lazy saturdays....

lazy saturday spent lounging with EC around various locations on our tiny island.
blu jaz at little india, tea party at 6th ave, villa bali at alexandra road.
we had our quiet moments and our crappy moments. the following is a classic one.

J: say leh! say leh!
EC: dun tell u!!
J: ok lor... dun say lor...
EC: ok, i tell u lah!

the tea party

the tea party, really good quiet chillout place at 6th ave. (learnt abt it from cranberry's best friend. who's apparently pretty much of a guru when it comes to hunting down hangout places.) EC and i sat there for 3 hrs reading the magazines they had on hand, or rather, she was curled up on her sofa reading while i was sprawl out on the opposite side dozing off. and the staff just left us alone to do our own thing. what's more, they have the best scones! served warm, they were moist and fluffy and came with strawberry cream cheese on the side. yum yum yum! great teas too! i had the iced rose tea while EC ordered the rooibos lemon chiffon (i think...)

later we adjorned to alexandra road, gillman village, which is right next to SAJC. villa bali. rustic atmosphere lit by candlelight, with lots of wooden furnishings, young good-looking waiters and waitresses. (EC actually asked me to inquire the waiter's age). it was nice to just sit and talk.

all in all, a great chillout day... i'm looking fwd to many more.

my little lunchtime indulgence

superbly well marinated char siew and noodles, paired with tasty invigorating ginseng chicken soup.
a gem of a canteen right at my client's doorstep in the ulu lands of ubi

waking up to...

encouraging words
a shared prayer
uplifting bible verses
heartfelt sentiments

thanks cranberry dear! for the early morn sms. can't articulate how much it means to me...

most embarrassing...

the high-pitched squeals J involuntarily emits upon seeing a flying cockroach

and it happened twice tonight *blush*

more than enough

the answer to 'how much more...'

because He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

today's service at New Crea was good! praise and worship kicked off with the song 'Everybody Ought to Know'; He's the lily of the valley... He's the bright and morning star... (yesh EC, i was thinking of you when we sang that. even though u were right beside me. hahah, mi estrella de la manana *winkz*)

it brought back memories of Sunday School. sometimes i miss singing these kid's songs. so deceptively plain and simple, yet so meaningful. i mean, come on, who hasn't heard of 'Jesus Loves Me This I Know...' it doesn't have all the fanciful words and lyrics, yet the message comes across so strongly.

the main point of the sermon that came across to me was that i should be giving thanks.it's human to murmur and complain. esp us singaporeans. i, for one, seem to be able to find fault with everything under the sun. somehow it's nvr good enough. and i'm nvr satisfied. there's always something found wanting or lacking.

and yet, how often do we stop think think about how little we lack. i should be giving thanks for all that i have; realising that i have so much; that i am abundantly blessed.
so Lord, pls help me to see all You've done for me and to trust in Your amazing goodness.

next pt of the sermon was about how giving thanks for the people around you is actually a way of blessing them. well, J would like to take the chance to thank all you guys whom i know personally. friends whom i love and appreciate. i know i seldom show it and i tend to take you guys for granted. but yes, you guys have been such great blessings in my life. this includes pple like YW, whom i chatted to recently, he's one of those i seldom contact, but i always view as a friend whom i can turn to anytime. and then there are the ones who add little bursts of sunshine into my day every so often with pleasant surprises. J's loving her new earrings *winkz*
like EC says, we're freaking blessed! hahaha

well, it's time for J to start preparing for bed. haven't been sleeping too early these past few nights. hopefully i drift off to sleep before 1am tonight. hahah

esperando...

coz tt's what life is about

love-hate relationship

when you can't decide whether to feel grateful or to throttle that particular someone

murphy's law in action

you spend one whole day whiling your time away, wishing that you had some work to do.

and at 5pm... after you've made specific plans to leave the office at 5:30 on the dot...

you get a msg from a senior 'J, can you see me after i've finished with X? i need to discuss something with you'

ack! why does the work always come in after office hrs?

stinky feet and all

after reading and hearing rave reviews about Essential Brew over at Holland Village, J has finally managed to check out the happening spot.

the decor: the 2nd floor was warm and cosy; with warm low lighting, cushions and pillows strewn on the floors, wood furnishings. we had to leave our shoes at the top of the stairs before being allowed to wander the upper floor freely. the place was packed with mostly teenagers, leading JG to pause and wander if we were 'too old' for such a place. however, we decided to heck it and walked right in.

the food: there was a wide selection of teas, ranging from rosebud tea to tie guan yin. there's a reason why the places is called 'Essential Brew' even the food served had a touch of tea in them. we ended up ordering a pot of 'Pu'er Rose' tea, which supposedly has slimming and cholesterol-lowering properties, and ordered the Salmon Pine-nuts.

overall, J says it's a cool place to chill out and relax with friends. but nice for a long gossipy talk punctuated with ridiculous comments and loud hearty laughter. there were a few bdaes being celebrated. pity it's a tad bit too noisy to be reading or doing some self reflection, perhaps when it's a little quieter in the day. it would be nice to spend the day settling down with a book and a steaming pot of tea. J would like to go back again.

stuffed to the gills

it inevitably happens when J and EC get together. it has happened before, it happened tonight and it will happen once again.

after super impromptu plans to go for threading at rupini's, we headed down to blu jaz. where we proceeded to start off with an early dinner at 5pm. despite repeated warnings by cranberry not to order my usuals but to try something new, i ended up with my Hulk burger and mango-lime smoothie once again. (yeah, she was actually able to predict what i was going to order.. sigh!) additionally, we had a caesar's salad between the 2 of us. ec had the Boomerang burger and banana-orange smoothie.

perhaps it was the early dinner. perhaps a heavy lunch. but whatever the case, we were both feeling full halfway through our burgers. and yet... we refused to give up. rather, we refused to let each other give up. cries of 'ec, you loser! no stamina man!', 'J, pls... i'm finishing lor. u better down those last 3 pieces. i dun care!'

we ended up walking out of the place groaning and moaning, lamenting the fact that it's a vicious cycle. how we never seem able to eat normally when we get together. it's nvr 'hey, if u can't finish, leave it lah.' we always egg each on. we push each other's limits. or we die trying....

phrase of the day: i misses you

you're too close when...

when i can tell which shower foam you use
when your elbow brushes my arm once too often
when i feel trapped in
when i don't know you at all