Taken from #10 – Ten Simple Truths Smart People Forget

You will never feel 100 percent ready when an opportunity arises.

The number one thing I persistently see holding smart people back is their own reluctance to accept an opportunity simply because they don’t think they’re ready. In other words, they believe they require additional knowledge, skill, experience, etc. before they can aptly partake in the opportunity. Sadly, this is the kind of thinking that stifles personal growth.

Just remember that significant moments of opportunity for personal growth and development will come and go throughout your lifetime. If you are looking to make positive changes in your life you will need to embrace these moments of opportunity even though you will never feel 100 percent ready for them.

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I’m thankful for each and every day I wake into (despite the slow start up on some mornings, even to the point of refusing to leave the bed).

I’m thankful for my family who has shaped me into the person I am today and at the same time, by God’s grace, what I am NOT (if that makes sense).

I’m thankful for friends and grateful that our paths have crossed at some point or another. Thankful that I have a few that I could still count on despite the distance between us, nostalgic (sometimes) for those that I have grown distant from.

I’m thankful for my parents’ sacrifice, without which the means I have to support myself today would not exist.

I’m thankful for every irritant; there lies a blessing (or at least, I try to believe that!) in disguise.

I’m thankful for the kindness of strangers – a word, a touch, a smile (sounds familiar, Agapeans?)

I’m thankful for the love of God, without which all the above would not be possible.

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2nd July 2011, Saturday

The girls are getting together for LiMay’s bridal shower/birthday party today – too bad I can’t be there.

3rd July 2011, Sunday
Sometimes I miss ALL my close friends at one time and get really emo when I think about the times when we hang out.
Sigh.
I need friends of my own age group/interests/hobbies/maturity/sense of humour/stage of life…it’s a little tricky finding them here.

4th July 2011, Monday
Today, I learnt a new game (well preserved board game by Judy from when Carmen was a little girl!) – very interesting play.

Hey, hey, witch way?

With beginner’s luck, I won.

No wonder she dislikes me when I take unflattering photos of her bum.

Pharmacist is back on the SOL list again. Guess they still need us in Australia!

5th July 2011, Tuesday

The blue section.
The second dress arrived yesterday and I got to try it on today. It needs to be taken in a little but definitely more comfortable than the first one. Yay! Finally got a workable dress for LiMay’s wedding. Cutting it close at 1.5 months…

6th July 2011, Wednesday

Only the cool people get excited about receiving their backordered amoxicillin suspension powders, okay???
It was out of stock for a while and being the most commonly prescribed antibiotic, it was a disaster! We were all very glad to have received this lot – else there would be a lot of dignified begging to get some from other stores.

7th July 2011, Thursday

Applied online 3.3.11 and got the approval on 7.7.11! Praise God!
I was hoping for it to get through but definitely did not expect it to be THAT quickly. Thank God for the “express lane”.

8th July 2011, Friday
Booked KUL-ADL to make my initial entry. MAS was surprisingly cheaper than Jetstar (base fare not including baggage!) – bargain!
I can even visit NN now! Yay!

10th July 2011, Sunday
I got my visa granted but the document checklist still says “required”. Heh! That’s why I gave up checking the online tracker for a while.

11th July 2011, Monday
Pet peeve: When customers say “hypo” to describe their hyper kids. It’s hyper, not hypo.

12th July 2011, Tuesday
Dreamt I went on a holiday with friends and they asked me to take a photo in front of a Korean embassy (why? I don’t know!). Suddenly dancers & crowd came in before I could snap a photo. Photo fail!

Look what we found? Kerry’s dog got loose and thankfully got to our house rather than being caught by dog pound!

Have to use fairy lights because my side/table lamp’s bulb died on me.

13th July 2011, Wednesday
I got a “just because” phone call from Chelle all the way from Penang. Aww
Initially when she texted me, I thought I was in trouble!

14th July 2011, Thursday

Where is my cheese? I paid $0.75 extra for cheese but non spotted here. Sadly, this is also not the first time, BurgerKing.

15th July 2011, Friday
I wondered if it was “one of you HAS to” or “one of you HAVE to” after watching an episode of HouseMD. It sort of sparked a little debate on FB but all good. It’s “one of you HAS to”…just in case if anyone needed to know, like how I needed to.

17th July 2011, Sunday
Evaporated milk as a substitute for fresh cream in my pasta?
NEVER AGAIN! No matter what it claims on the can of the evaporated milk.

18th July 2011, Monday
Little sparks of light under covers – static sparks! Amazing! Only see it when it’s completely dark and when I rustle my fleece blanket.
This is why science is so cool!

19th July 2011, Tueday

Does it look like I broke my foot?

20th July 2011, Wednesday

The dirty green/silver/blond is gone.
Yay!
DIY colour mousse – I’m sure you can spot the coloured area.

21st July 2011, Thursday
I have been looking at GradDipClinPharm courses and considering them again. Distance learning, bettering myself, sprucing up the CV. The thing is, I’m not that confident that I can get back into studying again. It scares me!

23rd July 2011, Saturday
I guess nobody likes to lose. The silence makes me think that I didn’t pass the mark and it bugs me to not know why I wasn’t chosen if so.
I’ve not heard back since 10th June.

24th July 2011, Sunday
Since Alex+Sam do not work in the same company as I do anymore, we have to consciously make time to catch up. They mentioned Speight’s Ale House a while ago and we finally got to try it out.

Getting cosy by the fire.

Mr and Mrs Chan – unfortunately Mrs Chan was fidgety.

Alex’s steak…I forgot what did Sam have?

Plain’s pasta – I now know that having pasta from a restaurant is possible in HB! I do miss the abundance of food/restaurants in Malaysia.

Piggy me couldn’t decide – so I got the Hunter’s ribs as well (starter size).

25th July 2011, Monday
CX smear: One is always vulnerable (emotionally and physically) when one has to drop their pants in front of their doctor.

My radical doctor said, “Who says you must have your period every month?”
Hmmm…biology classes?

Due to snow storm, all flights in & out of Christchurch are cancelled! Hopefully this won’t be happening next month! I need to be home at planned time!

Finally going to dig into my chocolate egg from Easter. Tempted to dunk it in warm milk to make hot chocolate!

26th July 2011, Tuesday
Don’t know what on earth is wrong but I just had to leave the house. Too much unexplainable drama from a 9 year old. So much screaming and baby tantrums from a kid whom you expect more maturity from. Ugh!

I went for a 20 minutes walk around the block and even before I stepped over the gate threshold, I could still hear screaming. They were STILL at home after fussing about going out for a walk! At times like these, I wish (again) I had a place of my own.

27th July 2011, Wednesday

I have onions, bacon, cabbage, carrots and pasta. Bring on fusion stir fry!

28th July 2011, Thursday

Can’t believe mom paid about USD1 for a golden kiwi. ONE. A golden kiwi.
And here we are in kiwi season.

29th July 2011, Friday
Anyone getting emails from atcencommunication? Where did they get my email? I’ve unsubscribed a few times but now there is no option to do so on those emails. It’s irritating and I do not remember EVER subscribing to those emails.

The near-dark sky.

Vasuki, FeR. Will miss her dearly!

30th July 2011, Saturday

Best home made BKT ever!! Secret ingredient is in getting this sachet of instant BKT – tastes like the real deal!

31st July 2011, Sunday

Had leftover cheesecake (NewWorld makes really good cheesecakes!) while updating blog. Loooong overdue update for my (nearly forgotten) blog.

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2nd March 2011, Wednesday
Say goodbye to my CNY-themed ligatures and hello to some brighter colours! The elastics are doing well to deepen my bite and lining my midlines.

3rd March 2011, Thursday
Went to Isabel’s place to get my skin checked out and apparently it’s better since I’ve been using Artistry. I still alternate between the cleanser and Cetaphil (Cetaphil FTW!) but seems to be going well.
On the way back, I saw an email come through from SouthAustralia. I stared in disbelief that I’ve been granted a sponsorship! After 10 months, I’ve given up hope of hearing back, let alone getting a positive response. I actually got the sponsorship approved on the 22nd February but only got the email now – and it says that I have 30 days to respond from the date of approval! Why was the email not sent out earlier? Eeek! Nevertheless, extremely thankful and truly, only God could have seen to it. What did I do next? Lodge an application online, of course. I’ve already got all my documents ready in a folder since last year…

4th March 2011, Friday
After submitting the application and spending AUD2575 (non-refundable), I wonder if I made the right decision…
I’m being such an ingrate now – would I really want to swap my lush greens here for dry browns there?

5th March 2011, Saturday
Ooooh! Makes me angry when patients/customers lie to our faces! I will get to the bottom of this! She said that she ONLY comes to our pharmacy but evidently, she must have gone to another outlet because computer systems don’t lie. We did not issue any vouchers with that barcode number on it, I looked through the database of all the vouchers issued since we relaunched the loyalty programme.
Went to Dunks after work to check her details out and guess what? She signed up for the rewards card there and that’s how she got her vouchers. I don’t know why she INSISTED that we gave the vouchers to her. It’s not like I won’t allow her to use it, I just needed the details from the other card in order to use the vouchers. Grrr!!!

8th March 2011, Tuesday
Left a comment about the batch of Moccona’s caramel cappuccino tasting/smelling off and I got an email back with an offer of a replacement voucher. Very prompt service!

10th March 2011, Thursday
Finally got my passport back. I got my resident visa letter on the 16th of February and I remembering sent it out by courier not long after. My resident visa label was only made/printed yesterday (9th March 2011) – I’m just really glad my passport didn’t go missing if it was sitting in a tray at their office for about 3 weeks.

12th March 2011, Saturday
Whaddaya know! Jar Jar Binks! Lego today has come a long way since I was a kid! Saw this staring at me when I was having breakfast.

13th March 2011, Sunday
I finally found my “i” stamp that went missing since last year – can you see it?

It’s finally a complete set again. *sigh*

15th March 2011, Tuesday
I just heard that we got the contract to give flu vaccination – this should be interesting! Pre-filled 0.8mm pens. $375 for training, though.

17th March 2011, Thursday
My dental hygienist (20 years experience) said I had the CLEANEST teeth (with braces) she’s ever seen. Not “one of”, but cleanest! *smug*

Bible reading on the iPhone using Bible.is app, following the “You’ve Got The Time” program.

22nd March 2011, Tuesday
After months of having the Trademe app, I finally learned how to use it (properly). I knew something was amiss if I can’t search for listings! Phail geek.

23rd March 2011, Wednesday
Bugs on our bench! Eeek!

Yea, goofing at work. These were sent to use for the headlice product promo/display.

Also got news that Kyra Teoh said hello world! Same birth date as Chelle but 4 months earlier.

24th March 2011, Thursday
Attended my first talk at the hospital – interesting but at the same time disheartening to see the negative statistics on the youths in HB.
Lynnette talked about switching our shifts to a permanent 5-days week basis. I’m all for it! Tuesday-Saturday every week beats the 7-days week (even if it’s on alternate weeks, it’s a killer!) Hopefully we can start doing that. Need someone to help us out on Mondays and Fridays.

25th March 2011, Friday
Warren’s bakery last day of trading. Their infamous custard squares – extra long today. Farewell!

26th March 2011, Saturday
Watched TheBigBangTheory S1 again and I noticed in episode 7, Raj spoke when Penny was there (no alcohol).
Learnt how to get the ° symbol on iPhone. Sheesh.
Maybe it’s time to get out of house.

The care package is ready to go! Something for Kyra, something for Chelle and something for Darren.

28th March 2011, Monday
Dropped my watch at 1110am and it stopped dead there. Have to be sent to Wairoa to get it checked. Hope it’s fixable!

31st March 2011, Thursday
Orthodontist said, “No more elastics!”
Hurray! That was pretty quick – four months? My bite is nearly fixed but my jaw and face still looks senget. Great. The thing that I want to fix the most is still staring at me.

Anyway, will end this with the progress of my teeth

Without elastics, my midlines are still a bit off.

Top arch.

Bottom arch.

Right upper canine between lower premolar and canine.

Left upper canine between lower premolar and canine.

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Sometimes.

On a day like this, when it’s too early to go to bed.
When there’s nothing on TV.
When it’s too cold to be motivated to get anything done.
When there is no good book to read.
When there is nothing else to distract me.
When one doesn’t feel like doing paperwork.
When one is hours ahead of some and hours behind of some other.

I miss.

Everyone.
Everything.

Terribly.

I miss life in Seremban. When I was younger. When things were uncomplicated. When things were innocent. When ignorance was because one was protected from the truth, not because it was a choice. When life consisted of waiting till the weekend to watch cartoons on TV.

I miss having a dog. Envious of those who have them. Envious of those who are able to have them. I know I should have done more when we did have Brinkley. Nevertheless, I do miss having a furry companion.

I miss being able to drive out and meet friends in 10 minutes. For a drink, for a meal, for a snack. I miss your smile, your hug, your chatter, your presence, your companionship. Each and every one of you. Sometimes chats or even video calls are not good enough. Sometimes all we need is a bit of a human touch/presence.

I miss walking 3 houses down and popo would be there. I miss family gatherings with the big group. I miss weekends in PJ when we visited yee mah and in USJ when we visited AuntyJanet. I miss the times when we cousins would pretend to be asleep when we were put to sleep for afternoon naps. I miss the Christmas gatherings. I miss the CNY reunion.

Where do I belong now?

The past seems like a blur, and things have changed. Things would never be what it was before.
The future is…

…I have no idea. The only thing that I hear is, “I don’t know.”

Yes.
Sometimes, on a day like this, I miss.
I just…miss.

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Just when I thought, “Oh. There goes the slightest chance I’d ever have” I am surprised by His grace.

I read the new occupation list for SA SS and assumed I would have no chance whatsoever. This was released in January (but I read it last month) and out of curiosity I checked my client tracker.

Nope.
Nothing.

Since the list came out in January, I also assumed that they do not contact you if you didn’t make it.

Then the email.
I thought, “Oh, here it comes. The rejection.”
I was flabbergasted when I read it. I was in the car at the corner of Queen and Russell, waiting for the looooong train to pass so I could get home. I was worried I read wrong!
Arrived home and ran to MacFeR to find that I read it RIGHT.

Thank You!

—

Edited 4th March 2011
After the initial excitement and frenzy of doing everything online, I lay in bed yesterday night wondering if I just flushed a whole lot of money down the drain.

Weird.

The “other thoughts” came I was looking up lifestyle, condition and cost of living.
Where would I find freehold houses for less than 200k? Would I really want to go from lush greens to dry browns? Health care (to me) seems more available and affordable here. What would happen to my want of living green? Do I really want to go through that stress of professional registration? What am I thinking??

I know nothing is certain yet but if it gets rejected, would I have been better saving that money since I have thoughts like these. V was just saying, “Yay! No more paperwork” and right after meeting up with her, I’m diving into more of it.

Why am I being such an ingrate?

Perhaps I’m ahead of myself. I will wait on Your answer.

Edited 8th March 2011
I will be still and know You are in control. Any way it turns out, I know it’s with my best interest in mind.

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For the past few years I’ve made resolutions public on my blog (well, as public as how many people checks in here)…with the exception of last year? Well, I forget but I must have mentioned a few in the last few years.

For this year, dare I make another list?

Is it realistic to want to get back to being 120lbs/55kg?
Is it realistic to do all the “Kiwi” things that I’ve missed out in the past 2.5 years?
Is it realistic to (once again) stick to my $50/week budget for groceries?
Is it realistic to only go for takeaways once a fortnight like my first 6 months here?
Is it realistic to be able to go on the bike trail from Hastings to Napier and back?
Is it realistic to dream of owning my own place before the year ends?
Should I join the Hastings choral singing group?

I don’t know.
One can dream and hope.

—

I try to remember to reset my counter every year. It was up to 2675 visits (goodness knows how many of those are mine! ) before my reset today. Hopefully I will have more motivation to keep this up.

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My GP (feels weird to say that because in the past 2 years and more, I was never enrolled with a doctor) just informed me today that I have high cholesterol.

“WHAT??!!”

She didn’t inform me specifically but it just popped up during our conversation about my medical report for immigration. It was as if I knew I had it all along (that was what she said, too, “But you already know that.”) – and no, I wasn’t aware. It was when I was an intern in Seremban GH, right after coming back from consuming TRAYS of eggs per week as a student in Scotland. I didn’t think it was high when I did my medical for the work visa, else the doctor would’ve informed me then.

So this is quite a bummer. Although I was kind of concerned about my cholesterol level (given my unhealthy lifestyle), I didn’t expect my LDL to be THAT high. 3.8 as opposed to my GP’s expectation of ideal at 2.5 because it wasn’t a fasting test.

I guess I just have to admit that I’m not young anymore and my body cannot take the same kind of food abuse as it did in the past.
No more fried chicken skin…from next week onwards.

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Last year, I wrote a total of 8 blogposts but only published 7. This year it seems like I’m quiet for the month, too (actually I’ve not been blogging properly for the past few months – so much for updating family and friends )

Though I’m quiet online, a lot actually happened in the last 3 weeks.
I’m not able to share exact details but let’s just say it’s been stressful. I’m still not a 100% sure of what’s next but at least, for now, I need not worry about being jobless or having to leave the country. I know it sounds grim (and it was!), thus the stress.

I can look forward to my trip to meet LiMay and Grant at Taupo during the New Year’s break – 2nd year in a row…would it turn into a tradition?
;)

It’s Christmas next Saturday. Doesn’t seem too far away when it’s put into that sentence.
A lot of people are stressing about buying presents and planning what to do for the day. I’m quite happy to just sit back and reflect. No rushing around, no stress. I don’t worry about getting presents (yes, I know I sound like a scrooge but honestly, Christmas is not about presents) ever since I got here – except for picking something for Carmen and Forrest. Don’t fuss about getting anything for me either.
A lot of people tend to overspend during this time of the year. Of course it’s nice to be able to afford and buy things for family and friends but if you can’t, would you go beyond your means to do it? I LOVE wrapping presents (that’s probably the thing that I miss the most) but to be honest, I don’t miss the stress of trying to get everyone something back home. I would just like to have time to be with family and friends, do nothing and just enjoy each other’s company. Presents are just a bonus, not the main event. Maybe it’s just me and my situation.

Sorry if you send me cards and presents but I never/hardly reciprocate. I like crafting and sending snail mails but I only do it when I get inspired. When I do get inspired, I work non-stop for a day or two – unfortunately my inspiration does not always sync with festivities. You may get a random “thinking of you” ones but you will know that I WAS thinking of you and not forced on by the calendar.
I hope you receive what you wished for this Christmas and at the same time I hope you will want to receive what Christmas is REALLY all about.

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