Ask Me Something Easy.

"If swimming is a good exercise to stay fit, why are whales fat?

Why is it that everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die?

Can I say that there is racial discrimination in chess as the white piece is moved first?

In our country, if we have freedom of speech, why are there telephone bills?

If money doesn't grow on trees, then why do banks have branches?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

Why doesn't glue stick to its bottle?

Why do you still call it a building when it's already built?

If it's true that we are here to help others, then what are others here for?

If you aren't supposed to drink and drive, why do bars have parking lots?

We are a bunch of funny people living in a seriously funny world."

This brain-frozen, mentally-exhausted girl received the above SMS while she was slogging in office around 9PM earlier tonight.

And it brought a smile.

And then it stirred up some questions of my own.

How do you know where the grey lies between Black and White?

Is it possible for someone who is hurting badly himself to reach out to other hurting people?

Do cats go to heaven when they die?

Is there a job that will bring you sufficient money while letting you have a balanced work-life?

Why is it the 'bad girls' that make the headlines while the 'good gals' are passed by with barely a mention?

How often do people ask questions to which they do not wait to hear the answers?

Why do the bad memories which you are trying to forget come back to haunt you so easily while the happy memories slip away forgotten into the background shadows?

Is it wrong to want what you cannot have, or simply foolish to do so?

Life is complicated enough - why do we humans have to make it more complicated by thinking so much?

I wish I had the answers to all my questions...
Maybe that would make life a little less confusing at times.

But Experience and Time are good Teachers.

While they may not always lead me down the path I envisioned for myself, they will make it their priority for me to learn something new every day.

And in the meantime, for tonight, just ask me something easy.
Something like, "What time are you going to bed?"

Because the answer to that is "NOW."

**She is counting down to the weekend**

Making Her Day.

It all began with an email that popped in at the start of the week.

Kim: "Hey, my leave is approved for 21st =)"
Em: "OK, here's the plan..."

A) Meet at PS for birthday lunch.
B) Shopping.
C) Special thingy
D) Birthday dinner.

Her reply sparkled with happy anticipation.

So at 12.30PM on Wednesday, April twenty-first two zero one zero, I shot off the last of my emails before shooting off from office myself.

13:00 HR. She opted for a recently opened restaurant, Charly T's, as our lunch spot. It was a good choice.. the food was yummy!
14:00 HR. After the full meal, we needed something sweet, cold, and melt-able (Whoots, I just coined a new word!)
14:15 HR. Amazing how two little ice-cream cones can make you happy!
14:45 HR. Shopping time! "Don't have to think so much la... If you like it, just get it!"

15:15 HR. Buying tickets for the second part of our program. 15:30 HR. More shopping. We're gals. What else can you expect?
16:00 HR. And finally, the afternoon's birthday surprise.... a foot spa to pamper the birthday gal!!!

(And the birthday gal's Mom.)

(And the birthday gal's sister.)

Yeah, of COURSE we know how to siang-soh.

17:30 HR. After the hour long foot-spa, we headed for our next destination: a date with Shaw House to watch Date Night!

19:30 HR. We met the rest of the family for a Birthday dinner to continue the celebrations.

Birthdays are awesome times to show someone how much they mean to ya. (:

It was an afternoon of fun, laughter, and just spending time together.

We bought stuff, we ate stuff, we did stuff.

But most importantly, my sis and best friend enjoyed herself on her special day.

And THAT made my day, too.

**She opened her mouth to complain that it was raining again, until she remembered how rain is always compared to 'showers of blessings,' and then she said a prayer of thanks instead.**

Facing the Mountains

My mom likes to refer to the pile of freshly clean laundry sitting in her room as "Mount Everest." And coming from a mother of six active kids, she isn't exactly exaggerating. Granted, the pile might not be as big as in THIS pic [evidently, here I wanted to exaggerate a 'lil], but yeah, you get the idea.

Which brings us to our main thought...

all of us have our own "Mt Everest" to face each day.

With each cross road decision we make, we pick out a path that eventually leads us to a mountain. Or, mountains. Plural, to be realistic. Try as we might, we will never come across a path that brings us through the grassy meadows without eventually ending up at the foot of a mountain.

It may be the Mountain of Glossophobia.

Or the Mountain of Procrastination.

Or the Mountain of Homework.

Or the Mountain of Confidence (or the lack of it).

The mountain differs with the circumstances of each individual, since we all face different challenges each day.

But one thing in common is that once we've reached the base of that mountain, our mountain, we have to make another decision:

To climb or not to climb?

At first glance, it may seem to be a huge mountain - tall, and looming, and daunting.

And sometimes the longer we stand at the bottom staring up at it and calculating the risks, the BIGGER and SCARIER it gets.

Like, is it a normal human thing or am I the only one who flinches at the initial thought of interviews or public speaking? Ok, maybe flinched is the wrong word to use. My first reaction was probably more of blanched than flinched. Ya know...momentary loss of speech, mind freezing, sudden acceleration in heart speed, that kind of thing?

Human or not [though I'm definitely hoping it is human rather than not], it's all part of the process.

The first step to Facing our "Mt Everest" is understanding the challenge.

One thing's for sure, you know the climb's not gonna be easy.

You're going to come across obstacles which you have never encountered before. Some parts are going to be rough. Some parts, slippery. The learning curve could be steep. The end results might not be what you expect. There would be tension; there would be stress; there could be tears. You might fall.

You might fail.

But on the other hand...what if you are able to succeed?

We are only able to grow if we are willing to break out of our 'comfort zone.' In reaching for that first handhold, by daring to try new things, in opening our minds to the possibility of trying AND succeeding, we will find ourselves automatically rising up to the challenge and expanding our capacities.

Positivity. Confidence. Self-Motivation.

We first need to climb the mountain in our minds.

Can I envision myself at the apex? Can I see how I will grow individually by going through the experience? Will making the decision to climb this mountain help me down the road when faced with an even taller mountain?

Sometimes by the time you actually get to it, the real-time experience is a breeze, in comparison to the first time you attempted it in your mind. They say that practicing an action mentally such as throwing a basketball is almost as effective as being physically on the basketball court with the big heavy orange ball in hand, aiming for the basket.

I don't mean that it'll be perfect once you've gone through it once in your mind. There are a lot of things that 'work' in theory but fall through when actually put into action, and that same idea applies here. But one cannot deny that a huge advantage lies in mental preparation.

I may not be able to see what or where the next mountain is, or anticipate the outcome of the climb, but I do know that when you finally conquer the mountain in front of you, you need to pause and savor the moment.

Because the taste of exhilarating victory will be SWEET.

But more than that.

Standing at the peak may be a brief moment, but the lessons learned through the experience can last a lifetime. Challenges challenge us to grow. We'll always be faced with mountains, and they will only get bigger from here. In dealing with the "Mount Everest" of our today, we not only broaden our minds and increase our confidence - we also store up experience that will be invaluable for the future.

What is your Mt Everest for today?

Don't just stand there and gawk and then turn away, afraid of failure.

Stand up, get the right mindset, and then go FACE YOUR MOUNTAIN.

And finally, whatever results you get from your climb whether satisfactory or less than, never regret your decision.

Once it is over, smile and move on.

That's how we'll get through life.

One step, one climb, one mountain at a time.

**She felt like putting the phone off the hook today, cause it wouldn't stop ringing**

Please Don't Stop the Music

These few days, there has been so many words lingering on the tip of my tongue, at the edge of my brain, seeking expression...yet they cannot seem to find voice, nether on paper nor on screen.

Which is kinda weird, really.

Considering how this blogger mind processes just about every big and little event of life into a book-like script and is constantly spewing out words, sometimes faster than it can think [the keyword is SOMETIMES], it seems weird that the recent whirlwind of activities and changes swirling by has temporarily robbed it of its main propensity.

Instead, the blanked-out white board of a mind undergoing much stress has turned to music for solace. Which, considering the ongoing affair between my earpieces and my ears on the MRT to and from office every day, is not really that surprising at all.

There's just something about music that soothes the soul.

If happy, you choose the "Adrenaline" playlist, the fast-paced songs with a beat that make you wanna dance where you're standing (even if you're on a moving MRT train). If frustrated or depressed, you listen to the "De Nada" playlist and let the lyrics of the top favorites wash over your tired soul like a gentle balm. And even at the times when you're not actually concentrating on the lyrics, the familiar strains playing softly in the 'background' of your mental world provides a certain comfort and security.

But nothing, NOTHING beats the power of a live band.

Especially when it's my favorite live band playing at Holland V's Wala-Wala - The Unexpected!

So after all that talk about music and live bands, I didn't actually take any pics of them.The Unexpected, I mean. But I DID get in some shots of us, as we enjoyed their talent....

~~great music, great frenz~~

Tommy attempting to drown his Man-U sorrows with the jug (Man-U had just lost to Chelsea in a match that night!=P)

Yummy pizza for the hungry souls

<3

tew-gah -der is the best place to be!

**She finally can see some light at the end of the tunnel, and it is extremely encouraging**

Happy Easter!

**She has a million things swirling around in her head... It's going to be a challenging week ahead**