celebrating two years =)

yesterday was our 2nd year anniversary of being a couple. =) the evening was really a special one - almost magical even - because mel made it so, because God made it so.

this morning, woke up all cheery and happy and feeling loved and special. it's a nice feeling to have, to start the day with. =)

some special elements of the evening:

mel picked me up about 630pm yesterday evening, looking quite wonderful in his brown office shirt and pants. i usually am not a huge fan of brown, but i have to admit, he looks great in brown =) we both think he's an autumn. heh.

when i opened the car door, there was a beautiful bouquet of three deep red roses on my seat! =) surprise no. 1

we left for pete's place, where mel had made a reservation for two. that really touched me, because i know such planning takes effort on his part, and he knew that it would mean a lot to me.

pete's place was wonderful. not crowded cos it was a weekday night, and we had our little two seater next to a charming brick wall (which we took photos with!) mel told me not to eat too much, cos he had bought us a cake! surprise no. 2

so dinner was... fried calamari as a starter. then creamy thick buttery mushroom soup with breads. i loved the olive bread best! the main course was a pam pam pizza, which is something pretty cool - one half of the pizza had minced meat and chillis on it, the other half was folded up like a curry puff and stuffed with cheeeeeeeseeeeee =D mmm. erm, quite fatterning =b

after a very full dinner, we made a beeline for the car, to avoid me getting distracted by shops and sales signs and such stuff that's quite common along orchard road. heh.

drove to ECP and enjoyed a nice stroll by the beach. then we took out the CAKE. it was an awfully chocolate cake. SUPER chocolate covered man. it was like as though the whole cake was dipped in chocolate fondue! haha... anyway even though it as a very cute and small cake, no way could we finish it. so we had two small slices and saved the rest.

before cutting the cake, we attempted to light the two candles that he had asked for. haha... but the wind was too strong, so the closest shot we could get was of mel attempting to light the cake! hee

made our way back to the car and set off for my place. stopped below my block to say bye bye, and then he told me... to look in the glove compartment. haha... so unexpected and sweet.

there was a blue box in there. inside was a this pair of green and gold earrings that i had admired the other day when out with him. i thought it might match my evening gown for the wedding. and he had remembered that i liked it and gone back and bought it!

wow. i was really touched man. =)

we ended the night with a prayer for us and for the future together. and some hugs too =)

what a magical evening. thank you mel, for all the effort and heart you put into planning the night, and for making me feel so loved and special. i really love you too!

(In case anyone is wondering, i gave mel a precious moments figurine with the message "our love can never be broken". it's a message and a picture that i think is special to us, so shall not try explaining it. hee)

grappling with who i really am

recently i've made a lot of self discoveries.

i realise that i love structure. i love plans. i love looking at systems and schedules and deadlines and lists of to-dos (hee, some people prob going like huh?!)

but i don't like it when people tell me what to do. i don't like it when they tell me why my plan is lacking, or what loopholes there are. i feel ashamed when i don't meet my own lofty expectations.

i realise that i need routine. i need to know that every morning, i will brush my teeth and change before stepping into the kitchen to get my morning coffee. i need to always put my make-up on before i comb my hair. and when i cut my nails, i need to start with the thumbs and big toes always. i guess in that sense, i'm a pretty methodical person.

another area i crave routine is in work. i need to know what my 'main role' was. i need to feel centered and secure, to know my place in the company.

but i need change too. i can't stand doing the same thing every day. i can't work with the same people (even if i love them to bits!) all the time. and i rarely hold on to any clothes for longer than 5 years - normally after 5 years it gets relegated to Salvation Army.

i realise i like practicality. i like planning out my budgets and finances, and knowing that my other half is doing the same. i like saving on my lunches, and bringing a water bottle with me, so that i have more in my piggy bank to spend on a rainy day, or on some special gift or to give to someone who needs it.

but i like being spontaneous as well. like running through the rain without a care in the world occassionally. or buying a totally frivolous vintage frock that i may only wear once or twice in my lifetime. or buying mel a present when i feel like it. and it love it when he also randomly does something nice for me. makes me feel special =)

a person of contradictions - that's what my boss said.

i guess i am =b

home is where God is

Mel and I are number two-thousand-and-something on the list for walk-in selection! =) Yesterday as we flipped through the list of potential houses, and looked at maps and house layouts etc... it was kinda scary, cos we want to hope that we get this place or that place, but in the end it depends on whether the people in the queue in front of us snap it up first. =b so there's this tension of wanting to hope and wanting to be realistic... but my parents reminded us that what's most important is that we PRAY, and trust that God really does have a home for us. =)

Decided to flip through Psalms this morning, and was hugely encouraged by this passage which I had highlighted for a different context in 2002.


Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself.

where she may have her young -

a place near your altar,

O Lord Almighty, My King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they are ever praising you.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favour and honour;

no good thing does he withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

O Lord Almighty,

blessed is the man who trusts in you.

- Psalm 84:3-4, 11-12

jan-feb update on the left

i see some light at the end of the tunnel... =)



and can it be that You love me this way?

You never ask me to be more than I could be, no more trying to be someone...

and can it be?