Chicken soup for the cold weather

This is my blessing from Nick's momsy supposedly for blood circulation during that time of the month. Very yummy stuff if one loves the aroma of herbal soup! Cold weather makes one crave for home cooked tonic soups like such. I haven't been to Nick's in ages due to the superstition people have of mourning ie it's considered bad luck to step into people's houses especially during the auspicious festive of Chinese New Year. I don't believe in it but this is my way of showing respect for others who are celebrating the festive. So, Nick had to scoot it over in bubble wrap. :)

Thank you dear!

And so we turn One :)

Our first anniversary was nothing short of amazing.

I tried to explain how much I love you...

"I've never love someone so so much before. I used to think I have loved, until I met you...then I realized, no, I've never understood love before today. What I'm saying is, I don't want to lose you. That is how much I love you and the reason for my change."

I have change somehow, for the better I think. It's not easy but you give me hope and reason to go on day after day no matter the season.

To be honest, I'm not really interested to make it work. I'm interested to make it last. Today, you'd have realized I've settled in for the long haul.

You are simply amazing and that is why I love you.

Once again, happy first anniversary babydear.

Love,
Michelle

Grandfather Stories

I am mentally unprepared to deal with all of these. All I have now is sadness beneath this phony facade. I might as well come out right now to say I am so sentimental my soul is a hundred years old. Truth is, I don't take to departures so well yet I have recently shared and even written about it boldly.

I'd like to share a little nugget that makes me smile in reminiscence. Do you know who's the funny one in my extended family? Not that cousin who went to drama classes or the auntie with hilarious story-telling talent. It was my very dear Grand dad. He was a jolly character, the real funny one, before Dementia stole his dear humour and slowly controlled his soul. Though slight in build with thin limbs, he was big on humour. What I fondly remembered most about him pre-Dementia was his rambunctious laughter. I am beginning to miss that. I was planning to introduce my partner to him this CNY.

My last moment with him was never had. Except this morning's tale which I leaked online through a tweet status.

I had interrupted sleep when a thin palm stroked the back of my head during the hour before day breaks. In my semi slumber, I considered jumping out of bed. Oddly, there was no fear whatsoever in my heart. "Not possible", I thought. Yet, I felt unusually comforted. So, I prayed for it to stop so I could fall back asleep. In the morning when the last alarm went off, I decided I had a peculiar dream. Of course, I still felt uneasy but there were more pressing things on my mind.

Could that guardian angel be my Grand dad?

::

The only way I know to work through my emotions was to pack. I would pack anything in my sight and only care to rest upon complete exhaustion.

It's my therapy.

I ended up junking a sizeable amount of shoes and clothes. 

The pretty nice stuff in retrospect

For a day, my account was hacked and blogs mysteriously disappeared. Mega thanks to Sheena's panic alert, I managed to restore everything to its former glory. Thank God for security system and dear Sheena's urgent notification that I couldn't ignore.

Couldn't say the events of 2011 has fully sunk in for me. Everything is still as it was. And workload gets heavier after the integration of every campaign. I hate to be the last to leave the office every night. It's not my resolution for the year! Every work rat sure has its day. Twenty-four hours to get things done, and still be semi sane the next day. What an art.

On the home front, I just acquired a fancy new bed that I've saved up for and am refurbishing parts of the house. I have bundled up mountains of unwanted shoes and clothes to make space for new ones. It's super freaking therapeutic and zen like to describe the least.

Most recently, I'm starting to eat healthily again thanks to the boyfriend's influence. More greens, sans fried fatty bits. Though he'll surely beg to differ when I'm still stuffing my face with sugar treats! I've not paid my dues for all the indulgent feasts to either take to the gym or hit the road for a run. I'm frequently either preoccupied with work or downright exhausted from it. Whatever distance I cover from walking, my glutes, calves and thigh begin to hurt. In short, I'm in morbid danger of becoming a sloth. So I took up lunch time yoga with a colleague. Great decision. Boy, it was all that I needed really.

Mentally, I feel pretty good about myself - a state of equilibrium from being surrounded by great friends, a loving family, amazing colleagues and a perfect boyfriend who doesn't overindulge your odd whims and fancies.

The social circle I am close with are still the same people from my younger days. Many of us has made serious plans to get into long term relationship or to create a family unit. Some, like me, has made commitments to The One - for me, this part is the most amazing process.

30 minutes into penning this, I realized the need to self dedicate this post as a back patting morale booster. Personally, I felt I had made the most out of what was given and turn it into something I'd be proud to add to the list in years to come.

In my life, I've met many great people and some mean ones. Some of them weaved gold thread in the fabric of my life and some weaved burlap. Yet, all of these people added colours to my years making it possible to share interesting stories on and offline. I am deeply humbled and grateful for all the kind support and wise words bestowed by friends and people from all walks of life.

For the most part, I've been very guilty of social neglection, extremely selfish in my pursuit of perfection, uninterested in charitable matters and the unglamourous list goes on. I'm probably not going to change much over the next few years. What truly touches me is having people still love me for me.

What exactly am I known for?

Maybe the tough tenacity to bounce back to form again and again.

And yes, a sucker for sentimental thoughts and thus this post. :)

More importantly, this post is for you my dearest faithful friends and gorgeous boyfriend. :)

::

Such a good feeling to let it out! Basically, this entry has evolved from a form of destress to one of faith, optimism and love. Thanks for making me feel better through your lasting friendship and support. Quite possibly, a little bit of tough love as well. :)