Another Note From The Universe That I Really Like

No matter how things appear, Bona; no matter what you've overheard; and no matter how many people think otherwise... nothing can stop you, no one can hurt you, and you and I still have forever and ever.

Whoooohoooooooo!!
    The Universe

Sleepless In Singapore

Almost 4am and I'm still wide awake. Dammit I shouldn't have had that latte earlier in the afternoon. 11 hours later and the caffeine is still coursing through my veins.

Had a nice chat with Carol this afternoon, hanging out at the Green Room. It's my new favourite place to go over the weekends. Haha, not that I had any favourite place to go before.

After that I met up with Ching, and we wanted to catch Inglorious Basterds, but the screening time was too late. (I should have just gone anyways, seeing how I'm still up. Haha.)

Anyway, spent the last 6 hours tossing and turning in bed. Wow. Was in bed at 10ish and still haven't managed to fall asleep. So much for counting sheep. Gonna be a zombie tomorrow.

According to my horoscope, I have to be emotionally distant from my work. So that's what I'll aim to do tomorrow. Having a neutral perspective is apparently supposed to help me achieve greater things. Let's see about that.

Reconnected (sort of) with a friend I sort of lost touch with a couple of months back. Sure, it was just a couple of messages exchanged, mostly about me whining about something, but it's good to be back in touch. Subject discussed was a little odd, but oh well, it's all good.

Need to focus on more positive thoughts.

Need to stop ranting and sleep.

The Problem With The Internet

Googling symptoms of whatever aches and pains you're feeling = sure recipe for paranoia.

I'm now worried I have a kidney infection and that my blood is being poisoned as I type out this entry. Lol. Thankfully, part of me recognises that I'm probably overreacting. But the other part of me is still going to see a doctor nonetheless to check it out.

Just Bummin'

Wow. I spent the entire day just doing absolutely nothing. Woke up at about 8am and just watched movies and videos on my laptop, and 13 hours later, I'm still at it. Lol.

Watched Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, half of The English Patient (got bored and kinda dozed off), several episodes of South Park, The Simpsons and Scrubs. Heeheehee.

I wonder what I should watch next.

Because We Were Born Deserving

Another note from the Universe that put a smile on my face today.

..

I can assure you, Bona, that the time will come when you, too, will ask, "In what fields did I sow seeds to deserve so very, very much?"

Then I'll remind you that the whole sowing-seeds-cause-and-effect concept was just a myth, because you were born deserving.

Hosanna in the Highest,
    The Universe

It's Been A Long Time

Oh wow. I just realised it's been a year since I last posted a recipe on this blog. I'm sure I've cooked or baked since then, just haven't had the motivation to take pictures and blog about it. I'm sure. Hmmm.

Anyway, I guess I'll endeavour to chronicle more of my culinary adventures. Heehee.

Eccentrically Designed

Been having a crappy week in the office and feeling severly demotivated. So was clicking around on Facebook when I came across some notes that Daniel wrote on his travels. I read through his entries and my mood lightened up somewhat when I read the nice stuff he wrote about me.

"Also, Bona. She is so fun loving and eccentrically designed that I think wherever she goes she will thrive and have friends. She has goodness to say always and it brightens her life and those around her. Also, this funny side led me to think she would fit in perfectly in Ireland. She seems more Irish than anyone I've met so far. But i think a romance between Singapore and India will prove a delightful distraction til then hehe."

More Stuff.. In Short

- Went to visit the ex-in-laws on Wednesday. I called my ex-FIL and ex-MIL to greet them over Hari Raya and they invited me over, and then I got emails from my 2 ex-BILs as well, so I decided why not. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I rather enjoyed catching up with them. Brought back 2 bagfuls of yummy rendang and kuehs too. *grin*

- Found out a lot of things about the Ex when I was there, and it just reinforced my decision to split with him. I really hope he's happy though.

- Went to the doctor to get meds for a really bad bout of UTI. Apparently peeing blood is not normal and that means my infection is really, really bad. Got told off for suggestion I just drink cranberry juice instead ("The infection is very, very bad! Do you want it to spread to your kidneys?" - Ooh, memories of being hospitalised in 2005 for the same thing.). Am getting better, but it'll probably take a few days to clear.

- Had dinner with the Yummies and Guppy last night. Met up with Guppy and drove over to Yummy's place and had a nice time catching up with her while waiting for David to come home. It's been yonks since I last saw her, and now that she's on maternity leave, there goes her online presence. Yummy looks good though, albeit rather uncomfortable waddling around.

- Caught up with Guppy as well and it's always amazing to meet people that you click with even though you barely knew each other in real life before. We had a nice chat about India, cars, my maiden rubber burning drive, friendships and starting businesses.

- Ordered too much food for dinner, as usual, and took lots of pictures, especially of David playing with his new toy- a Nikon D60. Sweet!

- After food, we took the car for a spin. The Yummies leading the way to Changi, and me following in Ashton, with Guppy giving me advice and pointers on my driving. Woot! Guppy was the sweetest, telling me that it's OK to hit 1. lamppost 2. fence 3. curb, but it's NOT ok to hit 1. other vehicles 2. people 3. animals. Lol!

- Meeting LGG later for brunch, so I better log off and get some work done. :D

The Long Weekend.. In Short

- Went to Bangalore again. The plan was to head to Pondicherry- a 7 hour drive away.
- Flight got delayed. Ended up leaving Singapore almost 12 hours after the scheduled time. Was too late to make it to Pondicherry.
- Hung out instead. Watched a movie (The Ugly Truth), shopped around the malls, grabbed some grub. Food in India is always good. Finished almost 2 bottles of bubbly. Lol.
- Spent Sunday hanging out some more. Went to some outlet shops and got me a free pair of contact lenses (heehee). Had dinner at Lido, a rooftop restaurant and finished almost 2 bottles of wine. Was a nice and mellow evening.
- Slept in on Monday. Sleep is good. Had KFC for lunch and dinner (we bought a bucket of chicken!) and then it was time to head to the airport.

I'd write more but feeling sleepy and tired and brain is still in the freezer. Lol. All in all, I had a good time, as I always do when I'm there. I'm now at work and can barely keep my eyes open. I'm just glad I don't have any appointments in the evening today.

*yawn*

A Momentous Moment Indeed

Hahahaha the subject header cracks me up. Lol.

Anyway. About said momentous moment. Was chatting with LGG last night and she said that her friend was going to the states, so do I want to order anything online with the free shipping and all. So I log on and I'm browsing through dresses and skirts and tops and suddenly.. we're exhanging links.

LGG: This one nice?
Me: Ooh I was looking at that too.
LGG: OMG are we talking about shopping?!
Me: Don't kill the moment.

Lol. So yay to us! We've finally found something new to talk about!

One More Sleep!

Lol this time tomorrow, I'll be in India! (Yes, again.)

So exciting :)

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Fourth Time Lucky

Woohoo!!! I passed my driving test!!! FINALLY!!! Yaaaay!!!

Nothing much to report about the test, except that I struck a pole and thought I had already failed the test. Continued with the rest of the circuit and the road route but was feeling demoralised and kept on sighing throughout.

Tester: Turn left in front.
Me: Sigh, ok.
Tester: Turn right in front.
Me: Sigh, ok.

Imagine how surprised I was when I found out that I passed my test! Woohoo!!!

Anyway, am mighty pleased. Can finally stop heading to that end of Singapore. *dance*

Sometimes Doing The Right Thing Is Just The Right Thing To Do

Was on the train yesterday after my driving lesson, on my way to meet the girls to catch Dhamma Brothers at the cinema. I got on at Woodlands, plonked myself down on the seat and plugged in to my iPod.

A couple of stops later, someone gets on the train and sits directly opposite me. We make eye contact for the briefest moments and I realise that this was one of the Ex's uncles. My immediate reaction was to look away and pretend that I didn't see him, and to be busy texting on my phone. (Actually, I was busy texting on my phone. Lol.)

I felt bad though. Part of me wanted to go up and greet him, but I didn't want the hassle of having to make small talk. Plus, I couldn't remember the proper way to address him. (Uncle? Pak something?) So all I did was sit there, avoiding eye contact, frantically polling everyone via SMS on what I should do.

The question posed to the masses was: What do you do when you run into someone you don't want to on the train? And the common consensus was: Pretend to sleep.

Lol!

In the end, I decided that I didn't have anything to lose by greeting him. After all, I had no reason to be afraid. My gripe was with the Ex, not his entire extended family. And I did travel together to Malaysia with him and some other in-laws before.

So I finally stood up, walked over to him, smiled, (waited for him to smile back), took his hand and salam-ed, and then got off the train as though I had arrived at my station. And I felt so glad that I did.

Wonderful Weekend

Ah, sometimes it's fantastic to have a chill weekend just hanging out with friends.

Met up with Daniel on Saturday afternoon for a quick bite and coffee. Ended up at The Queen & Mangosteen Pub at Vivo, and we spent the next couple of hours just chatting and taking the piss out of each other. He was in Singapore for a week before heading to KL and then to Thailand where we was going to work in a Burmese refugee camp for 3 months.

Ching joined us for a while and then the both of us headed to LGG's place to hang out and watch random movies. Decided to watch some 80s Chinese kung-fu movie and then Empire of the Sun, while lazing back and eating chips and drinking ribena. It was fun. Left her place at almost 2am (or was it 3am?) and got back, took a shower and slept.

Was supposed to go for a tree top walk this morning, but couldn't wake up on time, so snoozed away in bed. Got an SMS from Carol asking about brunch, which woke me up immediately, and a quick shower later, we were on our way to Bishan Park. Can't remember the name of the place we went to, but we've been there before (and I think I blogged about it haha).

The four of us (LGG, Carol, Ching and me) shared a basket of fries, eggs florentine, scrambled eggs and a portobello mushroom burger. *slurp* It was gooood. I think we've found a new favourite place to hang out!

Got back home at 3ish and then went out with my sister again at 4ish to hunt for a new mobile phone. Didn't manage to find anything, but had an early dinner and then headed back. Spaghetti and meatballs = love.

Was supposed to get some work done, which is why I lugged my files back but all I've done since I got back was chat, chat and chat some more. Lol.

Anyway, going to try to get *something* done at least. Counting down to the next weekend! :D

Another Nice Quote

I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.

Vroom Vroom Part 4

Lol. I'll be taking my driving test for the fourth time this Tuesday, and considering I've done it so many times before, I'm not too worried if I pass or fail this time. Ideally, I'll pass so that I can just get it over and done with. But if not, meh.

Had a driving lesson with my regular uncle instructor yesterday and it was the first time I saw him in hmm 8 months? He was really sweet, encouraging me to keep trying and not to give up. He was quite funny too, telling me stories about other students who tool the driving test more times than I did.

He made a comment which sort of caught me by surprise. He asked if I was fasting and I shared with him that no I wasn't, and that I wasn't married anymore. And he apologised for bringing up something "sensitive" and then said that I looked much happier now.

Ok, perhaps it shouldn't have been such a surprise, but I guess I just didn't think he would have noticed. And it was nice to chat with him about it, and being able to talk about things neutrally and without any anger or resentment or pain.

Anyway my lesson went well. Hopefully I'll be able to pass my driving test this time round. He said that his son had a court case on Tuesday morning, but that he'd try to rush and prepare me for my driving test. *heartmelt*

Alrighty, time to look for something to eat.

Change Beckons

I need to have an attitude overhaul. Things at work are getting tense and the unhappiness and resentment seems to be growing. I reckon, if it gets to a point where you're openly rude to your boss in front of other people, something needs to change.

Had a chat with LGG about it and apparently we've all moved to Stupidville. In the past, we used to pat ourselves on the back about how smart we thought we were, but now the phrase "I'm / We're so stupid" seems to come out of our mouths oh-so-often. Lol.

She said something that got me thinking though - it seems like every time I dislike something, I run away from it. Not happy at work? Quit. Not happy with husband? Leave. And I feel defensive admitting that something like this is true, but I guess this is the price of being self aware.

So, now I'm going to make the conscious effort to not let these things affect me and to remember that all this will pass.

Meeting New People

Aah, I'm back home after spending 4 days in Jakarta. I had an enjoyable time, and got to meet up with some of my agents who I've been working with for the past year. All in all, I think it was a good trip.

Was feeling really happy on my way back to the airport this afternoon. Made a lot of new friends and I was feeling really thankful and blessed that I have had the opportunity to travel, and that I am able to meet such wonderful people wherever I go. :)

What A Difference A Year Makes

Amazing how different my life is now, compared to the same day exactly a year ago. Who would have known that this time last year, it would be my last day staying with my (now Ex) husband. Who would have known that I'd be capable of mustering the strength to leave the man I married less than two years ago. Who would have known that I'd recover and move on, and move on to better things in my life.

Everything happens for a reason, I suppose. Sometimes, I still wonder why what happened, happened to me. But no regrets, no looking back, no wasting time thinking about the choices I made. I'm just glad I'm in a much better place now than I probably would have been if I stayed on with him.

For starters, I'm traveling a lot more now, both for work and for personal holidays. I've made a tonne of friends in the past year, a multitude of interesting characters that have made my life so much more colourful and exciting. I'm working in a job where I actually feel happy, even 9 months in. In a nutshell, I'm happy. Happier than I thought I could ever be.

Sure there are times where I slip, and I feel the anger and resentment and the pain and the hurt. But that's all part of the healing process, I don't think one can fully recover from something like this in a short span of a year. But those down moments are few and far between, and generally in between moments of extreme highs, so it all even outs emotionally somehow, I guess.

Not much reason for this post, really. Just thankful for everything that has happened to me, both good and bad, and for this continual learning journey that I've been on. I've learnt a lot about myself (that I have zero self control when it comes to budget air tickets, for example haha) and I'm really liking the person I am today.

Haha, yes, a post about loving myself at 4am in the morning while sitting in a hotel room in Jakarta with MTV blaring in the background.

On a more not-so-pensive note, I just bought 8 packs (I think) of instant noodles this afternoon. Lol!

In Jakarta

One day in Jakarta and it feels like I've been here for the longest time. Arrived last night, checked in to the hotel, had a meal at the restaurant downstairs and stayed up to complete a powerpoint presentation for today.

Headed down to the education fair which was quite interesting. Lots of performances by the students from the school, and then got a chance to finally meet our agents here. Had lunch and ate quite a bit- had fried chicken, fried fish, fried tempeh, sayur assam soup and orange kelapa to wash it all down. Not forgetting the kecap manis *slurp*.

Got back to the hotel, checked out the facilities, discovered the spa, booked a massage for ourselves this evening. Had a coffee at the lounge, lazed around and then headed for another meeting with one of our agents. Then went for dinner and had grilled seafood, gado gado and chendol. *burp*

Had a beer with my colleagues at the hotel pub and then went back to the room, checked my emails and then went for my massage. Was assigned a male masseuse, but requested for a female one. Fell asleep during the massage, and was woken up to turn around. Fell asleep again, and was woken up when the massage was done. Got up to take a shower and actually fell asleep with the water pounding down my back. Lol.

Am back in my room, checking my emails and getting ready for bed. Jakarta has been fun so far. I bet it was the massage that made me change my mind about the place. Yay!

Have I Packed?

Every time I have a trip, I seem to always have a corresponding blog post saying that I've not packed. Lol. Well, I have to be at the airport in an hour's time, and someone just ask me if I have packed. LOL.

It's a bad habit, I say.

Anyway, off to Jakarta tonight! I owe my boss a ppt presentation, but I'll work on it at the hotel tonight.

The Irony Of It

Heeheehee I just realised the little bit of money I get every month from the Ex subsidises my monthly jaunts to India. LOL.

Avoid The Ang Mohs

My mom saw my luggage out this morning and asked me where I was going. Told her I was flying off this evening for a work trip to Jakarta, and like the last time I headed off to India, she said, "Don't go to places with ang mohs."

Lol! Nevermind that there was an earthquake that hit Java yesterday and that tremors could be felt in Jakarta. Just avoid the ang mohs. Hehehehahahaha I'm so tickled.

Hey I just realised this. So I'm actually listening to my mom when I go to India. Hanging out with Indians, not ang mohs!

Wake Up, It's September!

Woah. It's already September! How fast time flies. (I seem to say that every month haha.) Random updates for the past week or so.

The second half of the year has proved to be most crazy. I asked the Universe for an abundance of travel and *poof* I've been flying out of the country SO much.

I'm going to Jakarta for work tomorrow, and as usual, none of my bags are packed. At least my luggage is out of the storeroom, so all I have to do tomorrow is throw some clothes in. Lol.

I've also booked my driving test. Fourth time lucky, I say. Had to force my boss to approve my time off and he wasn't too happy about it, but I really had no choice. My PDL and Final Theory Test is expiring and anyway, I had already booked the test and won't get any refund if I cancel.

Next trip is back to *blush* India again. This time we're headed to Pondicherry. Lol! Just the name of the place makes me break out in giggles. Taking advantage of the long weekend to get my fix of budget airlines, Indian food and cheap booze.

New boss came on board. Been too busy to really spend much time talking about work with him, but so far so good. I've known him from before, so there isn't that awkward feeling when you work with someone for the first time, so it's all good.

Alright, bedtime. Can barely keep my eyes open. Goodnight!