Christmas!!! *phew*

Christmas was a BLAST! Thanks to all who labored continuously and unselfishly! *big clap and bow to you all!* The skit was a success! There were hiccups here and there, but based on feedback, it made a great impact! Thank You Jesus! All Glory be to Jesus!

Apart from preparing for the Christmas skit, I decided to try to cut cost this year while adding in a more personal touch to Christmas presents we'd give out. It's been eons since I baked cookies, and from memory, it included me slaving in the kitchen for a few whole days just for a few tins of cookies. So....... I decided to make cupcakes instead! This journey started a month back when I had to put my cup cake baking into practice, dad, mom, and the darling hubs were fed batches and batches of cupcakes.

First batch: too much coffee and too crumbly, didn't taste at all like cupcake - REJECTED!
Second batch: texture got better, no more coffee, experimented with icing for the first time and it was too dry and too sweet (250gs of icing sugar!! Madness) = REJECTED!
Third batch: just the right texture, just the right taste, icing was perfected but... they looked severely out of shape. My hypothesis was that I must've not cleaned my oven well enough, so there may have been bits of cupcake batter stuck in some corner of the oven so when the cupcake tin was rotating, the cup cake batter peeked out of the cup cake moulds to look, just like Malaysian drivers, viola.... lopsided cupcakes!! = REJECTED!
Fourth batch: by this time I was contemplating just buying cupcakes off the shelve. but they are soooo expensive compared to cost price. This time, everything turned out perfect! I added sprinkles, Hershey choco chips, and some grated white choco.... end product = PERFET!!!!!!!


Then came the even crazier part. (poor hubby can testify to this) I searched for gable boxes of the perfect size... too big = cup cakes may get bumped around, too small = can't fit cupcakes. There weren't any of the right size! So me being a craft fanatic, decided to make my own. Drafted my own template for the box and cupcake holders. Bought very beautiful double sided gold card stock, and there I went, tracing, cutting, and assembling... All this was done the day before Christmas. I thought I could finish it single handedly, but in the end, the poor hubby was dragged into it. And he never once complained, in fact, he was so sweet and cheered me up along the way, giving me shoulder rubs to reduce stress and hugs to calm the now messy-haired, frantic wife. (this is where you should go *awwwwwwww*, and guys, please learn this!) Result: 40 boxes of cupcakes (2 each), packed, decorated with ribbons, and tagged (personalized tags which the hubs had to print, cut, and label), and to bed we went at 1.30am.

All in all, it was amazing when we gave out the presents (mostly to those who helped in the skit), the look on people's faces when you hand them a present makes all the hard work pay off and stress melt away. =D I love giving gifts!!!!!!! Garghs!!!

This Christmas was indeed magical and blessed! Looking forward to Christmas in 2009!

on a side note, Thank you all who gave us presents! Thank you thank you!! And a special thanks to daddy for our new camera!!! Muahahahaha. I shall name her soon.

Christmas Props

We are 99% done with props!!! THANK GOD!!! So, now all that's left is a full rehearsal on Wednesday 9am -1pm. Please be there people!

I wish to thank God for His wonderful ideas and message... I know that this whole skit could've never came into being if it wasn't for Him. I just pray that we do Him proud and speak His word this Christmas!

I would also like to thank ALL THOSE WHO CAME AND HELPED!! You've made V2 your family, and have stuck with us through thick and thin, practices and props. I would really really like to thank you! It would've been easier standing on the sidelines, not get involved, and criticize. But you guys chose the harder path - to get on the boat and get involved. I am DEEPLY grateful and touched! We shall have a makan party later ok??? Celebrate!!!

So, 3 days to Christmas! Butterflies are finally growing in my tummy. Woooo EXCITEMENT!!!! This Christmas, V2 presents to you - No Vacancy. To God be the Glory!!

Christmas Props - Help needed

Hello hello!!

This is for all Vineyard people. If you are free this Saturday, Monday - Wednesday, PLEASE come to church at 9am - about 4pm. We need lots of help for Christmas skit props!!!
THANK YOU!!

To All Women Out There

Ever felt worthless, ashamed, belittled? Have you been filled with self-doubt? Do you find it hard to believe that anyone could actually be praising you, yet at the same time, longing so much for the slightest bit of recognition? Ever felt that there was nothing on earth you could do to make this better and how you wish you were never born? Have you ever felt ugly and unattractive? I have. I still do. This is something my dear friend May Anne sent me. It was at a perfect timing... God's way of telling me, "You're doing OK, my dear. And I'm still here." Hope this speaks to you too... Maybe it's God's way of telling you "You're doing OK, my dear. And I'm still here."

Every Woman is Beautiful

-author unknown (but God bless him/her for encouraging so many of us)

A little boy asked his mother "Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm a woman", she told him. "I don't understand," he said. His mum just hugged him and said, "And you never will....... "

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"
"All women cry for no reason" was all his dad could say.....

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to GOD; when GOD got on the phone, the man said "GOD, why do women cry so easily?"

GOD said.... "When I made women she had to be special.
I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give comfort....

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children......

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.......

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt them very badly......

This same sensitivity helps her make a child's boo-boo feel better and shares in their teenagers anxieties and fears.......

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.......

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.....

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed, This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

Lucky

I don't use the word lucky... always felt it was more appropriate to say blessed. But.... since the ball, I've been enchanted by this song.... Lucky - Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat. Did it exist last december? Cause if it did, and I knew about it, I would've done a duet with Justin. sigh... too bad too bad.

.:.HELP Psych Annual Ball.:.

Last night was my first attending the ball not as a student of the faculty, rather as the wife of faculty staff. But it was certainly more happening than when I was a student. Organizing committee did a good job... but Justin and I were famished!! Dinner only started close to 9pm... Sigh. Malaysians and their HIGHLY rubber time.

The highlight of the evening was the one and only HELP Street Boys!! Starring lecturer of the Faculty of Psych and the HUBBY!!!!!!!!!!!! 98% of my focus was on him, leaving only 2% for the other lecturers. I've always loved listening to Justin play, but yesterday his playing was extra enchanting.. drools.

I spy a.... Gorgeous Couple! Muahahahahahaha!!!

Gosh!! I love this title!!! XD

Here are some pictures from the anniversary getaway.

* * *My favorite picture* * *

Update: I've highlighted my hair.
The hubs said: "Very nice!" and other sweet things that I shall not reveal.
Dad said: "Wah, nicest hairstyle since. Makes you look younger" Thanks dad. =D
Mom said: "Hm, not bad"

couldn't get nice pics of the hair tho... =/ But... Imma Lovin' it!!! Muahahahahhaa!!

Sher Dislikes Research.... Very much!!!

= ( = ( = (

As the title proclaimed.... i do not like research. But it is inevitable!! No research = no thesis = no graduation = no masters degree = 2 years + wasted = plain dumb. Sigh.... As part of thesis requirement, I have to define my topic, dig through tonnes of literature, decide on what I would like to research about, plan my research (while making sure I can defend every bit of my plan) <--- WORST part of research, write a proposal, submit it to the ethics review board, wait for their go ahead, actually carry out my plan, gather data, analyze data (this part I don't like), formulate conclusions, write a 20,000 word paper, and defend my research in front of many experts.

= ( = ( = (

I DO NOT like research!! I've started planning this since last year, and I thought I actually did a good job! But... after review it a year later, I realized lots of flaws! The biggest hit was when I realized the underlying structure of my proposal was really really far fetched and unrealistic. Time is running, and I'm stuck. I find a flow, and realize it won't work. So it's been like that for a while: find a flow -> follow it -> dead end -> back to the drawing board

Everything is still a blur.... God.... please help me! I want to graduate...

Bundaberg Rootbeer!!!!!!!!

Garghs!!!! BUNDABERG ROOTBEER!!!!! Cold storage had a clearance sale because they were expiring in 8 days. RM1.99/bottle (normal price approx. RM4.90)!! In short, RM1.99 for 375ml of heavenly beverage!!! After tasting Bundaberg, A&W rootbeer tasted too artificial and too sweet.

Try it! I heard the Ginger ale is nicer... but ginger ale has never been my thing. Perfectly content with BUNDABERG ROOTBEER!!!

One Year!

To celebrate one beautiful year together, we spent 2 days in Awana Genting... short I know, but we still had to work so... =) I've not felt so refreshed and stress-free for a long while (ever since we started Masters that is). So it was 2 days of no assignments, no datelines, no clients, no work, nothing but quality time with each other. Taking leisure walks with each other, reflecting on the year that was and planning for the year ahead. Guess I am more of an introvert than an extravert after all =D.

And for dinner, we ate at an amazing Italian restaurant, pricey, but worth every sen! The most amazing thing during dinner was the wine! I don't know much about wine, but I knew a sweet white would go well with my food, so I tembak-ed lah. And turns out the wine we got - Muscat, was 98% similar to our engagement wine!!! Nostalgia!! See, the wine we had for engagement was a present from Justin when we started courtship. In addition to the promise ring, he bought a bottle of Langmeil winter harvest Semillon , which I thoroughly loved. During the proposal, he sneakily had the waiter bring out that bottle, and so I knew that he was proposing! So 2 years later, on our first anniversary, the muscat was just so nostalgic! Justin bought us tickets to the Sydney next year (I AM VERY EXCITED!!!!!!!!), I am hoping that we'll be able to find that wine again! According to their website, it's sold out... =(

Ok, enough of booze. I think in a nut shell, this was how we celebrated our first year - slow, relaxed, easy, and stress-free! Just what both of us needed badly! In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we're planning more trips for next year, starting with the first quarter! Gosh, I love my husband!!!

8th December, here we come!

Two more days until we officially turn ONE!! It has been a tremendous journey from 8th December 2007, and all I can say is that it has been a heck of a ride and I am exceedingly blessed to have Justin. Shall be reflecting on the past year soon. It's been a while since we had the time and discipline to reflect.

I shall leave this post with an exclamation of excitement as I draw near to this incredible milestone!

WOO HOOO!!!

We can hardly stand the wait, O Christmas don't be late~

Come come come!!!

Of Html!

Gargh...

OK... So heeding Jaryl's suggestions, I decided to try modifying the template again. Behold!! I managed to...:

(1) White space on the far right is... Fixed
(2) There's a bit of a gap on top of your header background image. Don't know how to fix =(
(3) The erasing in the header image is rather apparent.. or is that a part of the design? Errr. I actually modified the original picture using Fireworks and it was superbly nice, but when upload, it turned out weird.
(4) The color of your "a:visited" is rather dull, which means that links don't stand out as much. This would be fine if it only affected links in your posts, but seeing as it affects your post title too, there will be an inconsistency in the color of post titles (considering that some posts' separate pages will be visited while some won't). Fixed
(5) You might wanna add some padding-left to your #main. Fixed
(6) Also, consider increasing the width of your #main. The main includes the advert column as well... so when I increased it, the body ran far off from the blog post box image, and pushed the links and chatterbox column far off as well. Sighs...

So this is the best I can come up with for now. =( Must do research one day, but for now, I'm pretty content with this!! =D Hmmmm.. but my fingers are itching to change the header picture to the old one I had in Xanga. That flower's nicer!! Yummmy

Love and Pain

Recalled something from a Grief therapy work shop. Somehow stuck to me the whole of today.

"Only people who are capable of loving strongly can suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them"

-Lev "Leo" N. Tolstoy "Childhood, boyhood, youth." New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. (p.109)

"I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;

'Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all."

-From Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam:27, 1850

Looks like they come hand in hand. Can't have one without the other. So feel love is to feel pain, to embrace love is to embrace pain. To enjoy a love ever after is to endure enduring pain. Morbid or romantic? Idealistic or realistic? Go figure.

I DID IT!!!!!

After 2 excruciating days, I FINALLY managed to create (erm... more accurately, modify) the close-to-perfect template!!!!!!!!!!! Some things are still not perfect yet... i.e. the sidebar titles are not centered!! =( Buuuttttt... Not too bad for a first try right?

Realised, fiddling with html codes is... FUN! I'm actually thinking of modifying a template for Christmas!! Make the blog all Christmas-y and all. But we'll see how things go la.

I shall be moving over to Blogger for a few months to test things out. All in the name of lowering cognitive dissonance!! Cause so much has been poured out into this site that it's a waste now utilizing it. So Xanga, goodbye for now!

Gargh! I am excited!

Fiddling with xml

Ok, I need help! Anyone knows how to widen this whole template? I like the outlook, but the margins are... =S they make the whole blog look too crampy!

Moving over to the "dark" side...

After a very long hiatus from Blogger, I have decided to forgo Xanga and shift to Blogger!