If there's one thing I could bottle up, it'd be laughter. Pure, unsaturated laughter that bubbles from from the depths of Some Place Delightful. Yesterday, I made a new friend who laughs with such unrestrained mirth that I spent a good portion of suppertime just watching him laugh. I can't remember the last time I've heard anyone above the age of five laugh so! freely! Each bout of laughter's almost like a confetti sprinkle of happiness - so lighthearted, so consuming and so amazing.

Revisitations

Unexpectedly dropped in at my ex-physics tutor's place this afternoon just to say a "Hi, how are you! :D" But instead of me leaving in a few minutes, Ol' Chua made my day with his wonderful brand of hospitality, which included delightful coffee♥, a biscuit tin filled with chocolate and silly conversation. I missed the coffee he makes. Tutors who are coffee connoisseurs are awesome. I'm not usually so glad to meet a teacher but hey, how many teachers jump on tables, organize Foosball competitions and teach so well that you end up liking the subject? He's one of the few teachers I truly appreciate and am thankful for (:

Voltaire - Did you find what you're looking for?

Famous Enlightenment writer & philosopher and, fast-forward a couple of centuries, amazingly talented musician.

The songs are tongue-in-cheek with a very catchy, folksy feel (: Always lovely to discover (or re-discover, in this case,) quirky artistes. Some of his lyrics are particularly animated, like The Beast of Pirates Bay - cute, visual and reminds me of all the silly cartoons I used to watch. Been music-bubbling to his tunes the whole day!

Woke up this morning with a familiar light-heartedness I haven't experienced in a long while (: Praise God! A series of events in the past week has made me realised my neglect for my emotional/spiritual health. Hence the inspiration to start my random art projects again. I just embarked on a 30 day drawing challenge; let's see where that takes me. Also started doing QT regularly again and spending my morning in the presence of God has brought an incredible sense of peace that's increasing day by day (:

EUGHHH

My back muscles are NON-EXISTENT.
I really really really need to start exercising again 0.0

To My Campers

"But kid you've got your own shit to do. And I can't continue to let you be doing all right, to be doing just fine when there's a world full of people tired of resting in shadows just waiting for you to shine " - Shane Koyczan, Visiting Hours.

What Is

Moments from Everynone on Vimeo.

♥ ♥

Video: Dobrodošla nazaj / T-Mobile / nenavadno presenečenje na letališču na GenSpot.com

(I know, I know, hiatus & all but this is amazinggg!! & it makes me so happy!) :D

Thanksgiving 2010: Sing Praise!

2010: the year I truly give thanks for the people in my life - (to quote a friend) the ones who pop in & stay, the ones who pop in&out, the ones who pop in&out every once in a while and the ones who unexpectedly pop in for a visit.

I'm so thankful for the incredible people who are blunt enough to tell me off, wonderful enough to remind me of my priorities, annoying (in a good way) enough to laugh at/with me, concerned enough to ask How's everything? Are you okay?, engaing enough to thought-bounce with me, awesome enough to buy me eggtarts, loving enough to pray for me, patient enough to hear my thoughts, comfy enough for me to steal bear hugs from, brave enough to shake me out of bouts of emo-stupors, cool enough to play random mind-games with, accommodating enough to have breakfasts, lunches, teas & dinners with me, audacious enough to question me till I question myself  and list goes on (:

The ones who send reassurances & encouragement, the ones I meet at least once a year simply because I have to, the ones I'll always meet during Mocha Meetups, the ones I see on Sundays, the ones who'll sit&stone with me, the ones so scarily familiar to me, the ones who crack me up endlessly, the ones I can tell-off without feeling guilty, the ones I've inane circular arguements & repeated conversations with, the ones I've spoken to but never met, the ones whom I meet at the most unexpected times & places, the ones who make my day with brilliant smiles (:

All of you made my days more than you'll ever realise. & I thank God for having placed you all in my life ♥

Due to the NYE/NYD bustling around, this post comes a little late since I hardly had time to sitthink&type. Nevertheless, here it is.

NYE was a full day out (since I woke up late and had to head out soon after) with friends in the afternoon then meeting my family in church followed by post-service supper. Exhausting, but heart-warming, yes. (: The highlight of NYD was the late night Family Scrabble ♥, complete with vodka, crackers, cheese and whatnot. Lasted till 1am so we were almost late for church today. Unsurprisingly, my alcohol intolerance still gets the better of me. Barely two cups and I hiccuped. Fun though :D

"Could it be that the trusting child -

Who with childlike faith stands strong -

can teach us more than sun and stars

About to whom our hearts belong?

- Branon

"Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working."

Restless enthusiasm... I like the sound of that.

Cry Me A River that runs through the most haywired path

Somewhere, in the UK, there is this amazing 16 year old with the most gorgeous voice (for a 16 year old) and listening to him sing Cry Me A River made my night. His voice then reminded me of Michael awesome-voice Buble, so I began song-bubbling to my favourite tunes by him (I strongly recommend Sway, Feeling Good & Cry Me A River). Then listening to him ignited a hare-brained idea to pick up the ukelele, so as I'm typing this, I'm scrolling through a ukelele site on & off and strumming an imaginary one. No, head-banging not included.

In T!LT news, I met up with a couple of Mocha Beans (& special guest appearance by Princess) today for a late, late dinner of chilli  crab (: I ♥ them sooo much (my friends, not the chilli crab) even though I don't say it alot & I miss that comfortable familiarity, especially when we hung out at the Twins' place, lie all over the beanbags & sofas and just chat. December's gonna be an incredible month (: I can't wait.

My non-existent diet which was supposed to start today went to hell prematurely. Very well, it shall re-start again tomorrow...or more accurately, later today. Or maybe after the pack of Kit Kat disappears. Yes, just the Kit Kat; I promise not to touch the tortilla chips, or the other packs of crisps, or the generally divine M&S biscuits, or the rocky road ice cream.

My thoughts are running away with the spoon and jumping over the moon again.

Hey There, Hello, You Intrigue

[source]

You're the colours of the wind; the summer, autumn, winter, spring.

You're the white light through a prism casting hues; the Monet of (little) Moments.

Hey there, hello, you intrigue.

[source]

You're the shadows that shift; the leaves that crunch.

You're the lord of the night; the hider & seeker beneath the pale moonlight.

Hey there, hello, you intrigue.

You're the paths that diverge on the hands of fate; the one that follows, the one that leads.

You're the giver of surprises; the iridescence that beautifies the earthen tracks.

Hey there, hello, you intrigue. 

Pass the chips

I like the adverb wordlessly.It implies a profound understanding of the situation or person so much so that it does not require words to express it. There is a very grand, very Zen feel to that word that brings to mind the unbroken, fluid nature of water. (Or at least, to me, it does.) Actions, as we all know, speak louder than words. & those actions in the moments of 'wordless-ness' are ones that I truly appreciate. Like how we used to automatically hug on sight, like a reflex action or something, whenever we met in school & it always made my day cos you're just so damn huggable. (Hello BD, we need to go lunching.)

*****

In other news, I have a sore throat from talking too much today. Srsly. Try talking to kids from 1000h to 1430h, then talking on & off (more on than off) to various other people all the way to 2120h.  My voice  already started deteriorating at about 1330h. My voice has gone slightly hoarse & it hurts like a bitch to raise my voice louder than a whisper. Since dinner, I have been conveying my thoughts through interpretive dance accompanied with hand actions. Also, I have a sprained foot, which is recovering very well, thankfully. I should be walking pain-free/normally by Monday (: Which means by Tuesday, I can finally go for hockey. Maybe. We'll see.

Inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LCwI5iErE

Benjamin Zander's this sprightly amazing guy with the infectious idealism of youth. The nuggets of wisdom in his talk really spoke to me. I cannot help but be drawn in by the way he talks, explains, describes... it's the images upon vivid images he creates in my head that makes it so easy to follow his train of thought and extrapolate it even.

What's it to you?

Look what I found while browsing the interwebs! [source]:


"Here’s an excerpt from Joe Martin’s speech to the HMS incoming class of 2009. Dr Martin's the outgoing dean of the medical school at Harvard. It describes what it takes to become a doctor, based on the etymology of three words related to this profession.

What does it mean to be a Doctor of Medicine? Lewis Thomas — who was himself a medical school dean as well as a prizewinning author — reflects on the origins of some of the words that will become central to your lives as you embark on your careers. The evolution of these words can be traced back to the ancient Indo-European language that was the ancestor of many of our modern languages, and they have some hidden lessons for your profession  Let’s look at three words that will come to mean much to you: Doctor, Medicine, and Physician.

The word doctor came from dek, meaning something proper and acceptable, useful. It became docere in Latin, to teach, also discere, to learn, hence “disciple.” In Greek it was understood to mean an acceptable kind of teaching, thus dogma and orthodox. “Decorum” and “decency” are derivative words. 

Medicine itself emerged from the root med, which meant something like measuring out, or taking appropriate measures. Latin used med to make mederi, to look after, to heal. The English words “moderate” and “modest” are also descendants of med, carrying instructions for medicine long since forgotten; medical students ought from time to time to meditate (another cognate) on these etymological cousins. 

Physician came from a wonderful word, one of the master roots in the old language, bheu, meaning nature itself, being, existence. Phusis was made from this root in Greek, on its way to becoming two English words: “physic,” used for medicine in general, and “physics,” meaning the study of nature. The first chair at Harvard Medical School was established shortly after its founding in 1782 as the Hersey Professorship in Physic.

(Ed: in Cambridge, it was the Regius Professorship of Physic, a crown appointment founded by King Henry IV in 1540… beat that Harvard!  )  

Doctor, medicine, and physician, taken together with derivative words that grew up around them, tell us a great deal about society’s ancient expectations for the profession — hard to live up to!   "


Now, isn't that enlightening? & inspiring?