Light up, light up...As if you have a choice...

I haven't totally figured out what Leona Lewis's Run lyrics mean, but they sure have a knack for sticking in my head long after my Windows Media Player has moved on to other songs.

And perhaps, some lines aren't that difficult to identify with after all.

It never fails to intrigue me that so many things can happen in one day to bring your mood up or down. I don't mean a swinging-to-both-ends-of-the-spectrum, emotionally-inbalanced kind of way. It's just small things like people spontaneously treating you to a lunch, or a work issue that popped up, or having crazy fun email threads between you and good friends, or anticipating a long-awaited meet up with bestis, or handling complicated friendships, or having unplanned shopping sprees with your colleagues, or... you get what I mean.

Happy. Perturbed. Frustrated. Tickled. Stressed. Sad. Disappointed. Puzzled. Overjoyed. Contented.

Some people call it "compartmentalization." The ability to identify the emotions that each of these small things trigger, and to deal with them separately, no matter how conflicting. Like, just because you are grieving over a dear cat that just passed on doesn't mean you traverse the world dressed in black and shush a friend who is rejoicing over an engagement or a promotion. Or secretly jump for joy when someone you like asks you out, and then fall to the ground in an ocean of tears when the person is unable to make it for some reason. There is nothing wrong with emotions, don’t get me wrong - I do not wish to imply that we should crush whatever we feel under a mask of stone that stoically accepts everything that is handed to us, leaving no room for the human emotion or expression. That would be impossible anyway.

My point is this: we need to balance our expectations and take everything with a pinch of salt. If not, we end up emotionally exhausted and precariously on the verge of turning into a bitter cynic.

And I’ve seen enough of those in the short 20 years I’ve spent here already, thankyouverymuch.

There is a saying that 10% of what happens in life is out of our control, and the other 90% is our reaction to that 10%. Living life to the fullest is about how we handle the totally random situations that Life throws at us and make the most of them. There's way more to it than that, of course, but I'm not writing a thesis so I'm stopping right HERE.

More pics next time!

**She attributes the fast heart-rate and current hyper mood to the strong coffee she had during lunch, courtesy of Serene and Martin*

I want to have my portrait painted like this also!

Did someone say "talented"? This artist is GOOD...

**Her legs are aching from speed blading the length of ECP, but she loved every minute of it! ...minus the annoying people who didn't know how to keep to their own lane...**

Anti-Social Days

First off, let me get this straight. I am NOT a recluse.

In fact, I love being around people. Friends, colleagues, new faces...people in general. Human beings are such interestingly complicated creatures, there is always so much that can be learned from and about them.

"But there are times..." *mimicks John Smith's exasperated expression from Mr. & Mrs. Smith*

....

OK. To put it mildly, let's just say that sometimes a lunch with oneself is a wonderful balm for the stressed/frustrated/exasperated/weary soul.

It's weird how sometimes the little things that you thought didn't matter much to you actually add up to be quite a big deal, hanging around at the back of your mind and wreaking havoc on the insides till you put them in their place.

Last night's bowling made de-stressing easy though - I just imagined each of the little things to be bowling pins, and then threw the ball at them with all the strength I could muster after a long workday.

Lined up for their turn down the lane...

Jay, our Pro Bowler!

You see what I mean? All the right moves...

Jo, getting lots of practice in view of our upcoming company bowling competition!

The spectators

Practice makes perfect

Please strike, please strike...

We always have such good times together!:)

"I'm a steam-roller baby...rolling down the line.."

The last game ball~~

So after all my ranting about Anti-Social Days, bowling with some of my closest colleagues-cum-friends was a great way to end off one such day. They made me smile, and we shared many a laugh together over the games and dinner.

It appears that hanging out with the right people can work wonders for the soul, too. ;)

**She is hoping hoping hoping that she gets some lucky strikes in during tomorrow's competition!**

If blessings were dollar bills...

I would be a twenty-year old millionaire.

It was one of the ending dishes of the Birthday Set dinner at Imperial Herbal Restaurant. As the waitress served us the dry cooked Longevity Noodle, she told us, "Tradition has it that those who eat this noodles will be blessed with long life!"

Hummm.

Long life wouldn't be too bad an idea....

Except that.... who wants to spend a hundred more years in this crazily chaotic, upside-down world that is full of complications and troubles and stresses and tears and heartaches and disappointments and whatnots, this sometimes very cold and uninviting place that on one hand we call "Home" and at other times label as "Mad World"?

Perhaps then, it is not so much how long you live, but HOW you live.

It's not so much watching what foods you should or shouldn't eat for fear of cancer or high cholesterol....it's about eating everything in moderation.

It's not about worrying so much what other people might think or say about your actions, or being afraid of failure....it's about knowing what you want and setting about to reach that goal.

It's not about making sure you never break a limb or put yourself at risk, and reaching the grave all neat and demure, having never actually tried the things you wanted to....it's about sliding in sideways as if you'd just gotten off a roller coaster ride, with your hair all messed by the wind and your heart still pumping with adrenaline, and knowing that you are living life to the fullest and LOVING EVERY SINGLE MOMENT.

God has blessed me with so much, for which I am immensely grateful. A loving and supportive family, awesome friends, good health and energy, a stable job, and a comfortable house to live in are just the top of a long list. No, life may not be a bed of roses and there will always be a cloud - or two - or three, that endeavors to hide the sun; but while I have breath and the energy, I am not going to waste a minute of this short life that I have here regretting decisions or wanting things that I do not have.

Life is so full of ups and downs.

Life is so full of changes.

Life is so brief.

I'm going to do my best to make it count.

**She is shrugging off Disappointment and counting her blessings.**

Free-falling into the Dayang Waters

A weekend of fun and laughter,
Of bubbles and trigger fishies,
Boats, sand, sun, and water,
Turtles, regulators, and BCDs.

Life's cares left on the surface,
Free falling into the deep blue sea,
Underwater is one cool place
We all love and wanna be!

~EL (10.10.09)

Yes, I visited my underwater home yet again.

This time, it was for a leisure dive while some of my friends got their OW certs. And yes, we took plentiful pictures. These are just some of the snapshots that encapsulate the fun we had!

Lunch on the front deck of the boat between dives

Zhan Peng, Ivis, & I

Dive buddies!:)

da hunks

da babes

Jaze ~ my cool bro and DM^^

The jack-in-the-box morray eel

Open Water students doing their fin pivot skills

Its so cute to see couple fishes swimming around together!

AOW student practicing their navigation skills

Kevin, SP, & I with the beautiful Saturday sunset!

Enjoying the famous Dayang BBQ dinner

big smiles on the dive boat

Rigging up

Feeding bread to the fishies

Hanging around...underwater...

Tagging along with the OW's Sunday leisure dive

A huge puffer fish!

Instructor Cynthia...cool as ever...

This little yellow-striped cutie decided to tag along with us during the entire dive!

Oh da joy of swimming through a school of fishes~

One of my fave shots of the weekend ~ our group of fun divers!:)

Bobbing at the surface and taking pics while waiting for the boat to pick us up after the last dive..

DAYANG (courtesy of Shao Peng's avid photography skills)

Love the scenery of the dive sites!~

It's a small world after all when your colleagues and brother find out that they were in the same NS batch ^^

Friends who dive together have FUN together:)

**She is looking forward to tonight's dinner with her beloved family**

Hold Your Dreams...Don't Ever Let It Go...

There are some movies that leave you frozen in your seat even after the lights blink back on.

There are some movies where the screen blurs over midway through when your eyes grow misty with tears.

And then there are some that make you just want to leap to your feet and start dancing along.

Like Fame, for instance.

It's been awhile since I last watched a film so artistically shot or so beautiful in both theme and story.  From the visuals and the characters to the realistic portrayal, the TALENT, and the beauty of art in its finest and most elegant - I loved them all. 

I even liked it that none of the actors or actresses in the film were particularly well-known, because that allowed you to approach the film with no preconceived notions or expectations of what a certain character will and will not do.  And this left you with the ability to more fully appreciate the talents of the young people.  And talented they were. From singing to dancing to drama to instrumental playing - they presented the audience with songs and scenes of excellent art that thrilled the soul with awe and delight.

The very theme of the movie was inspiring enough, for it extolled determination and hard work to reach the end goal.  

My favorite part? It was listening and watching this: Fame - Hold Your Dream

Countless hours of learning more

Countless hours of knowing less

Can't slip behind, you have to look ahead

So many doubts running through your mind

All the excuses don't have the time

All the rejections you have to leave behind

Leave it all behind

Hold your dreams 

Don't ever let it go

Be yourself

And let the world take notice

You'll find strength

When people bring you down

They will see

If you would always

Only believe

Ooh Ohh

Somewhere, some how

Don't give up now

Don't be afraid to succeed

Somewhere, somehow

It's our time, yeah

Don't be afraid to succeed

Whoa whoaaa

Hold your dreams

Don't ever let it go

Be yourself and let the world take notice

You'll find strength 

When people bring you down

They will see

If you would only 

Only believe

~~

**She wonders if there is such a thing as emotional denial even as one accepts the painful reality**

You are safe in my heart...

One Christmas eight years ago,

A little kitty took my heart by storm..

She batted my five stones

In every direction,

She sat on my book

And served as distraction.

She would find her nest

In the craziest of place

Or wind up on my pillow

Right next to my face.

She tumbled down

From impossible heights

And in just a few days

Was back to rights.

By the window she'd sit

And daydream for hours.

She asked for 'wet food'

With persuasive powers.

She was my warm pillow

To hide my tears in,

She gave me bored looks

When I was happy-crazy.

For eight precious years

She lived life to the fullest...

Today she breathed her last

And lay down forever to rest.

Safe in my heart my baby

Will live on forever..

Smile through your tears, gal,

Her memories I'll always treasure.

**She misses her darling Misty so so much...:'(**