Day 2: The 20/20/20 Formula

So, I managed to wake up at 5 AM again. ( Ok, probably 5 minutes late).
Wanted to talk about what was proposed that we do during the time that we wake up at 5AM.

1st 20 minutes: Exercise to get your metabolism going. You must sweat.

next 20 minutes: Reflect. Journal. ( Wow! was already doing this wayyyy back in Uni!)

Final 20 minutes: Read. Grow.

Really not rocket science. But one needs to be disciplined to keep waking up at 5AM ( at least 66 days) for this to be a habit.

Was listening to this ( instead of reading just because I don't want to wake Baby E up) and I know that God is starting a healing process in me.

Lyrics for Instruments of Your Peace (Prayer) by Don Moen

That's our prayer Lord, make us the instruments of your peace
Forgive us for showing hatred when we should have reached held in love
Forgive us for judging when we are the ones
Who deserved to be judged

Now with your help we extend
forgiveness to all who have sinned against us
Deliberately or unknowingly and asked that you begin to heal us
Renew us realign us with your will and your way
To make a way where there seems to be no way


Prayer of Saint Francis ( although apparently this was anonymous)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

Lord, forgive me so that I can forgive others. Amen.

Day 1 (The 5 AM club)

Yes! Managed to wake up by 5AM today and did some exercise. I will start small and increase the duration each day.

Reflection for today ( taken from Robin Sharma's book of the same title above):

Those who feel more than most people sometimes believe they have been cursed. In fact, they have been granted a gift , one that allows them to sense what others miss, experience the delights that most neglect and notice the majesty in ordinary moments. Yes, such people get hurt more easily, yet they are also the ones who create great symphonies, architect dazzling buildings and find cures for the sick. Tolstoy once noted that 'only people who are capable of loving strongly can suffer great sorrow' while the great Sufi poet Rumi wrote, 'You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens'.


This spoke volumes to me since this was exactly how I felt about my life. Many days in Melbourne, I felt like I was cursed and now I finally see it in a different light. More recently, a colleague said to me: 'Don't care so much. That's why you feel upset about this situation at work.' In a way he was right about the why. But he got the conclusion so very wrong.

This is who I am: A carer. I cannot just walk away and don't give two hoots about a situation that I care about. I cannot say I don't care what happens to the people I lead. I just can't. It is not me.

When you distill it down to the core of the issue: I care because I am passionate about the work that I do.

And that my friend, is how one becomes a History-Maker.

2019: A year of miracles and new beginnings!

2018 came and went. Didn't know where all the time went. At the end of the year, I felt drained, frustrated and tired all the time. It wasn't all bad though.

Baby E has grown up to be the cutest girl I know ( of course, I am biased!). She is full of energy and life. Se is also very funny at times and comical at other times. She makes us do silly things but most of all, she makes me laugh with joy! Can't imagine what life would be without her. She's now more vocal and asking: 'Hey, what's that sound? Mama, what's that?'. All the time. Seeing her play with her cousins brings me such happiness but also at times some regret - that we don't live closer to our relatives so she could play with them everyday.

On the downside, work has been a complete bummer. Since moving on to be the clinical lead at another institution, I have just faced frustrations after frustrations. Well, no one said being a pioneer was easy, I guess. I think I was just more disappointed with my superiors who didn't care about what I did nor seem interested to grow the work where I am. Dissecting the situation to find out the root cause of my unhappiness, I guess it boils down to these few things:
a) Overworked
b) Lack of demonstration of leadership by my bosses ( i.e no overall planning of divisional expansion given that changes are inevitable in our field)
c) Superficiality ( the fact that my superiors pay 'lip service' to me only but do not deliver any practical help to my situation at work)
d) Unappreciated - need I say more?
e) Depression - it's hard not to end up depressed if you are overworked, suffer a working mother's guilt everyday, lack of exercise and being disconnected to God.

My saving grace in life would be my husband. He never fails to encourage me to do more and better myself. He never fails to remind me that all these work that we do is temporary and we should aim to do real work that matters. He never fails to plan holidays all year round because he recognised that I needed the break and time away from a toxic working environment. Thank God I have him!

Then, I chanced upon a self help book at my brother in law's home during our recent trip there.




That book has been totally life changing!
More on this in my next post.

What a difference a 7 year hiatus has made in my life!

Just decided to have a look at my blog after 7 years. So many things have changed! Too many things to write about which has happened during that time. A short summary should suffice:
2011 - Got engaged to Mr X ( yes, on my birthday!)
2012 - A very difficult and emotionally labile time as Mr X was away for quite a whilst.
2013 - 6/12/2013 was our ROM date.
2014 - 4/10/2014 was our wedding ceremony which was held at Rohrbacher Shclosschen at Heidelberg. Had a fantastic wedding planner ( Britta Kees). Thoroughly enjoyed myself that day and the photos were wonderful.
2015 - Finally completed all my pathology exams! Yay! - November 2015 - the day we found out that a new member was joining the family! Sweet!
2016 - 25/6/2016 ( The faithful day that we welcomed Baby E into our lives)! What a year! Truly a year of new beginnings!
2017 - Year of Jubilee + perpetual tiredness! Yes, Baby E has greatly enriched our lives - even when fatigue sets in. So amazing how fast babies grow. In a blink of an eye, she turns 1! Am eternally grateful to God for watching over my family and I. - Career wise - things were going smoothly. Received my promotion which was great. However, with a promotion it also means more work and responsibilities and less time with Baby E. Juggling work and family was tough at times. Working mother's guilt used to surface every now and then. In all circumstances, God has always been good to me and sending friends at a timely fashion.
2018 - The year has just started and I am sure there will be many more good things in store. This will be a Year of Grace and Thanksgiving. Need to keep reminding myself to be less negative and critical and to be more optimistic and encouraging.

The Lion King.....and the letting go....

Just got back to Sg from a 10 day break.....it was restful...but full of internal conflict...no thanks to Mr X.....felt soo bad that he spent so much on dinner a few weeks back, so decided to buy him dinner and a movie....we ended up watching 127 hours starring James Franco - gory even for medics like us!!! ;P so was not sure it was the best movie to watch.........
I actually don't know why I did that....just wanted to let him know I was going back to malaysia .....and he texted me back after I got home to thank me for dinner and the show...and to buzz him when I got back...I was just rather worried about his flu that sounded pretty bad.....but had resolved not to call him whilst I was in Malaysia....needed to sort things out in my head and heart.....
Well...the trip home was restful....with pockets of stress as mum and dad were again yelling at each other....and having to babysit my nephew and niece with my mum......it seemed like I was at work...getting up at 7 am and going home at about 8pm!!! ;P but they are both sooo cute it was really good to see them grow up .....so quickly!!!!!
Whilst I tried to pray and ask God for a sign about Mr X.......there were no answers....no conclusions.....zilch.......well, at least I tried right? I told God, if he asked me out again....then I would really need to try and broach the subject about 'us' ( if there was even an us to talk about)......and the whole I don't date non believers thingy.....
I got back to Sg on thursday and sent Mr X a text that I was back...immediately he suggested watching The Lion King musical...I was like - wow! He's a musical fan too??? I told him I watched it already in melbourne, but was open to the idea of watching it again since it was soo good....and so he went to get the tickets for Saturday night.......I was excited all over again.....Why? I dun really know......I was also really worried - since I decided it was time to broach the whole faith thing......
Sat came....and we both enjoyed the musical..... I was surprised that he again spent a fortune for the tickets - which came with a complimentary drink ( we had champagne?!?) and a souvenir.....I almost wanted to faint looking at the cost of the tickets.....why does he keep doing this????




Since we didn't manage to get dinner before the musical....we headed off for dinner after that......a really late dinner......chatted about everything from work to insurance policies...to finally the all consuming topic of religion.....he's pretty curious and seeking....although he has very preconceived ideas and what he believes about our own existence/ creation....and his theory of space- time- continuum......I tried very hard to argue for a case for Christianity...but I think he is not open to the idea yet.....but at the core of him, it stems from a fear...fear of death, fear of emotions and what it means.....and because of that, he had to think up an explanation for all these things in life.....

Since he was quite insistent that his theory is true.....I backed off....and decided it was not a good time to talk about 'us'...was beginning to feel that there was no 'us' in his life.....mebbe it was all just my imagination....I left it as such....and I have decided in my heart that he is just a friend...and a mission to win him for Christ.....and that's all.....

I can only hope and pray that his eyes will be open and his spirit touched by the Holy Spirit.....

Decadent dinner......

I was looking forward to having dinner with Mr X on the 19th of Feb 2011......we had made arrangements a week ago....but I was rather perplexed that he didn't even bother to call or text me the details......so on the pretext that I had other dinners to arrange...I texted him asking if it was still on...and he said yes....
I wanted to know the time and place...and he just said that he'll pick me up at 6pm.....I asked who else was coming ( we were supposed to have dinner with the rest of our colleagues) and he just evaded the question and suggested inviting 2 colleagues that he knew I abhorred......the funny part was that there was a dress code - semi formal ?!? I was puzzled to say the least... he said that the dinner venue was a surprise for me...but he was very certain that I would like it....I was like ' huh'????

I was thinking - ' Hmm...he thinks he knows me very well now does he? We shall see...'

I was truly racking my head as to what to wear...and wondering desperately where we were going for dinner....and if it would end up being a romantic date with him......so I decided to take a chance and wear a sexy red number ( I love this dress by the way!) and got my hair and nails done just for it!!! I thought I was going mad!!!!

Now I truly understood the phrase - curiosity killed the cat!!!! @_@

D- Day......so it arrived....and I was dressed to the nines waiting for him to pick me up...with my little gift in my bag...in case other people showed up....and it was not a date, I would be less embarrassed...

So we ended up turning into the Marina Bay Sands...I was thinking - this should be good.....and he refused to let me pay for the cab ride ( which was our usual practice).....and I relented......I was excited!!!! ;)

So we were standing outside Santi, a Michelin restaurant at the Celebrity Restaurants ..but it was closed...I was like, why are we at a place that is closed?!? He wanted to tell me the story of how we were supposed to go to Santi instead but the chef had just passed away from a heart attack!!! So we hopped over to the next door restaurant, Guy Savoy...




Its a 1 star Michelin restaurant with a chef who owns 2 other restaurants - Guy Savoy in Paris and Guy Savoy Las Vegas ( both Michelin Star restaurants)
So basically it serves french food...with a pretty good range of wines.......and a pretty good sommelier.....

I liked the interior...quiet...with bay windows facing the waterfront to watch the laser show at night.....it has a great view of Fullerton from here......and the candles were interesting...



Mr X had already ordered the Menu Prestige when he booked our table...so I didn't even get to see the menu...except the wine list....which is as thick as my pathology textbook!!!!! But looking at the price of the wine per glass ( approx SGD 30 for a glass of champagne)...I knew that this dinner didn't come cheap....

For start...the bread that came was a bit hard...but the salted and unsalted butter as well as the salt and pepper came in pretty glass bowls...



We had complimentary entrees by the chef - foie gras on some wafer biscuits...did not manage to get a photo ( in fact, all the photos here are borrowed)....

Then, there was another entree , compliments of the chef - actually I think it was a parsnip based dish...but the photo looks something like this...


U pour the soup into the cup and give it a stir and drink it like a tequila shot....



Voila - when you lift up the cup, there's a little surprise below!!!

Then it was their signature dish - Oyster on Ice Gelee



Maine Lobster 'Raw Cooked' in Cold Steam - this picture doesn't have the holey dish where there is dry ice below and there's steam coming out.......we decided that it looked like a scene from Harry Potter..... but it was really really tasty!!!




Crispy sea bass with delicate spices...the scales are supposed to be eaten!!!




Colours of caviar - I have never eaten caviar...so it was a bit strange....but nice....




Foie gras with beetroot and radish - am not crazy over foie gras...think Ms W would have adored it though....



Toasted mushroom brioche that goes with their signature dish - Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup



This is how you eat this!!! This dish has celebrated its 20th anniversary!!!!





Then , it was the Pigeon 'Poche-Roti' , Pumpkin Gratin and watercress- didn't manage to get a picture of this...it was interesting to say the least!!!!! The waiter made it a point to say that the pigeon is from France...not our local pigeons! Bet he get asked that question a lot!!! ;)

Then came the cheese trolley....



We selected a few - but I must say it was too salty and too strong for my liking....

I was awaiting the dessert and dessert trolley to come!!!!!

First up was the complimentary meringue with hibiscus jelly and another dessert with hibiscus jelly at the base....



Was very impressed with the meringue...light and fluffy.....the best I have had ever!!!!


Then it was the Apple Textures - basically an apple sorbet with fresh apple chips with a pear compote and apple juice...light and sourish...the way I like it!!!

Then it was their famous chocholate orb!!! Described as an 'imploding' dessert...whereby you pour hot chocolate over the chocolate ball and it melts inwards to reveal a surprise - poached pears!!!! Perfect!






Then, the moment we were waiting for - the Dessert Trolley!!! So you can order as many dessert as you like....wow!!!!




We had some sorbet....




And then I had the Green Tea and Earl Grey biscuit ( super yummy!), Passionfruit Macaroon, Peach and Chocolate Tart and another Chocolate and Coffee Mousse Tart.

To top it off, he ordered champagne, a red wine and a dessert wine.....it was very very decadent!!!

He refused to let me see the bill...and refused to let me pay....even for the cab fare back.....And also gave me 2 books....which I thought was rather strange....but it just reflects his thoughtfulness...he knows that I read a lot...and probably didn't strike him as the cheap flowers type of person!!! I dunno.....But I was glad that I had already prepared a gift for him....after thinking very loong and hard about what would be appropriate...for a person who has the ability to get or buy whatever he wants......something from the heart......

I must say that I almost had a myocardial infarction looking at how much the degustation menu costed on their website.....I dunno how I can repay him......and I really cannot comprehend why he would spend that kind of money on me......but I really really had a great time .... and this is one the most memorable dinner I will ever have in my life!!!

Thank you Mr X!!!! ;)

CNY 2011

After my parents came for a week to Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year with my brother and I...we finally found some time to chill out together on Day 2 of CNY......we decided to go out for dinner on Friday night and to take in some of the festive atmosphere at the Esplanade area....where the River Hongbao was being held.....


See the carrots? To welcome the bunnies for the Year of the Rabbit 2011!!!


The God of wealth....


Close up shot

we walked around looking at the funfair that was around that area....and I took the opportunity to test drive my brother's new nifty lil' Canon camera......


Marina Bay - using the fish eye function !


Then, was attracted to this amusement park ride....looks scary!!!!





I just love the fish eye effect!!!! Its Awesome!!!! ;)

Finally, dinner time! We settled on the Al Dente Italian Ristorante as they were having a set dinner special, which was great for the 4 of us...


Our drinks - my Mai Tai and Dad with his Heineken...

Then came the entrees...


Feta cheese with parma ham and tomatoes and melon....yummy!


Then it was the prawn on salad leaves ( I think!) - equally yums!

And then the main course (s)!!!!


Pasta and risotto


We ordered an extra proscuitto pizza!!! ;)

Filled to the brim, there's always dessert!!!

Coffee mousse


Fantastic warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream - my all time favourite italian dessert by now...its like a lil' inverted souffle....crunchy on the outside, but oozing chocolate on the inside!!!!

After all that feasting, we had to walk around the river bank to work off all those calories!! Thank goodness the rain had stopped...so it was a pleasant walk....nice and cooling....


I love the night scenes here - the iconic 'durian head'....


The all too familiar Fullerton Hotel!!!


The new Marina bay Sands ( of for short MBS)... And the famouse merlion!!!

And my conclusion that night - that lil nifty canon camera that I got for my brother was a pretty good investment!!!! ;)