Sunday, December 23, 2007
moving on...
it was a quiet goodbye to my ex company with mixed feelings. i would miss the great colleagues/friends whom I had known and helped me along the way. with them, work meant something more than just work. it was not without a tinge of sadness to leave them for greener pastures. nevertheless, i knew it was time for me to move on to explore other opportunities. i would remember the wonderful times we had together and the friendships made. thanks for everything… = )
in future, i would be on my own to face the new working environment, new colleagues and new job scope. may everything turns out well...
Friday, December 21, 2007
a moment of thought
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
celebrating my birthday
p/s: many thanks to all my friends who have sent me birthday wishes throughout the day...
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
serenity in a faraway island
we headed for the dive school and were greeted by familiar faces, the boss and the diving instructors. the dive shop was not too big but cozy and nicely decorated, with paintings of fishes on the walls of the shop or being hanged up. all the paintings were done by sebastian, my diving instructor. i must say he has a talent in drawing and painting, able to capture the distinct features of the various types of fishes and paint them out. there was a boat-like long table in the centre of the shop which was used to hold oxygen tanks and equipment. the divers would check their oxygen tanks and equipment there before carrying them to the speed boat and set off for their dive. tables and chairs were also laid out at one side of the shop for the dive instructors to conduct theory lessons or for the divers to sit around to have a chat. we spent most of our time in the dive shop, sitting around, reading books and observing each day passing by. throughout the day, the dive instructors would be busy preparing the equipment for the dive trips, explaining the different dive spots to the divers and bringing them out to the sea to dive. we met a couple of japanese diving instructors, mikki and noriko as well as a couple of japanese divers, natsumi and haruna. although I could not understand japanese language, it was fascinating to hear and observe them talking to one another. their faces were always full of expressions, interested in whatever one another was talking about. it looked like a small cultural exchange when we exchanged information about ourselves and our countries.
steffen sea sports dive school
my diving instructor, sebastian
paintings on the wall by sebastian
perhentian islands painted by sebastian
fish paintings by sebastian
japanese divers
i completed my advanced diving course in 3 days. the course included knowledge learning and 5 dives, namely underwater photography, underwater navigation, night diving, wreck diving and deep diving. i was quite nervous during my first dive, underwater photography, as it was more than half a year ago since I last dived. my heart was thumbing real fast the moment i went underwater. luckily everything went smoothly, though i was rather busy controlling my breathing and buoyancy than admiring the underwater world. i became more at ease in my subsequent dives to enjoy looking at the fishes and corals.
underwater corals taken by me
it was a different experience every time i dived, even at the same dive spot as there was so much to explore and see. i saw cuttlefish hunting for food during the night diving, like watching national geographic underwater. i saw stringrays lying quietly on the sandy bottom, sea turtle seeking food and schools of yellow-tail fishes swimming in front of us. there were many other species of fishes such as puffer fish, box fish, lion fish, clown fish, trigger fish and moray eel. it always amazed me to observe them swimming around effortlessly. I wondered whether they would be amazed by us as well, having so much equipment just to swim around. = p
the island stay was peaceful and quiet where time seemed to slow down. There wasn’t much hustle and you would not see people rushing anywhere. Tourists were either leisurely strolling or sun tanning on the beach. Otherwise, they would be relaxing in the cafes or out diving in the sea. it was a great contrast compared to the lifestyle in Singapore where everyone was always in a hurry. I learnt to enjoy the slower pace of life there where nothing else seemed significant except for the present moment. One could simply relaxed and let the time pass by. Looking at the sea and hearing the sound of waves splashing onto the shore had a smoothing and calming effect to the body and mind as well. i could also see different kinds of people coming to the island for different reasons, some for work while others for holiday, just like us. they were friendly to share their experiences and cultures, opening up my insights and perspectives of things that i never thought of.
group photo
from left standing: jacky, ms ee, me, sebastian & natsumi
from left sitting: mikki, noriko & haruna
a week’s holiday soon came to an end where we had to pack our bags and return to our homeland. we were drawn back to reality once again, going through to the routines of everyday life... i truly look forward to my next diving trip…
till then…
Monday, May 14, 2007
emotionless state of mind?
i have been feeling funny these days, though i cannot really pinpoint what is the cause or why i am feeling this way.. is it a sense of weariness of my current life? a routined life which revolves mostly around work, leaving little energy for other things? besides work, there are other stuff to do everyday and by the time i am done with those, it is bedtime again.. maybe i am lacking some form of change or excitement to stimulate my interest for new things.. this is frustrating when i feel something is not right but i am not sure what i should do… i am neither very happy or very sad.. am i getting emotionless and too rational? or is it a tinge of sadness that many times we can only accept things that have happened?
i have been thinking a lot about the past, things that i had been through, happy or sad, and the people whom i have known throughout the years.. there isn’t anything fantastic about my past, but it does mould me into who i am today, my thoughts and perspective of things.. i am grateful to many people who have directly or indirectly helped me along the way, especially during the last few years.. they have taught me about patience, determination, perseverance and meaning of life.. the last few years have been my toughest so far and i am glad that i am back on track again.. there are great memories and friendships made and i treasure them deeply in my heart.. we should not take things for granted and things often happen for a reason or a lesson to be learnt.. maybe as we grow older, some things that seem important in the past, do not seem so important now..
i am still searching for answers..
Thursday, April 26, 2007
pursuit of happiness
maybe it can be associated with contentment... to be contented with whatever you have, to treasure the people, the things that you have... we only have 1 pair of hands and there is so much that we want to hold onto.. or is it about unconditional giving to other people, not expecting anything in return?
all the while, i am seeking the answer to this question and i dwell on it when i can't find the answer.. suddenly, i realise that i am going in the wrong direction.. the answer is just right in front of me.. just that i never take good notice or appreciate it.. listen to your heart closely.. it tells you when you are happy or sad.. manify your happiness and minimise your misery..
i guess it is the little things in life that made up the happiness, not the big things.. little things and actions in life that touch your heart... maybe we never realise how fortunate we are already, but always trying to seek more and more.. then we get lost along the way... instead, we feel more misersable.. maybe if we focus on making people happy, we will naturally feel happy as well..
maybe no matter how much people tell you, you will never know until you experience yourself.. until you make the first move to truly make someone happy...
Monday, April 23, 2007
a work-free weekend
i woke up on a saturday morning with a call from xueying. she was attending violin lessons at a music school in my neighborhood and we arranged to have breakfast together. the hawker centre was bustling with people queuing up to buy breakfast. we chatted over breakfast about our recent lives and found out that she would be going to USA to visit her sister. we sat for a while to wait for the photo shop to open to take photos for her visa. as i was planning to go diving in malaysia, she was giving me some information of the place, since she had gone there diving before. she is an avid diver and she loves to see turtles underwater. her love for turtles could be seen by the number of turtle soft toys that she had and i was amazed when i saw the photo of her collection.
after bidding her goodbye, i went home to prepare for my next appointment. i arranged with my colleagues to visit another colleague of ours who just had an operation at kk hospital. we were glad to see that she was doing fine after the operation, with good appetite and watching animations.
after that, i made my way to lavender street to buy bus tickets for my diving trip. the ironic thing was that i realized i had no money for the tickets when i reached there! guessed i got ‘overheated’ by the hot weather to remember to withdraw some money. i went around searching for an atm machine before returning back to the bus terminal again.
the last errand to run for the day was to get myself a mp3 player. i met up with my sister at sim lim square where there were lots of electronic shops to shop around and compare prices. i didn’t have a good idea of what brands were available in the market now. i wanted to get a MP3 player with music storage and fm functions at a reasonable price. so we walked from shop to shop, looking at the brands and enquiring the prices. there were a lot of brands available but actually, I could only recognize 3 brands, samung, ipod and creative. after some enquiries, we realized that ipod didn’t have fm function, so it was down to 2 choices, creative or samung. creative zen model caught my attention since i knew that creative specialized in mp3 players. however, the price of the creative charger made me think twice as i felt that it was too expensive for a charger. then the sales person recommended the samsung mp3 player to me. it was sleek, with the functions i wanted and had a touch pad to maneuver the functions. so we went around comparing prices for the samsung mp3 player until we came to a shop. the sales person was friendly and willing to explain the functions of the mp3 player to us. after some negotiation, we agreed on the price, including the charger and made the purchase. finally, I got my mp3 player!
i spent the rest of the night exploring my new mp3 player and caught up with some reading. it was an exhausting but fruitful weekend for me, having to accomplish a few things. this summed up my saturday weekend...
recently, i realize that a day could pass by very fast, depending on what we are doing… a day becomes a month and a month becomes a year. we live a day by a day, making new discoveries and having new perspectives of things around us… our mindset change as we grow older and we begin to realize things that we never consider before... everyone has 24 hours a day and we have a choice of how to make use of the time. i guess i am learning to live my days fruitfully and appreciate the beauty of life… = )
have you started to appreciate as well?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
lovers' day
love is always around you.. use your heart to feel.. = )
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
it takes time to be strong
she touched my heart once again..
Monday, January 29, 2007
runaway princess
it is unexpectedly difficult for me to write this entry, trying hard to find the right words to express my feelings. i guess the closer you are to a particular person, the harder it gets to express your gratitude towards him/her. pp has been a great colleague/friend/sister to me and we hit off well. we share many fun moments together, the late night supper, the late weekends working in office, the ktv sessions, the msn chats, my birthday and the cab rides home together. the time has come for her to move on when she accepts a job opportunity overseas. before she leaves, this is what i want to say to her..
dear pp,
thanks for everything, especially being the 1st one to celebrate my 26th birthday. thanks for tolerating my ‘cold jokes’ and always encouraging me to pursue my ‘big dreams’. you are always taking care of others and maybe it is time for you to take a break. i guess a change of environment will do you good since the pace overseas is much slower and probably you will have more time to reflect and learn new things. although there may be new challenges ahead, but i believe you will overcome them with the right attitude. sometimes when things do not go your way, it is time to learn to let go and take stride in whatever that happens. we can never turn back time but we can look forward and treasure the present moment. i see this quote from my poster and thought it will be meaningful to share with you.
live life to the fullest
each day is precious and so full of wonderful possibilities.
do not waste your day by worrying about your problems.
leave all your worries behind.
fill your life with peace and serenity.
enjoy the simple pleasures in this complex world.
happiness lies within you.
i believe you will find your answers and attain the absolute happiness within yourself. i will miss your laughter, hugs, ears pulling and treasure the great memories that we have together. remember to take care of yourself as nothing matters more than health. with a healthy mind and body, you can achieve more than what you think. believe in yourself and be brave as we will be fighting alongside with you here.
remember, princess is hard job, but somebody has to do it. be a true princess and one day, you will meet your knight in shining armour. = )
Saturday, January 27, 2007
timing beyond reach
timing... doing the right thing(s) at the right time or meeting the right person(s) at the right time.. however, sometimes we do the right thing(s) at the wrong time or vice versa.. and to make things worse, somtimes we meet the right person(s) at the wrong time or vice versa.. is timing within or beyond our control?
it is getting harder and harder to arrange even a simple dinner when everyone has different schedules and difficult to commit their time.. mainly because of work or things that happen at the last minute.. we have less and less personal time to do the things we want or meet our family and friends... every gathering becomes the fruit of all communications flying around, finding the best time that fits everyone..
i guess we should treasure every gathering... with our busy schedules, we never know when we will meet again next time..
time to go for my gathering...
Sunday, January 21, 2007
04:00
this time round, i am going to pace and not overstretch myself.. still a long way to go for the peak period... in a few hours later, i might be reporting for work again and i hope i can finish it soon... keeping my fingers crossed... haha...
p/s: hey babe.. time to go home...
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
new year @ 2007
looking ahead to the new year, here are my 10 memorable events/things in 2006, 10 things i want to forget in 2006 and 10 resolutions for 2007..
10 memorable events/things in 2006:
1) valentine's day
2) trekking trip @ gunung tahan
3) trekking trip @ gunung korbu
4) holiday trip @ taiwan
5) business trip @ shenzhen
6) diving trip @ phuket
7) last visit to the doctor
8) blood donation
9) launch of my blog
10) making the photo album for manager with the sunny team
10 things i want to forget in 2006:
1) my tears
2) my sadness
3) my stress
4) my fears
5) my procrastination
6) my anger
7) my impatience
8) my mood swings
9) my expectations on others
10) my insensitivity towards others
10 resolutions for 2007:
1) to get my CPA
2) to get a new job
3) to be contented
4) to be truthful
5) to be courageous
6) to exercise more
7) to have a balanced lifestyle
8) to love & care for my family and friends
9) to love myself
10) to be happy
just want to express my thanks to my family and friends for all the good times or bad times in year 2006, making me a better person in one way or the other...
have a great 2007 ahead... cheers... = )