when it's more than just a cell group

This cell grp is very different from the usual cell tt u go or see. Firstly, all of us are so different...there's literally 4 couples and a guy. shan't name names here, but yet,despite our differences,it's so interesting how we can just get along so well, encourage and edify each other SOOO much and be so open bout many many stuff. right down to my bgr probs and stuff. something i cld nv do elsewhere in church.

couple 1

couple 2

couple 3

couple 4

So, instead of the usual cell, we had horrible steamboat and we tried to make up for it by going for dessert but almost everything was sold out.BUT the fellowship made up for all tt had gone wrong.

we were literally doing this the whole night because whatever we wanted was all sold out.



was pushing the pram when perry decided to look for me.he was pretty sticky the whole day. is tt what they call they "with a younger sibling around" syndrome?

betty wanted to see if she had the motherly look and well...she asked for it, and she got it!haha

grace wanted to take a shot of us...so....this is me...and the lil boy!

Perry was such a boy tt night...it wasn't easy getting him to eat,sit still and not run abt at the steamboat place...but well...he's just a kid...and one who's growing up to be a super good kor kor.

it's time for me to head to the office to clear some work. have a great weekend and i hope CNY's been fun for u! ;)

Tudos!

MOOOOOOOO MOOOOO MOOOO

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This is the year of the OX...and it means...i've grown up by another cycle.sigh...time flies as you grow older. THis yrs CNY feels very gloomy, and the festive spirit isn't anywhere near.Nevertheless,it was a great time of catching up with relatives and friends. Didn't take much pic tho.not in the mood to...but here's the few tt i took.

my random meet up with yun hui

and sean..b4 the CNY

my 2 darling SIL

lil percy... *grinz*


Reunion begins today....

bro with 2 of my couz

bored and camera entertained us

my 2nd LO HEI thus far...

the special ingredient tt my uncle added to the lo hei...haha

the plate we used for one of the lo hei

Grandma cooks the best dishes!!

my closest and bestest cousin!

THE GUYS GETTING all excited over WII at agnes' house.

Of cos,on top of these places, visited some other place as well...

All in all, CNY was busier than other years, yet....the mood just dun seem to be there.

Still...i wish all of you a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR and may God BLESS you despite the gloomy year ahead. We'll be blessed on top of monetary terms.

Cheers!

The Economy Crunch

The 2nd time I've heard of the recession but the 1st time I'm actually going thru it and experiencing the severity of it.

Being in HR and in a centre where we take up the bulk of the cost,there are more reports to churn out, more stress because we have to keep on thinking of ways to cut down on cost and the worse part,be the black sheep to negotiate with the suppliers and stuff.sigh....and I finally felt how severe the situation is and I really appreciate the fact tt the company tries its best in cutting cost in all areas and there will not be any retrenchment at all.and we still got bonus, good ang pows etc. SO i really shld be thankful.

This crunch has taught me so much stuff.I learnt to be thankful, to be frugal and to look at things on a positive note.

When we are busy, we always complain.when things are given to us last minute,we complain.But now,i learnt to be thankful tt I have work to be busy about,and last minute means good news,tt we're still doing well.

I hope all of you are well too. God is with us and in everything give thanks.for this is the will of God. :)

Love,

SAT-UR-DAY

I feel blessed today!!!!totally happy! Nv felt this way before...nv knew tt such treatments still existed....and...my colleagues from other depts were especially attentive today.

Went to visit SIL no. 2!!yes!!!let's welcome DARLING PERCY NG!!!

Grace was trying hard to get the darling to open his eyes just so tt i can see it.And we tried to capture a shot of it,but this was the least tt I can do.

and while i was carrying the lil one,I wanted to get a shot, and Perry, the cute one wanted to be part of the picture too. He's just so proud of his lil bro that he chooses when to take pictures now. (tt's what Grace said). Perry was extremely adorable when I arrived at their place..he immediately took my hand and said "jie jie joanna,come, i show you MY BABY".haha...

Initially, I was really afraid to carry Percy cos he seemed so fragile and all.he's sooo tiny u know...a week's old baby boy.Gosh...it's been awhile since I carried a baby this size. But grace encouraged me and I'm so glad I carried.He's sooooo....nice to carry.really.

Grace and I agreed tt Perry ha grown up all of a sudden and he's no longer tt lil boy tt we used to think he is.He is now..a KOR KOR and so proud to be acting his role.

Moving on, I had to go back to work to clear up some loose ends for some AWARDS Audit on Monday. And it's so heartwarming to bump into some of my other colleagues who was surprised to see me in the office. Tt kinda feeling where pple shows u concern is really.....NICE. =)

It was movie time and I waited 1whole hr for the person who was supposed to fetch me.well...can't blame. cos i forgot my mobile and we couldn't communicate.but we did....managed to reach in time for the movie.

and to end my day,well...something sweet happened....and i nv expected tt sweet gesture from this other person.so...was quite touched.

It's off to bed now....gotta prep for gym tom. nitez all!

i can't believe this is happening!!!!

guess what was i doing for almost 1 hr????

i was watching "Xiaxue's guide to life"!!! OMG!!!!i used to be super anti her....but when i heard the way she talk right,it suddenly gave me a very different perception of her.her posts always sound so ah lian and cheena yet wanna act ang moh pai.Yet when she spoke, gosh!! I actually think she doesn't sound tt bad.

Caught her series for the hunt of a BFF and altho she kinda seemed a lil fake and a tad too nice, she wasn't tt bad at all.

But speaking of being fake, i wun condemn or judge her cos of tt. All of us have to agree tt we ARE FAKE to a certain level. Can you tell me tt at work, when u dislike someone, u'll just ignore tt person and slam it straight in her face? (Well, i cld prolly think of 1 person who CAN do tt) but most of us can't. And i've seen multiple cases.

I don't deny tt sometimes i'm like this too. And it isn't easy initially cos I'm someone who hates being fake.But can't believe i'm lidat now. Much as all of us try not to be fake,it's kinda part and parcel of relationships eh?

But true frens still exist despite all these fakeness.even my colleagues. sometimes...i find them really weird..or rather, tt we share different frequencies,but yet,when u see how they treasure the relationship, despite being "sarcastic or frustrated" sometimes, they are the kind tt totally understands tt every1 goes thru shitty days sometimes.

Sweet yet interesting pple.hhee...

alright...i'm supposed to just blog bout Xiaxue.i am so NOT turning into a bimbo.really.

and I said YES w/o hesitating!

YES to a MAN but no...it's not into a relationship!haha..Gotcha!!!

my dad asked us yesterday after our family bs "what do you all think if we got a dryer?"

with delight and excitement, i exclaimed without hesitating "YES!!!! pls get 1 get 1!!"

Imagine all the time saved having to hang up the wet clothes 1 by 1,and den having to wait for the sun to appear before the clothes get dried, having to fight for the pathetic space at home and den gotta set aside another time just to bring the clothes down and fold em again.

Can't wait for the dryer!!heh...imagine the delight when i heard it!woohoo!!!

2008

everyone's blogging bout the past 1 yr....and i'm gonna join the crowd and blog bout my 2008 too!
Altho i'm abit late...but better late den nv right?haha

2008 has been 1 filled with the usual ups and downs, tears and joys.....bitterness and sweetness....memories..good and bad...

I shan't go month by month,but shall try and recollect as much happenings as i can.

Work & Career
Working in the recruitment firm was a good experience and a stepping stone. I made many good frens there, had lots of good and bad memories and I learnt how to get along with colleagues no matter hw much u like or dislike em. The best part was learning how to accept someone detestable, someone who thinks too highly of herself and tt someone who got so many of us transferred out of the IP branch.

It was also here, that I learnt how looks can be deceiving and hw some pple can really treat u totally nice but backstab u like crap to ur close colleagues.

It was also here that I learnt what being a good leader is and how strong leadership can MAKE or BREAK a team.

And it was from here, that gave me a stepping stone to be where I am now. Without any HR experience, i wldn't have been able to join any other HR companies.

And I thank God...for his PERFECT Timing! Some frens had encouraged me long ago to leave my ex company for the longest time, but I felt it wasn't time...until late July when everything happened.And just when I joined my current company, the economy was badly hit. God's timing is ever so PERFECT!amen? heh...and

it's here that i'm being recognised for my talents, being appreciated for the way i am...and being treated like the baby in the family.and it's also here, tt I have the empowerment, the freedom to come up with initiatives and the opportunity to grow.I do believe,God's has a purpose for placing me here..

So...I look forward to a new career in 2009,and I'm striving for a promotion!

Relationship...
In terms of BGR....well....got into 1....out of it pretty soon and after tt...my life was in a mess.well...kinda..

I almost got into another one but by the Grace of God, i didn't and it allowed me to see alot of things in a different perspective.

I know tt i'm not ready and I know that he's preparing for tt person I'm so not willing to wait for...but yet...I just wanted to rebel....2009,I want to try and obey God and I really wanna try to be good.

Friendship....it's been 2 years since stuff happened between us and I can see how 2 of u are slowly accepting me as a friend again...altho the sorries have been said, i know tt the damage have been made and no matter how many sorries i say,no matter what i do, i know tt the broken lines are still in view.

I know u all wun be reading this, but i want you to know, tt this year, I'm going to do whatever it takes to woo back this friendship. The memories we hold now, the fun we once shared and the times dancing became a comdey! U gals totally rocked those days.And i'm gonna bring back those memories! I will! pls wait for me and dun give up on me!

On a happier note, I thank God for the friends who've been there for me...friends who forgave and loved me, colleagues who became good frens and good frens who became girl frens and best frens who just stayed on to be my best friend!hahaha and even frens tt i stopped hanging out for awhile and now i'm starting to hang out with em again!!

there are so many of you to name.....and so....I shall just insert photos in my next blog k? :)

Family...

it's amazing how my family have grown closer together and I realised that all it takes,is some effort. I guess surprising dad twice this year definitely brought us closer and even tho dad's not super expressive, you cld see that wide smile as a sign of HAPPINESS and JOY!

with my cousins....even tho my cousins are pretty irresponsible, yet organising the dinner tonight was a good start.got closer to joyce and i can't believe or actually imagine tt such a day will come when I can have such heart to heart talks with my cousins.Esp when we only see each other once a year.

Bros are getting closer too and I guess we're all really trying to bond altho it's gonna take some time, I'm glad there's a start. :)


Church & Religion...

well well....it was just up and down...up and den down again. But after attending Pris' cel grp christmas party,i'm determined to walk closer to God and I believe that I can have a good mix of what's right and wrong and yet still have my fair share of fun at the same time.

God's been working in the lives of my relatives too! Walls have been broken and 1 by 1.....they are accepting Christ. And it's amazing how it just starts with 1 member. When 1 is saved,all WILL BE SAVED! And it took 23yrs for God to move. I'm praying for a miracle,I'm praying for a revival that the hardened hearts will see God and they'll feel that PEACE that nothing can take it away.

Even in storms and dark hours, God is there.

2009 is going to be...
- full of meet ups
- career progression
- good financial planning
- more holidays
- closer bonds with families
- closer walk with God
- dressing up and looking prettier(haha)
- more marathons and sports to take part in
- be a blessing to as many as I can.

Wun you join me in blessing others?

Let us continue to walk the race with excitement, joy and strength from above!

Praying for you, running alongside you,
jojojo :)