Tonight, i sit in the comfort of my room, thinking about a faraway friend who i've missed. Her birthday would soon be in June, and I had a sudden inspiration to make a birthday card for her. I used to make cards for my friends and family during occasions (esp birthdays!) but along the way, LIFE happens, and you know, we all get too busy and uninspired to do anything else. Nothing but bad excuses, i know, i know....

So the card turned out nothing to shout about - no artistic touch YET i am convinced that when she opens it, it'll mean so much more to her, compared to a card off the shelves. Especially more so since i haven't been making one in years. This will be a real surprise, haha!

My little cardmaking session soon ended and just as i was placing all the materials in a box, I noticed another stack of boxes lying on my shelf. I had really forgotten what i had stashed in there from years ago. I have bad memory! Turns out that it was letters my friends had sent to me back from year 2000!

So i was glued to reading them - one by one. One letter was an e-mail print out from my first ex boyfriend (now estranged) whom i fell deeply in love for and took years to get over. Funny how i had printed out the E-MAIL version of his letter - in fading ink! I must have wanted to re-read his e-mail over and over again for reassurance that he was close to me while he had gone abroad to study.

Point is that i suddenly realised how much I really miss getting snail mails. I guess times have kind of shifted with the advent of technology (love it or hate it). Technology killed personal touch!

I was inspired to list down a few thoughts before they disappeared from my head. They flowed freely as I picked up a pen and started writing...and this is what i wrote:

1. I want to live a meaningful, happy life and contribute to the people around me, to spread love and joy. However, I realise that to do this, I myself will need to be JOY and LOVE for that to happen. I will be that person for others.

2. Let my actions and words often be spoken by kindness, love, and selflessness. I want to have less of me and more of love. To remind myself frequently of this.

3. Do 3 things DAILY to make people around me happy, be it a friend, a parent, or a stranger. I want to be mindful and understand why making others is so important. Life is short, each action we take everyday can speak bounds in others' lives.

4. Pay attention to the things people say - whether implied or explicitly said. To listen more than I speak.

5. Be thoughtful of others.

6. Dream - Because it precedes everything we will be tomorrow.

I found myself having very little to do after 3pm today. Listless, more like it. I guess the thought of having the whole house to myself for 3 weeks while my parents are off for vacation would be a great idea for me to do what i wanted to. Yet, i find myself being in a rather large (empty) house....i'm too small to fill its' silences. It feels depressing.

So it's 8.05pm today and I try my hand at the kitchen to keep me busy. I have a chicken that is roasting in the oven for dinner... it's honey chicken to be exact. Because i'm asian, i have seasoned it with a little soy sauce along with the honey and pepper, just to give it a little saltier taste. I know sodium and salts aren't good for me, but i can't help it!

Broccoli with mushrooms was my other dish. I find myself running out of ideas of what to cook these days! I came across a really quick recipe for pumpkin soup (yummers!) the other day, so i might just give that a try some time soon. I love 10 minute recipes! Nothing like a quick meal for the urbanite. Haha.

For those of you who don't know, i left my corporate job close to a month ago. I had been working in the HR field as a recruiter and for a shorter period - a resource planner. The boss was shitty (I have to be honest don't i?) and the expectations were high. In return, It paid me really well, but then again, i was working 16 hour days including the weekends. Work was meaningless with a lack of work-life balance.

So I eventually quit without a job (which is really unthinkable considering the economic climate these days).I've decided that i would help my parents out in their company business - but with a caveat : They only pay me a FRACTION of what i used to earn. Sigh* While i love money, but i knew i had to give something up. That means i'll have to start saving and cut back on my unnecessary expenditures and expensive dining (hence yours truly is cooking at home, see?)


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OK the chicken was short of burning while i was typing this entry (thank god i got to it before then) and i had to add another tomato into the soup i was making coz it felt a little lack of taste (the soup i'm making is Vegetable Soup, by the way).

I recently found the joys of cooking this year, even though i'm not very good at it. I realise you don't have to be very good at something to enjoy doing it :-D ... And with that, i'm going to enjoy tucking in to my meal now while it's piping hot! Let's just hope it tastes good. Bon appetit!

I'm not your typical blog-fiend so this is my first post, ever, on a blog. (I had to make that first statement, just so to set the record straight).

I'm one of those laggards when it comes to technology, so the last you'll find me is sitting in front of a PC blogging about how my day went or letting out my thoughts minus a penny. I've got great close friends who blog often but visiting their blog just about does it for me :) Just can't maintain and upkeep a blog on a daily basis , you know?

...And then, i chanced upon this site few weeks ago. I'm pretty darn impressed. I just can't find any excuse not to blog with the ease of this website! Things are getting simpler these days (well, some). The best part is... i think i'm liking it already ... ;)