling spaces. They'd learn their ABCs sitting on the grass with the mountains in the background. They'd enjoy the simple pleasures of riding a bicycle, chasing butterflies and picking wild flowers as gifts.

In my perfect world, I'd be skiing, fishing and mountain biking.
In my perfect world, I'd spend my waking moments writing a book while sipping coffee on a porch.
In my perfect world, I'd sleep under the stars with my blanket on and a loved one in hand.

What's your perfect world like?

Posted by Jo at 12:28 AM

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Seize the day

Hi. I'm back. It took two months, but like all procrastinations, it's better late than never. Strangely, unlike my previous unannounced blogging hiatuses, I didn't quite miss it as much this time. Maybe I just need to keep typing and get that inner engine started. Or maybe, just maybe, I can blame it on Twitter.

Yes, I know. I declared that I was going to be 'a twit no more' back in Sept. And seriously, I don't know what got me started on that again. I mean, why confine myself to a miserly 140 characters when I have all the space I need here? I concluded that brevity is the new form of speech. Think about it: nobody ever says 'as soon as possible' anymore.

That, by the way, is a very scary thought, especially if writing happens to be my bread and butter. How am I ever going to complete a 1,200-word article if my mind is being conditioned to think in blocks of 140 characters? That's barely enough for a lead paragraph. Darn.

But judging by my productivity at work these days, I think I'll get by, at least for awhile. There seems to be a new lease of life in the office; a positive aura that's keeping morale high. It helps that we're revamping for the new volume. The new faces also bring with them a fresh burst of energy and fun. Maybe I thrive under pressure. Or maybe the PMS hormones are currently kept at bay.

Starting the day on a right note is also one of the keys to success. It hasn't been a bed of roses for me though (no pun intended). I'm still struggling with NYR#5, i.e. to wake up early. On days when I snooze like crazy, I end up feeling crappy and it affects my mood for the rest of the day. My latest strategy is to leave the alarm clock at the far corner of my room so that I actually have to drag myself out of bed to get it. Once my feet are on the ground, I just have to make that simple decision to not let it get off. So far, it has worked but I know I'll have to stay ahead of my own game before sloth engulfs me yet again.

These days, my reward for waking up early is doubly sweet since I get to soak in the serenity of the rising sun, get to work on time, and secondly, spend some precious quiet time in prayer before I kickstart my day of madness. With so many things going on, I hardly have time to even watch TV. A day in the life of Jo goes something like: wake up, go to work, eat lunch, do more work, eat dinner, work again.

Post-dinner work, thankfully, takes on different forms: freelance assignments, church stuff, playing catch up with friends (which is also a rare occurrence these days), and oh yes, how could I forget, the wedding preparations. It seems like only yesterday that Hil and I were in Rome where he proposed last May. Ladies & gentlemen, the countdown has begun and in 2.5 months' time (that's 71 days from now), I will be Mrs Hoe. Hmmm.

And with that, I shall conclude my beautiful Thursday. Remember, tomorrow will only as awesome as you imagine it to be. Carpe diem!

Posted by Jo at 11:58 PM

Saturday, January 09, 2010

The wonders of 13

Past the stroke of midnight,
When the festivities started fading into the dew of the first morning,
The moment arrived and conquered all.
Now it lingers, frozen in time.

Oh yes, a happy new year indeed...
Jo has done her first shi-san-yao.

Posted by Jo at 8:56 PM

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Who's a false prophet?

Empty vessels make the most noise; and the one who speaks loudest or says what we want to hear may not always be right. Let's keep our eyes open for false prophets who take us away from the truth.

Today's 1st reading is so aligned with my thoughts and reflections for the week that I have to share it with you:

"Whatever we ask God, we shall receive, because we keep his commandments and live the kind of life that he wants. His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to. Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in him. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us.

It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust; test them, to see if they come from God, there are many false prophets, now, in the world. You can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God; but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus is not from God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you were warned about. Well, now he is here, in the world.

Children, you have already overcome these false prophets, because you are from God and you have in you one who is greater than anyone in this world; as for them, they are of the world, and so they speak the language of the world and the world listens to them.

But we are children of God, and those who know God listen to us; those who are not of God refuse to listen to us. This is how we can tell the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood."

- 1 John 3:22-4:6

Posted by Jo at 8:55 AM

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

The other F word.

Most of us think that freedom is a distant reality, one that remains out of reach for most of our lives. Now suppose you're so filthy rich you don't have to worry about money for the next seven generations; suppose you don't have to work a single day in your life; suppose you're not bound by any commitments to your spouse, your kids, your parents, your community...Is freedom within reach then?

Speaking of reach, have you ever been able to resist the urge to scratch an itchy nose, sneeze when exposed to a dusty environment, fall asleep after being awake for more than 48 hours? Most of us can't - most of the time at least - because our bodies do not allow us to.

Does this then mean we can never truly be free, since we'll always be bound by the limitations of our bodies? How can we find true freedom? How can we be liberated so that we can do whatever we want, whenever we want - without ever being under the control of an external or unstoppable force? Is there such a thing called freedom?

If freedom can't be absolute; if we can't decide when not to sleep, or prevent a runny nose, or blink, we can't possibly ever truly be free, can we?

So what exactly are you fighting for when you fight for freedom? Is this thing called 'freedom' hidden behind a mask called Relativism and Individualism? I suppose we all are fighting for what we want to believe is right.

Is there an absolute right and an absolute wrong then? Black is black, and white is white. No matter how much you disagree, I have two eyes, one nose, ten fingers. That is the absolute truth.

So maybe, just maybe, instead of fighting for a finite thing like 'freedom', we should be fighting for something absolute - like Truth. The question is, when you eventually find the absolute Truth, are you willing to embrace it or do you choose to continue living a lie?

Our challenge is to seek the Truth, and stand up for it.

Posted by Jo at 11:38 PM

Thursday, December 31, 2009

The 2010 NYRs

It's that time of the year to recollect events that have passed and look forward to new memories waiting to be made. And since I'm too lazy to talk about either, I shall pen down my new year's resolutions instead!

1) Listen better.
I realised recently how bad a listener I am. Sometimes, my mind drifts off to a different place in the middle of a conversation with a friend and I end up asking redundant questions that have already been answered. Sometimes, I listen selectively and miss the gist of the story. Maybe I'm suffering from ADHD at 26. Maybe my brain is like a sponge that's so soaked in water that it can't hold anymore. Whatever it is, I shall attempt to be a better listener.

2) Reply promptly.
I have a bad habit of reading my emails and smses, and replying to them half a day later. I don't know why I do that, and I don't have a good excuse for it either (except of course, when I'm really busy & totally overlook it or forget to do so). I hate it myself when I don't hear from others and have to send a chaser, so I shall resolve to be more responsive in my communication.

3) Read a book.
I'm proud to say that my 2009 resolution of reading a book a month has helped to deepen my faith. Although I didn't meet the KPI of finishing 12 books in a year, I did manage to read 7 books in all. Good habits ought to be maintained, so I hope to continue reading more books in the new year to enrich my spiritual life and also to prepare for marriage and babies.

4) Exercise regularly.
Argh! Ok, this NYR was in last year's list, and the year before, and the year before. Removing it would mean that I'm giving up so I shall continue to challenge myself to make exercise a part of my daily life, no matter how busy I get. At least in 2010, I have a motivation to get in shape in time for the wedding.

5) Wake up earlier.
The most difficult resolution of all is making this a resolution. This one is truly stepping beyond the boundaries of my comfort; one which involves a total lifestyle change. If all my other NYRs fail, I'd be satisfied to end the year pulling this one off. In the past, on the rare occasions where I do get up early, I remember liking the cool mist and serenity of the morning activities. Hopefully, that'll be one of my motivations. And as Hil would say it, "You can sleep when you're dead".

It's 4 hours to the new year. May you spend the last moments of 2009 giving thanks to God for all His graces and blessings; finding the strength to forgive your enemies and those who have hurt you throughout the year; and remembering to appreciate and cherish your family members and loved ones.

Here's my favourite version of Auld Lang Syne by Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis. Have a fruitful 2010, dear friends!

Posted by Jo at 8:00 PM

Enough is enough!

People think that Singapore's a safe country to live in. I hate to say that it's not. When you have to dread taking the elevator up to your house level; walk cautiously along a narrow, danger-filled corridor; open the iron gate while having to be absolutely vigilant of any suspicious movements; finally surviving the ordeal and yet still not being to let your guard down in the comforts of your home - that sucks. Big time.

I've thought long and hard about taking action, and finally, I found a feasible solution to my long withstanding problem. And after hearing about Godpa & Abby's success story of nabbing four lizards in their home, I decided it was time to set the traps.

Unlike cockroaches, lizards seem to be a lot more savvy, so the first strike is the most important. My plan is to wipe out as many of them as possible tonight before news gets to the rest of the clan and they learn to manoeuver their way around the traps. Wish me luck!

Step 1: Get your resources. Cardboard, scissors, very sticky tape.