1) Poodle cafe with the girls last week :D





The dogs were sooooo cute and beyond adorable :((( Gobbled down all my food as fast as I could so I could play with them :D spent the bulk of our time chasing after them, poking a few perpetually zzz-ing ones, and waiting for other customers to stop hogging some of the cuter ones hehe. Most were super friendly and would come up to you to say hi or sniff you or put their paws on your lap (!!!), but some were quite hostile to each other and would get jealous if another dog got showered with too much attention and pets :/ Don't even know the name of my fav poodle up there, but it's cool because who needs names yo we had a true connection.


2) A good and yummy Christmas Eve dinner!


Caught up with my aunt's family on Christmas Eve! Was pretty excited to meet her husband, but oh wellsers she said he had to stay behind in Aus to settle some matters :( Anyway I usually don't speak more than a few lines at family gatherings, unless someone asks me a question or something hehe, so yeah spent most of the time after dinner sitting around the table, listening to the grownups' conversations. Heard a bit about how my parents met too, they were talking about it with my relatives for some reason hehe. They did tell me their story before, but not in as much detail. It's funny picturing my parents as a young couple back in the days, young and happy and crazily in love :P I wonder if they were just like me, wonder how I'd be like 30 years down the road. Hehe these thoughts are giving me funny feelings, but a pleasant kind of funny feelings :)

Oh my little p4 cousin sang Wrecking Ball for us (her annual Christmas performance hehe) with so much emotion it puts even Miley Cyrus herself to shame haha! I hope she didn't watch the music video though ._.


3) You coming back home :) ♥

Poor Jeriel fell sick on the last day of his trip, but thank God the toughest period is over and he's making a speedy recovery now :) Hehe it was only a week-long trip, so yup I truly admire those who survived/are surviving LDR... no idea how they did/do it, but they're undeniably the true ironmen and ironwomen of love. Darren and his gf just completed 4 years of LDR recently and they're finally reunited for good awww so so happy for them! :)))) (although Darren is annoying)

Third Jeriel date last night since he got back :D And yes as you can probably figure from the shiny orange balls/ornaments above, I was at Westgate againnnn hehe for the 34892842th time these 2 weeks. Explored Big Box too because he had to buy a new chair and there was free parking! Dinner at Paradise Dynasty, then spent about 1.5hours just sitting on a bench and talking :) Wanted to just sit for 30mins because exams are coming, but ended up overshooting eek. It was really really nice. Talked about a lot of things! Meaningful, heartfelt things. It was also full of laughter and funny bits hehe, there was never a dull moment. Really love our bench conversations so so much :')


4) Making it to the last day of 2014 with a thanksgiving heart.
It's New Year's Eve! So here's the mandatory last-day-of-the-year section to bring the year to a proper close :) 2014 was a long and eventful year for me. M3, M4, joining Playhouse, winning Playhouse, people came, people left, old memories locked up, new memories made. This year I learnt so much more about myself, about what I want out of life and relationships, about how and why some of the things I held on to too tightly may not be what's truly for me. This year I loved, in more ways than one. This year I healed. This year I learnt to be thankful. This year I grew closer to God :)

There were some horrible, horrible times, and then there were some magical, incredible, amazing times. There were days I spent feeling absolutely lost; crying, worrying, praying, denying. There were days I felt so happy, loved, and filled to the brim with hope and faith. Thank God the good days came only after the bad ones, like sunshine after a year of rain.


ASG, CG girls, Elizabeth, and Ting An, for the heart-to-heart conversations, or for just being super caring and checking in from time to time to make sure I was okay :) Elizabeth, especially, for always being there, for the 8 years of friendship, the impromptu late-night Skype sessions and the long-ass emails and whatsapps. V and J, for being the most fun, friendly, sincere, genuine and understanding people in the world, and for their lasting friendships. And JS, for everything while it lasted, for the great memories that I'll always remember.

My parents, always, for loving me unconditionally with everything they have, even when I'm stressed out or in a bad/antisocial mood, for being there for me through my tough days and trying their best to understand my situations although they've never experienced them before. For taking care of me so well, because I know I'm still pretty much a baby on my own although I'm already 22 :P
Jeriel :) How do I begin? Thank you, for too too much. For the friendship since day 1, and now… so much more. For walking with me all these while, for always, always being there for me, for bringing back what I thought I'd never find again. For the laughter and the wonderful days, and all that we've been through, although it's only been awhile. For listening, for understanding, for supporting, for encouraging. You've been just amazing and I have no words. I really don't. Thank you for helping me grow in ways I never imagined I could, for making me a better and stronger girl, and for bringing me closer to God :)

And above all, God. For simply being alive and being able to open my eyes every morning. For all the miracles in my life, big or small, the closed doors, and everything that led me to where I am today. For the great plans I know He has for me. For putting amazing people in my life. For taking a million steps towards me for every single step that I took towards Him :) For never forgetting about me even when I forget about Him, for always pouring out to me great love and forgiveness that I don't deserve, for always being that beacon light of hope that pierces through the frightening darkness. There were many things this year that I wouldn't have been brave or strong enough to do without Him, and I'm really only here today, in a good place and much stronger than before, because of Him.

Thank God also for keeping my family and friends and loved ones safe all these years. Especially my dad and Jeriel, in light of recent events. I really thank God that they're safe and alive today, because my dad travels so much for his work, and Jeriel flew AirAsia back from the Philippines just a few days before QZ8501 fell off the radar. Can't imagine how things would be like for me now if they were on that plane... My entire world shattering into pieces/crashing down on me wouldn't even begin to describe the magnitude of devastation I'd be engulfed in. Plane parts, suitcases and bodies found. Not a single survivor. Can't imagine all the grief and distress all the victims' families must be going through now... Somewhere out there, someone was waiting for a call or a loving hug from her son/husband/brother that's never going to come. That kind of pain is unimaginable and beyond any form of physical pain. The kind you wouldn't want to wish upon even your greatest nemesis. Keeping the families and loved ones of all QZ8501 victims in my prayers :( May God ease their pain and heal their broken and grieving hearts.

It's been a depressing year of aviation tragedies, one after another. MH17, MH370, and now, QZ8501. Even the most innocent of lives can be seized in a heartbeat when disaster strikes. It could be someone you love, it could even be you. The uncertainty/unpredictability kills, but I suppose this is a poignant and constant reminder to always treasure our days and to treasure the people around us, never taking them for granted, for one day they may disappear from our lives so suddenly. The brevity of life and the significance of the intangibles such as love, kinship and friendship are what many of us tend to overlook when we're too busy and preoccupied with chasing papers and scaling career ladders. So I guess the biggest message to take away this year would be this: love the people around you like they'll be gone tomorrow, and live like you're dying. It's hard, I admit. With life passing by at the speed of a bullet train, rarely do we have the time to truly pause and think about what (and who) we're putting in the backseat and what we're missing out on. But I guess it's certainly something we can at least work towards, no matter how unachievable it seems :) Because the last thing we want is to end up with a life full of regrets and what ifs. I know of a song with lyrics just so super apt for this:



Happy New Year, my dear friends! May 2015 bring you an abundance of health, love, joy, peace and happiness :) Forget about the tears and regrets of yesterday, learn from the mistakes you made, be thankful for the tough times that didn't kill you and only made you stronger, and look forward to a new year filled with endless possibilities, potential, and God's great promises. Make this one count, guys! :)

Labels: friends, happy new year, jeriel, thank God, thank you