In Motion

Today, I want to make a list of things I love about my soon-to-be husband (4 months is soon lah!), lest I forget one day when I'm mad at him. =P I love how calm and patient he is with everyone and everything. His accepting spirit makes me feel safe and assured of my worth no matter what I do wrong. I love how he's so considerate, and treats me like a gentleman would. Chivalry never gets old. <3 I love how these qualities are part of his character, and extends to people around him as well. I'm not afraid that this is just the "honeymoon" stage that will disappear soon after marriage. I love how we share the same ideas about what's sensible and practical. I love how he listens to me and supports me because he knows I need it. I love the way he adapts to my habits without complaining, and even seems glad to do it. I love how he's not possessive, and trusts me. I love that I can trust him too. I love how smart he is, and I love how it doe...

I. Am. Loving. It. When I hear stories of what my other friends are going through, I thank God over and over again for letting me come to SK Rasah Jaya together with Deborah and Josephine. And I also pray that God will give them the strength to endure the next 12 weeks until the end of practicum and the internship. With the Action Research that we have to do this year as well, the last thing you want to deal with is a difficult school with plenty of demands. I can't wait to start teaching, although I still feel some inertia after so many months of not writing super long lesson plans. It's probably going to be fun. =)

"The one thing you can't take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one's freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given circumstance."  - Viktor E. Frankl 4.5 years ago, I began my training. It was a rough start with conflicts and clashes because my philosophy of life did not (and still does not) match the culture here. I value intelligence, efficiency and knowledge - people here value seniority above all else. "Because I'm your superior" is an inadequate justification, especially if it's about a gap in knowledge or the way things were run less than efficiently. Nobody rocked the boat except me, and I was singled out as a thorn in the flesh by the department. I ended up distrusting the department and everyone in it. Everyone had their own agenda, and when it came to the bottom line, nobody would side a student. After all I would be gone in 5 years, but they had to keep working with their colleagues...

Today is my last day in Kuching after a 5-day long hiatus from my studies. Since it was for five days only, I decided that I didn't need all that much with me, and travelled really light for the first time in my entire life (ie did not check in any luggage).  I love the freedom that comes with not having to wait around baggage claim carousels. More often than not, my luggage always comes out last for some inexplicable reason. =.= I usually bring back a lot of stuff because you never know when you might need this scrunchie or that, or maybe an extra extra extra outfit. In fact, I always took care to book 15kg of check-in luggage whenever I bought flight tickets because you just never know , do you? I often end up wasting half of that weight limit, too - because I really don't pack ALL that much. Lugging heavy bags around is no fun especially when your bags don't have rollers on them. Also, after travelling to US with minimal luggage, I'm convinced that one doesn...

Over the holiday, some decisions were made, the guest list was finalized and my bridesmaids and parents worked together to get the invitations and bridesmaid dresses. I'm feeling pretty happy with the progress because the full picture is finally materializing. Before anything else, I want to thank everyone who was involved (both sets of parents, Rene and Amy) profusely for their cooperation to get everything done under a week or so. You can also read about the details  here . I'm always so kancheong to put plans into action, so the stress I felt prior to this might have been caused by the standstill. People have been telling me to "enjoy the process", but I've always been a goal-oriented person, so setbacks and waiting around tend to stress me out. That is, I'm usually happier at the end of the journey than on the way. Can't help my choleric personality. =P Back to the progress they made. Bridesmaid dresses, (finally) check! I gave my bridesmaids t...

Jet lag can feel like PMS. You're tired, hungry at weird times, and trying to adjust to a proper circadian rhythm. Throw in some emotional instability at having to leave a loved one behind, and mix that up with psychological distress caused by having to cope with the demands of school and work. Not a good recipe, trust me.  It's the new year, but it's less than happy for me. I hope this phase passes quickly and I can go back to being normal, but right now all I want to do is hole up somewhere until I feel okay again, until every problem can be viewed in its correct proportion, and not be magnified by my hormones instead. Tomorrow will be our 6th and last anniversary of being boyfriend and girlfriend. A whole new stage of life awaits me this year.  Something to hang on to in the midst of this dark cloud.