The big switch

It’s been a long long while.

A year ago today, I was still working the unearthly shift. Since my workday began at 3.30pm and ended at around midnight, it was normal for me to wake up at noon and have supper at 1am (Mr Bean, Coffee Club @ Somerset, frogs legs porridge at Geylang, Newton Hawker Centre etc).  

I loved my working hours then for the solitude it gave me. There was a lot of ME time. I could run errands and shop before work. Occasionally, I would meet friends for lunch and even coffee before trotting in to work in the late afternoon.

I especially loved the wee hours of the morning when the whole world around me seemed asleep and I could wind down alone, surfing the Internet, watching the latest US drama on cable or simply stoning. I loved it… but there was a major problem… my life was pretty anti-social.

And so, in late March this year, I made the BIG SWITCH to the day shift – in other words, normal working hours. And I have not looked back. After almost nine years of late nights, my body clock has had to re-adjust to a normal life and it feels healthier for the change. Initially, I dreaded the thought of once again having to wake up early to the sound of an alarm clock but thankfully, the change has been less painful than I expected. But I’m thankful too that my workday starts at a decent 1030am. 🙂

And with that major shift, my social life has picked up. More weekday dinners, movies and catchups. And most importantly, more time with the hubby whom I think is the biggest beneficiary of my switch. He no longer has to eat dinner alone on weekdays. So happy is he that he drives me to work almost everyday (although that often makes him late himself) and picks me up whenever he can. 🙂

I really thank Daddy God for making the whole transfer and settling-in process so smooth. It happened sooner than I expected but Daddy God’s timing is always the best.

I have absolutely no complaints about my new work arrangement. I like what I do. I have great colleagues. I can meet my friends more frequently. I have more time with the hubby as well as my family. I’m as happy as can be.

Freddy the Diva

This is Freddy Ong. He was my wedding/ROM make-up artist.

To me, he’s Freddy the Diva.

Freddy died last Friday. He had apparently been in ill health the past couple of months. When one of my wedding photographers, who’s also a good friend, called me up on Sunday to inform me of Freddy’s death, the disbelief in both our voices was evident.

Freddy’s one of those loud, colourful characters who light up the room the moment they walk  in. He was also pretty in-your-face and you either love him or hate him. I simply adored him, not only because he was a damn good makeup artist, but also because he was very frank in his opinions and he always had a witty last word.

 He made my wedding all the more interesting and memorable with his diva-like mannerisms and sharp retorts. The way he went “dear this and dear that” simply cracked me up. Chatting with him during those six occasions (ROM/trial makeup session/ pre-wedding photo shoot/wedding day/wedding dinner 1/wedding dinner2)  when he dolled me up always made me relax and laugh.  What I especially appreciated was that Freddy was unabashedly gay and not afraid to share with us details of his life, like talking about his partner .

I had always imagined I’d bump into Freddy again some day either at a friend’s wedding or maybe walking down Orchard Road. And I knew that if I did, he would surely remember me for being one of his vainer brides who refused to accept anything ordinary but kept emphasising Glam, Glam Glam. And I know Freddy would certainly also remember Danial fondly ‘cos they were always bantering during the pre-wedding shoot/wedding.

While Freddy touched the lives of countless brides with his brilliant makeup and hairstyling skills, what he will be sorely missed for are his charming personality, sparkling wit and candid take on life. He was truly a legend, even when he was still alive, and more so now that he’s gone.

It hasn’t quite sunk in yet. I still can’t believe I’ll never see him again. Yet I can’t say I’ll miss him terribly because he wasn’t a part of my daily life. But I do feel a strong sense of emptiness, and of course, sadness, because he was integral to my wedding memories and those memories can never be recreated.  And if even I, a mere acquaintance, feels  this way, I can’t start to imagine how his loved ones must feel, losing the presence of this livewire forever.

Goodbye, Freddy. Thank you for making me look beautiful. I will remember you fondly, my diva friend.

Indulgence

I have a weakness for Adidas…and so does Danial. Check out this ad for Adidas’ new range of retro wear. Notice the black-red-gold shoes? It’s called Galaxy Sleek.

 

And here’s my very own pair of that design. Couldn’t resist it! Every shoe is different because of the way the kimono fabric is cut. And if you peer closely into the shoe, you can see that the shoe tongue is a cute tatami mat. 🙂 [I bought this pair a fortnight ago when Dan’s car was in the workshop and we ended up taking public transport. That meant we walked everywhere in town and ended up over-shopping. A car in the workshop is no good for the wallet!]

Today, we went to the Adidas store at Pacific Plaza to check out the Black/White exhibition and guess who was waiting for me? Ms Ballerina Balletfu (left in the photo below). With a practical black leather exterior, full satin lining and light pink ribbon trimmings, it was the perfect black bag for me – rugged with a tinge of sweetness. I lurve it! I also adore my current favourite bag, the Onitsuka Tiger from Sydney in the background.

 

Just for the record, Dan has been just as indulgent. See his new shoes.

And, presenting my biggest recent indulgence yet – my brand-new Coach Legacy leather wristlet brought back all the way from the States. To set the record straight, I’ve never been one to crave for such branded bags (I believe in owning many cheap bags for variety, and still do) but I succumbed to the temptation to “pay for quality” – just to see if it’s true. So far so good. The wristlet is gorgeous and well made. I was practical enough to pick camel over white (my first choice) just so that it can hopefully last longer.

Ahh the wonder of retail therapy. The consumer in me has done my part this month to boost the economy. 😛

Sian-ness

I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster these last few weeks. Well, it’s not as dramatic as it sounds but I’ve been feeling rather unsettled about where I am now and where I’m going. A close colleague’s resignation forced me to inspect my own life and whether I’m contented with the status quo. The answer’s frighteningly easy. It’s what I am going to do about it that is hard to answer.  

I’ve been looking forward to going on a trip to unwind but due to circumstances out of my control, I’m stuck in Singapore for my five-day break. The thought is depressing. Sian, really sian. Part of me’s still contemplating buying an air ticket at the eleventh hour and just taking off. Don’t really care where I go, I just wanna get out of my world.

Otherwise, it won’t be till October that I will get to travel – to Sipadan to dive. Between now and then, this blogger is gonna be one grumpy guuurrrrrllll. 😦

The greatness of I am that I am

This is the precocious Primary 1 group that I teach once a month. Two weeks ago, we covered a lesson on God Is So Great and I got them to list down the different attributes of God. It took them a while to warm up and start coming forth with words to describe God. But I do pray they will grow to understand that God is not only the Big Guy who created this amazingly huge universe but that He’s also a God of small things who longs to have a personal relationship with them.

 I think what intrigued them most was when I told them that God’s name in the original Hebrew scriptures was sometimes written as the Hebrew equivalent of YHWH – that’s right, it’s an unpronounceable word because God’s name was simply too holy for mere sinful mortals to utter then. I went on to emphasise that we can now boldly speak God’s name and talk to directly to Him because Jesus has already died for our sins and we have been cleansed by His blood.

Lunch at My Humble House

We had lunch at My Humble House at the Esplanade a couple of weeks back to celebrate Li Li’s birthday. We ordered a five-course set meal and the food was great, especially the Cream of Spinach…or was it Brocolli? It was a dark green vegetable and it sounds gross when you imagine it, but turned out really tasty. Dessert was good too, although I can’t quite remember what it was except that I had a poached apricot in hot syrup for the first time ever.

We even had a bottle of complimentary Chilean red wine to take away ‘cos none of us wanted to drink so early in the day. Unfortunately the Tung Lok bag holding the bottle gave way in the loo – and thank goodness too! Anywhere else and it’d have been a lot more embarrassing! So yeah, we were not fated to drink. Luckily the glass didn’t shatter and the broken pieces were all contained in the bag. But whoever walked into that toilet after us must have gotten the shock of her life and thought someone was murdered in the loo. I pity the cleaner lady. I hope she got there before the wine dried up and stained the tiles big time. 😛

The New Face of Adidas

 

Check out my man’s cool cut!

Babes’ night out

I see a trend forming. Last year, on the eve of National Day, Dan and I threw a fabulous housewarming party for our close friends, mostly people who helped out in a big way during our wedding. This year’s National Day eve was just as fun! I hung out with fellow gorgeous babes – Rose, Priscilla & the diva herself, Elaine.

Elaine kicked off the events of the night in typical dramatic style – by getting stung by some insect while sitting outdoors at PS Cafe @ Dempsey waiting for the rest of us. I arrived to find the poor dearie in terrible pain. She looked so distressed, the very busy beefy waiter found time to give her a plaster dabbed with alcohol as well as some antiseptic ointment. Fortunately, the numbness and stinging pain wore off after about an hour and she lived to enjoy the rest of the fabulous night, and with a very sexy-looking plaster on her palm to boot!

For dinner, we shared duck rendang, beef? ragout, lamb kofta and prawn salad. For dessert, we had marshmallow fudge brownie and plum baba drenched in port sauce. The food was generally very good though the service was a tad slow. But we were in no hurry to go anywhere, so it was fine.

We then trodded down the hill in our heels to Oosh. The crowd here was rather disappointing though. Not much was happening. We picked a table in the middle of the trellis area (aptly set apart from the rest of the diners *haha* private joke reserved for the four of us ladies) and had a bottle of Wolf Blass Red Label Riesling while we discussed where to head next. The options: Clarke Quay or St James? It was a tough choice and at the end of it, we picked Clarke Quay for the apparently more happening crowd which turned out to be so-so..quite a poseur crowd, if you asked me, but oh well, when you’re slightly happy after a few drinks, who cares?

First stop was Attica where Pris & I had lychee martinis, Rose had a cranberry vodka and Elaine a bitter lemon vodka. This club was way too crowded and I saw someone that I didn’t like there either, so YUCKS!

Next stop: Fashion Bar. I love the silver decor decked out in red feathers and helium balloons cos of Nat’l Day. The huge chandeliers, padded silver walls and silver patent sofas were truly OTT but I luurrrve it! Felt very at home here and it put us in the mood for shots – yummy  apple shooters! (Amos Boon first introduced this to Elaine & I at Centro so many years ago) The first round was perfect: the bartender was cute (looks like Andy Hui) and the shots were nicely thick. The second round of shots looked diluted because they were mixed by a different guy. Elaine rejected them and requested the cutie to do an encore. Later, the cutie told me the guy whose shots we rejected was his captain and he was gonna lose his job. I should have told him that with a face like his, he could easily find a job elsewhere. 😉

Next stop: Bar Fly for the supposedly superb chocolate martinis that turned out rather blah – like bubbly choc milk with martini. Eeewww. Had a nice short chat with Elaine’s two Persian friends, one of whom owns Shiraz, the Persian restaurant at Clarke Quay, and The Orientalist – a furniture shop that sells Persian rugs. I thought this was rather hilarious cos it just perpetuated the sterotype: See Persian guy, think Persian rugs.

By then, we were ready to call it a night. We contemplated on having supper but were way too zonked. Just as well because waiting for a cab took us another half an hour or so. Home sweet home.

Cheers to great friends and a good time! Let’s do this again soon, babes! Love ya all!

Young lives, new life

Zion and Love (the little kids in the blue robe) got baptised a couple of weeks back. Aren’t they beautiful? Love and the other little girl, Trinity, are in my class. Seeing little ones like them obeying God and growing up in the knowledge and love of our Daddy God refuels my energy and keeps me going. But I’m not an energizer bunny. I need God to constantly renew and refresh me.

Indescribable

Indescribable by Chris Tomlin

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

 Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

This song spoke volumes into my spirit this weekend. I’ve heard this song umpteen times. Yet when I was reminded of it on Saturday when we were discussing the new series that we’re teaching the children on Discovering Our Awesome God, I felt a stirring in my spirit. I am always very moved when I think of creation and the vastness of this universe we live in because it makes me feel so small. And that thought inevitably leads to the reminder that God loves me enough to send His precious Son Jesus to die for my sins – that’s something that always brings tears to my eyes, humbles me and sets my focus right again. Next to God, our creator and the author and finisher of our faith, everything else becomes insignificant.

This couple of days, the feeling is stronger than usual. I feel ready to move forward and stop wallowing in bad memories. I feel a weight being lifted off me. I can’t quite describe how I feel but it’s a good feeling.

The past nine months or so have been rather trying for me spiritually and also emotionally. Things seem better only because I block out that part of my life that hurts. It’s tough to get over the fact that things have changed, that people have changed and that friendships I once held so dear to my heart will no longer be the same.

It’s sad that everyone’s perception is their own reality. All of us are so caught up in our own version of “the truth” that we fail to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. And there’s not much point rehashing the whole series of unfortunate events. But whenever I think about what happened, my heart still sighs…heavily.

A part of me still can’t get over what’s happened. When I don’t think about it, I’m fine. But when I do brood over it, feelings of anger, resentment and betrayal well up and I feel like some of us have been left carrying the baby, left to clean up the whole mess with little accountability whatsoever.

What has kept me going is seeing the children worshipping God every Sunday – that sight, of the little ones with their hands raised, eyes closed, in intimate fellowship with our heavenly Father, that definitely goes down in my books as one of the most beautiful sights ever. And that has been the fuel that has helped me to press on.

The process of rebuilding is not easy but we’re once again regaining that unity. Rose shared after church camp about having a dream for the ministry again, about getting out of the “let’s make do” mode and daring to dream big again. I knew at that point that I wanted to catch the vision too. I am excited. I want to move on. Moving on isn’t an overnight event, it’s a process of renewing our mind and allowing God to work in us and through us.  It’s about allowing Him to plant dreams  in us and then letting Him bring those dreams to fruition through us. I do pray that God will give me the perserverence as I continue to run this race for Him, that my eyes will focus on Him and the goal that lies before me.