Thoughts on a quiet Tuesday night
1. Breaking my left arm really humbled me. Suddenly, all the little things I never gave a thought to became these massive tasks I could hardly accomplish - I'm not even talking about playing the piano or doing yoga. Simple things like typing, texting, sleeping on my left side, putting in my earrings, changing my clothes, clipping my hair up, cutting the beef/chicken on my plate. Little miracles that happen everyday that most of us (in fact, all of us) don't appreciate until they get taken away from us. My arm's MUCH better now and I haven't been happier typing, texting, sleeping on my left side (not all the way, but I'm not complaining), putting in my earrings, changing my clothes, clipping my hair up, cutting my food up. Miracles happen everyday and we should never take a single thing for granted.
2. This brings me nicely to point number two - every hand-holding, peck on the cheek, hug and kiss you get from your partner: Never feel like they're the "norm" or you're just going through the motions. How often have we slipped into treating these things casually and not thinking about what they truly mean when we do them? Kiss like it's the first time every time. When you hold hands, hold hands like you never want to let go. Take it from a girl who's only going to see her boyfriend for less than 2 months this year.
3. I suddenly feel all Tuesdays with Morrie-ish with this post.
4. All offices should have windows, not just rooms with windows. There's a difference. The consequence of the latter is that there will be rooms without windows, and depressing cubicles at the centre. I'm talking about open-concept, tear down all walls and let the sunlight pour into the office type of office! I am incredibly lucky to have a window seat in a gorgeous sun-lit room where I am working now, but I can't imagine what it must be like for my colleagues seated outside in the cubicles and windowless rooms. With a window, your life is in context: you can see a world outside of your life, literally.
5. I love the smell of the cool night breeze. It smells so different, do you ever realize it? It's incredibly fresh, but a different kind of fresh from morning air. When I smell it, I think of the entire universe beyond Earth. It's like I can smell the stars and galaxies in the night sky. It's an incredibly beautiful feeling that lasts for 3 seconds.
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
Red Velvet
Chocolatey goodness.
Cream cheese icing goodness.
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
Psyched!
Because I just booked the air tickets from NYC to Vermont! It'll be a 5-day winter getaway to the mountains in the village of Stowe in Vermont, where one can ride one-horse open sleighs and cuddle in front of fireplaces in the bedroom! And finally try my hand at skiing or ice-fishing!
The first thing I'm gonna do when I land in NYC is to make a trip down to Magnolia Bakery and buy 5 tubs of the most heavenly banana pudding for keeping in the fridge!
Don't beat it till you've tried it!
And having a
Sunday brunch at the Waldorf Astoria with Teague (and hopefully Stefan if he can make the trip!)
(OK, I googled the Sunday brunch at the Waldorf for the first time and it's freaking US$95 per person, excluding tax OMG. Erm. This definitely deserves a hundred thoughts.)
(Then again, I spent about S$100 at Singapore's restaurant week. And it wasn't even buffet. And I didn't even get to drink CHAMPAGNE, which the Sunday Brunch at Waldorf serves.)
OKAY, never mind, the Waldorf it is!! I shall drink my fair share of champagne, bathe in the chocolate fountain and down some anti-histamines so that I can eat everything from the raw bar!
Then I shall spend the rest of my NYC time snuggled warm in John's apartment and reading the latest in the literary circles, and some others that are overdue. I've compiled a list of about 6 books:
- Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
- David Levithan - The Lover's Dictionary
- Amanda Hodgkinson - 22 Britannia Road
- Arthur Phillips - The Tragedy of Arthur
- Roald Dahl - Going Solo
- Roald Dahl - Boy
Not forgetting, most of all - I can't wait to hold the boyfriend in my arms again!
Time is passing so fast like sand through my fingers! The weekend will be over, but then I'll be like, hey, here it is again! I must be enjoying myself.
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
Saturday Luxuries
Recharging at Blackbird Cafe with a slice of carrot cake and an iced Mochaccino.
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
Farewell, Hue; Hello, Ruth
Today, I received a letter in the mail from World Vision.
Dear Ms Soon,
We are pleased to inform you that through your support and help from other child sponsors, Phu Cu ADP has achieved significant progress since the programme started in 1999. It has now achieved self-sustainability and no longer requires further assistance from World Vision. A total of 88,164 people in Phu Cu ADP now enjoy life in fullness.
Thi Hue, too, is now ready to brace the future with renewed hope, faith and confidence. With your help, Thi Hue has been healthy and strong, and has also gained an academic foundation, increasing her chances of financial independence in the future. Meanwhile, her family has gained sufficient living and economic skills to continue to care for Thi Hue. If you wish to write a farewell letter to Thi Hue, kindly do so by 21 October 2011.
...
Once again, on behalf of the children and families in Phu Cu ADP, we thank you for your kindness and love towards the underprivileged. May God bless you richly!
Can I tell you that I have never felt anything like this before?
It's so hard to describe: the feeling that you have TRULY given life to someone else. I mean, when I sponsored the programme these past 5 years, I knew I was making a difference in someone's life. But knowing that THAT person has grown her own wings and is able to stand on her own two feet - that's a whole different ball game. That's the TRUE meaning of giving life to someone else.
I'm over the moon, knowing that I've contributed in helping her village become self-sutainable. It's beautiful.
Of course, this was interrupted by profound sadness when I realized that my little girl has grown up, and I might never speak to or see her again. This was her 5 years ago:
And in May this year when I visited her:
The journey's been incredible. I have a whole box of the letters she wrote to me which I will keep forever. I still have that beautiful drawing she did for me.
I'm gonna be leaving my contact details in the last, farewell letter I'll be writing to her over the weekend. You never know when life is going to throw you a little surprise 20 years down the road. :)
GOSH, I feel like a mother seeing her kid go off to college, but prematurely 30 years before my time. OMG THIS IS SO SADDDDDDDDDD
But the end of one journey always leads to the start of another one. World Vision sent me the picture of my NEW sponsored child!! Meet 4-year-old Ruth from Zambia, everybody!
I don't remember being able to write letters when I was 4... (although I DID walk home from kindergarten by myself when I was 4, because I didn't want to wait for my grandma, and my parents just freaked out that I did that.) In any case, I can't wait for her first letter!
GO ADOPT A KID FROM WORLD VISION! Nette just did and she got a girl from Cambodia!! Yayness.
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
