Bloody rejected

The title of this entry is supposed to be "My first blood donation" but then after filling out a very comprehensive form and passing the medical screening, it was discovered that I am a mutant.

Waaah! The nurse could not see my veins on top of my elbows in both of my arms and she said my veins were too close to my bones and it would hurt. She advised me to do some weightlifting to help make my veins surface out.

Well, I shouldn't be that surprised, given that last year and 5 years ago, in different clinics, both nurses also couldn't find my vein and they ended up taking my blood sample from the back of my hand.

I asked the nurse in the blood donation to just get it from the back of my hand. She wouldn't hear of it. I guess it's because it would really hurt and would bruise. My hubby said they injected aneasthetics on his vein before pricking him with the big needle for getting 450ml of blood.

Sigh, so much for my attempt to do a noble deed. I feel so abnormal. But hubby said I should still feel good, because if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have thought of donating blood. He said he'll be donating for the two of us. Awwwww.

To Lighten Up Things

I'm highlighting two sequel movies I've watched lately which I didn't expect that I'd like but surprisingly I enjoyed watching them:

Iron Man 2

I was not expecting much on this movie since I did not at all like Iron Man 1 (it felt like the Iron Man 1 was pointless, the plot could've been squeezed into a half an hour scene). But like it was meant to be for me to watch this, I won two tickets to an advanced screening with free popcorn and drinks! (Thank you, Starhub!)

The movie was super cool! I loved the screenplay and the effects. The actors did great! My only regret is that we got out of the cinema without finishing the credits so we missed the hidden scene. I don't like it when they do that, especially when the credits are too long, we actually waited for a few minutes because we felt there might be somemore scene but we left when the credits seemed to take eternity to finish and the cinema lights were all switched on.

Ip Man 2
I also wasn't expecting much about this movie since I didn't watch Ip Man 1 and I thought I might not be able to understand this sequel. I also thought that this movie might be full of martial arts fight scenes which I don't really fancy watching so I was prepared to sit in the cinema and get bored. Although there was a little bit of curiosity inside me about this, because when Ip Man 1 was shown before, I actually thought it was a movie about internet technology, because I read it as I-P Man (I.P. as in internet protocol). I thought it was something about a man who did something about hacking IP addresses, hehe. Ok, I'm such a geek! :P

Anyway, I guess the trailer just misled me, because the movie had a very good plot about respect and dignity and not at all just a 100 minute exhibition of martial arts. Ip Man was actually a true story about Ip Man, a martial arts teacher and the master and inspiration of Bruce Lee.

Thanks to my hubby for making me watch this. It was a great discovery for me :)

Enough! Just Run Away!

I have had enough sulking! I am not going to let things put me down.
I believe in standing up for your principles even if it does hurt when it is shoved upon your face. I am an upholder of justice and I shall not lose hope. I will focus on the blessings instead.

And I will just run this away. No, I don't mean running away from problems and challenges. What I mean is to run, literally, as in run your legs and have a work out. It's a good stress reliever and a great way to lose excess weight.

Tomorrow shall be a better day.

How Long Would You Stand for your Principles?

Lately, I have been taking stands with regards to my principles. I had been standing firm with what I believe in.

It has not been easy. Especially if it is not bringing you to what you expected to be and worse, it just makes you look so desperate.

Am I expecting too much? Am I just putting myself high up there? Should I just stoop down and compromise what I believe in? Should I just set my expectations low?

I really don't know what's happening right now. I am confused. This is quite a test of patience and faith indeed.

But I should hold on and keep believing that there is a great plan for me.

But Wait, There's More!

Just when I thought that from bad to worse is enough, fate has decided to play a big joke on me and turned things to the worst.

Un-be-lie-vable.

Injustice is served.

Could things get even worse?

Oh Yes.

Fate seemed to have decided to test me even more, maybe read my post yesterday and decided to crash my remaining self-esteem altogether.

Why can't I get used to this? Why?

I feel so disheartened right now although I have this strange feeling that this is another one of those chapters in life that something is to be learned and afterwards it will bear fruits. But for now I have to be strong and resist being overcome by this shadow of gloom.

I should not think too much. I should not complicate life.

I should just be humble and accept things as they are.

Maybe this stepping down could actually be the start of moving up from the middle of a dead end plateau where I had been feeling that I've been stuck at.

I Ask Too Much

Have you ever wished for something but when you got it you were not overjoyed?

It was like finding the last piece to complete the puzzle but when you looked at the puzzle, the picture didn't make sense?

It isn't what I expected it to be. I feel that I just have no choice. I don't have that feeling that it is meant for me. I feel demoted, I am back to square one. I am already predicting all the possible miseries that could happen.

Why I am being like this? I should be thankful to God that He granted me this. It is a blessing. Perhaps the turn of events will eventually make things the way I hoped it would be. Perhaps I should just not expect too much. I should just be content with what was given to me. I should be happy.

Swallowing the Humble Pill for the Bullies

Do you get that feeling that you wished you could've spoken back to someone who has given you a judgemental remark or someone who has accused you of something you didn't do or someone said something to provoke you but the situations were just so trivial that you just shrugged off and ignore it?

For example, today at the mall, a salesperson blocked off my path to offer a beauty product and when I waved my hand off to say no and I continued walking, he just shouted after me "Are you taking care of yourself? I don't think you are." I just continued to walk away but for a split second I thought of walking back to him to tell him he definitely wouldn't get any customers if that's how he sells his products.

Most of the time, I avoid confrontation as much as possible so I just shrug it off. But sometimes I wonder if I should talk back, because I shouldn't let these kind of people get encouraged with their bullying. Besides, if they could hurt my feelings and ego, why can't I give the same back to them, right?

But then again, I always remind myself that if I did talk back to them to crash their ego, then I would not be any better than them and I would just be stooping down to their level of immaturity. So yes, most of the time I just take the humble pill and keep my mouth shut. However, I do believe there should be a balance, especially in times when you are being accused unjustifiably. Like this time in the cinema when this teenager sitting in front of me turned around to tell me to stop kicking on her seat. Well, I got ticked because I wasn't kicking her seat, I was shifting my legs so I had to answer back that I wasn't kicking her seat. These kids should learn how to considerate and be polite when confronting people!

So ok, balance. That's the formula. I hope I'd be able to have the wisdom to assert myself in a mature way in dealing with these little bullies which are big enough to ruin your day.

When You Are Sad

What you'd like to actually have is a listening ear and some assuring words.

Yes, you just need to hear all those cliche words of comfort like everything's going to turn out well, don't worry but just stay positive, it will happen in God's time, etc.

The last thing you want to hear is to be told that you're the one creating your misery even if it may be true.

On a dark 4:30pm

It's raining cats and dogs right now, complete with roaring thunder and flashing lightning.

It's only 4:30pm but it looks like it's 7pm. At least my bougainvillea plants got a shower today, I forgot to water them this morning.

I have just finished spring cleaning the living room, dining room and even the shoe closet. I should be happy with this achievement, as now it feels so nice to have a very clean surrounding. But no ring on my phone today, no important email in my inbox, nothing still that would motivate me to look forward to something.

I feel my positive battery is going low and I am starting to be anxious and restless. I really hate uncertainties, I hate waiting for a dateless time. I feel helpless.

What has happened? Have I jinxed myself?

I need to help myself, I need to reverse this negativity that is starting to consume me. For now just write, enjoy all these free time.

It will happen, missy. There is a great plan.

My dry hair was appreciated! :D

I received an email today from Locks of Love containing a Certificate of Appreciation for my donation. :D

Just a couple of hours earlier, I got a call from my last job telling me that they were giving me almost a month's salary bonus as an appreciation of the contribution I've done for the company during my 11 months placement with them.

Guess which of the two made me really happy?

I'm going to grow my hair long again ;)

Yeah, baby! Drive me crazy!

I passed my Singapore basic driving theory exam in one take last night! woohoo!

I thought it was going to be difficult because I heard that the exam was tricky but you just really have to diligently read and understand the driving handbook from cover to cover (about 60 pages) and you'll be fine ;)

So this morning I was finally able to convert my Philippines driving license to a Singapore driving licence in less than 15 minutes (I love being available to do these kind of stuff on weekdays!) No sweat! (Well except from the humidity, hehehe) ;) Just have to make sure you got all your documents and requirements with you.

Ok, so now I can drive in this island. Let's go!

But wait....I don't have a car! hahahaha :D


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Helpful link on conversion of foreign license to Singapore licence

Job Interview

It is like a blind date.

You don't know how the ambiance would be, maybe you'll be in a big, cold conference room or a tiny, little space.

You don't know who will be sitting behind the panel to interrogate you.

Maybe the interviewer will be a warm person and then that'll be fantastic, or maybe just oblivious, which is still fine. But if you're running out of luck, you'll find someone who's ready to crash down your self esteem by almost feeling that your CV is literally being stomped at or crumpled into a ball and thrown into a rubbish bin in Mars. This is what we call a disaster date. You can't wait to get out of that interview room and strip your nicely ironed clothes off before you get infected with the Scrooge's virus. I've had a couple of those before and I hope I won't get anymore now that I am job hunting again.

Well, if we want to find the right match, we have to go through all of these, right?

Becoming a bumble bee - again!

Yeah, this is like déja vu, isn't it? It didn't feel like it has been only a year ago though. My being a bumble bee last year lasted for only about 6 weeks and this time I am hoping it would be shorter, given that the market has definitely picked up. If last year I was bold enough to quit my job at the peak of the economic crisis and managed to get a job, I shouldn't be scared this time, right? (Crossing my fingers and hoping I don't jinx myself by saying this!)

Anyhoo, I wanted to write about my musings on career, job and those stuff but that needs some kind of melancholic mood and right now I am in a perky, hyperactive state and I need to take this chance to get me rolling and have a good jumpstart.

And so of course, this means we are going to make a list. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we need that list to keep our sanity and focus and make ourselves feel that our existence still has some good purpose, hehe.

So here it goes:

1) Unpack all those things in the boxes - yup, 4 months since we've moved into our new place and hubby and I still have lots of our things in boxes!!!
2) Write the thank you cards for our wedding - it's never too late to say thanks, right?
3) Lose weight and lose that ugly tummy - no explanation needed, hahaha
4) Print out some wedding pictures and finish the album
5) Finish our wedding blog
6) Write vouches for my travbuddy friends
7) Get the critic award in travbuddy
8) Pass the basic theory driving test and get my Singapore driver license
9) Continue learning French
10) Enrol in flute lessons
11) Play more tennis - and to be maintained post bumble bee days!
12) Organize paper documents
13) Go cycling
14) Try on new make up and outfit styles
15) Swim
16) Learn new recipes
17) Think of themes for house parties
18) Learn one full dance song routine
19) Organize my shoes and wardrobe
20) Think of more environmental measures I can adopt in my lifestyle
21) Make new friends
22) Read more books
23) Print out those souvenir pictures for our souvenir frames
24) Job hunt - I almost forgot to write this! hahaha
25) Pray.

Wish me luck! :)

I need to go around the Philippines more!

My Lakbayan grade is C!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

My Snorkeling Milestone

I am happy and proud to say that I now know how to snorkel without panicking, hehehe. To think that I've almost given up on snorkeling because I thought I just didn't have the ability to breathe thru my mouth. So all I just needed actually was calm waters because those times I've tried snorkeling before, there were some big waves. Thank you calm waters of Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines! :)

Now that I have proven that I can actually snorkel, maybe I can consider going for diving lessons? Hmmnn...

To you who look down on people from 3rd world countries

With all due respect, I request you that when travelling to a third world country, please do respect the rules and regulations and the people there.

And please, do not get hysterical and demand for local people not to speak in their native language in front of you. When a local who has tried to explain to you many times in perfect English their policies, starts talking to your local travel companion in their local language, it is obviously to ask help to explain to you again because if you did understand their English as you have been shouting in their faces, why did you still keep insisting your point and challenging their system? Duh.

Respect begets respect.

Another Goode Cartoon (but not for Kids)

It seems that hubby and I have this trend now of finding good things to watch during our holiday trips (or maybe we just watch too much TV! hehe). Last weekend, while relaxing in our hotel room in Ha Noi, Vietnam, we found this cartoon called The Goode Family on one of the cable channels (I think StarWorld). It about a "liberal", environmental, family who always try to be politically correct. The mom is the main driver of the principles of this family, some of which are so extreme that they forced their pet dog to be vegetarian like themselves.

I like the unconventional, modern setup and the sarcastic humour of this cartoon which obviously is made to be appreciated by adults only, oops, or rather, for the matured audience (being an adult is not equal to being matured, hehehe).

Here's the episode that we watched and which I found later on was the premier episode of The Goode Family. Enjoy!

Bogambilya

I've got a new obsession: watering our bougainvillea plants.

Yes, even if we live in condominium unit up on a high floor, we are fortunate that the design of our condo has a plant box right outside our living room window. So two weeks ago, I dragged hubby to the plant nursery near our place and we got us two pots of bougainvillea plants with lots of flowers in bloom. Yay! :D I thought that bougainvillea would be the perfect plant to liven up our window as it is not a high maintenance plant and would have a high chance of surviving in my greenthumb-less hands.

I've always had the notion that the bougainvillea plant loves lots of sunshine and less water. So at first we just watered it once a day. When we came back home from our 4 day holiday from Vietnam though, we were sad to see our dear plants wiltering and at the verge of drying up. Almost all the flowers fell and the leaves looked so tired and malnourished.

Well, it wasn't surprising of course, given the Singapore humidity. We were hoping that it would rain on at least one day during the time we were gone but obviously it didn't. And to top it off, the temperature had actually gone up. It was quite easy to forget that the hottest season in Singapore has started since 3 airplane hours away, we were in North Vietnam where the temperature suddenly dropped to 19 degrees celcius.

Anyhow, I thought I'd try watering the plants twice a day now, once in the morning and once in the evening just to see how the plants would take it. And hey! They seemed to like it because now they're back to looking healthy and there's a lot of growing buds now. Weeee! :D

And to finally satisfy my curiousity, I did a quick internet research about bougainvilleas and found out that they indeed love water as much as they love the sun! So now I'm just obsessing with looking at them every now and then when I'm at home to see if the soil is getting dry which means they need to be watered. Then I look at them some more to admire them and yes, sometimes I even talk to them to ask how they are. Hmmmnn, I've not gone crazy, have I? ;p

Rhymeee Timieee

This little fishie's got too many thoughts lately.
One of them is that she thinks she's turning into an auntie.
Because she's starting to lack some sponteinity,
The weighing scale is getting very heavy,
The waistline and tummy are becoming more bulgy.
Even if she is not at all preggy.
Is she losing her individuality?
Has she forgotten how to party?
Or is she just mastering the art of laundry?
Well she's starting to feel that she's ugly.
So something needs to be changed immediately.

Uh-oh, this is a little scary.