Christmas-y Christmas

4 more days to christmas...
but i don't feel the christmas-y spirit in the air.

despite the christmas lights along king's parade that delighted me so much when they were first up.

despite the big tree in market square.
despite having more christmas desserts in the past one month than all other time summed together.
despite all the carol service i attended.
despite the music from this radio station that exclusively plays christmas tunes.
depsite me changing my wallpaper, cursor and windows media player visualization to christmas-related themes.

despite people wishing each other merry christmas so much more often here.

am i jaded to all this superficial merry-making that so often get people blindly excited for the season already? afterall, new year comes a few days later and the cycle of the seasons begins again. but i am not even 20! why such a bleak outlook?!

but at least my pastor emphasised the need for christmas. we went through the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1:1-17 and pondered over how Christ's birth would have been impossible if God's hands weren't behind it. just as the star that shone so brightly above the manger in bethlehem, God came as man to bring light to us in the dark.

The First Noel, the Angels did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep

On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the East beyond them far

And to the earth it gave great light

And so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

And by the light of that same star

Three Wise men came from country far

To seek for a King was their intent

And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

This star drew nigh to the northwest

O'er Bethlehem it took its rest

And there it did both

Pause and stay

Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

Then entered in those

Wise men three

Full reverently upon their knee

And offered there in His presence

Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

Then let us all with one accord

Sing praises to our heavenly

Lord That hath made

Heaven and earth of nought

And with his blood mankind has bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

-The First Noel-

how aptly the hymn narrates the first christmas!

maybe it's just me feeling the end-of-year blues.

Lord, grant me your joy and peace as promised.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rest."

i want a hug.

His Wisdom and Grace

mother nature blanketing the master's garden with fog at 1 in the afternoon

it's getting so cold that it's becoming interesting. for example, i find people puffing whenever they breathe amusing. and the yellow and blue flowers in river court that bloom only when it is dead cold, and how the ducks can still waddle so leisurely when the water is sinisterly chilly. the beauty of the creation indeed. His wisdom has allowed every season to be equally beautiful and mesmerizing.

Bonjour!

today is a fine sat morning. the sun is bright and the air is cool, nothing like what weather channel predicted: cloudy and cold. thought it would be moxt appropriate to do something lovely on such a lovely day; hence, i am posting pictures taken during my trip to paris a week ago =)

the famous attraction spots:-

Tour Eiffel Notre Dame

Musee du Louvre Moulin Rouge

the first day in paris was like a dream. especially when we saw the magnificent eiffel tower which was so familiar from postcards. and when suddenly everyone speaks a language so foreign that you could just smile silly when you were suppose to reply.

paris was a beautiful city on general. symmetry seems to be the embodiment of beauty here. the eiffel, the streets and the jardines (gardens) all have symmetrical structures/layouts :

tuilleries garden, palaise royal garden and the champ elysees by night

french food is good=). definitely much better than that in camb (or in uk in general, says the french). and wine is cheaper than water, not that that made much a difference to our f & b budget for the trip, but it's worth a mention.

our french fine dining experience:

starters: foie gras, escargots, pate
main courses: duck, steak, 2 fish dishes (we were seriously fish-deprived in uk)
desserts: i don't remember what they are called. the big round one starts with a 'z' and has passion fruit...
topped up with half a bottle of white wine.

but my favourite is still baguette with jam and butter and coffee =)

overall, the paris experience was a pleasant one. paris is a beautiful city. very accessible too--the metro is much faster and convenient than the mrt in spore. people here generally lead a less hectic life (the post office opens at 12.30pm!). the chairs in cafes are arranged to face the streets so that diners can do some people watching while eating.

a lovely city indeed!

yi lun, my roommate in paris and and jie chao, our wonderful french translator

shuang ning, our guide and photographer for most of the time

i can't wait for the easter europe trip!

Winter Picnics

within a week, we (some of the remaining people in camb) had 2 picnics- one at 1pm and the other at 1 am. in the chilly winds of early winter. we are mad =)

the first was at jesus' green. the guys brought abundant food and a football. so it was a typical picnic. the weather looked extremely pleasant from the photos. but we were actually freeezing... got a few odd stares from passer-bys.

had the second one just a couple of hours ago. slept at 10pm, woke up at 12.30am, had "breakfast" of coffee and bread then bundled myself up and trekked with the rest up castle hill. actually, we wanted to watch a meteor shower-- we aren't that insane otherwise.

we lay a sleeping bag, 'dominoed' ourselves and waited.

took pictures while waiting.

sang, or rather, hummed christmas carols while waiting.

*voon kiat's joke*

teacher: how many ''D"s are there in Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer?

student: 314

teacher: but i only counted 20 something
student: the one i heard goes "ddddddd ddddddd.... (in the tune of the song)"

haha =)

a couple more jokes from voon kiat while waiting.

*voon kiat's 2nd joke*

one day a scientist picked up an ugly frog.

frog: kiss me and i'll turn into a beautiful princess. i'll do whatever you want me to do.

the scientist took a look at the frog. but he merely put it into his pocket.

after a while, the frog pleaded again.

frog: please, kiss me and i'll turn into a beautiful princess. i'll do whatever you want me to do.

but the scientist again looked at it and put it back into his pocket.

the frog pleaded woefully.

finally, the scientist said, 'you are a talking frog. that interests me!'

we waited and waited.

then, finally...

clockwise from me: voon kiat, jo-anne, weishen, kevin, simon. shirley took the picture

we decided to pack up and go back ... (diasppointed) ...

the sky was overcast. there may be numerous shooting stars behind those thick clouds, but obscured from our view.

but it is alright. shirley says meteor showers are quite frequent here. besides, it was fun acting silly in the chilly winds of early winter with new found friends =) .

Winter

the weather is wreaking havoc on my circadian cycle! the sun rose at around 8.30 in the morning and set around 3.30 in the afternoon today-- a grand total of 7 hours of sunlight!and it just doesn't help that my waking/ functional hours in the day seems to be so dependent on the length of daylight. it's now just 5.40 pm but i am feeling like it's dinner time already. and i am feeling sleepy... despite having done nothing for the entire day!

gah, am i going to hibernate throughout the winter holidays? will my mood and level of energy going to be as dark and chilly as the winter "day" outside my window? hmmph.

Pledge to Healthy Eating

'treat your body well and your body will treat you well in old age.' that was the advice given by a PE teacher in jc. and during acp, i remembered telling all the kids and not-so-young kids about leading healthy lifestyles in order to boost their performance in their daily undertakings. in addition, there was a time when i was extremely inspired by the book 'the power of engagement' that i vowed to balance my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

BUT, i had caved under the pressure of the hectic lifestyle in camb that i had seriously compromised my principle to live healthily. for instance, i have been eating 'nonsense' for most of the time. i could eat bread with marmalade for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or cereals for breakfast, lunch, dinner for consecutive days. i think i can cook, as i have been cooking rather successful dishes for cookouts; it's just that i can't be bothered with the hassle of cooking just for myself.

anyway, i have decided to change and start anew- I AM GOING TO COOK MY MEALS! i am going to make sure that i don't eat rubbish anymore. they are detrimental to my weight, my brain, my skin and my mood! i am going to love myself and take care of myself. i know i have to sharpen the saw before undertaking any further responsibilities or duties.

so, feeling motivated, and armed with the rice cooker from my friend, i deliberated a shopping list and went to sains to get fresh groceries. i've got brown rice, an assortment of beans and grains, fresh vegetables (not canned ones) etc. and sweet potatoes, of course.

after 20 mins of eager anticipation watching the bubbling foam in the rice cooker...

tada! a wholesome dinner since a long while:

brown rice with beans, steamed vegetables in cider vinegar (inspired by the salad in paris) and apple. the fragrance of the brown rice reminded me of home... too bad i don't have roast black sesame here.

dinner wasn't exactly yummy because i put in too little water to cook the rice- there were some raw grains in the rice. but it was satisfying to know that i am on the track to healthy living again. keep the spirits up, girl!

Reassurances From the Familiar

just came back from a foreign land, where the communicating was a challenge, the cuisine curious, and the cathedrals colourful. i had a wonderful time. soaked in culture and rejuvenated. highly inspired by the desire for youth and beauty and joy of the Kings of France. nonetheless, when i opened the door into my room, i felt a sense of peaceful happiness humming in me- i am back!

perhaps this is the sense of security from the known and the dependable, the very notion addressed in Dr. Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese?. and perhaps an unconcious drive that spurred me to start this blog so that recollections, musings and whims can be stored and organised in the seemingly unlimited cyberspace.

so this is it. presenting to you the inaugural post by god'slittleprincess in her new space- tulipsndandelions.blogspot.com