i drive towards my dreams

[fashion] in-house fashion dresses

[manicure] pedicure recreation

 inspiration : Love Maegan

 recreation 

in my make-up case

make-up case from L'Occitane. An appreciation gift the church gave few years back. 

 1. plasters : for any little injuries that happens, especially with those unfriendly shoes.
2. notebook : to jot random stuff down.
3. metal sweet casing : a pleasant surprise i got from fisherman some time back when i bought fisherman's friend for my boyfriend. inside, i keep cough drops.
4. hair bands : to keep my hair in place when i'm busy at work.
5. igive thumbdrive : they always come in handy for storage and transfer of documents.
6. big blue S hook : to hook plastic bags or bbtea while i'm on the bus.
7. roll-on perfume : a free gift that came along with the perfume that i bought. well, just to freshen up along the way.
8. nude lipstick : just to add a little colour to my lips. i forgot to include here my lipblam. but i use that more often because i have serious problem of lip peeling and cracking.
9. compact powder : to touch up my make-up when it melts.
10. handcream : to moisturise my dry hands.
11. sunblock : my mum gave it to me to protect my skin.
12. mini nail file : they come in really handy when my nails chip off and i have to file off the rough edges.
13. eye drops : for the tired eyes.
14. earphones : i hardly ever use them, only when i want to listen to music in privacy on my computer.
15. panadol and carbon pills : comes in handy, especially when i'm very prone to having stomach aches.
16. clip : i use that to keep food packages closed when i cant finish them all in a shot and want to save some for next time.
17. spiritual 4 laws : i bring it everywhere i go, so if there is any chance of sharing the gospel, i fish them out to help me.

panbassadors

carrots, eggs and coffee

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as when one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil; without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. “Which are you?” she asked her daughter.

When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? 

once, we dreamt of those days, now they have become these days

我们老了。 :(

我们终于来到以前憧憬的年纪，却发现已经有人订婚、有人结婚、有人出国、有人生活顺利、有人坚持梦想、有人碌碌无为......就像是一个分水岭，毕业时的那个蓝天早已消失不见，那个和你在操场边说着要一起走到未来的人，也早就不知道去了哪里。看着窗外的天，突然就黑了，感觉像我们的青春，突然就没了。

[manicure] xoxo nautical

sushi etiquette

[fashion] haute urban fashion city : bags

the 12 spies

have you heard of the story of the 12 spies? well the story goes like this, the Lord God promised Moses and his people the land of Canaan as their new country after spending 40 years in the desert. the land of Canaan was one of milk and honey, a very rich land. but it does not mean that they can walk into the land and rule over it just like that because it was ruled by the people of Canaan. so Moses choose 12 strong men from among the Israelites and sent them as spies into Canaan. 12 went, and 12 came back, but 10 of them told Moses, 'no no, we are never going to be able to conquer Canaan, because the people where were huge, everything there was huge, even the grapes were so huge and so heavy, it needed 2 strong men to carry them. no no, never are we going to be able to conquer Canaan.' but only the other 2 spies told Moses, 'even though these people are much stronger and taller than us, we can conquer them because the Lord our God is with us!' and of course you know how the story ended, because in God, nothing is impossible.

***

why am i sharing this story with you? well of course its not for no reason. i've been looking back at these 17 days, and i am reminded of this story, and i cannot strop giving praise to my Lord God because all the more i think about it, all the more i know it cannot be done without His almighty hands.

i ended my last exam in April and have since been finding high and low for a job. soon i found one in late June and commenced by first official job in my working life at a mnc doing sales. i spent 2 months there, it was a roller coaster of emotions and time and again i have wanted to give up, but i pressed on, telling myself, learn something, learn something, dont think too much about liking the job or not. then, one day, i decided, i had enough. sales is really not my cup of tea, and it really affect my personally, as well as my attitude towards serving the Lord. then and there, without securing another job at hand, i handed in my resignation letter. i was pronounced jobless again. who knows how long its jobless period might last? maybe a few weeks, or maybe a month, or 2, or even more. but i just took it in my stride. i applied for jobs, and prayed hard about it. i only asked for 3 things, a job that i like, a job that has a good working environment, and most importantly, a job that gives me time to serve the Lord like i do before.

God has been kind on me, not long after i sent in my resumes to quite a number of companies and firms and organizations, i soon received calls from them. the 2nd week into my jobless state, i attended more than a hand count of interviews. and one day it struck me, i dint really like all these jobs that i applied for, and i have almost applied for everything that was of my interest, i dont have much jobs to apply from now on, what am i going to do? in my desperate-ness to get a job, i was about to craft out an email to a law firm, telling the director i was willing to accept the long working hours. i made that decision only because it was the best option i had.

but God works wonders, things took a change. a Church friend of mine called and asked if i was interested in taking up a position with her law firm for a 3 months contract, and i happened to had a chance to ask her about this other law firm that i went for interview at. then i realised not all law firms have such long working hours. God stopped me in time. concurrently, i was responding to a job offer by an agency, and things happened only too quickly for me to think a moment about it, and i realised i've been employed. though its a 6 months contract position, but never in my dreams would i have dreamt of working there. i must admit, my grades are not fantastic, but yet God showed me nothing is impossible in Him, He gave me the opportunity to work at the prime minister's office.

i give thanks to God because looking back at these 12 days since the time i resigned, and comparing it with the 2 months i spent looking for a job since i graduated, i can see God doing wonders there. because who will be able to find a job so soon, especially in such a prestigious organization within such a short period of time? God is really good to me.

facebook tells you almost everything about your 'friends'. i did a check last night, and i realised some of cum laude and above faculty mates of mine are working at PMO. at this point of time, i am scared, i am weary, can i do it? i am not good as them. but i'm reminded of the story of the 12 spies. yes, the people of Canaan were much stronger and taller than the Israelites, but God made a way for them. this God was a God that was with them thousands of years ago, so is He with me today, why do i fear? If God gave me the opportunity to be working in this place, then He must have made a way out for me to take on the challenges that seems to be waiting ahead for me. What then isit that i fear?

I hope my experience, works as an encouragement to all those who are fearful to take the leap.

my daily 5 minutes makeup routine

first, i moisturise my face. because i have oily skin, i need to moisturise it to keep it shine free for as long as possible. from left, i use about 3 drops of the Hada Labo moisturising toner and pat it into my face. it claims that 1 drop locks in an ocean, but really, i beg to differ. my face gets oily after a few hours out. so in order to keep it shine free for a longer period of time, i apply the ZA total hydration gel. this really works, and i love how it makes my skin less oily, and shine free for a much much longer period of time. i just watch a programme on making-up, and they say applying UV protection is a must, so i included the ZA total hydration BB cream with UV protection properties in this photo. its tinted, so it gives a better coverage, but really, i hardly use it. because i think BB cream makes my face oily really quickly and it clogs my pores, so i usually skip it. maybe i should reconsider taking up this step again. 

 next, i dust the compact powder all over my face to give it a light smooth finish, then add a little tint of blusher to complete the look. here i have 2 compact powders, the light green one from Maybelline, and the white one from Silkygirl. i use the Silkygirl one on a daily basis because i like to stick to using a powder until i hit pan bottom. but basically i showed you these 2 because they fit my complexion the best so far. i dust a thin layer of it all over my face using the big brush and its done! nothing too overbearing, or making my face look too whitish. then i use the same brush to dust a little blusher on my cheeks in strokes of a tick and i complete the look. blusher wise, i brought along the wrong blusher to take this photo. i use Silkygirl's instead of this multi-colour blush. that one is a single tone blush and its much easier to lift off with the brush.

 i like my make up as nude as possible. so here's the list of products that i use:
1. Hada Labo instant hydration lotion
2. ZA Total Hydration amino mineral refreshing gel
3. ZA Total Hydration BB cream UV SPF 43 PA+++
4. Siklygirl Skin Perfect CC 2-way foundation 02 Nude SPF 25
5. Maybelline Clear Smooth shine free face powder Nude Beige SPF 18
6. Silkygirl Blush Hour 02 Dune Rose
7. Essence Multi Colour Blush 10 How cute is that?
8. Guardian brush
9. Ecotools Bamboo blush brush 1201
(note: not all items listed here are in the photo above)

[manicure] my most favourite blogger and her manicures

check out her nail posts here: http://www.lovemaegan.com/search/label/my%20nails

vintage car exhibition @ ion orchard (in june)