Came across this article:

10 Best Plants to Grow Indoors for Air Purification

Keeping this in mind for our new place!

My favourite has got to be the Peace Lily:

This beautiful flower is a wonderful low-maintenance plant to keep in the home. Peace lilies do well in shade and cooler temperatures, and they can reduce the levels of a number of toxins in the air.

Article source: http://www.trueactivist.com/10-best-plants-to-grow-indoors-for-air-purification/
Photo source: http://www.ewildflowersflorist.com

Time to learn new skills!

While we're still on this whole new year resolution thing (i assume everyone has the month of Jan to think about their new year resolutions), came across this interesting article:

24 Invaluable Skills To Learn For Free Online This Year

Who doesn't love freebies (at the risk of sounding auntie haha).

Anyway, these are on my list:

i. Get started with investing in stocks.
Investopedia has a ton of online resources, including this free stocks basics course. 

 
For the new house:
ii. Clean your house in a short amount of time. 
Unf$#k Your Habitat cleaning guide

Universal Pictures / Via despicable-me.tumblr.com

iii. Become awesome at Excel.
Chandoo

gifbay.com / Via giphy.com

iv. Understand basic psychology.
Yale University has its Intro to Psychology lectures

v. Learn to negotiate.

Stanford’s Stan Christensen

As you can tell, i am quite ambitious but i've got a whole year. That equates to embarking on a new one once every 2 months or so. Quite doable no?

Okay, perhaps i shall prioritise the first 3 and see how it goes - baby steps.

This is the year for some self-improvement (:

Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/24-invaluable-skills-to-learn-for-free-online-this-year

Healthy breakfast recipes

I'm one (baby) step closer towards my new year's resolution of eating healthy - found recipes!

The photos are enough to make me drool!

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Pancakes

Paleo Sausage Egg “McMuffin”

Bacon Baked Eggs

On this note, we just met with our contractor to talk about our new place.

Can't wait for it to be ready, so we can move in and prepare all these healthy breakfasts! (:

Source: Delicious Low Carb Breakfasts For A Healthy New Year

It's 2014!

A new year, new beginnings, as we continue on this journey called life.

Needless to say, i'm back (hopefully for a longer while this time).

2013 went by in the blink of an eye, and it was a year that i reached another milestone in my life.
I got married, to the love of my life.  [Speaking of which, he just got home]
And i couldn't be happier! Looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together (:
Perhaps one of these days i'll show the snippets of our ROM and wedding day here.

So, we got engaged in Oct 2012, got married (legally) in Oct 2013 and had our customary wedding in Dec 2013. This year, we'll be moving into our very own flat! We've just got the keys and have started thinking about what we want to do with this 1300sqft that we now own.

So for 2014, this is what i have in store so far:
i) designing and moving into our new place
ii) a new portfolio at work

Pretty exciting times!!

What better way to end off the first post of the year than with new year resolutions:
i) a healthy lifestyle - i.e. exercise (yoga, runs) and eating right
ii) learn to better manage my time (so i can be a wife, daughter, sister, friend, employee, and still be me)
iii) most important of all: to be resolute in my resolutions.

Clearly, i like lists.

One Day

This book is going onto my to-read list. Loved 'One Day'! and Jim Sturgess! Thought he was the perfect fit to play Dexter, and he did it really well. Caught it on the plane back from HK yesterday. Though i have to say, it's a sad ending - but i think that was what made the show this good too.

Aside from One Day, I really liked the other movie Lone Scherfig directed 'An Education' - blogged about it here. Hmmm...i like Lone Scherfig, will try to catch her other movies when i find time (:

The Joy of Quiet

I must say that i have been enjoying the last week! It's because i have been keeping to my New Year resolution of trying to attain a comfortable work-life balance. Not to mention it's a half day on a Monday because of some corporate event we had this morning (:

I don't believe that everyone has an equal perception of what constitutes a work-life balance but i think i might have found mine:

1. Leaving the office at 8pm
2. Not bringing my laptop home (Except on Fridays)
3. Not working on weekends except a quick check on email or when there's a need to send out an urgent email.

And i found myself rather free and i must admit, a little bored (oh the horror) yesterday.

Coincidentally, just a few days ago, i came across a very interesting article: "The Joy of Quiet"

Resisting the urge to copy and paste the whole article, here are some quotes i found that spoke out to me in particular.

Credits

"The urgency of slowing down — to find the time and space to think — is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone."

"We have more and more ways to communicate, as (Henry David) Thoreau noted, but less and less to say. Partly because we’re so busy communicating."

"A series of tests in recent years has shown, Mr. Carr points out, that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects “exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy, as well as deep thought, depends (as neuroscientists like Antonio Damasio have found) on neural processes that are “inherently slow.” The very ones our high-speed lives have little time for"

"Nothing makes me feel better — calmer, clearer and happier — than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It’s actually something deeper than mere happiness: it’s joy, which the monk David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.”"

okay bye!

Credits

(actually not really, i'm still online on my ipad/bb)

That beautiful red dress

When i find the time to blog, i realise i don't have much to blog because all i worked all day - doesn't give me much inspiration, or leave much time for my mind to wander...

In any case, i saw this the other day and i just fell in love with the photo, the scenery, the dress, everything! i love the dress!

Src: Gary Pepper Vintage, one of the most amazing bloggers from down under.

Bonne Année! (encore)

The New Year is always a time of reflection, especially when it's a quiet night in.

I kind of like it. Work has been pretty busy and between spending time with family, the bf and friends, i kinda miss the 'me' time.

I started thinking how did i spend my new year's last year, and whether was this year better..and the best way to find out? My blog! Now i really do appreciate the fact that i wrote it down somewhere. So i went into my archives and guess what, NY's 2010 i was sick in bed in Paris hahaha.

Then i start thinking about 2011, and about how my life has changed...and my conclusion?

I'm really happy and thankful for where i am today, and i really can't ask for more (:

Wishes for the upcoming 2012?

Finding a work-life balance (and maybe part of that could include blogging again!)

Happy New Year everyone! (:

A short Phuket holiday!

It was an extremely short week last week cos i went on a little trip!

The lack of update last weekend was because i was busy finishing up work (good thing i did so because it turned out i had no access to my work email at phuket), and busy packing. Left for phuket on monday and had a great time there. Got a little burnt but as usual, i don't stay tan/red. I'm white again now -_-

Read more »

Breakfast Project

{bamsesayaka}

Breakfast is actually my favourite meal of the day. But i noticed that i only have proper breakfast when i'm outside living on my own, and i miss having good breakfasts. To me, that's as simple as having an apple & cinnammon muffin, or toasted banana bread with butter, or toasted kaya bread, or cereal. Of course, more elaborate ones such as pancakes, eggs benedict are always welcomed (:
Now that i've started working, it's considered good when i have a banana and then snack before lunch. Then again, work shouldn't be an excuse since i actually still have proper breakfast while i was working in sydney. Maybe i should embark on a breakfast project like the one above (or maybe not haha). Okay, I will have to go to the supermarket one of these days to look for 'instant' breakfasts options to eat in the mornings at work.

Sitting is Killing You

I survived my first week at work. (okay it's not as bad as it sounds, but neither is it all fluffy and ideal)

But yes, i'm still trying to adjust to the hours, amongst other things. One of which is sitting all day in front of the computer. My desk is not by the window so i don't have a view to look out to, need to find a way to rest my eyes, and not to sit all day. This is why you should not sit all day either.

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Girls night out

♥

All of us lead such busy lives that we had to plan this girls night out a month in advance! haha but despite having to leave early, i had an awesome time with them (: I think the fact that it's so difficult to get all of us out together on a night like this makes it all the more special. Now that i'm back for good, i'm looking forward to our weekly coffee/supper meet-ups <3

Freedom no more?

Today is officially my last 'free' weekday. I start work on monday. This was how i spent yesterday, read the paper in the morning, surf the usual internet sites, then lunch. Then packed my table a little more (i always seem to be packing), then i had tea break cos i was hungry.

Nespresso coffee and a banana, sort of healthy?

Then i was bored so i decided to paint my nails, and catch up on my shows before i run out of time to do so.

while watching OTH..

I really like how the colour of OPI 'Royal Flush Blush' turns out but i still had time to kill so i decided to try the OPI black shatter on it, which i obviously did not figure out how to use beforehand -_- Think i ruined it, looks a bit like leopard prints on pink panther. haha but ah wells. Shall keep it on a little bit longer just for the fun of it (: I wonder how black and red/purple will turn out, hmmm......okay i should just buy a silver one and stick to that. Conventional is sometimes the way to go.

while watching Big Bang Theory

Anyways, sigh, as much as i'm looking forward to starting work cos i'm quite bored, i think i'm gonna miss days like this...

Les hallucinations urbaines de Sandrine Estrade Boulet

Came across this online. It's basically art based on inspiration drawn from everything around the city! She must have some really good imagination. I really like her ideas! How cool would it be if these were actual art installations...

Man with the sunnies

source: http://www.mylittle.fr/mylittleparis/en/hallucinations-urbaines.html

Read more »

An uninvited visitor...

Last night, my house had an uninvited visitor...

It happened before but this one is quite significantly bigger, though both didn't look too friendly to me. Thank goodness my Dad was home. The photo still gives me the creeps, it wasn't exactly tiny. Obviously, i'm not a fan of snakes. I think my biggest concern about it, other than having a strange uninvited visitor was that it might eat Sydney up haha. I don't think pythons will attack humans unless provoked right. We locked Sydney up in the room for her own safety, and when she was released, she smelt/felt that something was amiss, she went on her detective hunt for a good whole hour before finally going to bed.

 

But anyway, I decided to look up the internet about snakes in houses in Singapore, after the whole drama was over. Apparently, snakes are pretty common in some estates here, thankfully not so much mine. Though my sis did mention that there was once a big ass python outside along the canal and the police was called in. So, after reading up about it, i learnt that if a snake is spotted, you should walk away if you can (duh!). But if like in this case, it's in your house, call the police or pest control (or shout for Dad). And because pythons are not venomous, one should not kill it. Apparently, these snakes are taken to the zoo. Okay, i am now more prepared if i were to see another snake (i hope not) anywhere.

ça fait longtemps...

Yes it's been a long time since i blogged. I must say i miss it, and there are times where i'm so tempted to blog but too lazy to. On the other hand, you could say that i've been living life to the fullest that i barely found time to sit in front of the computer and think about how i've spent my days!

So, i've left breathtaking Paris, went to lovely Sydney for half a year, and is back in sunny Singapore. Can't believe i've finally finished my four-year degree! Been spending the last month enjoying my break before a new chapter of my life officially begins. Next week i start work! Then august is the month of holidays - Phuket and back to Sydney for graduation! Can't wait (: though i do feel at times that life is really moving quite fast.

Anyway, I'm really glad to be back home, except for the weather, as always. Waiting to meet my bestie for an impromptu jap buffet at Momoya. Partly cos i'm too lazy to go anywhere further than 15minutes from my house heh.

okay. bye!

hello again!

I have just been so busy and lazy to blog lately!

It's the season of festivities! Chinese New Year is coming up, earlier than usual this year. And it's the year of the Rabbit!

So...I have left Paris for good - Au Revoir!

and it's almost the end of my short holiday in Singapore :(

I will be back in Sydney in about a week's time.

I still have tons of photos to sort through, like christmas ones in Italy, trip with mum to Lyon, and other random stuff! I do miss Paris, there's still so many hidden treasures i haven't discovered, and after all, it's Paris! It's a great place for a holiday, but i have to say, a bit overrated, and not the best place to live - for me at least. But the Paris sales was awesome! I totally should have blogged about it before but i was procrastinating. heh.

Read more »

I am back in Singapore! :D

okay i'm feeling a bit lazy to  blog. I actually mainly wanna share this article i read about a week ago, and then came across it again today.
It is a rather controversial article about parenting 'chinese-style', by a Chinese mother living in a Western society. Here are some excerpts.

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior 

By AMY CHUA

"What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up..."

"Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.."

"All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away..."

credit: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

Though some of her parenting styles can be a bit extreme (i'm speaking from the receiving end, as in me imagining my parents doing that to me), i do see the message she's trying to send. Maybe it's because i'm Asian and I received a similar parenting style (not as traditional or strict though), and am likely to do the same for my kids in the future. Regardless, i think it's a very interesting article in highlighting the differences. Funnily enough, the more exposed i am to the West and their culture, the more rooted i am in home and being Asian. Not that the West isn't good, but it's just different. haha that's the best way i can describe it. Of course it's easy to generalize West vs. Asian but its the only measure of understanding the differences too. I think this article has sparked some debate and received some critics but well, each family is different and on what basis is one's method superior over the other? A very similar argument to the asian values debate, i would say.

Either ways, it's worth a read - click on the title, and worth a thought (:

bisous!

An Education

I just watched An Education. And i loved it!

Well, to be honest, the whole 30year old man and a 16 going on 17year old girl is a bit hard to understand and get used to at first, maybe it's just me, but that's not the point. Once you get past that, this movie is just amazing! Carey Mulligan did an awesome job on this film, and she's so gorgeous, especially in Audrey Hepburn style!!

Don't you agree? She's 23 i think, when she did this role as a 16 year old, and she was able to pass off as both the younger and more matured Jenny, with the help of make up of course. But i think she played the role of an intelligent, charming, young girl in this coming-of-age film really well. Not to mention the british accents. haha.

The movie kinda questions what education really means, and its value. I love how there's so many meanings beyond the surface that the film tries to portray. The subtle messages that make you think, adds to the charm of it all. I think it's quite cool that this movie took place in 1961, but the same questions are still relevant today. Watch this trailer below, and if it interests you, i'd strongly recommend you watch it! (:

j'espère que vous l'aimez autant qu'à moi (:
bisous!

Happy New Year! Bonne Année!

Happy New Year! Bonne Année!

Well, i was supposed to go for a dinner but i'm feeling quite sick so I am staying home instead. Quel dommage :( What a bad time to be sick seriously, and quite a bad flu, my body aches so much, sigh. When the clock strikes 12 and enters into the new year, i will be well-tucked into bed, and somewhere off in dreamland...

Night folks!
bisous!

[edit] It's new year's today, and I saw a friend post this link on fb. It made me laugh out loud. hahaha. Well, at least i know i didn't miss out on anything ;)

p.s. i don't know the source though...if anyone knows, let me know!
[/edit]