Discount!

So today I found out that you can actually get a discount at Starbucks if you bring your own cup. I got like 20 cents off my coffee this morning because I used my carafe. Sweet!! Woohoo for Starbucks!!

Nothing like a cuppa ...

6am - Rise and shine! (is it considered shine if the sun is not up yet?)

7am - Breakfast

7:20am - Leave the house and get stuck in a miserable traffic jam

8:10am - Starbucks on Sycamore View (had to wait 10 mins in the drive-thru)

8:20am - Arrive at work

8:30am - Starting the day with a cup of Starbucks at my side - priceless!

Love the new Starbucks carafe mum and dad got for me from Singapore ... keeps my coffee nice and warm, not too hot, not too cool, just the right temp to start my day!

And the latest news on campus is that we're getting a new Starbucks in place of Java Cafe at the library ... this will be the fourth Starbucks store on campus! Woohoo!

So I'm back

So I'm finally back to blogging after taking a hiatus for a couple of months. So much has happened since then of course, but to spare the long story (or stories), I'm just gonna start anew here. So university life has been awesome ... despite the workload and pressure, learning all this stuff is so enriching. And the people have been great ... I'm able to spend more time meeting friends and new acquaintances and I love being a people-person (which I believe I am more now than before). Even though I've been here in Memphis for the past 3 years or so, I'm experiencing life in a totally new dimension than before .. every day is a learning experience. I'm loving it! Well, as my favorite quote goes:

Cherish Yesterday, Live Today, Dream Tomorrow

Awesomeness!

still messy ?!

I'm not sure if packing was supposed to create an entire mess of its own, but this is how organized my packing has been so far:

messy monday morning

It’s 3:05 am, Monday, May 07, 2007. And I’m fully awake looking at the mess I have created in my room. Unlike the usual mess from a hectic lifestyle, today’s mess is a result of taking my books of the shelves and deciding what to do with them: pack them away till my return, give them away, sell them back to the bookstore, sell them online, or simply dispose of them.

There seems to be a thousand and one things to do with my departure simply 5 weeks away. Pack the room, decide what stays in the U.S., what goes back home, or what goes in the trash. I’ve gotten a head-start so far. When I left Malaysia, I had one week to pack. I’ve still got a couple of weeks. That is, unless I procrastinate – which I am definitely not planning to do.

The birds are chirping outside and it’s 3:11 am. They’ve definitely got a head-start on the day. I believe I’ll take 40 winks – perhaps 40 and ½ so I can say I’m on break. And then I’ll hit the books.

Il Neige Dehors

It's snowing outside. But not the kind that sticks to the ground, not flurries either. Heavy enough to look really pretty and yet not heavy enough to stay on the ground. I'm in the FedEx building now waiting for my MIS class to start, and looking through the glass walls of the building, it is just so beautiful to watch another part of God's creation.

The little twirls that the snow makes as it comes falling down is just such an amazing sight - how it lands on your face, your hair, your clothes; and then just vanishes away. Life is like that too...while it is there, it is a journey is full of unexpected twists and turns (and twirls!); but in the end, life is like a vapor that vanishes away. A fleeting moment.

Yet some cling on to life so dearly and never want to let go. Other are caught up in the pursuit of finding an elixir to life, trying to gain immortality. Foolishness. Then there are those who live like there is no tomorrow. For them it is just fun, fun, fun...but little do they realize that life is not just fun, but it can be so much more meaningful. Life is short. But it can be short and full of fulfillment. I’m trying to live life to the fullest.

I baked a strawberry cheesecake (my first attempt!) last night. Usually I bake tiramisu cheesecakes but I was so tempted to try out the strawberry flavoured one after a glance at the picture. Of course, mine turned out nothing like the one in the picture (in terms of physical appearance), but it smells so good. I think it will turn out to be really good.

I was supposed to pass the cake to Jessica this morning, but due to the weather, I could not get to Memphis by 9.10am as I planned to. Jessica calls to ask to meet after classes (because of me being unable to get there on time); she thinks the cold outside should be able to keep the cheesecake in good condition. Something I have learned from life when it comes to baking, colours, and a plethora of other things, the lady is usually right. So my cheesecake is basking in all its glory on the front passenger-seat of my car. And I am totally pleased with it.

The snow has stopped falling for now. I believe it's because the sun has come up and it's probably to warm for the snow to form. There are a few flurries flying here and there, though. Class starts in about 10 minutes. Better get going.

Chit-Chat

It was freezing cold this morning. The ice had covered my car and there were accidents happening all over Memphis, the interstate, Poplar Ave. There was a video footage on the news showing the Arkansas - Memphis bridge early this morning and a truck was trying to drive up the slippery slope, but in the attempt to, slipped on the ice and swung and hit the divider on the left side of the bridge first, then swung the other direction and hit the left divider before coming to a stop. By the time I got on the road however, the ice seem to have aolready cleared up (or perhaps the roads I was travelling on weren't affected as much). It was pretty much a smooth drive down Poplar - other than the 1500 or so traffic lights along the way.

I managed to reach Memphis' parking lot at about 8.45am (which I have not really done before when using the interstate which is ironic because the interstate is supposed to cut down on travel time). Amazingly, the parking lot waas not as filled as it usually is (the people who usually park there must have been on the interstate with all those accidents). I even had time to listen to one more song in the car before I got out to brace the cold and all the ice on the road.

---------------- a 45 minute break ----------

Jessica arrived just as I finished the last sentence above and thus, the 45 minute break (and I am now in Accounts, 11:23am, about 12 minutes before class will start)

My conversation with Jessica was very enlightening. This is probably the first time (in the 6 months that she has been here) that I have actually had a conversation with her which lasted more than 4 minutes. And I learned a lot from her. She is very matured in her speech and thought for her age (she's 18).

We talked about her conversion from the denominational world to the Church, about our impression about the church, the MSOP, the students, and some other stuff. To my surprise, she shared a lot of what I thought about these topics. The conversation was really eye-opening. Didn't get to my grande Green Tea Latte as I wanted to, but the conversation was definitely worth the miss.

It's still really cold out there. My quick 5 second walk from the FedEx building to Fogelman was long enough to get my shirt icy cold (I went out without my cold thinking I could stand it for just that short time). Too cold.

Time for class.

Cherish Yesterday - Live Today - Dream Tomorrow

In my endeavor to do better this year, I have taken down the certificates which hang on my bedroom wall...certificates and awards which I have earned at Southwest. I believe that one of the reasons of my complacency during the fall semester was due to the fact that I truly believed that university life and study would be identical to that of what I had experienced in college. And to my surprise, it was totally different!

That is so obvious, one might say. Well, true...but I guess sometimes it takes a hard knock to wake someone who has been oblivious to his situation and the changes which have taken place. Me in particular. The success which I had achieved at Southwest, in my view, had blinded me from the fact that university was no longer the same domain which I had been accustomed to during my first one and a half years of college education.

So, the pledge which I took about two weeks ago to change my life still holds strong. Today, I am still committed to my course, to my plan, and to my goal which I want to achieve. To do the very best that I can in all I do. I wish to be a better person, a better Christian, a better son, a better brother, a better friend, a better student, a better pianist...and the list goes on. It's true that no one is perfect, but whoever said that striving to be so was impossible? I believe that in setting a goal so high, I would be even more motivated to press on and stay committed to achieving my goal. As the saying goes, "Shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you will still be among the stars."

And so, this morning, I decided that it was time to remove from my bedroom wall all the certificates and awards which I had put up and store them away to be looked upon at some other time in life. However, noting the bare wall which would stand in front of me after taking down the certificates and awards...it just had to be aesthetically furnished. And so began my quest of acquiring some form of art or entity of similar nature.

I had seen some very beautiful paintings at World Market the night before...selling for half-price due to the mid-year sale which was ongoing. I was very tempted to purchase a painting with the word "Happiness" inscribed at the bottom. As I attempted to take down this piece from the shelf, my movement caused a slight noise which resulted in one of the employees of the outlet to inform me that the store had actually already closed! "You are such a quiet shopper!" she exclaimed. Not willing to take any longer, I left the piece at its shelf (intending to return the next day to further survey it) and purchased my other items. It was a good decision not to purchase it because it left more room, both on my wall and in my wallet to purchase another piece which I found today at JC Penney's.

Walking around JC Penney's, I chanced upon the home decor area which was also offering some huge offers and sales. My eyes immediately darted around to find something similar to the piece which I had left at World Market the night before...nothing of that nature, but some very, very beautiful drawings and oil paintings. But as I looked even further, I noticed that they had motivational inscriptions on it...excellent! This would fit my goal...to furnish my barren wall and also to motivate me in whatever I was doing! What a deal! And so, I now have two pieces hanging on my wall. One which says, "Cherish yesterday, Live today, Dream tomorrow" and the other, "Strength of purpose achieves the impossible."

Hence, I will from now on Cherish the sweet memories and achievements of yesterday, I will Live today to its fullest, and I set my mind and work towards my Dreams of tomorrow.

Cherish yesterday

Live today

Dream tomorrow

Friends

"A friend is a person whom you can rely on with confidence to help pull you through the hard times and hold you accountable for your actions.
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born in a time of need. A friend will not judge you for who you are, but they will help you to grow in life."

As the new year has just passed, I am grateful for all the blessings which God has bestowed upon me. Little do I realise the importance of the little things in life, which sometimes play a huge role and impact my life in so many different ways.

Sitting at me desk last Saturday night (due to the fact that I could not sleep for some unknown reason) I looked through some of the photographs taken this past year and could not help resisting the temptation to go through (for perhaps the thousandth time) photographs of mes amis et moi. Oh, all the sweet memories that flooded my mind...the different occasions which we spent time together; may it be Tina's surprise birhtday party, or the TNCIL camp, or the time when Ping and Doreen visited us. Or the numerous times which we feasted on Vihn or Tina's hotpot, or the picnic and barbeque by the lake at Shelby Farms.

Sweet memories will never be forgotten.

And for this cause, I designed a video slide show, just for the fun of it, of some of the good times of 2006.





May we all "GO CONFIDENTLY in our dreams and LIVE THE LIFE we have imagined."

Happy New Year...Love you all always.