Sweet Roses

Today, my baby gave me a 'surprise' pink rose to cheer me up.. He knows I'm feeling down for being so disabled..



Awwww... so sweettt.. thank you dear.. *muackz!

Spinal Ops

Never in my life had I stayed in hospital, other than the time I first enter this world, so the thought of surgery did scare me. But I know it's time now. No more delaying, the sooner it is the better it gets.

When they pushed me to the surgery room, fear started to haunt me bit by bit.. my body didn't feel like mine anymore. I knew that the moment I entered the room, something inside me will change forever.

The layout of the operation room is exactly the same like what you see in the E.R. bright lights, nurses and doctors in the green uniforms and medical equipments.. The room was breezing cold and bright.. very cold room..

The surgery took 5hours straight. It was a major operations. I had two of my neck discs taken out -one replaced with an artificial disc, while the other one was fused using my hip bone.

First thing I felt when I woke up was nauseous.. due to the anesthetic effect.. then weak.. really weak.. and the next thing I know, I had soft collar on my neck and I was pushed back to my ward..

Pre- and post- surgery look



Still, I feel very much blessed.. During this critical times, I have my family, Manfred and his family, and lots of friends who truly supported me throughout this critical times.

Manfred was continuously taking care of me days and nights while I was in hospital, taking days off from his work. Also, my best buddy Ronald took days off to support me on my first day of surgery and also on the day when I was discharged..





Friends and colleagues who came to give me their well wishes..
Also, overseas friends who called and sms-ed their well wishes..
All of you, THANK YOU!

Osaka: AIA Mini Convention 2008

My first mini convention!! I'm so proud of myself :)

Osaka: Kobe Beef

Day tour to Kobe for only two reasons: shopping and kobe beef gourmet! :)

Kobe Sanda Premium Outlet contains 80-100 of branded outlets at bargain price.. This is where you can find label like Coach, Gucci, Kate Spade, Hugo Boss, Hamilton, Valentino at 35%-80% bargain!




Kobe beef has always been described as soft, chewy and melt in your mouth.. Unfortunately, the one being presented to us has lower marble score, around 8-10.. It's still good though.. The one on the right is proschiuto ham..

Visit to Kobe Farm to have a close-up look on the cows.. *mmm yummy ox-tongue :p

Osaka: Food

Before I came to Japan, I always heard about how expensive the expenses are and how good the sushi-s, sashimi-s, ramens and all the snacks are.. I find some of the comments are true, and not -depending on your own expectations.

The sashimi can't get any fresher!! The raw seafood are sweet, delicate and fresh, with no slightest hint of fishy smell nor taste.. If you're a fan of sashimi, Japan is definitely the best place! Price wise, it's much more affordable than in Singapore, given the quality of fishes and freshness..

For a decent meal of Otoro (high grade tuna belly), Hotate Sake aburi (scallop & salmon), beef aburi, fresh king ebi (sweet king prawns), the price tag comes up to be only $25! A plate of Otoro in Singapore may cost up to $50-$80 depending on the location, yet the freshness can't be compared to those in Japan!

I shall let the pictures be the judge! :) click on the picture for high resolutions





Right? ;)

Osaka: Sightseeing

Osaka is the second biggest population city in Japan. However, its standard of living is much lower compared to Tokyo. As the result, many people migrate daily to Tokyo from Osaka via Shinkansen to lower their living costs. You can imagine how packed the train is in the morning!




A MUST-SEE places in Osaka is the famous Osaka-jo (Osaka castle). It is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a significant role in the unification of Japan in the sixteenth century. On the way to Osaka-jo, you will pass through Osaka-jo park -a beautiful serene park with awesome sight of Osaka-jo..




At night, visit the Shinsaibashi street -shopping district and food places.. It's surrounded by few giant shopping malls as well like Sogo, Daimaru etc.. so you will never worn out of choices here :)

Father's Day Special

Since we had a special performance for mothers during mother's day, it will only be right and fair to have one too for all fathers :)

And.. ta da......



Blessed be all fathers in the world! AMEN! :p

Mother's Day Special

Mother's day special item performance from my church, New Creation Church.




Blessed be all mothers in the world for their unconditional 24/7 tender loving care!

Also, kudos to the ladies for their amazing performance! :)

As We Grow Up, We Learn that

Even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will..

You will have your heart broken probably more than once
and it's harder every time...
You'll break hearts too,
so remember how it felt when yours was broken...

You'll fight with your best friend..
You'll blame a new love for things an old one did..
You'll cry because time is passing too fast..
and you'll eventually lose someone you love....

So take too many pictures...
laugh too much..
and love like you've never been hurt..

Because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back..

Quote of The Day

Love never dies a natural death.
It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source.
It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals.
It dies of illness and wounds;
it dies of weariness, of withering, of tarnishing

-Anais Nin

Facing Reality

After months of hiding and running away, here I am facing my own real life scenario.

Firstly, my wedding is called off this year as we are not able to get approval from my beloved dad. Manfred and I went back last year and the trip didn't really go as what we have expected. In fact, it turned out pretty ugly. I came back here broken hearted and disappointed. Things have gotten really awkward between me and my family.

However we are not giving up. We canceled all arrangements that we have made, and unfortunately, had to forfeit some of the deposits that we have made. But we are still very positive. Monies can always be earned back :) And most importantly, we both know and sure that we want to spend our lifetime together. This experience has really made us emerge stronger.

Secondly, I have postponed my surgery to end of the year -most probably September. One of the main reason, if not the only reason, is that I have yet to informed my dad about my condition and the surgery. And yes it is linked to the first issue. So things really got a lil bit complicated here.

Recently I am reading 'You can Heal Your Life' by Louis L Hay and it speaks so much into me. My boss has been recommending the book for my daily devotional reading since last year and now I can really see why. Interestingly, in the foreword itself, it speaks something about disease which is so true. Disease is dis-ease. Dis-ease causes disease! So much of my dis-ease that causes me my own health! Knowledge is truly power.

I have comes to terms to forgive my family, for not behaving and reacting the way I want them to be. For first time of the year, I slept well -sound and peace.

Happiness

For years I have been searching for happiness, and for years I searched at the wrong places. Until recently, I discovered that happiness is a state of mind. It comes from within and is not affected by external factors. I learned this the hard way.

Almost everyday, we face challenges in our daily life. When things are going great, we are worried because it seems to good for us, or we are expecting bad things to happen. When things are down, we are cursing even more. This is the puzzle of life.

I learned that struggle is part of life. We can't really control what's happening around us, but we can do something to it. I can either succumb to the bad day, or I can take it easy and move on with the next task. It is all in your mind. After all, there's no failure -it's only feedback!

I learned that the best thing I can do to improve my situation is to stop whining and make each moment as special as I can be as if it's my last moment on earth. Everything in life is about perspective -and it's your own perspective. If today you woke up knowing that it's your last day on earth, how different will you treat your loved ones? How different will you look at your deadlines? How different will you talk to your friends?

I learned that I have a choice -and it's always my choice. I can wake up early in the morning feeling grumpy, or think about what I can achieve today e.g. finish my deadlines, greet people I meet with smile, tell my loved ones how much I love them etc..

Today, you have a choice to be happy.. and NOW, you can begin living your happy life..

The supreme happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved
-Victor Hugo

Happy Mother's Day

This year, Manfred and I bring his family out for Mother's Day celebration at Korean BBQ restaurant at Jushinjung East Coast. We both are so much into Korean BBQ now -galbisal (short rib boneless), woosul (ox-tounge), moksal (pork collar), kimchi, chicken ginseng soup etc.

*yummy..

Happy Dad and Mom :)

Dear and Mom

Me and Mom
*blurp.. (ops!)

Satisfied faces :)

New Haircut

Money is not Enough

"Exactly 80 years ago, a young man on a business trip to China fell ill. That young man was my grandfather. When he passed away 80 years ago, he left behind a young widow. This young widow had two children and was on the verge of delivering the third child, my mum.

You can imagine the deep grief of a young widow. Back then, there was no MCYS, no Public Assistance, and no ComCare support. Nevertheless, her two brothers gave her an allowance. She was not penniless but money was tight.

My mum had a tough life. She could never really enjoy taking luxury. She worked hard. She became a teacher. It was not easy even near the end of her teaching career. And in those days, MOE was not as enlightened as it is now.

My uncle went on to become a doctor and became a GP in Albert Street. Those of you who know him know that he never took a single day off.

Firstly, life can be tough, life can be unfair, and life is unpredictable. Bad things can happen to good, decent people. Regardless of this, we all need hope.

The second thing I have learnt is that you need family support. Who is going to be there for you when you need help?

The third lesson is that it is all about discipline and hard work. No matter how wealthy you are, if we lose that discipline or work ethic, we will fail.

At least for me, my mum has successfully transmitted those values. The question now is whether our youth, born in the times of plenty, spend more time thinking about how to spend their inheritance compared with our parents' generation.

At the end of the day, while money is important, it is also not enough. All the wealth in the world will not buy you success. Nor will it eliminate all the social problems in the world.

Is the real problem the lack of money?

Is it the poverty of material wealth or is it the poverty of relationships?

Those of us who live long enough will agree the long-term problem is a poverty of relationships.

We all need families, we need friends. And it is not just about families. We also want a caring, compassionate society. We will fail if society degenerates into nothing more than a society of selfish, successful individuals looking to spend more on themselves.

I remember Sam Tan's brilliant speech last week. I read the speech three times. I resonate with his views that it is not about the dilemma between the young and old, or between rich and poor, but between the head and heart. The head knows it cannot be overly generous, yet the heart wants the head to be so.

I believe we need a lean, efficient, rational, disciplined and competent government. There is also a need for compassion, generosity and emotional support in our society.

However, these are best delivered by community organizations rather than by a bloated bureaucracy. That is why we believe in many helping hands."

-Extracts from Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan's speech

No Failure, Only Feedback

Sometimes you make the wrong choice and the result is failure. Take heart, making the wrong choice is better than not making any choices at all. At least, you take the initiative to act.

Failure is not the opposite of success, but its by-product. Inaction, apathy and tolerance of mediocrity are the opposites of success.

We learn valuable lessons from failure, such as taking the hard knocks in life. The lessons are not taught in formal universities but out in the street.

There is no such thing as "failure". Instead, failure is actually feedback that can be used to improve your performance. Failure is a necessary part of success. It is actually a step before success.

Many quit when confronted with failure, not knowing that the next step is success.

Domino theory

Tom Monaghan, the founder of the Domino's Pizza chain, was only four years old when his father died. Poverty drove his mother to place him in an orphanage. Young Tom harboured two childhood dreams - to be a priest and to play in the Detroit Tigers, an American baseball team.

However, after a year of studying to be a priest in a seminary, he left. In 1960, he started Domino's Pizza. Initially, it was very successful, but in the 1970s, he started losing control of the company because of rapid expansion. Domino's was on the brink of bankruptcy.

By 1993, Tom Monaghan had rebuilt Domino's Pizza into one of the largest pizza chains in America with a sales turnover that exceeded US$2.2 billion (S$3.15 billion).

So compelling was his dream to play in the Detroit Tigers that he purchased the entire team. He also remained Domino's president. Had he given up during his bankruptcy, he would not have enjoyed Domino's later success - and he would not have fulfilled his second childhood dream.

He chose to see his bout of failure as an opportunity to do even better. As Henry Ford once remarked: "Failure is the only opportunity to begin more intelligently."

AIA Award Dinner 2008

Our beloved FHCP trainer -Cheryl Ong

My buddies -Jason, Eric and Keith

B*tches

The grand celebration to remunerate your hard work for the past one year. That's what I love about AIA -they recognize you. And when they do, they do it GRANDLY :)

Motto: work hard, play harder!

Wealth Can't Buy Health (2)

One hour in orthopedic clinic seems like my last one hour in this earth.

He confirmed the findings. 4 out of 7 bones in my neck have degenerated and they indeed compressed the spinal cord. Out of these 4bones, 1 bone is compressing much on my spinal cord that the cord is flattened. Surgery was initially advised to replace this particular bone with artificial bone; however the lifespan of artificial bone (although being said lifetime) is still unknown. Should there be any complications 30-40 years down the road, another surgery to replace the artificial bone is to be done; but it will be at even higher risk due to age count.

At present, he advised me to do series of physiotherapy (neck traction and heat therapy) to release the tension of the nerve. I am doing it twice a week now, and on top of that, I do my own heat therapy at home.

I'm not sure if it's due to cold weather, but recently my knees are feeling weak. I am seeing orthopedic again this week.

Wealth Can't Buy Health

Just yesterday I experienced sharp pain on my upper back, which caused me difficulty in breathing. I consulted doctor today and had XRay as well as MRI scan done on my upper back and neck. The scan on my upper back shows no anomalies; but the scan on my neck shows that the last two row of discs have pressed against the spinal cord (nerve system). I am fortunate to discover it early as huge pressure on spinal cord may result in paralysis.

Fear strikes me when I first heard of the results, especially when doctor mentioned that this may result in paralysis if not taken care early. It didn't help much too when he advised me to consult orthopedic and surgery may be necessary to release the tension on the cord. I am seeking second opinion this evening, and will go to orthopedic tomorrow if necessary.

I spent whole day of my day for consultation, XRay/MRI scan and another consultation; and all these while Manfred was with me. I am really grateful yet sad for he has been taking care of me for quite sometime, in another word, I had been a burden to him for sometime.

God has been very gracious towards me in many areas of my life, and I know deeply that I am truly blessed. In all bad situations I had been through, He is always by my side guiding me and conquering my battles for me. And I know, this time is no exception too.

I have submitted this into the hand of the Lord. Jesus died for me not in vain. His body was crushed, so that I can be well. I know that I am healed despite all the medical reports. We are taking holy communion daily from today onwards.

I am quoting from Pastor Prince from one of his sermon:

During their young days, people spend their health to get wealth
But, when they're old, they use all their wealth to get back their health
So, what have they accomplished in their life?

Morale of the story: RIGHT LIVING STARTS FROM RIGHT BELIEVING

Wake Up Call

My eyes stopped on these few quotes in one of the inspirational post in Shelvia's blog.

• "No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."
  

• "Regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

• "Even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."
  

Yes, life has not been smooth sailing ever since my trip back from Jakarta. I went through whole emotional cycle of sad, anger, hate, disappointment, ignorance and now acceptance. The journey was rocky but life still goes on, and everyday I, somehow, seem to be progressing better.

There are many things in life which are not of our control, on the other hands, there are things in life which are within our control. People's reaction and perspective is certainly not within my control. Weather is also not within my control. But my ATTITUDE is.

So for my own sake -for a HAPPIER, BETTER, CHEERFUL, ENJOYABLE life, I decide to change my attitude towards my environment.

First priority on the list is TIME DISCIPLINE. There are time for work, time for family, time for friends, time for rest and time for God. And of course, time to blog :p

I'd like to end my post with this quote..

• Share your happiness with others, and share your sorrow too.. Don't hide and feel the pressure on your own, because no one will understand if you don't speak out..
  

and that's how my blog fits in the picture :p