xooplexity

just a short short note...

2005-04-02T23:38:00.001+08:00

It's been so long that I almost forgot how to make an entry...

Yes I know... It's been a while... "O Christmas Tree" has been on the rack for the longest time... The latest I heard, there are even people who covet the role of a guest blogger in Xooplexity.

Hmmm...

Get your people to call my people and we'll talk.

just a short short note...

2005-04-02T23:38:00.000+08:00

It's been so long that I nearly forgot how to make an entry...

Yes I know... It's been a while... The last entry has been sitting on the rack for the longest time. The latest I heard, there's even someone coveting the role of a guest blogger in Xooplexity.

Not a bad idea actually.

Get your people to call my people and we shall talk in detail.

christmas tree... O christmas tree...

2005-01-01T23:47:00.000+08:00

I'm done with my post Christmas shopping!

Alright... technically speaking... I'm still two presents short.

Oh wait...and Baby Loo too...so that makes three.

Was suppose to hop by the *where* to get the *what* for the *who*... Alas was delayed at the church office... Printer was having its usual mood swing and refused to produce anything for me.

After much prayers and deliverance (for the printer, not me), it came back to life.

Ok actually I just pulled the plug and it became as good as new.

Anyways...

My apologies to the *who* and the *who*...

I really have already set my mind on what to buy for you guys...

So do not grow impatient while waiting for your pressie, for in due season you shall reap, if you do not lose heart.

making waves...

2004-12-29T10:36:00.000+08:00

I just got to know that I am entitled to 400 Economic Restructuring Shares (ERS) on 1 January 2005. This means a $400 Ang Pow to my bank account. Woohoo!

Yesterday, Mama Loo asked me:

"Aye... You want to donate your $400 to the Tsunami?"

Yes those were her exact words. No Mama, I do not wish to donate my 400 buckeroos to the TSUNAMI but if you don't mind, I'd rather donate it to the Singapore Red Cross Society.

Honestly, I am feeling a tinge of struggle having to part with the money.

I originally intended the money for a) A digicam for myself or b) Christmas gifts for me frenzies.

I was telling a friend the other day, although it's sad that such a tragedy has happened, but deep in my heart, I don't really feel the impact of it all. It's weird that sometimes you feel obligated to feel sad because the whole world is feeling sad.

Honestly, I'm not feeling anything. You probably want to stone me at this point.

This morning as I was having my breakfast, I made my decision:

I will part with my money.

I guess that's the least that I can do.

I am blessed that I can still be munching on my sardine puffs in the comfort of my office. I am blessed that when I sleep at night, my bed is warm and when I wake up in the morning, my roof is still intact.

There are people who are now yearning to be relieved of their pain, physically or emotionally. There are people who are still scanning through the "Missing People" list, looking for their loved ones.

Thank You, Lord, for blessing me so abundantly this year, I believed You have blessed me for a reason. At this point, I think there are people who needs this money more than I do. Help me to have compassion for them like Jesus has compassion for His people. Help me to be a good steward of your blessings.

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" - Mark 12:31

"Do unto others as you would have them do to you" - Luke 6:31

Would you like to make a contribution too?

show me da presents!

2004-12-23T10:34:00.001+08:00

Just came back from the oh-so-not-looking-forward-to-it staff retreat...

Other than a bout of cold which left me in screen-saver mode ½ the time and looking suspiciously like one of Santa's transport personnel... I think it wasn't so bad afterall...

Completed the much dreaded presentation... Think I did ok, given the limitations...

Had the rest of the 1 ½ days(I'm very into fractions nowadays if u hadn't notice...) free to do some Christmas shopping. Ok...it was more like Christmas window shopping.... The malls weren't as fantastic as I expected.

At the end of the day... I only managed to get myself 2 T-shirts and a bunch of slim plastic bangles. Which I'll be wearing on Sonshine, in an attempt to retrofy myself.

Tried going for the big plasticky bangles, multi-colour rings and polka dots headband look but it just didn't go well together...

I ended up looking like a confused hippie.

I think I shall go with the notion: "Less is more".

Anyways...

It's comforting to know that everyone is struggling with their Christmas shopping... I already know what I'm getting for me frenzies... I think...

Let see...

A***g**t for Charm

F**l* *****k for Cher

T*** G*** for Claud

D** **h** **p for Grace

Y**** L**** for Fiona

C**** H****** for Jia

L***** R*** for Mars

For those whose names are not on this list... I still love you!!

I mean...Christmas is not just about presents, you know? It's about the joy of blessing others...

So...

I'll still be expecting my "blessing" from you guys... Kekeke...

i've got SONshine!!

2004-12-19T02:19:00.000+08:00

Ladies and germs... Rivers Of Life Church proudly presents...

*Drumroll*

*Drumroll*

*More drumroll......roll.....roll.....*

*...roll........... roll loud............ roll soft............... roll loud again......*

*CLASH!!!*

*Sonshine Christmas!*
25 December 2004 (Sat)
10.30am - 1.30pm
Civil Service College
31 North Buona Vista Road
(Diagonally opposite Buona Vista MRT)

Yes this is the event of the year! And this year, we are going RETRO!!

Back to the good ol' days of...
A-Go-Go Queens & Cha-Cha Kings!
Beehive heads & Beryl cream!
Bell-bottoms & Gigantic collars!
Polka dots and psychedelic colours!

I would like to extend a special invitation to Jo and Meng (not the one in the zoo)... and friends of xooplexity...

Specially, specially to DEEman-yes-I-really-miss-you-lah-Wong... Stop doubting my love for you, my uhm...love.

Besides... there's going to be sing-song-sing-song wan chew know? Heh heh... Sms me if you can make it ya? Yes you, DEEman...

And you too, Jo...

Oh! And Meng (not the one in the zoo) too!!

To the rest... Do join us for this glorious event!!

2 and ¼!!!!

2004-12-15T17:19:00.000+08:00

I wouldn’t mind being 2 ¼ kg lighter.

I certainly would be delighted to be 2 ¼ inches taller.

I would be most glad to take 2 ¼ inches off my waist. Or for that matter…off every part of my body that’s threatening to move closer to Mother Earth with Cousin Gravity…

But for now…may I just share with you my joy? Yes…the joy of getting a 2 ¼ month bonus!!!

*Glee*

Ok technically speaking, it’s 1 ¾ months as we have already taken a ½ month advance bonus earlier this year but I’m happy nonetheless.

I was still joking with the boss this morning when I asked him about our bonus:

“So…Do we get 2 ¼ months like the civil servants? Heh heh…” *Grin*

“Yes.”

*Disbelief* “Are you serious??!”

“Yah!”

*Prostrate*

Honestly, when news came out that civil servants get to take home a 2 ¼ month bonus this year, I was half hoping that God will bless me with that kind of of money too.

But it didn’t look like it was going to happen. Everyone in the office was already prepared to receive their one month bonus. Nonetheless I told Him that I’ll be thankful for whatever amount He’s going to bless me with.

And yes, I am thankful indeed…

Of course now the challenge would be guarding myself against the Rich Man’s Syndrome. Yeah…sometimes the extra digits in your bank account can give you the illusion that you’re a millionaire and you’ll start spending like one.

You’ll start taking more cabs because you have 2 ¼ months bonus.

You’ll start buying more luxury items because you have 2 ¼ months bonus.

You’ll start becoming more generous with your Christmas shopping because *everybody together now…*

YOU HAVE 2 ¼ MONTH BONUS!!!

Very soon, the 2 ¼-month-bonus-rich-man will transform into a 2 ¼-month-pauper…

Not going to let last year’s tragedy happen again…

Nah-Uh…

jingle bells...batman smells... robin laid an egg...

2004-12-14T19:02:00.000+08:00

Time is moving a little too fast for me...

It seemed like only a while ago that I had to zip in and out of Takashimaya to do my not-meant-to-be-last-minute-but-somehow-it-always-end-up-being-last-minute Christmas shopping.

I remember stressing myself out trying to pick the right gift for the right person.

"Hmm...The green water bottle or the blue one...?"

"3-in-1 Milo or Danish Butter cookies..?"

I remember ending up with headaches and excess gastric acid...

I remember trying very hard to obtain information from friends on their preferred choice of presents without them knowing what I was trying to do...

"Hey...which do you think is nicer: Dark chocolates or white chocolates?"

I don't remember how much I spent but it must have been a lot. I remember the bags becoming heavier and my wallet becoming lighter.

I don't spend a crazy amount on individual gifts but the trouble was... I have a LOT of friends.

After going through my name list gazillion times and attempting to omit gazillion names, I still end up having gazillion presents to buy.

This year... I resolve not to buy any Christmas presents.

I resolve to free myself from the headache of choosing the right gift and the hassle of fighting with the Christmas crowd.

I resolve to just donate the money to the church's Christmas outreach.

I've made these resolutions 3 years in a row and I still find myself zipping in and out of shopping malls every year as the day approaches.

Maybe this year my resolutions will come to pass cuz I really really really have no time to go and shop for presents.

Every available evening is spent either at the church office or in front of my computer, designing or printing coupons/ invitation cards/ flyers/ signages for the Christmas outreach.

But knowing me... I think I'll still end up zipping in and out of malls again...

Probably after the 25th...

to medan...to medan...to buy a fat pig...

2004-11-17T01:54:00.000+08:00

On the last day before missions, my true love gave to me...

6 pairs clean undies

5... cotton Tees

4 packs of tissue

3 formal blouses

2 pairs of berms

and 1 haversack big and so green...

Am finally done with my packing...

In about 6 hrs time, I'll be flying off to Medan with 6 soldiers of faith (SOF) for a mission trip.

Mission trips never fail to perk me up. I don't know... maybe it's the air out there... or maybe it's just the fact that you can get away from routine and embrace the unknown in another place...

Hmmm...

one down...

2004-11-14T20:49:00.000+08:00

"Not I but Christ who lives within me."

JAMS is finally over. Gone are the butterflies in the stomach. What's left now is the feeling of satisfaction and a little weariness...

One down. A gazillion more to go.

So many things to do and so little brain power... At times like these you can't help but thank God that He's around to bring you through it.

At times like these, you can only marvel at the grace that He's given you to do what you never thought you could do...

At times like these, I just pray,"God, don't ever let me leave your presence..."

And I know... There'll be more to come.

More to come...

Right now, I shall just sit back and enjoy my Rocky Road and Charlie's Angels... in the company of my heavenly Father and His beautiful children...

More to come...

mum's the word...

2004-11-11T23:57:00.000+08:00

After reigning as queen for 8 days... It is time for yours truly to step down and allow the real queen to take her rightful place...

Will the real Mama Loo please stand up?

Yes... Mama's back in one piece... no make dat 4 pieces... One samsonite hardcase.. one samsonite softcase... one plastic bag full of chockies and one Mama Loo full of rashes...

Poor Mama developed rashes on her arms and shins due to the harsh weather condition in Israel... Moisturer did not provide much relief...

"See! You feel! My skin a bit rough rough liao..."

"Aiyo the water there so hard! I wash until my hair machiam wire like that! Aiya so regret doing the hair treatment before I go man!"

Anyways... I'm just glad that she's back... and that she bought gifts for me...ME!! MEEEE!!! MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!!!!!

Ahem.

Let's take a look at the harvest...

1. A "Someone who loves me very much went to Israel and got me this T-shirt!" T-shirt.

Very witty, mama... Veeeeeeery witty...

2. A Jewish cross pendant.
She bought a few more of these as gifts to some other people, e.g. some pair of sisters who live in the West... Dang... And I thought I was special...

Must...work...extra...hard...to...maintain...Mama's...girl...status... *Clench fists*

3. Facial Products
Great for acne apparently. It's so comforting to know that my face must have appeared in her mind so many times that she needed to get something for it...

All these trips to the airport makes me wanna go on a trip too!!

Oh wait... I AM going on a trip!!

It's so surreal to know that I'll be leaving for Medan next Wednesday on a mission trip.

Have not packed... Have not exchange money... Heck! Even the itinery's not confirmed yet!

But we have faith... oh yes we do... Everything's gonna be aye-okay...

an apple a day...

2004-11-04T23:38:00.000+08:00

I really should be working on my calendar cover now.

It's already November and the calendars need to be out by Christmas- no, wait, BEFORE Christmas so that we'd have time to wrap it.

But... I can't seem to get it going.

Head's hurting a little. Chest feeling really tired from all that coughing. And to think I was telling my friends that my voice sounds better when it's a little nasal... I'd like to take that back.

Was surprised to hear Claud's equally nasal voice when I went back to work today. Poor damsel had to endure the whole of yesterday coughing and splatting in the office as yours truly took the liberty of coughing and splatting at home.

*Hack*Hack*Wheeze*Wheeze*

Have you ever had the annoying experience whereby you feel so crappy at home with all the mucus threatening to drown you alive and then while waiting at the doctor's, your body begins to go into this miracle healing process and by the time you get to see the doctor, it almost seems like you are just faking it to get out of work?

And then the doctor start giving you that I-KNOW-WHAT-YOU-DID-LAST-SUMMER look?

Anyways, for the record, I didn't attempt to make myself sound sicker than I really am. I just told him as-a-matter-of-factly that I was having running nose and a sorethroat and I needed lozenges.

Zero attempt to gain sympathy. Zero attempt to beg for an MC.

"You working right? One day MC for you?"

"Ok thanks." *Flips hair nonchalantly*

All went well until the part where I was asked to hop onto the weighing scale...

"Wah! You put on weight ah? X kgs in a span of less than 6 months you know? Must excercise lah you know?"

Doctor-1 , Xooplex-0+Xkg

Anyways... Some updates to account for the long disappearance...

1. Previous weeks were taken up by the planning of the annual staff dinner in which yours truly was the co-emcee. Judging by the response, it's either that we were very entertaining or the food was laced with alcohol.

2. Won a PDA during the blessing draw. I know I should be thrilled but I was really more interested in the printer.

3. Was also busy preparing for my sharing for JAMS, only to find out that it was postponed.

4. Sent Mama Loo off on her Holy Pilgrimage in Israel. The last I heard, they were at Galilee breaking bread and feeding thousands.

"Today we went to this place where they taught us to make our own bread! So fun!"

Yes mama... Bread today. Locusts tomorrow.

Muahahahahahahaaaa....

Ok I think I need to sleep now.

sorry seem to be the hardest word...

2004-11-04T20:58:00.000+08:00

It's true...

Sorry is always the hardest word... especially to your family.

Everyone wants to have the last word.

Everyone wants to be right.

At the end of the day, you realise it's just you and your own pride.

I wasn't right in the first place. I knew.

But I argued nonetheless.

I slapped. I punched.

I think I have been doing that all my life.

"I'm not born to be slapped by you, you know!"

I know.

I really do.

I wish I could take back all that I've done to you.

There's always so much anger. I don't know why.

Maybe I'm the screwed up one.

Maybe I'm too messed up inside.

I'm sorry. I really am.

I'll try not to do this ever again.

I'm on my journey right now... I hope you understand.

I'm trying to love you, boy.

I really am.

scattered brain...

2004-10-21T23:29:00.000+08:00

I am such a bad steward of money...

I have a feeling that I may have misplaced a sum of money that was given to me a few weeks ago...

For the life of me, I simply cannot remember whether I had:

a) Used the money to pay my tithes and squandered the rest away.

b) Hidden the envelope in a place which even I myself cannot find.

c) Lost the the envelope.

*Scowl*

Call me paranoid but I have this feeling that at this very minute, those little blue notes are hiding somewhere, laughing among themselves over my blunder and patting one another on the back for their great escape...

*Double scowl*

Anyways... Haven't had the time to blog as I was attending an audio seminar for the entire week... Wasn't too bad... Though it was more like a refresher course for me, having attended it a year ago...

Oh something I simply must announce... I PASSED MY ADVANCED THEORY!!!

Alright alright... it's old news for most of us but I just couldn't help it...

Please pardon the seemingly scattered thoughts... Brain is still trying hard to recall where it last seen the stack of blue fellas... Yes...it was a stack of BLUE fellas...

Oh Lord help me...

it's so hard to say goodbye...

2004-10-12T13:47:00.001+08:00

Today, I lost a volunteer.

Yida.

A well-mannered chap I recruited abt month ago as a mentor for the kids at the Student Care Centre.

A 17 year-old boy who stood out from the rest of his peers during the interview with his maturity and positivity.

A big brother whom the kids looked up to; a Kor Kor who never failed to give the kids a piggy back ride.

Yida passed away last Friday at 7.30pm. He collapsed during a street soccer competition after the ball hit his chest. For those who have read the Newpaper on 11 Oct might recognise him as the first year marine engineering student from Singapore Polytechnic.

I came into contact with Yida on several occasions. He's been a great help at the Student Care Centre, guiding the kids in their homework and having fun with them during playtime.

The last time I saw him was during the Children's Day celebration where he helped out as a programme facilitator.

It was only a few days ago that I handed his coursemate his CIP letter to account for the number of hours he has volunteered at our centre.

13 hours.

I do not know him that well as a friend. But for some reason, his death affected me.

You know how sometimes, you can have this good feeling about a person even though it's only the first time the two of you met? That's probably how I felt about Yida.

When I first met the boy, I was won over by his gentle smile and that genuine enthusiasm in becoming a volunteer.

We even talked about the possibility of him coming back to the centre after he has completed the required ten hours of community service.

I guess that's not quite possible now.

To Yida: It has been a privilege having you at our centre. Even though our time with you was brief, you have left a lasting impression on all of us, especially the children whom you have come into contact with. Thank you for the joy you've brought to the children. Your presence will be greatly missed.

zeelo zeelo fall fight...

2004-10-06T22:36:00.001+08:00

I received this sms from a beloved friend today...

"Joyce! The 0045 came out! But permutation 4005 leh! Consolation only. But cool. Cum! Give me anuder 4 nos. Haha."

Lovely... So now I am APE (Assistant Programme Executive) by day and 4D Psychic by night...

Never knew I had that gift... Should I be flattered?

No wonder the aunties always made me pick 4D numbers for them when I was young and naive... Yes, they actually have a very complex system for that...

1. Prepare 10 pieces of 2cm by 2cm paper.
The choice of colour for the paper is very important as it is believed that it can help increase the chances of winning the lottery. Red is the usually the safest bet (no pun intended).

2. Write the digits 0 to 9 on the pieces of paper.

3. Fold them carefully into 4.
The end product is called lots.

The next few steps are rather complicated and require parental supervision:

4. Hold all the lots in one hand.

5. Throw the lots as high as possible.

6. With the same hand, catch only ONE of the falling lots.
If you are unable to catch any of the lots due to poor coordination skills, it is acceptable to pick one from the floor and pretend that you have caught it.

7. Open the lot that you have caught and record down the number on the lot.

8. Fold the lot back and mix it properly with the rest of the lots.

9. Repeat steps 4 to 8 until you obtain 4 digits.

Anyways... Thanks to the modern day 4D Psychics, you don't have to go through that hassle anymore...

So... by popular demand... here are your four numbers of the day...

*Deep concentration*

2...

2...

0...

7...

*Heaves a sigh of relief* *Wipes sweat off forehead*

There you have it, folks... Have a nice day...

Disclaimer: The 4D Psychic does not believe in betting personally and neither does she guarantee a sure-win for the numbers posted on this site.

final fantasy...

2004-10-05T10:12:00.002+08:00

For some reason, I can't seem to view my previous entry which was posted last night...

Oh it's nothing important really... Just a prayer request for my Final Driving Theory Test tonight. Really...don't have to trouble yourself if you do not have the time...it's at 6.30pm. I mean...I can totally understand if you forgot to pray for me...at Comfort Driving Centre.

Ahem...

Anyways, been up all night doing the necessary reading for today's test. Like the true blue Singaporean student, I buried myself in the "Ten-Years Series" and completed 150 questions in an 1.5 hrs.

150 questions. Dun brake brake.

You know that you are suffering from an advanced theory overdose when you wake up the next morning with the following question in your head:

"When you see a young, old or handicapped person crossing the road, you should:

a. Run them over.

b. Sound the horn and scare the beep out of them.

c. Show them the finger."

And it's definitely not a good sign when you actually have to take time to ponder over the correct answer for the above question.

Which reminds me of the time during O'Levels when you cramp waaay too much info into your little brain in the course of one night and wake up the next morning shouting:

"Long live Chulalongkorn!!"

Anyways... Shall bury myself again in the "Ten-Years Series" during lunch.

And remember... If you're busy... Don't have to PRAY FOR MY FINAL DRIVING THEORY TEST AT THE COMFORT DRIVING CENTRE AT 6.30PM.

Ahem...

Sidenote: My hands seem to have this coordination problem when it comes to typing the word "theory". I'll always find myself typing "theroy", "thoery", "thorye", "theryo", "thyroe".

final theory...

2004-10-04T23:49:00.000+08:00

Ok I know I should be studying for my final theory instead of blogging but I just need to make a few quick announcements...

To good friends of mine: Kindly remember to pray for my final driving theory test tomorrow at 6.30pm.

For those who do not know how to go about it, a simple "God! Please let her pass!" will do...

To Mars and Cher: Remember what I said about me being the type of person who would NEVER leave important documents in between the pages of a book?

I take it back.

The slip of paper with the test info was found in between the pages of "The Purpose Driven Life".

To people who just happened to stumble upon this blog: Here are four digits for you - 0045.

May it bring you prosperity...

bite me...

2004-10-03T23:37:00.000+08:00

I can't seem to stop biting on my my inner cheeks...

Inner cheeks... Is there such a word?

Anyways... for the record, I have bitten myself not once! Not twice! But 7 TIMES yesterday!! (Hey perfect number!)

At the exact same spot everytime! All in an hour's work!

And today I bit on my inner cheeks again during lunch. Twice.

What I hate about such accidents is that once you've bitten yourself the first time, the spot where you've just bitten kinda swell up, making it an easy target for your teeth to strike again...

Molar 1: Look dude! That's the spot we hit on 5 minutes ago!

Molar 2: Oh yeah! Man...It was so fun! Let's do that again!

*CHOMP!*

A...r...g...h....

Usually when such incidents happen, Mama Loo aka Senior Doctor Quack will tell me that my body is heaty.

"Drink more water lah..."

"Drink coke with salt..."

"Go make yourself a cup of liang teh (herbal tea) lah..."

Come on mama... All these the Junior Doctor Quack already know... But Junior *CHOMP!* is...*CHOMP* still...*CHOMP*CHOMP* BITING HER INNER CHEEKS!!!!!!#$%#*@

Owww...

It's sucks big time BUT!! I'm still thankful that the repetitive bites have not caused any ulcers to develop.

Must give thanks...

*CHOMP!*

the ultimate mission...

2004-10-02T22:47:00.000+08:00

Time: 1930 - 2030hrs

Location: Margaret Drive Food Centre

Mission: Purchase dinner at targeted Char Kway Teow stall.

Team Members: C1, C2, Mars, Jia, Xooplex

Roles & responsibilities:
1. Queuers - To queue for food.
2. Choper - To chope seats while queuers stand guard at Char Kway Teow stall.

[1930hrs] Queuer Mars and queuer Xooplex advanced towards Char Kway Teow stall while chopers C1, C2 and Jia stand guard at the base camp. Along the way, both queuers strategised to chase away other queuers so that they can be first in line. The plan was for queuer Mars to show some shoulder and queuer Xooplex to show some leg.

[1935hrs] Strategy aborted. Both queuers decided that they were underdressed for the occasion.

Progress Report: 2 inches away from original queue spot.

[1940hrs] Queuers faced the dilema of whether or not to abandon queue and head elsewhere. Both queuers could not reach a consensus. Thus, they played Scissors-Paper-Stone. If Xooplex wins, team stays; if Mars wins, team leaves.

Xooplex won.

Progress Report: 4 inches away from original queue spot.

*One small step for the people! One big leap for the nation!*

[1950hrs] Queuers once again faced the dilema of staying or quiting. Both queuers appeared hesitant as they have already made it this far.

Progress Report: 8 inches away from original queue spot.

[2000hrs] Queuer Jia came to relief queuer Mars of her duties. Queuer Mars goes back to base for sugar cane juice break and an exchanged info with chopers at base camp on current queue situation.

[2005hrs] Queuer Mars rejoined the queuer team.

Progress Report: Still..very..far..away..from..stall...

[2010hrs] Stall is finally in sight!

[2020hrs] Queuers Mars, Jia and Xooplex only 2 steps away from stall. Queuers observed that people in front were ordering numerous plates of Char Kway Teow.

*&%$#@...

[2025hrs] Target locked on! Queuer Xooplex shoots Char Kway Teow Uncle with orders for 4 plates of Char Kway Teow.

[2030hrs] Mission Accomplished. Return to base.

Queuer Xooplex is currently discharged from the team and she swears to herself that she will never do this ever again.

N-E-V-E-R.

excuse me... you're cramping my style...

2004-09-30T23:23:00.000+08:00

Today I:

Woke up late. Again.

Felt a cramp coming.

Reminded myself to bring my painkillers, only to forget about it again when I left the house.

Was relieved to know that my colleague had the said painkillers when I reached the office.

Popped 2 painkillers after a sumptous meal of laksa, only to realised that it was already too late.

Tried to reassure myself that the painkillers will take effect soon.

Braced myself for a staff meeting.

Felt like puking as the painkillers and laksa didn't seem to mix very well.

Excused myself from the meeting halfway through.

Took a cab home.

Curled up like a worm in bed and endured the pain for another hour or so before I fell asleep from exhaustion.

Woke up a short while later to find myself in pain again.

Curled, endured pain and fell asleep again.

Woke up much much later to find that the pain is finally gone.

Heaved a sigh of relief.

Realised that I forgot to drop by the doctor to get an MC for today.

Smacked myself on the forehead.

This week, I'm resolving to:

Sleep earlier.

Wake up earlier

Get to the office on time.

Refrain from taking cabs to work.

Complete my social reports.

Condition my hay... I mean, hair.

Tidy up my room, where Mama Loo is residing.

Tidy up Baby Loo's room, where I'm residing.

Tidy up the living room, where I reside most of the time.

Tidy up the bar counter.

Sort out my wardrobe. Formal clothes on the left, casual on the right.

Iron all my work clothes before the start of next week.

Continue reading my book.

Sort out the JG minutes file.

Refrain from making too many resolutions.

So send me your blessings...

Untitled...

2004-09-28T19:39:00.001+08:00

I'm feeling extremely Homer-ish lately...

No...not that my skin is turning bright yellow or that I'm balding (D'oh!). But I think my life lately is beginning to resemble his a lot...

Eating... not donuts but tons of other stuff...
Drinking... not beer but still not enough water to hydrate myself...
Sleeping... a lot but never enough...

Not to mention all the above are mostly done in front of a television set.

I'm getting more lethargic. I can sit in front of the TV for hours and not wanting to move a single muscle. I spend most of my days sleeping on the couch cuz the slightest movement (like getting up to go to my room) would cause me to be wide awake. And I'll end up having difficulty getting back to sleep again.

Alcoholics and drug addicts rely on substances to fill their void. I simply fill mine with TV and internet. Anything... anything to take me away...

Honestly, I feel numb.

Apathy.

It's a red-alert but I'm too weak to do anything. Or maybe... I don't want to do anything about it.

If I have the power, I'll make it stop. But I don't and I can't. I'm looking for help but it doesn't seem to be coming. I'm getting angry. Maybe that's why I'm abusing myself.

I'm rebelling, I think. Maybe I'm hoping that all these will catch your attention and maybe one day you will care more about me?

Why? Why weren't you around when I so needed that hug?

Why couldn't you be around when the knife went into my heart?

Why?

What exactly do I have to do? Or what exactly am I not doing right? Have I not been doing what you want me to all these while?

Why couldn't you just tell me you love me for once?

Am I really worth your time? Am I?

I am really afraid. I'm afraid that after this storm, I may still have to pick up the pieces that you've dug up and put them back to their original places again.

If you love me, please let me know.

hi...my name is oscar & i'm your friendly volunteer coordinator.

2004-09-24T01:36:00.000+08:00

Attended a course on volunteer management today... Wasn't too bad... Rather insightful actually... Only problem was the morning grouchiness that lingered way after 11am...

Course started at 9... so I was a grouch for 2 whole hours... Wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that the first few hours of such courses usually meant tons of get-to-know-yous and tons of interacting...

"Hi! I'm Tomdickharrisonford from XXX! Where are you from?"

"GRRROOOOWWWL..."

"Ohh..k..."

Quite contrary to popular beliefs... I'm really not a small talk person... I HATE networking sessions! Put me in a room filled with strangers and chances are I'll be hiding in one corner, happily clipping my toenails...

Ok I'm kidding... That would be socially unacceptable to some... Cannot be so anTAI-social... How to build community spirit lydat?

"Hi... Would you like to join me for some toenail clipping?"

Anyways... Things began to pick up later in the day... Xooplex became a friendlier person... Xooplex also asked more questions and laughed a lot more... All thanks to Mr Nescafe and a very tiny styrofoam cup...

Even Uncle's Kopi-O GaoGao cannot beat my power brew...

Oh and here are some non-related stuff I picked up from the course:

**Warning: Contains bad pronunciation.

1. NWEEPC stands for National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.

2. We have a considerable rate of jooneevile delinquency in Singapore. (Wow...I sure hope the goverment is looking into this...)

3. With regards to the joonevile delinquency issue, our trainer asked us to think abourrit. (I have seen this before but never knew that there were people who actually pronounce it like that. Until today that is...)

So...Wad jew yew fink?

curry favour...

2004-09-23T01:02:00.000+08:00

Listening to Laura Fygi and happily sipping my ice Milo... I know what you're thinking but ice Milo is not a late night snack... So there there!

A late night snack would be the 2 hotdogs I had before the ice milo... But it was justifiable since I didn't have any dinner. And since I'm moving my body to the music, I'm actually burning out those excess calories... So there there!! *Buries head in sand*

"Wham!! Bam!! Alakazaam!! Under the orange coloured sky....!!!"

No work today cuz my tummy didn't quite agree with the food I put in yesterday... And it took the whole day to tell me exactly how much it didn't like Mama Loo's curry chicken... We had a talk in the loo (no pun intended) and we did some major trashing out...

But of course I'll spare everyone the gross details like how the entire ordeal left a smoking butthole in my...uh...butt.

Yeah... You really don't need to know all that...

And the reason why I had such a late dinner was because I was desperately trying to find something to satisfy my immense craving for something spicy and coconut-milkish... Something like...erm... curry chicken...

It's must be that time of the month again...

Anyways... no work tomorrow again cuz I'll be going for a course on volunteer management... The itinerary states that there will be 2 tea breaks... Hmm...hope they serve good food...

Hope they serve curry chicken...

quote unquote...

2004-09-20T17:23:00.000+08:00

I...uhh..."won't"?

driving me nuts...

2004-09-18T21:43:00.000+08:00

It's definitely not a good sign when there's driving lesson tomorrow and here you are, asking your friends for the correct procedure of getting the car going...

Was it:
1. Step on clutch.
2. Change to gear 1.
3. Release handbrake
4. Check mirror and blind spots
5. Step on accelerator
6. Release clutch and vrrooom-vrroom????

Aiyaaiyaaaaiiee...

I vaguely remember working out the steps in an anti-clockwise direction starting from the clutch pedal but I can't be sure now... Not especially after the demoralising last lesson in which I literally forgotten everything about driving...

And it doesn't help that your driving instructor sees you so up and expects you to know it all by heart...

Like hello...it's only my 2nd lesson and my last lesson was ONE AND A HALF WEEKS ago!!! *Indignant*

Must...pray...hard...for...God's...favour...

AMEN!!

for activation of diaphragm... press 1...

2004-09-13T01:46:00.000+08:00

Diaphragm...O diaphragm... Where art thou....

Worship led during JAMS today... As usual, throat started to clamp up after the second song... And it didn't help that I'm nursing a cough and windpipe was still feeling highly irritable... sigh... I really need to solve the mystery of the missing diaphragm...

"Aiya! Your diaphragm is already there lah!"

Yuh...so how do I activate it?

*Press*Press*

*Squish*Squish*

*Tickle*Tickle*

*Massage with olive oil* (Extra virgin!)

*Here..kitty-kitty...*

"...So she huffed, and she puffed, and she blew his house in, and ate up the little pig."

"You gotta exercise it Dahling..."

Exercise? How?? How do you exercise something that you don't even know if you're using??? HOW?!?!?!

Sigh...

Wanted: Diaphragm Gurus

vrooom-vrooom!!

2004-09-11T23:47:00.000+08:00

Xooplex's dream mobile... for now that is... Xooplex likes car... Xooplex must have the car... ok... Xooplex shall learn to drive asap and start looking for potential sugar daddy/mommy...

*Steals a glance at Mama Loo*

Hmmm......

*Stealthily moves towards Mama Loo*

"Meeow..." *Bambi eyes*Quivering lips*Pout*

*Waits for Mama Loo to stop convulsing...*

Mental note: Must refrain from doing the above actions simultaneously next time. May produce undesired response.

have you met...ME?

2004-09-10T23:07:00.000+08:00

I keep my mask with me everywhere I go
In case I need to wear it, so ME doesn't show.
I'm so afraid to show you ME, afraid of what you'll do
You might laugh at ME, or say mean things
Or I might lose you.

I'd like to take my mask off ,
To let you look at ME
I want you to try to understand
And please love what you see.

So if you'll be patient and close your eyes
I'll pull it off real slow
Please understand how much it hurts
To let the real ME show.

Now my mask is taken off.
I feel naked! Bare! So cold!
If you can still love all you see,
You're my friend, pure as gold.

I want to save my mask and hold it in my hand
I need to keep it handy if someone doesn't understand
Please protect ME my new friend,
thank you for loving ME true,
But please let me keep my mask with me,
until I love ME too.
~Unknown~

Came across the poem in a book that I've been reading, called "Craving For Love". Very interesting book. Very intriguing. Very close to heart. And I shall now go back to my bed to continue with my reading...

monday night supper...

2004-09-06T23:53:00.000+08:00

I've finally found a great way to look slim...

That is... to fatten up the people around you so that you can look weee~yew~weeingly less overweight in comparison... Takes a little time and some level of monetary investment but it's worth it...

"Wait till they become fatter than I am... Muahahahah..."

Evil you say but I've run out of ideas... so unless someone can come up with a better proposal... I shall continue with my fattening of Hansels and Gretels...

And by better proposal, I mean anything that doesn't require physical exercise or endless dieting... Yeah, I know... how to lose weight...

That's why... Fatten those kids, I say! Fatten those kids!!!

Had supper with the gers (and the guy) just now... Decided to go with my heart (and tummy) and order the sinful lard-filled Char Kway Teow... But not without asking Aunty to give me more Dao Gay (beansprouts)... See! I'm also very health conscious wat!

**Ask For: Less Salt! Less Oil! More Vegetables!**

But of course, I was wise enough to refrain from saying "Less oil hor, Aunty". The last time I did that, Aunty gave me a dirty look, handed me her spatula and said:

"Ni zi ji chao lor!" (You come and fry yourself lah you silly nincompoop!)

See...Here's the thing I don't get... Does the Ministry of Health really think that the customers can actually improve their diet by saying the magic slogan to the oh-so-caring-and-concerned hawkers?!

Please... Try asking for 2 more leaves of Chai Sim and the bugger looks at you as if you have asked to be included in his will...

Yeah...Some things you simply CANNOT say to a Char Kway Teow, Oh-Luak or Chai Tao Kueh seller... Less Hum, less Chai Por yes... but never "Less oil hor, Aunty"...

Wait Aunty perform her Crouching-Chopper-Hidden-Spatula moves on your head den you know...

caffeine induced brain hyperactivity...

2004-09-05T01:36:00.000+08:00

You know that something is seriously wrong when your msn convo consists of very detailed analysis of your... erm... pee...

Just returned from a Coffee Bean fellowship with my chums... Wanted a regular Ultimate Blend but the oh-so-friendly-and-thoughtful waitress didn't ask me for my desired size of coffee and presumed, based on her many many years of work experience, that I would like a Grande (read: BIG cup)... Which I now realise is a tad too much caffeine for a tiny body like mine... Ok maybe not TINY-tiny but that's not the point...*glare*

Which is why I'm still up at this hour, blogging away and feeling extremely high after having a very nonsensical msn convo with a friend of mine, Mahlean* (*Not her real name, her real name is Marlene Oh Shu Hui)

Mahlean and I started having this intellectual exchange on how excessive consumption of coffee can cause our bodies to produce pee that makes our toilets smell like Coffee Bean... the cafe...not the bean...

We concluded that it kinda made our toilets smelled... better...

How nice... Now we can save all that money on air refresheners to purchase large quantities of coffee so that we can produce aromatic pee to improve the quality of air in our homes!

Think about it! It's environmental friendly! CFC-free and 100% biodegradable! Forget Newater! Ladies and gentlemen... I bring you... Aroma_Therapee!!

Call the number on your monitor within the next 2.85 seconds (WR) and we'll even throw in the delightful pee_light holder!! All for just 82 payments of S$499.00!! Is that a good bargain or what?! And check out what our satisfied customers have to say!

"I used to waste so much money on CFC-filled air refresheners... Now... I have found the perfect solution! Thank you, Aroma_Therapee"

"Thanks to Aroma_Therapee... We can now wake up to the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee everyday!"

**Also available!**
Christian DeLewlian, Issey Sambalbelachan and Hugo Wooaahman!

the fast and the furious...

2004-09-04T13:06:00.000+08:00

I drove a man around Bedok yesterday!

Ok... Technically speaking I stepped on the acelerator a little, tried my best to stay sane while my driving instructor gave me instruction after intruction to keep the car moving...

"Ok now we get ready to change gear ah... When I count to 3, you step on the clutch! Ok 1..2..3! Change gear! Correct! Ok now slowly release the clutch! Smoothly ah...smoothly... Correct! Ok now step on the acelerator a little more! Uh no no! Too much liao! Ok relax a bit ah! Correct! Ok check the rear view mirror! Check the blind spot! Ok we get ready to change gear again ah... Ok tell me! From gear 2 change to what??"

"Erm... Gear 3..."

"Correct! Ok ah... 1..2..3! Uh! No no! Step on the clutch first! Yah correct! Then change gear! Correct! Ok now we get ready to change to lower gear! Ready...1..2..3! Uh no no! You pulling to the wrong side! That's gear 5! Your hand must relax a little ah! Ok correct! Ok now slowly step on the brake! Ok... Very good!"

It felt like an episode from ER...

Yeah... So that was my very first driving lesson... It was... well... rather fun actually... I think I did ok... At least that was what the instructor tried to convince me...

"So this is your first time driving ah? Ok lah... Not too bad... You are quite calm and not too gabra lah... *Wipes sweat off forehead* Yah lah... Not too bad..."

Hmm...

But well... My instructor's a nice man... very patient... Talks kinda funny though... He reminds me of the Teflon frying pan salesman at CK Tang Basement 1 doing his sales pitch... Very smooth... Very flowy...

"Ok now I shall explain to you the clutch ah... Basically ah... There're 4 circumstances ah...*shows 4 fingers* yes... 4 circumstances ah... whereby you'd need to step on the clutch ah... Number 1 ah... yadayada... ahh... Then Number 2 ah... yadayadayada... Ahh then number 3 leh... yadayada... Number 4.. yadayada... Ok I repeat one more time ah..." (And then he goes on to do a quick recap of what he just said... maintaining the very smooth and flowy tone of voice...)

I think I might end up buying the car one of these days...

Nonetheless... I'm looking forward to my next lesson which is on 11 Sep... Hmm... Auspicious date... I hope there won't be any aeroplanes come crashing into us cuz that would really really... spoil my day...

CHEE CHEW CHAA!!!

2004-08-22T01:22:00.000+08:00

Just watched the table-tennis semi-finals between Singapore's Lee Jia Wei and Korea's Kim Hyang Mi and the only thing I can take away from this match is...

*CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

No... That is not the name of a particular brand of Kim-chi... thank God...

That... is the HIGLY-intensed-VERY-irritating-and-not-to-mention-SUPER-LOUD holler of the TWICE-AS-MUCH-intensed-EVEN-MORE-irritating-and-would-somebody-just-shut-her-up Korean player who won the match...

*CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

For the benefit of those who didn't manage to catch the match... This is what I was talking about...

Everytime:

Korean player misses ball... *CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

Singapore player misses ball... *CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

Ball hits net... *CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

Ball lands outside table... *CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

Ball hits Korean player... *CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

Ball hits Singaporean player... *CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

Ok I'm exaggerating... Sometimes it's *CHEE CHEW CHA-CHAA!!*...

Yes... that means that every 5 seconds, Ms Kim will produce her HIGHLY-intensed-VERY-irritating-and-not-to-mention-SUPER-LOUD holler...

*CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

5 minutes into the game and I find myself having this compelling urge to dismantle the tv, eat up the electronic boards and stuff the wires into my ears... I wasn't actually dat upset with the loss of a gold medal... I was more irritated by the non-stop verbal distraction coming frm Ms Kim...

*CHEE CHEW CHAA!!*

I have absolutely nothing against Korea... North or South... Knowing the kind of sacrifices they have to make in order to pursue their passion and the consequences they faced when they lose a match, I salute them for their courage and tenacity... But having said dat... I am still not quite sure about Ms Kim's incessant and at times arrogant holler... It almost sounded like she was cursing and swearing at Lee...

Nonetheless... with all due respect for the country and their sports culture... I would like to present a special holler of my own to Ms Kim... This is my token of appreciation to our very beloved Singapore player who played the game with grace, dignity and most inportant of all... silence.

*CHEE CHEW CHAA YOUR HEAD LAH!!!!!*

a little toast...

2004-08-20T11:43:00.000+08:00

Lately my little blogspot has somewhat become a cozy corner for friends to get together...

hmmm...

Need to get more wine and cheese then!!! *grin*

Ok I know... I shouldn't be snacking at this time of the day but I've got guests! so... gotta be a good host! Besides... Cheese is good for your bones and wine is good blood circulation! So they're friends... *bambi eyes*

Gotta keep this short as I promised God dat I will not abuse my body by sleeping late and of cuz... snacking late...

Yeah... so I promise not to eat anymore after I'm done with this bowl of longan beancurd...

I promise... *Buuurrp*

------------------

P/s: Thank u all for making Xooplexity such a lively place with all your comments... It has made this blogging journey a lot more enjoyable than it already is...

Was never really Joyce's intention to entertain but she's glad that u guys enjoyed it nonetheless... Pardon the days when Joyce may not seem so joyful and entertaining but rest assured that every entry is the sincerest expression of her feelings and thoughts...

Joyce sincerely invites everyone to join her for more wine and cheese in the near future...

*Cheers!*

i see FAT people...

2004-08-19T01:48:00.000+08:00

I need to lose weight... desperately...

Food consumption has been outrageously high these few weeks and it's taking its toll on me... I dare not measure my waistline lest I find a few more inches added to the already-not-so-glamorous part of my body... *nervous laughter*

I'm beginning to amaze and scare myself with my food intake nowadays... I can eat and eat till wee hours in the morning and still feel unsatisfied... I can have multiple cravings simultaneously and they hit me at the weirdest time... usually after 11pm... which is... not a very healthy time...

And no... the last time I checked, I'm not pregnant... I'm just a greedy dude with late night cravings... So stop staring at me bulging tummy like dat! And for the record, those are NOT vericose veins! They're just stretch marks! *waves fist*

Late night snacking has never really been much of a problem for me until recently when my menu started to lean towards heavier stuff... Hotdogs... Campbell's chunky soup... Myojo curry chicken noodles (a must-have in all households!)... Otah buns... Teow Chew meat pies (a must-have in ALL Pasar Malams!)... If u notice, most of the stuff spell H-I-G-H-C-A-R-B-O or S-A-T-U-R-A-T-E-D-F-A-T... And if u rearrange the words, it can actually spell J-o-y-c-e n-e-e-d-s t-o s-t-o-p e-a-t-i-n-g s-o m-u-c-h... I kid u not...

And it doesn't help dat Mama Loo is the senior junkie in the House of Loo... (I'm sure that's where I got my snacking habits from! *adamant*) Fried fish balls (the cracker... not the ones on a stick) and sng moys (sourplums) are a common sight in the house... If u looked into her handbag... u should be able to find food supplies dat can sustain a family of 4 for the whole of 2004... Yeah...the Loos are always prepared for emergencies... The last time I heard, she is even planning to throw in a high-power touchlight so dat we do not have to live in darkness should there be another islandwide blackout...

It's not easy to nibble on sng moys in the dark u know...

But seriously... I'm not really into Mama Loo's kind of junk... I think they're all rather boring... I suspect this is one of her secret strategies to prevent me from snacking too much and end up not being able to fit into my wedding dress...if i had a wedding dress...

that scheming one...

Alright then... I shall now retire to my bed and draw up some concrete plans to lose weight while savouring my Hougang Otah from the Pasar Malam outside Redhill MRT station... Yes that's the same Pasar Malam where u can find the oh-so-irresistible Teow Chiu Meat Pies...

*tummy growls*

LOOney tunes...

2004-08-16T00:11:00.000+08:00

Decided to spend quality time with mama loo today... Having dinner at a friend's house with my friends and their mama made me realised how long it's been since i last had a decent meal with my mama...

i sometimes wonder if mama loo is lonely... especially since baby loo is in the army and there isn't really anyone she can talk to... except for me of cuz but i'm always not at home... and den i end up feeling guilty when i come home late at night and mama loo's sitting in front of the tv all by herself...

u know sometimes, i wished i cld tell her "i love u" more often but somehow the words can never seem to form... And sometimes, i look at my friend who gives her mama "bear hug attacks" and wonder howcome such physical affection doesn't run in my family...

If i have a kid next time, i'm gonna try my very best to be an affectionate mother...

*Hugs and kisses to u in advance, honey pumpkins!!*

Anyways, mama loo and i spent most of the day with my friends at fast food restaurants and ice-cream palour... Wasn't really our original plan but the problem was... we din really have an original plan... mama loo couldn't decide where to go... so we end up going with the flow...*rhyme detected!*

After consuming a lot of food and a lot of half melted ice-cream, mama loo coerced me into going to the esplanade to watch the fireworks with her... which i didn't mind except for one thing - the multitudes of people who were also going to be there to witness the glorious event. Nevertheless, i agreed.. guess this is my way of saying "i love u" to mama loo...

The fireworks were simply magnificent! Attempted to capture the glorious sight using mama loo's phone but everything just looked weird... Hinted to mama loo again dat we reeeaally need to invest in a digicam...

Our day ended with dinner at Suntec City (Yay! more eating!)... Met baby loo along the way and we finally get to sit down together at the dinner table to enjoy some family bonding... and den we lived happily ever after...

No actually we took bus #518 and i slept all the way home...

I love ya mama loo... oh and u too, baby loo! *rhyme detected!*

after-shower thoughts

2004-08-15T01:52:00.000+08:00

Nowadays it seems to be an increasing trend for friends to find out more about other friends' lives through the reading of their blogs. I personally have noticed that many of my friends are beginning to ask me questions based on my blog:

"Hey so how's your computer ah?"

"Huh? My computer? Wait...how did yo... oh... you read my blog huh..."

"Yeah..."

Gone are the days of a simple hey-how-have-u-been... Well...probably people who are non-blogreaders will still do that...

"Hi! i'm xooplexity.blogspot.com! And you are?"

Months ago when u go on the train, u may have secretly wondered how many people on that train cld have been infected with sars... but now... when i go on the train... i can't help but wonder whether the person sitting next to me cld be a fellow blogger...

Seriously, if a signboard was to drop along Orchard Road and landed on 10 people, at least 12 of them would have been bloggers... it's THAT rampant...

Be afraid... Be very afraid...

I've read quite a number of blogs and i am ever so amazed at how God has made each and everyone of us so unique. Everyone's got their own style of expressing themselves... Everyone has their own way of relating to God...

I don't consider myself as someone having a flair for writing. Sometimes my thoughts on paper can be restricted by my limited vocabulary and imperfect grammar.

I find myself particularly drawn to people who have a sense of humour and are able to communicate their thoughts and values through very simple language. Life is complicated enough sometimes... We should keep things simple...

Just a bowl of porridge and a salted egg...

Just stir-fried tao-gay and canned luncheon meat...

Just the joy of sharing it with people you love...

Just the contentment of knowing that God's in our midst...

i'm an INFP!

2004-08-14T00:20:00.001+08:00

Introverted, INtuitive, Feeling, Perceiving

Of all the 16 personality types, INFPs may be the most difficult to understand and get to know. They are usually intensely private people who need a good deal of time to warm up before they reveal their true natures. They tend to be cautious and hesitant with new people and may come across as detached and reserved. But this deceptively cool exterior surfaces belies the deep passion and intense feelings from which spring forth their strong values. INFPs are the most idealistic of all the types and trust their personal convictions to guide all of their decisions and choices. Quiet, serious, and highly sensitive, INFPs tend to have very few close friends. They live life with a certain emotional vulnerability and are easily hurt by real or perceived insensitivity. Once their feelings are hurt, they can become quite irrational and may interpret any disagreement as a betrayal.

While relationships are of key importance, INFPs value inner harmony above harmony with others. They care deeply about their loved ones and about their causes, but they also tend to hold grudges and have trouble forgiving and forgetting. INFPs have a tendency to worry or become defensive when challenged and may fall into depression when overwhelmed by their feelings. They want their relationships with their friends and families to be tension-free and need plenty of affection and reassurance that they are appreciated.

Curious and imaginative, they tend to spend much of their time inventing a private world of play. Their rich fantasy life may include adventures with imaginary friends. INFPs seem to have the souls of artists, even if they aren't artists themselves. But given their natural creativity, many INFPs actually are artists and enjoy new and different ways of expressing themselves through fine art, music, writing, poetry, dance and theatre. They are usually fascinated by opportunities to explore the complexities of human personality - their own and others'. They have a strong desire to understand the meaning of life and how issues affect them personally.

INFPs tend to work in burst of energy and are capable of great concentration and output when fully engaged in a project. They are generally faithful in fulfilling obligations related to people, work, or ideas to which they are commited, but have difficulty performing routine work that has little meaning to them.

Appearing to be easy-going and casual, INFPs actually have a very solemn, committed side which is revealed only to close, trusted friends. They value relationships based on depth, authenticity, true connection and mutual growth. INFPs prize most those who take time to understand their values and goals. They are apt to act spontaneously and tend to resist too much structure. INFPs may feel that they never have quite enough information with which to make a good decision. So they may put off chores or assignments and need the pressure of a looming deadline to prompt them into action.

the one that never made it to the paper...

2004-08-12T10:40:00.000+08:00

Early this morning, 6 chinese girls in their early 20s were spotted at One Fullerton creating a lot of commotion. They were causing a lot of disturbance to the party-goers who happened to be around at that time. According to one bystander, 2 of the girls even attempted to re-enact a scene from the popular reality show - "The Amazing Race".

"They were CRAZY lah deh! Prrretending to be carrying large bagpacks and arriving at pitstops! Crazy lah i tell yoo!" - Ms Reeyaleeti Sheeoh

"How can the gah-ment allow such people to come out at night wan?? Make Singkapoh malu only chew know..." - Mr Donch Lydat Tan

It is not known whether the notorious gang was under any alcohol influence. They were last seen terrorizing the staff and customers at Burger_King* (*Names have been changed a little beet to protect restaurant's identity). Burger_King has denied to comment on the incident.

i've done it His way...

2004-08-12T03:38:00.000+08:00

Evangenite is finally over...

After countless nights of staring at the computer monitor for extended period of time, making gazillion amendments to the FINAL (not to mention Final1, Final2, FINALreallyFINAL and FINALimnotkiddingyouFINAL!) guestlist... after going through the to-do list in my head over and over again just to make sure i've got everything covered... after many sleepless nights due to excessive brain activity and stress... the much anticipated event has finally come to pass on Sunday...

I can now rest in peace... I can stop thinking about complicated matters like fitting 14 guests to a table for 10 or swopping 2 tickets from person A to person B... and i no longer need to deal with mind-boggling-rocket-science equations like 20+5+3=32 (?!)... i kid u not... i still haven't quite figured out that one yet...

But i am happy... i'm happy to know that i've done my best to give God the greatest glory... that i've done my best to submit myself to Him throughout the process... even though there were many times when i struggled with wanting to do things my way... As a designer, it's second nature to wanna have quality control over every minute detail... But as God's child, i have to re-adjust that mindset and learn to let Him have the control... I have to consciously not do things for my own glory... but for His...

Someone asked me once, "Ain't you proud when people rave about your work?"

Truth is... I am... And truth is... i used to crave for human recognition so badly that i work doubly hard for it... but at the end of the day u realise that u are only chasing after something dat has no eternal impact on ur life... It's only when u know u are using ur gift to honour God, den u can find a joy and a sense of purpose in what u are doing... And it is such a blessing when u know u are working WITH God... not just FOR God...

i am proud of wat i can do... and i know this is the specific talent dat God has given me to serve in this church... I do enjoy the compliments dat people give me... but i'm even happier when i know that i have used wat God has given me to bless the others...

and of cuz the ultimate joy is when I know i have blessed His heart by doing it His way...

the lights are on but nobody's home...

2004-08-09T14:42:00.000+08:00

I'm torn...

I'm torn between going home to appease my totally exhausted body, sleep deprived brain, heavily laden eyelids and going to chill out at my senior pastor's house for some good clean fellowship with good clean friends... (ok no offense to mars...)

i weighed the pros and cons...did some mental calculation on the number of hours a body endure without proper rest and decided on the most logical option.

To the pastor's house we go...

i know... i'm such a sucker for companionship... but hey...it's a public holiday and i dun wanna sleep the day away... good clean fellowship and good clean friends are hard to come by... (again, no offence to mars...)

I treasure every moment i have with these people... i really do... there' something beyond the friendship dat we share... it's more than just enjoying one another's company... man... there's just so much more that i want to say about them but my brain just cant quite form the words....

but above all i think i'm still sober enough to say this:

i love u all...
xxx

an apple a day...

2004-08-03T20:02:00.000+08:00

I miss my computer... i really do...

*sniff*sniff*

No im not getting emotional... I'm just suffering from a sudden bout of cold... It started out with an innocent sneeze... and then my nose started to feel itchy... and then more sneezes came along... and voila! i am now the proud owner of a shiny red nose that puts rudolph to shame...

no... actually i look more like a glue sniffer suffering from withdrawal sypmtoms than anything else...

Claud kept persuading me to take a walk outside, saying that the air in my area is "not clean"... i beg to differ... i think i'm just allergic to claud... think abt it... i see her 7 days a week... 8 hrs a day... we share the same birthday... we go to the same church... we both serve in the same youth ministry...

we really need to stop seeing each other...

ok that sounded so wrong... it is very very hard to be intellectual when ur nose is stuffed with fluid and u have to keep ur mouth open just to breathe... trust me, u'll end up looking like pinky...

*The pinky...the pinky and the brain... brain... brain... brain....BRAIN!*

See what i mean.... groan... *rubs eyes*pinches nose*rubs eyes again*

Anyways... i was just kidding abt the claud bit... i'll never get tired of her... she's one of the very rare few whom i can have endless discussions on the subject of human complexity and human dynamics... Probably it's the similarities in our personality profiles that makes us tend to analyse things so much... To some, we think too much and feel too much... But I believe this is the way God has created us to be so i dun see no reason to be ashamed...

So excuse me while i go and empty the brain juice from me nosie...

It's amazing how much fluid a little brain can generate... maybe i shld just freeze them and make mucuspops! Maybe i shld just stop typing evrything dat comes to mind...

Rudest Doofus Aftermath...

2004-07-30T11:19:00.000+08:00

I'm in a relatively good mood today!

2 reasons:

1. It's Friday!! *yay!*

2. I went home yesterday and saw the invoice from Best Denki... This invoice is given to technicians in advance to inform them of the type of repairs that they will have to perform for individual customers. Under the section "Repair Specifications", I saw something that simply made my day...

"Disk Drive cannot work. HD (Hard disk) "on" already will auto "off"

Rule #1: If you fail to read your repair specifications properly, do not blame the customer for your blunder.

Rule #2: If you do not understand your repair specifications due to miscommunication on your side, it is always good to clarify and not attempt to shift the blame unto your customer.

Rule #3: Customers are not ALWAYS right, but it helps if you do not adopt a stinking attitude and talk to them in a condescending tone. Not especially if they happened to be right.

Rudest Doofus-0 , Joyce-1!!
*Double yay!*Applause*Standing ovation*Confetti falling from above*Flowers thrown to stage*

ahh...Justice is sweet...

To Mr Wilson: I believe u may have been in a foul mood yesterday and that ur attitude towards me was an isolated incident. I do pray that u will take good care of my computer and handle it in ur most professional manner. But if u don't, i will not hesitate to ask my friends at Penang-Place-Restaurant-Open-Mon-Sat-11.30am-9.30pm to look for u at ur workplace and pour assam laksa gravy on u while stuffing plates of penang char kuay teow down your throat...

Do not... i repeat, DO NOT disregard my words.

Hugs & kisses,
Joyce : )

rudest doofus of the year...

2004-07-29T19:15:00.000+08:00

And the award goes to...

Mr Wilson-aka-computer-technician from Best Denki Electrical Appliance Store!! *Applause*

The technician came today... and boy he sure did impart megatons of negative energy to me man! i so want to squeeze his neck so tightly that his eyes pop out! man... talk about pure rude... this dude wins hands down! *scowl*

Wasn't able to stay at home to wait for the technician... so asked bro to wait in my place... thank God i asked bro to call me when the guy comes... and below is the exchange i had with the award winning Rudest Doofus (RD) over the phone:

Me: Hi... i understand from my brother you suggested doing a system recovery is it?

RD: Ya.

Me: Sorry...system recovery means to reformat rite?

RD: Ya lah... u need to do backup isit?

Me: Erm... u are able to do backup for me isit?

RD: No... i dun do backup one...

Me: Oh... erm... den in dat case... i think it's alright lah...

RD: So u want me to do the system recovery or wat?

Me: Yes... But how will you be doing dat cuz my CD drive is spoilt already...

RD: (Annoyed) Tsk... then you should have told me earlier wat!

Me: Ya i did! i already told the lady that my CD dri...

RD: Next time u should tell the person things like dat...

Me: Yes i did....i already told the lady that my CD drive is not working...

RD: (Even more annoyed) No you didn't! It's not stated on my paper here!

Me: (Trying my best not to show my displeasure) Look... i have specifically told the lady that there're 2 problems with my computer... one is the CD drive and the other thing is the standby issue... and she even said she'll put a note...

RD: But she didn't tell me wat!

Me: (Exasperated) Then you should be looking for her to ask her why she didn't tell you that, shouldn't you?!

RD: (Disgruntled) ok ok... the CD thing i'll check for u... but the standby thing definitely have to do system recovery... cuz it's a software problem...

Me: Ok... u're sure it's not a hardware issue or something wrong with the motherboard?

RD: Even if u go and change the motherboard, all ur things will be lost also one...

Me: Hmm... ok then... U go ahead and change the CD drive and do the system recovery for me lah...

RD: ok but i won't be replacing it with original parts ah...

Me: Huh? U mean it's not the original parts from HP? Is that suppose to be the case?

RD: (Annoyed again) yuh... that's the intruction from my boss...

At this point i just decided that it'll be futile to try to clarify with him... so i ended the tele-conversation and did something dat i never tot i will do...

I took the penknife and repeatedly slashed my colleague who was sitting next to me.

ok no i din really do dat... but i was this close...

Anyways i called up Best Denki again just to make sure the guy wasn't making up some cock and bull story to cheat me of my original-Hewlett-Packard-CD-Drive...The manager at the service centre told me he needed to know the technician's side of the story before he can answer any of my questions... ok fair enough... but i wasn't going to let him off without answering my question on whether it was common practice for Best Denki to replace customers with non-original parts... (ok dat statement sound so wrong but im too upset to change it...)

Man... talk about negative energy... i shall now go home, suck on one of my super size chuppa chup and complain to crabbo and reddie... *Sulk*

Warning: Do Not Attempt This At Home!

2004-07-27T17:51:00.000+08:00

Today isn't exactly the best of day for me...

My back aches...It's like...there's this silly knot that's right smack in the middle of nowhere... It's annoying... Finding a comfortable position to stop the nagging ache seems almost impossible...

Sat up straight...Rested on left back...Propped myself up using arms... nothing... nothing seemed to work at all... *growl*

I even attempted to put my legs over my head to see if it helps... and well... it did... i din feel the ache anymore...in fact...i couldn't feel anything from neck down anymore...

And I think i cut off my oxygen supply for a minute when i tried to untangle myself...

drats...

ya rite... like I'm capable of putting myself in that position in the first place... for a person who has difficulty touching her own toes, that was just a silly fantasy...

It probably was the lasting impression that Mr Contortionist-from-the-Moscow-Circus left on me... No...im not a fan of people who do crazy things to their bodies... I was totally grossed out by his act... for a moment he looked like his arms were going to snap from all the twisting and turning...

For the entire performance, i was just squirming in my seat while mama loo looked on in amusement... but after a while she started to get annoyed with me cuz i was making too much noise about the performance...

"Aiya! If u cannot take it then don't watch lah!"

What?! 41 buckeroos for a ticket and u're telling me NOT to watch?! No way Jose! im gonna pry my eyes open to savour every moment even though it meant feeling weak in the stomach for the rest of the show!! *adamant look*

"Up to you lor..."

*squirm*squirm*

Ahh...I love mama loo...she's always there to give me the emotional support and encouragement whenever i need it...

"AIYOYO! That colour makes you look SOO fat!"

"AH FAT! So late already still eating ah?!!"

"Hmm...the sandals make your feet look like Ba Zang (Dumplings)!"

Don't be fooled by the seemingly harsh words...it was vital for a young growing girl like urs truly...they've brought me through some difficult times in life... like when it's late at night and ur tempted to open that packet of double decker chicken snacker... just the tot of wat mama loo said was enough to bring a man to his knees...

or at least...cause her daughter to obligingly put dat packet of snacks back into the cupboard...

yeah...mama loo rules and I love her to the core no matter wat others may say...*gush*

it's a beautiful day...

2004-07-22T09:50:00.000+08:00

When i woke up this morning...

The room seemed bigger...
the skies looked brighter...
the people sounded friendlier...
the food tasted better...
i left my house earlier...
tried to walk a little faster...
as these i have done
and i was still as late as ever...

hmm... must be the green eggs and ham i had last night...

my handphone has been beeping non-stop since this morning... one after another, great friends of mine wishing me a happy 22 July... on behalf of me and myself... thank u...thank u...and thank U...!

mama loo did the sweetest thing ever by surprising me with a bday cake last nite at exactly 12 mn...received my 3rd bday pressie of the year - a crab beanie! *gush*

"u like chilli crabs mah..so i buy a crab for u lor!"

heard the woman had to wrestle a colleague to get the last crab in the store...mama loo won of course...

ok im kidding...she din really fight...she just gave that poor lady a chao-ah-Lian stare and the rest is history...

the crab beanie now sits proudly next to my other red beanie from last christmas... i last heard them chatting about men and exhanging grooming tips...

red: "oooh.. i just love ur beans... so fine and so... SOFT! wat are they? microbeads?"

crab: "yeah... it's the latest... wat abt urself?"

red: "oh me? erm... *mutter* styrofoam beads..."

crab: "oh...hmm..."

*silence*

crab: "Wanna paint my claws?"

red: "cool!"

ahh....it's gonna be a beautiful day after all...

50 things i wanna do before i die...

2004-07-21T17:54:00.000+08:00

Here it is...in no particular order...

1. Worship Lead
2. Be a youth leader
3. Live an abundant life
4. Finish my major year project
5. Study abroad
6. Learn to have self discipline
7. Learn more about graphic design
8. Be a designer
9. Sponsor Mom to go on a trip overseas
10. Learn to drive
11. Buy my own car
12. Redecorate my room
13. Play the drums for church
14. Slim down
15. Get a taste of love
16. Drive to Malaysia with my friends (in my car!)
17. Bag-packing in USA
18. Go on mission trips
19. Be a Godly person
20. Open a pub with my good friends
21. Perform in public with my pals
22. Rollerblade
23. Produce an MTV
24. Act in a play
25. Open a restaurant with my family
26. Create publicity brochure for musicians in church
27. Create a magazine for church
28. Buy my own guitar
29. Play an active role in church
30. Play the keyboard
31. Improve relationship with dad
32. Learn sign language

ok i lied... it's only 32... ran out things to write after #32...

Years ago i read this article in Readers' Digest which encouraged people to compile a "50-Things-I-Wanna-Do- Before-I-Die" list as it helps a person identify his/her goals and motivates that person to move towards accomplishing them...

I compiled mine 4 yrs ago on a night when i was bored... just tot it'd be interesting to review it every now and then to see how many goals i've accomplished... some of the things on the list have already been fulfilled and some of it have yet come to pass... some of the things appear childish to me now... and some just make me wonder wat exactly was i thinking then...

But now...the list isn't all that important to me anymore... i mean...there're still some things on the list dat i wld like to do if God willing... but if not, it's fine with me too... i've come to realised dat real joy comes when we fulfill God's purpose at His specific time...

Having said dat, im not implying i've reached dat level of obedience... there're many times when i still struggled with God... but i've learned to be honest with Him abt it... God doesn't mind that we're not perfect... but it hurts Him when we're inauthentic... when we pretend to be holy and give pat answers when He questions us...

i honestly have no idea how to end this entry...but i'd like to leave all of us with this question:

"What is the ONE thing you believe that God wld like you to do this very moment?"

Let me know ok?

kindly leave your name after the beep...

2004-07-20T17:09:00.000+08:00

A big 'THANK U' to those kind souls who left their comments on the blog...

"Welcome to Xooplexity...We hope you'll enjoy your stay here and dinner will be served at 7pm daily..."

Just realised a limitation of the comment posting function... people who're non-bloggers (i.e. u do not have a online blog with bloggers.com) can only post their comments anonymously... i apologize for the silly glitch... apparently it's the same situation everywhere...xanga...livejournal... so i guess i can't complain...

But...i would still like to know u...so the next time if u happen to drop by and wish to leave a comment... kindly remember to leave ur name at the end of ur comment... so dat i can know who to reply to instead of having to rely on my psychic powers to guess ur name...

ok im lying...i do not have any psychic powers...

i just happened to be very very smart.

too much food...too little space...

2004-07-19T16:39:00.000+08:00

boy...i feel like a glutton...

birthday lunch at Sizzler's was simply FANTABULOUS!! salad bar was a to-die-for with all the different soups and salads... ice-cream and side dishes... only complaint was the lack of tummy space to contain all the food dat i so wanted to eat and not stop... everyone ate like there was no tomorrow... soups after soups... salads after salads... my goodness! sadly... i only managed to down 3 bowls of soup this time round... pales in comparison to my 10-bowls track record years ago...

"Please sir...can i have more?"

Jo whipped out a digital cammie and i took lotsa pictures of me, myself and i...but im no narcissist... i took pictures of ME-and-mars and ME-and-jia too! but i kept that minimal as... u know... they din look as good as i did... had to take repeated shots of claud and joelle too as our dear fussy friend had very high expectations of how she wants us to capture her in the photo... like dude...we're only the photographers...not makeover artists...

*snap*
"aye...not rite leh...i only want our face..."
*snap*
"uhmm...still not quite rite leh..i look so yeee...."
*snap*
"hmm...this one too far...and im not smiling also..."
*snap*
"AIYO! no no!! i look sooo fat in this!!"

in the end...everyone fought to capture that perfect shot... and the much coveted Photographer Of The Year Award 2004 went to grace yang from telok blangah...

Was even more pleasantly surprised to receive my second bday pressie in the evening from me own kid bro who is now affectionately known as Army Boi. Army Boi and gerfren bought me this orange water bottle with a packet of skittles, a choco bar and a chuppa chup (yay!more chuppa chups!) in it!! totally sweeeet....*gush*
Thank u jordan and katherine!

It's not even halloween and im already receiving so much candy! i think im going to get high...from glucose...

This old ger...she played one... she played knick knack on my bun...

2004-07-19T12:40:00.000+08:00

Haven't been able to do much updates as comp is still down... But yesterday, for some strange reason, it allowed me to use it for 30 minutes before shutting down on me and commanding me to go to bed...

Hmm..a birthday girl does have her privileges i guess...

3 more days to go before the world commemorates the birth of erm...yours truly. My enthusiasm level for birthdays has dipped considerably over the years... i dunno...just don't seem all that excited as before... During my younger days, which is well..not dat long ago, I used to have these milestones in my life that i looked forward to:
Age 18 - Legal age to enter a casino
Age 21 - Legal age to watch a R(A) movie

hah...not dat i cared much abt the movie...it's just a silly sense of achievement to be able reach that age finally... to become an adult officially...and to be able to conquer THE UNIVERSE EVENTUALLY!!

ok..im still working on that last one...

anyways...was pleasantly surprised to receive my very first bday pressie yesterday morning! wow...my very first overseas package! sweeeet... Opened it to find a lovely yellow storage box with a slightly smaller one with the exact design in it...and there were 4 SUPERSIZE chuppa chups in it!! my mom just went "Aiyooyoo!!" when she saw it... offered her one as a peace offering so dat she'll drop her evil plans of stealing my candy...hmm...think i shall eat one tonight and spend the rest of the night climbing the walls of my bedroom...*hic*

Preparing for standby...

2004-07-14T10:05:00.000+08:00

Comp's still down...
Everytime i switch it on, it just keeps alternating between deskstop and standby mode. No, to be precise, it goes on desktop for 3 sec(3 WHOLE SECS! is that a privilege or wat?!) and b4 my little mouse could find anything to nibble on, this blue screen with the words, "Preparing for standby..." will pop up. 2 sec later, it automatically pops back to desktop again! And the cycle continues...
Like it or not.

i sat infront of my comp for the longest time... watching it do its little desktop-standby-desktop-standby hokey pokey... And im reminded of what happened 2 yrs ago when my comp decided to go bonkers on me 3 days b4 my yr end project submition. i rememebered being devastated at that time... deeply convicted that God must be punishing me for something that i've done. And to be honest, when it happened again this time, i had that same tot creeping up on me...

"God...why?"
"Do u trust Me?"
"Yeah...but why is this happening again?"
"Do u trust Me?"
"Yeah..."
"Then trust Me."

i knew at that instant when He said dat, it was more than just trusting dat He'll fix this problem. Rather, He's asking me to believe that He's not someone who's waiting to zap me the minute i do something wrong. Every test has a specific purpose...even though i may not know wat it is at this pt...i pray that God will help me pass it...
Amen.

P/s: I'm sorry i doubted U...Luv ya!

when i count to 3...u will fall into a deep slumber...

2004-07-12T14:30:00.000+08:00

There's something about the design of this blog that i find rather therapeutic. i dunno...maybe it's the multi-colour dots dat are nicely spreaded across the page... or maybe it's just the very subdued colour tones that make this whole thing so comfy to the eyes...

i personally find the dots rather hypnotic... i mean...just stare at the 3 colour dots at the top of
the page for 10 minutes and tell me you dun feel this compelling urge to run to the tallest building and scream at the top of your voice, "JOYCE..IS..BEAUTIFUL...!!!"

ok i apologize....

it shld be "Joyce is VERY beautiful!!". Period.

new kid on the blog...

2004-07-12T13:35:00.000+08:00

my oh my...
i finally conformed to the norm and joined the crowd in starting a blog of my own...i can just imagine the individualistic man(woman) in me, screaming at me now...

"VAAT ARE YOOO THINKING?!?! BLOGS ARE VOR KEEEDS!!"
"But I AM a kid!"
"NO YOURRRE NOT!"
"YES I AM! I'm a toys'R'us kid!"
"Vaaatever..."

for some reason...the individualistic man(woman) in me likes to speak in this mama-shop-owner accent...dun ask me why...

At the end of the day, i just concluded that this is but one of the-50-things-i-wanna-do-before-i-die impulse... yes..i do have a 50-things-i-wanna-do-before-i-die list.... ok technically speaking...it's 32 things really...i ran out of things to write after #32 and decided that i'll get back to it someday.

But of cuz...that 'someday' never happened. Yet.

A little peek into this big big world...

2004-07-12T11:48:00.000+08:00

*Peek*

*Gasp!*

Could this be it?

*glee*

xooplexity

just a short short note...

just a short short note...

christmas tree... O christmas tree...

making waves...

show me da presents!

i've got SONshine!!

2 and ¼!!!!

jingle bells...batman smells... robin laid an egg...

to medan...to medan...to buy a fat pig...

one down...

mum's the word...

an apple a day...

sorry seem to be the hardest word...

scattered brain...

it's so hard to say goodbye...

zeelo zeelo fall fight...

final fantasy...

final theory...

bite me...

the ultimate mission...

excuse me... you're cramping my style...

Untitled...

hi...my name is oscar & i'm your friendly volunteer coordinator.

curry favour...

quote unquote...

driving me nuts...

for activation of diaphragm... press 1...

vrooom-vrooom!!

have you met...ME?

monday night supper...

caffeine induced brain hyperactivity...

the fast and the furious...

*CHEE CHEW CHAA!!!*

a little toast...

i see FAT people...

LOOney tunes...

after-shower thoughts

i'm an INFP!

the one that never made it to the paper...

i've done it His way...

the lights are on but nobody's home...

an apple a day...

Rudest Doofus Aftermath...

rudest doofus of the year...

Warning: Do Not Attempt This At Home!

it's a beautiful day...

50 things i wanna do before i die...

kindly leave your name after the beep...

too much food...too little space...

This old ger...she played one... she played knick knack on my bun...

Preparing for standby...

when i count to 3...u will fall into a deep slumber...

new kid on the blog...

A little peek into this big big world...

CHEE CHEW CHAA!!!