I just read from an article about how people who like to write are more able to cope with stress, and how it benefits the person by elevating the mood.
Yes, then I guess I should write again. Something which I had not done for a long time (I know I keep saying this).
Life as a student is doubly stressful. :( These past few weeks had been stressful times as I had to grapple with a few major things in my life - decisions, studies, moves, choices. Day after day we have meetings for group work, day after day I think of how to complete the next individual assignment.
Motivated by extrinsic (fear of failure) and intrinsic reasons (desire to do well and benefit people), I feel that I am giving too much pressure to myself. Coupled with a lack of sleep and fluctuating schedules everyday, physically my body is probably confused.
We all need balance and rest in our lives. Where is my leisure time? Eroded away by the stress of assignments, readings, preparations. Where are my weekends? Sweet weekends of doing nothing too serious hasn't been a possibility of late. Emotionally, I do miss my old w place to some extent. The comfort of not needing to change too much, knowing that you have the same group of people and environment and hours around you even if the challenges change everyday. Knowing that you had done well, has overcome and will be able to cope.
Yet now, with everything so new it is the opposite. Ah. :-/
Xoxo
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Spending too much this month
Dear Diary,
It is not a budget-wise month. :-( I am weak when it comes to skincare products and overspent this month. It does not help that I have to spend on a reliable watch this month since the previous few brands that I have tried (S Titus, Swatch) did not live up to expectations and spoilt on me! Seriously frustrating considering that these watches cost around S$300 and it is so flimsy. The S.T. watch lasted me for around 3-4 years and had changed batteries and straps countless times, I supposed this is acceptable if I break it down to about S$100/year.
However, the so called reliable brand of SW automatic watch only lasted for 4 months. I thought swiss made products are durable but apparently not. This automatic watch is a beauty with it's transparent mechanism, but it runs faster than it should by about a minute everyday and the back face had an insidious crack since the first week. I was so upset that I bought myself a B watch that is inspired by the Arctic, with highly resistant scratch proof ceramic links and gold plated straps. It has worked well so far and my expectation for this watch is to last for YEARS.
In addition, I spent too much on facial sessions by taking on a new package. It is clearly not my intention to purchase more when I have about 8 sessions left (can last for close to 1 year) but it was hard not to when the salesperson gave a deal that is irresistible to walk away from.
To be frank, aside from these 2 rare big ticket purchases of facial package & watch, other spending were at similar or lower levels as before... I topped up on some skincare essentials during a sale today and though this is saving future money, it is exacerbating my budget situation this month. Sighs. :-(
I have to be more disciplined next month!
xoxo,
principessa
It is not a budget-wise month. :-( I am weak when it comes to skincare products and overspent this month. It does not help that I have to spend on a reliable watch this month since the previous few brands that I have tried (S Titus, Swatch) did not live up to expectations and spoilt on me! Seriously frustrating considering that these watches cost around S$300 and it is so flimsy. The S.T. watch lasted me for around 3-4 years and had changed batteries and straps countless times, I supposed this is acceptable if I break it down to about S$100/year.
However, the so called reliable brand of SW automatic watch only lasted for 4 months. I thought swiss made products are durable but apparently not. This automatic watch is a beauty with it's transparent mechanism, but it runs faster than it should by about a minute everyday and the back face had an insidious crack since the first week. I was so upset that I bought myself a B watch that is inspired by the Arctic, with highly resistant scratch proof ceramic links and gold plated straps. It has worked well so far and my expectation for this watch is to last for YEARS.
In addition, I spent too much on facial sessions by taking on a new package. It is clearly not my intention to purchase more when I have about 8 sessions left (can last for close to 1 year) but it was hard not to when the salesperson gave a deal that is irresistible to walk away from.
To be frank, aside from these 2 rare big ticket purchases of facial package & watch, other spending were at similar or lower levels as before... I topped up on some skincare essentials during a sale today and though this is saving future money, it is exacerbating my budget situation this month. Sighs. :-(
I have to be more disciplined next month!
xoxo,
principessa
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Writing therapy - Our 2014 World
Writing is really therapeutic from what I remember. A decade ago, I would have been updating my blog a few times a week and friends tune in every few days to read the latest post. And it's not just me, but me and many other people. We take turns to read each other's blog and comment, get updated by each other's thoughts. As one of the earlier adopters (or am I a mass adopter?), if I count back this trend of blogging would have gone back to at least 10 years! Tres amazing!
But the world now is so different. Although blogging still remains, it is less popular as people get into social media sites and 'update' their friends via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. We are into short messages and shorthand writing, pictures and videos. What happened to lengthly sharing of thoughts such as blogs? No wonder the young people of today spell so poorly, have short attention spans, and are glued to their mobile games and screens. In this year 2014, 'Selfies' and 'Wrecking Ball' Miley type of attitude, female quiffs and male makeup/dressing that cross the boundary of being darkly feminine are so popular. There just seem to be so much hurt, anger and naked self expression that's trending in popular culture. Sighs. How will the world be like in 2024? I don't know.
Currently, what I had predicted a few years back when animated movies like Wallee was out, had come true. People have became almost robotic in their own bubble world. They're hooked on their mobile screens, enclosed in their own world via the ear phones, and not looking at people and 'truly' interacting with the world that passes by. It is like how busy-ness (this is addiction to living in virtual bubbles) robs us of our appreciation of the beautiful world that God had created. You know what? Perhaps that's it. It is what I think it is. Satan is luring us away from really connecting with each other and luring us away from appreciating or even thinking about creation around us, this is the secular world. With that, we are so buried in our work and own sense of play that time for deep reflection about our lives/our spirituality/our soul business (as I call it) eludes us. We simply have no time to think about deep issues, the real things that matters!
There's always something to chase, sadly these things we chase are mostly temporal. Like how to do better than others in terms of pay, position, promotion. How to live in a yet more luxurious house, getting more branded bags and shoes, how to get a nicer car that will win the envy of others, how to look better, and so on and so forth. Oh well. :-(
How will the rest of 2014 pan out? I don't know, but God holds our yesterday, our today and our tomorrow that I know. And I know something for sure. That global warming is only going to speed up and temperatures are rising, more extreme weather events are happening year after year and month after month (it appears in our papers on a weekly basis or more frequently), I know for sure that the world is going to be different and we will be facing the brunt of it. But as a child of God, I know He will look after me and be through this with me.
Thank you God.
xoxo,
principessa
But the world now is so different. Although blogging still remains, it is less popular as people get into social media sites and 'update' their friends via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. We are into short messages and shorthand writing, pictures and videos. What happened to lengthly sharing of thoughts such as blogs? No wonder the young people of today spell so poorly, have short attention spans, and are glued to their mobile games and screens. In this year 2014, 'Selfies' and 'Wrecking Ball' Miley type of attitude, female quiffs and male makeup/dressing that cross the boundary of being darkly feminine are so popular. There just seem to be so much hurt, anger and naked self expression that's trending in popular culture. Sighs. How will the world be like in 2024? I don't know.
Currently, what I had predicted a few years back when animated movies like Wallee was out, had come true. People have became almost robotic in their own bubble world. They're hooked on their mobile screens, enclosed in their own world via the ear phones, and not looking at people and 'truly' interacting with the world that passes by. It is like how busy-ness (this is addiction to living in virtual bubbles) robs us of our appreciation of the beautiful world that God had created. You know what? Perhaps that's it. It is what I think it is. Satan is luring us away from really connecting with each other and luring us away from appreciating or even thinking about creation around us, this is the secular world. With that, we are so buried in our work and own sense of play that time for deep reflection about our lives/our spirituality/our soul business (as I call it) eludes us. We simply have no time to think about deep issues, the real things that matters!
There's always something to chase, sadly these things we chase are mostly temporal. Like how to do better than others in terms of pay, position, promotion. How to live in a yet more luxurious house, getting more branded bags and shoes, how to get a nicer car that will win the envy of others, how to look better, and so on and so forth. Oh well. :-(
How will the rest of 2014 pan out? I don't know, but God holds our yesterday, our today and our tomorrow that I know. And I know something for sure. That global warming is only going to speed up and temperatures are rising, more extreme weather events are happening year after year and month after month (it appears in our papers on a weekly basis or more frequently), I know for sure that the world is going to be different and we will be facing the brunt of it. But as a child of God, I know He will look after me and be through this with me.
Thank you God.
xoxo,
principessa
Sunday, 1 December 2013
An unforgettable trip to the Holy land
Dear diary,
I just came back from a 2 weeks holiday from the Holy Land (Israel & Jordan) and had an amazing time of spiritual journey, adventure, self discovery, love and friendship. It is an unforgettable trip and I'm glad to have gone ahead, and embarked on this at an age of twenty seven.
Life is a journey and we're all discovering... the world, history, cultures, people who has survived in another land so different, and in relation to it, our purpose and mission in life. What is God's will for me? I want to seek it and do it. I'm unhappy to remain in my current position if there is a chance to do more, to stretch myself and fulfill my potential in this world. You see my friend, we all have gifts endowed from God and we need to use it and refine them, contribute to the world to make it a better place. To live a life of true Christianity and make disciples of people.
Having been to the Sea of Galilee and enjoying the peaceful waters and hazy shores, we visited to the Mount of Beatitudes and the Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha.
- Galilee is where Jesus walked on water, where Jesus called his disciples Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, where he appeared to the disciples after resurrection.
- Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the sermon of blessings to his followers
- Tabgha where in faith, Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying 5 loaves & 2 fishes from a boy into a satisfying meal for thousands of people.
- Mount Tabor where the transfiguration took place. I didn't visit but saw pictures.
We also went to Jaffa old port in 2 beautiful nights whereby Paul had the dream of Gentiles being able to be saved by grace, where Solomon built his port to get cedars from Lebanon, and where Jonah set off and was in the stomach of the big fish due to disobedience.
- Mount Carmel where Elijah performed the miracle of fire against the Baal prophets, and we even went to see his cave!
- Caesara city that
I just came back from a 2 weeks holiday from the Holy Land (Israel & Jordan) and had an amazing time of spiritual journey, adventure, self discovery, love and friendship. It is an unforgettable trip and I'm glad to have gone ahead, and embarked on this at an age of twenty seven.
Life is a journey and we're all discovering... the world, history, cultures, people who has survived in another land so different, and in relation to it, our purpose and mission in life. What is God's will for me? I want to seek it and do it. I'm unhappy to remain in my current position if there is a chance to do more, to stretch myself and fulfill my potential in this world. You see my friend, we all have gifts endowed from God and we need to use it and refine them, contribute to the world to make it a better place. To live a life of true Christianity and make disciples of people.
Having been to the Sea of Galilee and enjoying the peaceful waters and hazy shores, we visited to the Mount of Beatitudes and the Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha.
- Galilee is where Jesus walked on water, where Jesus called his disciples Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, where he appeared to the disciples after resurrection.
- Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the sermon of blessings to his followers
- Tabgha where in faith, Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying 5 loaves & 2 fishes from a boy into a satisfying meal for thousands of people.
- Mount Tabor where the transfiguration took place. I didn't visit but saw pictures.
We also went to Jaffa old port in 2 beautiful nights whereby Paul had the dream of Gentiles being able to be saved by grace, where Solomon built his port to get cedars from Lebanon, and where Jonah set off and was in the stomach of the big fish due to disobedience.
- Mount Carmel where Elijah performed the miracle of fire against the Baal prophets, and we even went to see his cave!
- Caesara city that
Friday, 8 March 2013
Astonishing numbers
In the newspapers today I was reading about the last decade being the hottest decade than 80% of the earth's past 11,000 years. Astonishing it is not, but yes it is a frightful reminder of how we need to be conscious consumers and good global citizens of this earth! A BBC documentary brought me along Simon Reeve's journey in the Indian Ocean and revealed the thousands of trawlers along the waters of Mumbai who goes hundreds of kilometers away to dredge the sea of it's treasures, current & future, destroying the sea bed and catching clueless turtles and mantra rays and inedible but incredibly beautiful fishes along with it. I hate these trawlers and unsustainable ways of fishing, not a thought to destroying the underwater universe!
However, I realise that I would have inevitably contributed to the fortunes of the trawlers by my voracious consumption of seafood. :(
However, I realise that I would have inevitably contributed to the fortunes of the trawlers by my voracious consumption of seafood. :(
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Contradictions
For lack of a better title. It's lunch time now and I am thankful to be able to enjoy a leisurely drink at this moment although its an emotional mind wreck within. It's always hard to be on something and yet have to convince someone on another. I think the someone is myself.
Dear God you must have something planned. The will that was strong, I was convinced and yet now it backfires. I just want to do what I could do and do it to the best. I just want to contribute what I could and be contented with the work, with the blessing you have promised. Is it because oh God that I had prayed for other opportunities that now you are opening a path for me? But my head aches and I am not sure how to proceed because time is not on this side, how do I prepare and how do I convince? Peace oh God is what I need.
To go and find out for myself if its the place to be? Yet the mouths of many from the other side tells me that the working hours are more than I had imagined, the stress could be higher while rewards are lower, and it is even more stressful I suppose because of what you represent. Oh God you are merciful to me, how gracious you are for the opportunity. Can I lead a balanced and happy life? Can I concentrate on the really important things in life such as serving you, being there for my family, developing in hobbies and skills that could be used to serve you better?
My head still aches and I don't know what to do. The procedures and preparation daunts me and I hope to overcome it. Only with you God, are you with me on this?
Writing doesn't seem to help.
Dear God you must have something planned. The will that was strong, I was convinced and yet now it backfires. I just want to do what I could do and do it to the best. I just want to contribute what I could and be contented with the work, with the blessing you have promised. Is it because oh God that I had prayed for other opportunities that now you are opening a path for me? But my head aches and I am not sure how to proceed because time is not on this side, how do I prepare and how do I convince? Peace oh God is what I need.
To go and find out for myself if its the place to be? Yet the mouths of many from the other side tells me that the working hours are more than I had imagined, the stress could be higher while rewards are lower, and it is even more stressful I suppose because of what you represent. Oh God you are merciful to me, how gracious you are for the opportunity. Can I lead a balanced and happy life? Can I concentrate on the really important things in life such as serving you, being there for my family, developing in hobbies and skills that could be used to serve you better?
My head still aches and I don't know what to do. The procedures and preparation daunts me and I hope to overcome it. Only with you God, are you with me on this?
Writing doesn't seem to help.
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Uncertainties
Life is full of turns. Of hopes and faith, and of discouragement and unclear signals. What seemed promising might not be so, maybe what you are doing isn't enough, or what you are communicating about what you are doing does not do justice to what is done.
Expect a huge growth spurt. Sacrificing time and prioritizing, what and how really? What exactly? When will you ever be ready?
Maybe never fully, not when the path isn't right. If you are walking the wrong way, you would never reached the destination. Back track, grin and carry on... This time to the right track.
What is the right path?
Xoxo
Expect a huge growth spurt. Sacrificing time and prioritizing, what and how really? What exactly? When will you ever be ready?
Maybe never fully, not when the path isn't right. If you are walking the wrong way, you would never reached the destination. Back track, grin and carry on... This time to the right track.
What is the right path?
Xoxo
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