PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
Stranger Things
trying on a metaphor
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Monterey Bay Aquarium
Xuebing Du
pixel skylines
Product Placement
@theartofmadeline
taylor price
šŖ¼
will byers stan first human second
Andulka
Cosmic Funnies
Love Begins
AnasAbdin
we're not kids anymore.
titsay
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Today's Document
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@popcornaday
What I've been up to: 2 YEARS LATER
I canāt believe itās been more than 2 years since my last post. To bring you up to speed, these have transpired since then: I got married in July 2022 Honeymoon in Italy in September 2022 Found out I was pregnant in October 2023 Travelled to New Zealand for work, Indonesia to visit fam and Thailand for babymoon Gave birth to a baby boy in June 2023! Seriously questioning my mental healthā¦
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What I've been up to. Part 3: Procrastinating
What Iāve been up to. Part 3:Ā Procrastinating
As seen from the tardiness of this post. # I think Iāve done pretty well this year with investing, becoming homeowner, developing a healthy relationship with my manfriend, but aside from those I have been procrastinating a lot. Itās really hard to stay motivated when there isnāt a real sense of urgency. In this pandemic, the world feels like itās at a standstill or moving at a slower pace. Iā¦
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What I've been up to. Part 2: Becoming homeowner
What Iāve been up to. Part 2: BecomingĀ homeowner
Say hello to a new level of debt. # Iāve always thought the process of buying a house is simply finding a house you like, pay for it, and done. And when selling a house you just have to try to sell it higher than what you paid to earn profit. Done! But no. Buying a house is way more complicated than I thought, especially here in Singapore! There are Buyerās Stamp Duty, Seller Stamp Duty, Legalā¦
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What I've been up to. Part 1: Investing
What Iāve been up to. Part 1:Ā Investing
If 2021 is a movie, its title should be ā2020: Extended Editionā I thought 2021 was gonna be a different from 2020 because now we know what weāre up against. I did not foresee Covid would throw a curveball of variants and keep everyone in yet another year of uncertainties and delayed plans. But all is not lost! Because of my reduced activities as a result of the extended restrictions, I am ableā¦
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2021 New Year's Resolutions
2021 New YearāsĀ Resolutions
We made it to 2021! What a strange year 2020 was. Nobody could have thought it would be a defining year where our lives will perhaps be forever changed. As terrible as it was, there have been much good that came out of it. Itās the year we finally spend more time with family, have rest, learn to cook, etc. Although I was unable to travel and meet my family in Jakarta, I got to spend more timeā¦
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Will I ever change the world? Unlikely.
Will I ever change the world?Ā Unlikely.
I think many of us have an innate desire to want to change the world for the better, and for Christians we want to do it for Jesus. We are doing it for Jesus! But we forget that God doesnāt really need us in order to change the world. The power to change the world doesnāt lie with us.
#
We are constantly fed with worldly affirmations that we can change the world. Wehave the power. Weā¦
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A Reflection - Chasing the Godly life
A Reflection ā Chasing the Godly life
This is week 4 into working/staying at home, and itās been an interesting journey.
The first week I was excited to be staying at home. I caught up on Netflix shows, lazed around and lied in bed all day. It was relaxing, but during working hours I was still pretty busy (just an assurance that I am working from home ā not entirely slacking)
Second week, I started feeling the need to be productiveā¦
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How do we live in times of Coronavirus?
Just a few months in and 2020 will no doubt be etched in history with coronavirus pandemic. In the future thereāll be documentaries, case studies and perhaps a movie about the times we live in. Every day we read about how the virus is changing the global community. Zooming in closer, whatās our approach to living in the midst of this pandemic?
#
āLife goes on as usual.ā
When the virus firstā¦
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2020 New Year's Resolutions
2020 New YearāsĀ Resolutions
Twenty Twenty has a nice ring to it.
Day 1 of 2020 I was in Jakarta waking up to the news of the flooding. I wasnāt affected by what was one of the worst flooding in Jakarta but some friends and relatives were stuck at home or even had to evacuate. What an eventful way to start the year, but things can only go upward from here!
Now I am back in Singapore, gearing up for the year ahead and hereā¦
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People say itās hard to make friends as an adult and I agree. I think the best chance you have in making friends, like the ones you had in school, is probably at the workplace. It makes sense to develop friendships as you work 5 days a week, see each other 7 hours a day.Ā Thatās pretty much the same as school days. However being an adult comes with many agendas and preconceptions that might make it complicated for true friendship to blossom. How do you know when your relationship with you colleague has crossed over from transactional to authentic friendship?
Disclaimer: Iāve only worked in Singapore. Hence these stages reflect that of Singapore workplace based on my own experience.Ā
Stage 1: āJioā you for lunchĀ
Every time I move to a new workplace my prayer is to have a lunch buddy. Lunch time is an enormous part of working culture in Asia. Seriously itās like high school all over again when you just donāt end up sitting alone during lunch. The angel who invites you to lunch on your first or second day is the most promising candidate who might become your best work buddy (Your reporting manager doesnāt count). Now that Iāve been in the workforce for a few years, I try to be that person who ask. But honestly the older you get the less you care about going out for lunch.
Stage 2: Permanent Lunch Buddy
After 3-5 lunches, you should be able to tell if that colleague is someone youāll be eating with for the rest of your lifetime in that workplace. If someone made consecutive plans which prevent you from eating with her/him, most likely that person isnāt ready to commit to becoming your lunch buddy. Give him/her some space. Sometimes it takes time before theyāre ready to commit their lunch hour to you. A Permanent Lunch Buddy most likely is someone with whom you found commonalities, and with whom you can let your guard down a little outside the restrictive office space. You might even be comfortable to share each otherās social media accounts!
Stage 3: You go, I go
When an invite to an office function pops in your mail, your first reaction is to message or walk over to your work buddy and ask āAre you going??ā. Whatever the reply, itāll impact your decision to accept the invitation or not. Thatās when youāre at Stage 3 with your work mate. Your workmate has now become your wing-man/woman. You know you can depend on the person to arrive at the place and leave around the same time, avoid awkward conversations. I know that sound childish. Sometimes you just need your comfort friend ā a reliable face in the sea of people who are trying to impress one another. I love going to work function with my work buddies because thatās the way to make any formal event more interesting and fun.
Stage 4: Travelling or Meeting up on Weekends
This is a true stage when you know your relationship has gone deeper. Stage 1 to 3 can be confined to work scenario, but the moment you plan to meet on weekends or to travel together (and actually make them happened!) thatās when you know you are on the same page and equally invested in the relationship. Thereās a level of emotional exchange here because you are choosing to spend time with your workmate when you are free to select other options. If your relationship remains intact after the travel, and even planning for more outings/travels, Iād say this is when your work buddy is crossing over to the friend zone (positive note here).
Stage 5: Resignation
The true test of your friendship with your workmate is when one (or both) of you resign. When you are no longer connected to the same place, youāll find out if youāve built the relationship such that it can withstand separation and develop your connections beyond the physical space. My most meaningful relationships with my colleagues-turned-friends happen when we are all separated, also thatās when we can actually take leave at the same time if we were working on the same team previously. At this stage you will also value quality over quantity. You donāt demand much time from one another but when we make time to meet weāll make it count. We find ways to keep the friendship going even if itās true pointless memes.
Like any friendships, work friendship may grow apart, conflict may arise and priorities may shift so we need to be intentional with the relationships that matters. I think the key is also to be yourself and be honest ā if youāre busy, say you are rather than saying yes because you feel bad and then cancelling last minute. Workplace can be quite stressful sometimes but Iāve learnt that having true friends in the workplace is the best Monday Blue antidote that you can have. Also, itās incredibly amazing to be weaved into another adultās life when we become friends as adults.
X,
Mel.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Stages of WorkĀ Friendship People say it's hard to make friends as an adult and I agree. I think the best chance you have in making friends, like the ones you had in school, is probably at the workplace.
Mingalabar: Yangon 3D2N Itinerary
Mingalabar: Yangon 3D2NĀ Itinerary
Last month I visited Yangon over the weekend. It was quite an impulse decision as I wanted to try travelling solo and there was a great deal to Yangon on Jetstar. But later on, I decided to rope a friend to come join me. Prior to this trip I have close to zero knowledge of Myanmar ā not even a single Burmese word or whatās the currency. Yangon turns out to be very delightful and peculiar. It feltā¦
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A new thing answered.
A new thingĀ answered.
Last weekend, I was at Batam on an Outreach Trip. That trip was a culmination of my answered prayer.
My church pastor had told me that sheās leading a trip to India in November and I had kept it in mind. Iāve always wanted to go for Mission Trip but have yet to make it a priority mainly because I donāt have enough leave (I really donāt). Few months ago, while praying at night I was convicted toā¦
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Mid 20s Trouble (Not again!)
Mid 20s Trouble (NotĀ again!)
āYou know you are in the mid 20s pit when you canāt seem to stop talking about being in mid 20s pit.ā ā me.
This is exactly what I am doing. I thought it is good that I know Iām in mid 20s put because knowing is the first step to get out of a pit. But now Iām spending too much time cruising in this pit like a pig who is happy to playing in the mud. Itās good to be happy where you are but what ifā¦
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Lung Leavin' Day
Lung Leavinā Day
About a month ago, someone dropped by my blog and shared about Lung Leavinā Day. I promised him that I will be writing about it the week after but here I am a few weeks late. Sorry Cameron for taking such a long time to get this posted.
What is Lung Leavinā Day?
Itās a day to celebrate life! A few years back, Cameronās wife, Heather, was diagnosed with Mesothelioma Cancer and had only 15 monthsā¦
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Developed VS Developing
I am flying to my hometown for Chinese New Year tomorrow and I am blogging now because I wonāt have decent access to internet then. The difference between developed and developing countries, aside from the obvious: transportation, architecture, is internet accessibility. A country with limited internet access has limited progression.
Skyline of my hometown.
Another difference between developedā¦
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Week 1
Itās been a week and Iām here to fulfill my New Year Resolution number 6: Update this blog weekly.
This is why everyone should have a goal or list of things they want to achieve. If it wasnāt for the resolution, Iām pretty sure I wonāt be here blabbing. The key to successful goal setting is to be specific. You have to include the what and when; What do you want to do? When do you want to achieveā¦
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2014 New Year Resolutions
2014 New YearĀ Resolutions
Iāve always been behind schedule in writing New Year Resolution, but this time Iām really late. Hello, itās lucky 13 days into the New Year! Anyway, like the old saying ābetter late than neverā (whoever invented the phrase must not have a sense of punctuality), here are my New Year resolutions š
1. Stop procrastinating. This sounds familiar. Iām sure Iāve had this written on one of the pastā¦
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