For as long as I can remember ever since I got a mobile phone, I have been under M1. My parents and Michael have been under SingTel all along, and Jake was under Starhub for a long time ever since he came back for good. Recently, Singtel has a promotion, and Jake switched over to Singtel and got a new LG phone after retiring his old Sony Ericsson. Mum got a new Nokia slider, which she has been complaining she has no idea how to use it, after using Samsung and Motorola.

Recently, I retired my old Samsung and am now using a new Nokia 6600 fold. Personally, I do not like Nokia phones. I do not find them particularly outstanding. They are too bulky and the battery lasts for just a day or two the most! My Samsung's battery can last me three days even after more than two years! But I need a phone so got that one as it is the smallest one I can find that suits my budget and lifestyle. And I am a heavy phone user.

Which is why I can never fathom why 80% of the population are using Nokia phones. In terms of design, it is not that good looking. In terms of functionality like cameras or MP3s, the Sony Ericsson is better. In terms of user-friendliness, Samsung is just as user-friendly. And it is not as if it is any less expensive than the other brands. Furthermore, the phone tends to give problems after a year or so. So what exactly is the appeal of a Nokia?

In any case, after all the badgering from my mum on my expensive mobile bills despite downgrading the plan twice, I am finally defecting to SingTel. At long last I have come to realise that M1 is overcharging me! I can get a Singtel 3G plan at a cheaper rate, with standard things like auto-roaming, voicemail, IDD, SMS and MMS, Caller ID, thrown in free! What is best is I get to retain my nice number at no extra charge, and I got the new Sony Ericsson T707 (in pink!) for free! Maria Sharapova's phone! What can be a better deal than that?

So anyone wants a black Nokia 6600 fold? I have only used it for a week, so it is still in pretty good condition! Otherwise I will have to keep it as an extra spare phone for whoever in my family that needs it!

For someone who was not brought up in a Christian family, I think God has paved the way for me very well. If it was not because of certain people in my life, I would not have found God, would not have converted, and would not be having so much fun doing God's work. Besides CHOICE which I recently joined, I am finally singing again in a church choir.

Everything is to do with choices, isn't it? If I had not attended the CHOICE weekend, I would not have suddenly found my direction and realise what I need to do to improve my faith. It is also because I feel grateful and inspired by some people who came into my life at that point in time - good Christians who serve and inspire others because they want to.

Hence I shall be doing more God's work from now on. This is not a feel-good thing, it is something I do because I want to, not because I have to. Hopefully I too can be somewhat of an inspiration to some others! :-)

For the past two and half years or thereabouts, I have been using a Samsung SGH-E500 clamshell. I love that phone! It was a limited edition golden brown colour flip, with a LCD display in the front to tell the time, battery indicator, missed call and messages, that also doubles up as a makeup mirror. Due to this, I no longer have to bring a handheld mirror anywhere, just take out my phone and check myself on the front cover!

The phone comes with a sophisticated brown leather case. It is small, chic, user-friendly and a relatively long battery life. It is a quadband phone with a pretty good camera. I use it to call, message, take and send pictures, bluetooth songs and pictures, check my Singnet emails (before I switched over to gmail), alarm clock, note down appointments on the calendar.

I was lucky to be able to get this phone as there were only a few in the market. Since then it has been out of stock. I have not come across anyone else who has this phone. It is exclusively a ladies phone! People who have seen my phone remark that it is a pretty phone! I am really proud of it!

Unfortunately, the shelf life of a mobile phone is just about two years on the average. Recently, my phone has been showing signs of old age, of wear and tear. It is getting "deaf". People who called me have complained they can hardly hear me. The keys are no longer as soft as before, now I need to press even harder before the functions work. It is as if it is down with arthritis and rheumatism all at once.

Thus, it is due to retire. I am sad to let it go, but it has to be done. The phone will be kept in a box in my room as its final resting place. In the event I, or any of my family members, require a spare phone, then perhaps it will be resurrected, but meanwhile, it will be laid to rest, and I have to contend with its successor - a black Nokia 6600 fold 3G mobile. Hope it works as well as its predecessor!

To my golden flap : May you have a peaceful retirement! Thank you for all these years which you have served me well. Till we meet again ....

Lately a lot of people are falling ill. I was down with flu a couple of weeks back, and now I am down with sniffles and a sore throat again. I hate this feeling of vulnerability, where I am not too sick, yet not too well, so it is a very uncomfortable feeling, because I am physically fit to go about my routine functions, yet at the same time feeling groggy and not up to par.

People at my workplace are falling sick one after another. My friends are also falling sick one after another. This period of flu has been dragging on for a long time now, I wonder when it will end? Hopefully there will not be another epidemic striking!

Another half the year has swept by just like that. What have I achieved, as usual? Nothing much. This year has been better than last year though, with new friends, more fun and new-found confidence in things. I managed to achieve things which I would otherwise never have imagined.

Somehow I get reminded of my childhood favourite program "Sesame Street". Who can forget those cute puppets.... muppets? Bert's obsessive-compulsive personality with the easy-going nature of Ernie. Big Bird's endearing traits. Snuffle's (I can never remember his full name!) never wavering friendship to Big Bird. And the oh-so-cute Elmo! Oscar the Grouch. Cookie Monster with his never-ending supply of cookies! And the cutest frog in the world - Kermit. Not to mention Grover and the Count too!

Sesame Street is a classic. I grow up on the show, I learnt my alphabets, I learnt to count, I learnt to read, I learnt to sing, I learnt about being nice and good. I learnt about getting along with neighbours. I learnt about friendship.

Sesame Street to me is more than just a show. It is a big part of my childhood, of my growing up years. For someone who was totally sheltered and not allowed to go out in my younger years, who hated school and homework, Sesame Street is one thing I look forward to everyday and which made my strict upbringing more bearable.

I love you, muppets!

The King of Pop has kicked the bucket. I cannot profess I am that much a fan of his, although I do like quite a number of his songs. Still, his death came as a shock to the world, although from his lifestyle, perhaps it would happen sooner or later. Okay, I am not here to judge since someone has died, and with death, all things should be forgiven (at least I hope so!).

However, there is but a fine thin line between life and death. Christians believe that God created us, God gave us our lives, so when the time comes, God would take us back. We meet our Creator upon death. Whether we go to heaven or hell depends on how we lead our lives. Even for those who are not Christians or who have no religion whatsoever, it is still good to do as much good as you can and live our lives to the fullest.

Some people want to make as much money as they can in this lifetime. True, financial security is good. Materialism is good to a certain extent, but at the end, whatever riches and wealth we have accumulated cannot be taken with us upon death. With our busy lives, we often neglect the basic core of our existence - health, love and happiness. We often procrastinate until it is too late.

Imagine if one is on the dying bed, and flashes of his life go running through his head. He may wonder what he had done in this lifetime. He may be a millionaire, lived to be a centenarian, but there is no family or friends at his side. Then he wonders where can he leave his massive fortune to, who had he shared his happiness and sadness with all his life.

So it is up to each of us to make a difference. Do you want to live a long but lonely and desolate life, or do you want to live a short, yet enriching and fulfilling life? I think each of us has our own answers. :-)

Moonlight
The moon after dark
hanging gracefully abound
Like a sinking ship

Sunlight
I see the sunshine
heating up over the field
Frying everything

After The Rain
By nature abound
the stars, sun, moon and the sky
Thrive after the rain

I cannot profess I have many whom I call close friends. I know many people in my life, some are mere acquaintances, some are friends, good friends even, but there are only a few whom I deem as close friends. It is unfortunate that it is hard to form solid friendships in one's adult life. Maybe we are just too busy working and leading our own lives that we no longer bother to talk or actually get to know people well. Most just go by impressions and first sights, and if they do not feel anything, they just move on.

But how can anyone know someone else by just first instance? It often takes months and lots of frequent communication before one can even get to thoroughly know and understand a person. Which is why the closest friends I have are those I met from school. Even though we have each moved on with our lives, we have other things to do, but somehow we still maintain certain form of communication to keep the friendship going.

My closest friends from school - Melissa, Pauline, Lynn, Hwee Ping. Melissa and Pauline were from secondary school, Lynn after secondary school and Hwee Ping in university. Pauline is the first to get married. Lynn got married last November, Hwee Ping last December, and Melissa is getting married this October. Which makes me wonder, why am I then still single and unattached for now?

Coming from a girls' school, I hardly have the chance to know any guys, but I had been lucky that I have known a couple of guys since primary school. Even though we do not really talk much to each other nowadays, but somehow the friendship is still there. Now, I have quite a few close guy friends. Although at times, even though I treat them as close friends, I wonder if they feel the same way? Hmmmm.....

There has been one guy who has been with me in this recent period when I had been on a roller coaster mood. For that, I give him my eternal gratitude. Before this, I never know there can be a guy who can care for me on just solely pure friendship, as from my experience, most other guys show their care only if they deem me potential enough as a future relationship, but for some reason just pull out without actually getting to know me. Once that happen, they just cut off contact altogether.

Perhaps I am kind of authoritative in how I speak. Perhaps I come across as fierce and controlling. Perhaps I should mellow down. But who is to say I will be controlling in a relationship? Who is to say I will not love and care for a man and his family and friends as my own? Who is to say I will not be a good girlfriend? People are just too judgmental if they go everything according to first sight or impression! And for those, all I can say is, it is their loss, because I believe I have lots to offer if given the chance.

For Melissa, Pauline, Lynn and Hwee Ping - Thank you for being my friend all these while. For Warren, just want to say a big thank you for everything. Who says men and women can never be friends? Men and women are capable of strong platonic friendships too, it is the same as how females or males bond with each other. Friends come in all shapes and sizes, all genders, and all kinds. There will be many people who come into your lives, it is up to you who you discern and who you keep, and who you refuse to let go.

Finally, I've caved in and created a Twitter account! First there was IRC, then ICQ, then MSN and Yahoo Messenger, now Google Talk and Skype. Not to mention Friendster then Facebook. With online chatting becoming more and more interactive, now there is video chat and video conferencing on MSN, Google Talk and Skype. With just a few notes, one can even keep updated on Twitter using just the phone! Although my phone is not on Twitter as yet, but still it is a good way to keep updated and in touch!

A wedding is but one day, a marriage is for a lifetime. That is what I always believe in and adhere to.

Wedding receptions are always beautiful and meaningful. How two imperfect people can come together and start a beautiful journey, the beginning of their lifetime journey of togetherness, of commitment and everlasting love.

Hence the term "beautifully imperfect". Cliche, but true!

Music is the physical attraction, the sex. Lyrics is the background, the story behind.

Thus, music, without lyrics, cannot function on its own. After the music, comes the lyrics. Lyrics, without the music, does not work well as well. The perfect music and lyrics combination is the most beautiful of all.

Hence, many people are still searching for the perfect music and lyrics combination to make things right!

Is it June already? June used to be my hated month, because even though it was the school holidays, my mother would make me do advance preparation for the next semester, thus I could not play like the rest of my peers. When December comes, she would then make me prepare for the following year. And one wonders why I used to hate studying so much.

Now that it is June, I wonder how did half a year go by so fast? What have I done for the half year? Besides being more involved in religious work and having a change of environment, there is nothing much I have achieved.

But that is life. Either I go out and make a difference on my own, or else have to stick to being mundane and routine. Which is why I yearn to make more of a difference, to the people around me, to myself, to what I need to do.

Hopefully the next half of the year goes by without a glitch!

I cannot believe how hot it is lately! The kind of weather is the deciding factor on the kind of dressing. I wanted to wear pants on Saturday, with a chiffon top, but with the kind of heat wave going around, that idea was madness! In the end I had to settle for a strappy dress.

I wanted to wear a normal Tee for a family outing today, but again, the heat wave made me put on a tank top. With this kind of humidity and heat, how I wish I can go around naked and dump myself in cold water the whole day!

Just had a reflection as I look at myself through the years. I am not sure if I have grown up as compared to in my teens and early twenties. Some will say I have, some no. Nevertheless, I always feel it is good to retain a childlike side, no matter how old you are.

I used to go around in life being carefree with nary a worry. Thus, the first job I had was something I was passionate about. Yet, politics, bureaucracy and whatnot killed off the passion altogether. I remember ever storming out of a meeting because someone took my idea and passed it off as her own. And I was accused of lying when I said that was my idea! Bloody scholar! She was already on the fast track to promotion, yet why must she do that to everyone else?

Since then, I lost my passion in a lot of things. What does a job mean to me nowadays? Is it just to self-sustain, or is it something more? A job used to mean something much more to me - it used to be my life, my hobby. But now it is like a routine, something I had to do because I need to, not because I want to.

I can understand why people become unhappy, because they are stuck in a dead end job with no prospects, and still need to do it because their livelihood depends on it. How many people I know really love their jobs? Most do it because they have to, not because they want to. Not everyone is lucky to be able to do what they love.

Luckily I found back my passion in life. Even if I am stuck in a dead end job, there are many other things I can do to make myself happy. Making my friends happy for one. Making my family happy. Reaching out to others through God's word and work. Organising events for friends. Travelling and adventure.

I only hope I can still retain my childlike side, of being quirky, of being weird, of being "misunderstood". But then again, no one has really seen me beyond the surface save for my family members, close friends and guys I have been with. And from feedback, I think they do not like what they see. But who cares! I am just being myself, so people can either take it or leave it!

I had been in such a sappy mood lately, that I bought a whole lot of DVDs for my own viewing pleasure. DVDs of movies which I have always wanted to watch but missed them somehow, plus DVDs of movies which I have watched and loved and wanted to re-watch again.

Movies which I wanted to re-watch :

1. Big Fish
2. X-Men Trilogy

Movies which I wanted to watch :

1. P.S. I Love You
2. Hairspray
3. Love In The Time Of Cholera
4. Before Sunset (and the sequel After Sunset)
5. Australia

Just a pity I missed out on the Jason Bourne trilogy. Hopefully I will get the chance to watch the whole thing again!

I have been rather silent lately, preferring to be alone and not talk to anyone. In sooth, I know not why I am so sad, it really wearies me. What is it about my life that I am sad about?

Career wise, more or less the same. Perhaps a better opportunity will make me happier, but so far it remains the same.

Family wise, the same. Nothing unsatisfactory on that end.

Friends wise, I know many wonderful people, so nothing unsatisfactory on that end too.

So what is it that I am sad about? Only God knows. And I hope He gives me the proper guidance to know what to do and how to handle whatever that comes my way.

Finally. A time to say goodbye. So long, farewell, it's time to say adieu. Adieu, Adieu, to you and you and you. And that is the end of one more chapter.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mummies in the world! I've lived three decades and what have I learnt from my mum? As well as my cousins who are mums?

I have learnt that being a mother is not an easy thing. You think being a woman is hard, try being a woman who is a wife and mother. My mother holds a demanding full time job, takes care of the family, committed to my dad and raises three rascals. She found time to do her Masters and passed with flying colours. She found time to supervise us in our work and teaches us the right values in life.

It has never been an easy time for my mum and me. There was a long period where we did not communicate with each other, because she seemed to put down everything I said. When I had failures in life, she would put me down. When I was upset, she would be sarcastic. Because of that, I battled with my self-esteem and confidence for a very long period.

Then in 2006, something happened. I went into a major crisis. I was deep in the pits. I thought no one would pity me, be there for me. Yet it was my mum who found out about it first. It was she who pulled me up when I was down. It was she who helped me out without wavering, without judging. Even though I had disappointed and hurt her deeply, she never uttered a word and just tried her best to help me.

And help me she did. So much that I no longer have communication problems with her. Now I can talk to her for everything, almost at least. I no longer have self-esteem and confidence problems. She helped me start life anew (besides God). She helped me see that the world is still beautiful.

So this Mother's Day, I want to tell my mum how much I love her. How much I adore her, look up to her, respect her. Nothing can ever replace her in my heart. Mummy, I love you! You are really the best!

I have no idea what had come over me lately. I seem to be losing focus on everything. For some reason, I cannot seem to do my work well nowadays. And I really have no excuses for myself, because I should be able to come up with relatively good work, instead of the sub-standard things I have been doing lately.

However, at the point I was doing, I ensured I checked everything thoroughly and properly. Yet for some reason, whenever things were sent out, somehow there were mistakes. I do feel very embarrassed at being told off, but I was not about to break down in the office!

It makes me consider whether is it time to move on? Or shall I stay and keep losing focused and getting told off?

Another great performance, with songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber, especially with the song "Memories" - beautiful, haunting, touching. What a pity the run is ending soon, I will sure like to go for another performance!

The whole performance is good, with nice music and even nicer choreography! No wonder it is one of the longest running musicals of both West End and Broadway!