The Past, Present, and Future

The moment I decided to leave home to study abroad, I knew that I had to be on my own from then on. It was a tough decision to make as there was no turning back. The detailed story was posted previously. I'm grateful for the way I was brought up and all the love & care I've been receiving from Mom & Dad, who have been faithful supporting me through the ups and downs in life.

It was one of the my best moments in life, when both parents attended my graduation in May 2008. Graduation is not the end, but the beginning of a new journey of life. After all, there is a long haul ahead.


There are always challenges to encounter, people to meet, places to visit, dreams to fulfill, prayers to say... Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone and take the step of faith to explore what lies before us? Do we listen closely to the soft whispers of our inner voice?

There is a new hope, new vision, and new direction for the new year. Wishing everyone Happy 2009!

Under the hot sun, in the cold breeze,
I wander aimlessly with a bit of unease.
What has in store for me may not come by easy,
continuously searching though it sounds crazy.
The day is young and sun is bright,
fulfill your dreams before the time is tight.

The Wondrous Ice

Here are some of my thoughts from today's experience walking on the ice. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend driving on unfavourable road conditions. Your own safety is more important than being at work on time!

The brook is narrow, the road is wide,
under the dim moonlight, catch a bus ride.
Sliding is easy when road is slippery,
taking baby steps while gliding slowly.

Winter weather may bring dismay,
such as icy morning on this day.
Take a leap or stay stagnant,
it's up to you which is more important.

Sometimes it's just too much to bear,
wanting to find some luck to spare.
Ceased to move when someone glared,
keep walking and never be scared.

Oceans are deep and mountains are high,
keep trying and not to sigh.
You may stumble, you may fall,
but press on and never stall.

C'est la Vie

We often get so busy in life that we don't bother thinking about what we want to achieve in life. Busy studying, working, socializing, traveling... Can we not pause for a minute and enjoy the scenic dawn, gorgeous dusk, colourful fallen leaves, and dazzling snowflakes?

There're times where we really need to sit down and think. Reflect on the past, focus on the present, and look forward to the future. Things we find so hard to forget and forgo could just be specks of dusts to us, a few years down the road. Conversely, we want to grasp, value, and cherish for what we acknowledge as treasures in our lives, till the end of the day. Family and friends, visions of the future, faith, and passions.

Louis Braille developed an ingenious system of reading and writing by means of raised dots for the blinds at the age of 15. Alexander Graham Bell developed the basic ideas for the telephone at the age of 18. George Westinghouse, at the age of 19, obtained his first patent for a rotary steam engine. Why do people succeed in life at a young age? Have you ever wonder? Yes, it's true that most of them are talented, or even being classified as geniuses. However, more importantly, they're able to envision their future and go all the way out to materialize their dreams!

The choice is in our hands, no matter we're happy or sad, life goes on. So, why not be happy and lead an enjoyable life? Life is just too short to dwell on pain and sorrow. Get up when we fall, and carry on with life. The best is yet to come, and we shall take courage to discover the goodness of life.

"Life is too short not to make the best and the most of everything that comes your way everyday"

~ Sasha Azevedo

Let It Snow...Let It Snow...Let It Snow...

I'll never forget the excitement I had when I experienced snow for the first time! Of course, the natural snowing is different from the artificial snow house I visited when I was little.

The snowfall in October, 2003.

The first day of snow in Fredericton this year happened last Wednesday (November 19th). More snow last Saturday (November 22nd)!

The winter view from my apartment.

I always look forward to the snow in winter. My mindset will probably change when I own a car and have to drive around in the harsh winter days :P I enjoy skating, even though I'm not a great skater. And of course, skiing! Downhill skiing particularly. The scenic view from the mountain top, the thrill of maneuvering the skis, and the cold rush of wind as I make my way down the mountain (smoothly, hopefully). If I don't? Oh well, it's just another learning opportunity. Get up when you fall. Otherwise? You're stuck in the middle of nowhere, miss out the chance to explore new terrain, and fail to enjoy loads of fun and excitement that await you!

Similarly, we fall and stumble in life. We might get bruises when we fall from skiing, but they come and go; just like mistakes we made that are forgivable. Avoid falling on hard surfaces and sharp edges to keep away from serious injuries. It's comparable to some major faults we commit in life that can be no turning back. We want to refrain from doing that by all means. Nonetheless, no matter how hard we fall, just bear in mind that it's not the end of the world. Move on and thrive through the challenges. Soar like an eagle!

When Troubles Come

Isn't it frustrating when you can't find something that you're searching so hard for, especially when you knew that you had it put away?! At that instant, I wished all my belongings were tagged and can be located by a personal GPS device. Wouldn't that be a perfect world to live in?

Even before GPS becomes popular, I had this little dream of creating an inventory list which includes all the information I need for my belongings: date of purchase, value, place of storage etc. In case I can't find anything that I'm looking for, I can just go through the list and find it right away (provided that I don't lose my inventory list)! How wonderful would that be?

With the technology advancement of GPS, perhaps we can come up with something more sophisticated. Put a little tag on all my belongings and store their personal information in my GPS device. When this machinery for information technology becomes available, I'll never ever have to suffer from the annoyance of losing my things!!

The reality is that, when I fail to locate my belongings after a painful search (usually 30 minutes to an hour), I stop searching. It's not that I'm giving up, but to give myself a break from the frustration. Believe it or not, the "lost" item will usually appear after a couple of days. So, the trick is to be patient and allow some time for memory recovery.

Believe it or not, this is the time when I need Doraemon (the amazing Japanese cartoon character) the most!

My Favourite Watch - The END

What's your personal favourite? I love my watch, a watch that I've been wearing for the past eleven years... since the I was twelve. It was a reward from Dad for my academic achievement in UPSR exam. Since I got straight A's, I was even allowed to request for two watches: a waterproof sport watch and a lady watch! The former was given to my brother as a regift five years ago since he needed one.

Years after years, I've been wearing my favourite watch at major exams such as PMR, SPM, IELTS, finals during university years etc. It was a loyal companion through my ups and downs in life. Even though I received two other watches (Adidas and Guess) in the past few years, this was still the one I wore most often. It has such a great sentimental value to me, and I treasured it a lot.

It wasn't one of the fancy watches that cost you a fortune. Conversely, the cost was around RM30. Its look was simple yet elegant. I simply love it, especially the Roman letters on it (from one to twelve). I was confused with the letters at one point and hoping wishfully that, by looking at my watch everyday I'll soon learn them. So I did ;)

The belt watch has been changed numerous times, once every two to three years. I insisted in having the blue belt with silver metal, because it matched well with the watch design.

The happiness with my favourite watch lasted till yesterday. Something disasterous happened... it was left in my jeans' pocket when I soaked, hand-washed, and dried the pants in the dryer!! I didn't realize it until I was putting away my clothes into the closet.... and I saw this....

My heart was broken, just as the watch did! I can't believe that I was so cruel to it and has ended its life through the process of drowning it in suffocating laundry detergent with lemon scent and exposing it to the ultimate heat tanning in the dryer...

I've no one to blame but myself. I was quite upset about it since last night. The moral of the lesson, check your pockets before dumping clothes into the laundry basket! When I mentioned this to Paul that my favourite watch I've been wearing for major occasions went kaput, he replied "there's something I bring with me everywhere I go, UPSR, PMR, SPM, midterms, final exams..." As I was still wondering what could that be, a burst of laughter came from Paul and he said "my ASS!!" Hahaha... I can't help but to join him in laughter. That was a good one!

To me, what's important in life is the personal attitudes and perspectives that can really make a great impact to the world. Material things come and go, but the spirit within us is eternal. It's too bad that I can't keep something of a great sentimental value any longer, but I'd cherish the memory and keep in mind that most things in life don't last forever. Deal with it, get over it, and continue on with life!

p/s: R.I.P., my favourite silver sky blue watch, for you've brighten my days in times of trial. God bless you! xoxo

My Sentiment for Flowers

Have you ever wonder what a magnificent piece of garden landscape could possibly look like? I was never a big fan of flowers, until my first visit to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C. four years ago. The fragrant flowers, flourishing grasses, chirping birds, and clean air are simply enchanting.

The Butchart Gardens, a must visit in British Columbia!

The gorgeous landscape was showered with delicate flowers and other captivating plants. It required lots of efforts and talents to put these together. The building of landscape was started by Jennie Butchart in 1908. The fifty-five acres of stunning floral exhibition can keep you busy wandering around for the entire day! It was around $26 for admission during my second visit in the spring this year. Not bad eh? You're welcome to take as many pictures as you wish! Make sure you have sufficient memory on your camera ;)

Colourful flower bed! Red, pink, white, blue, purple... you name it!

Pink tulips looked awesome!

Gorgeous dark pink flowers!

I wished this is my garden at my backyard! Oh well, honestly, Butchart Gardens would be on the top of my list for shooting bridal pictures ;) It was such a peaceful and captivating place. I felt like I could stay there for the rest of my life.....

Flowers have become a symbol of T.L.C. (tender, love, and care). They are given as a message of love to your loved one, sympathy to the person you cared about, or simply to a friend who meant so much to you.

Flowers I received from my parents, Godmom, and Pat on my graduation day :D

The flowers had brighten my day! How can you not smile looking at the blossoming flowers? Hehe...I couldn't help but smile and being grateful for the best wishes and love showered upon me. Thank you so much!

How about receiving a flower from a stranger?! Hmm...quite unlikely, eh? Surprisingly, this happened to me while walking home from downtown today. A good-looking guy in his early 20's approached me with a rose.

Guy: (presenting me with a rose) This is for you.

Me: (puzzled for a sec., speechless)

Guy: (with a forced smile) My girlfriend doesn't want it. She said it's over. I may as well give it away (still with his arm stretched with the rose in front of me).

Me: (feeling sorry) You can always give it to someone else (what did I just said, huh?)

Guy: (looking at me with a disappointed smile)

Ohh... this guy just broke up with his girlfriend, and now he's here giving me a rose. An unwanted rose..what?! Well, he looks really sad now, and I can't break his heart further by rejecting a gift from him. I should consider this a blessing and hopefully, he can get over with the pain soon by getting rid of the gift.

Me: (receiving the rose) Thank you!

I wanted to say more but this awkward scene kept me speechless. I wished to say "take it easy. Your rose brightens my day. God bless you!"

I wasn't sure what was going on, in his relationship with his girlfriend. One thing for sure though, no matter how pretty a rose, or a bouquet of flowers appear to be, a broken heart can no longer accept the love message from the giver. In other words, flowers are meaningful only when you receive them with an open heart and be grateful for the thoughtfulness of your presenter. Never wait till the last minute to present flowers, hoping to save a dying relationship. By the same token, be a generous giver to cheer up your loved one and build a strong and long-lasting relationship.

The pinky rose I received from a stranger :)

Wild at Heart

Before this summer, I've been involved in different sports, such as mountain climbing, scuba diving, whitewater rafting etc. Nevertheless, it simply takes my breath away when I imagine myself floating in the sky. I always enjoy the bird's-eye view of a city whenever I'm on a flight. The idea of reaching the sky and embracing it, is bizarre!

I've to admit that this has been an awesome summer, not only did I try bungee jumping (160ft) in Whistler, BC, but I also went for skydiving (3,000ft) in Moncton, NB! Skydiving has been in my mind for two and a half years. I was not able to do it sooner, due to unforeseen circumstances (transportation, skydive buddy etc.).

Have you ever experienced a strong urge to do or achieve something that you always wanted? You yearn for the day to come, day and night. There's something missing in life if you don't go for it. That was exactly how I felt, after putting the plan aside for two years, I started pondering: "it's now or NEVER!" Live life to the fullest while you can. If you know you're going to regret for not doing or achieving something in life, then by all means, run after your goals and be responsible for yourself! How many days do you have left on earth? Only God knows. Hence, lead your everyday life as if it's the very last day on earth, prioritize things that have to be done... One fine day, you'll tell yourself: "I've fully utilized my days on earth and fulfilled my dreams, for the glory of God who has given me this precious life."

Where are the CoLOuRS from?

You've seen it every fall, how the colour of leaves changes. I'm not sure about you, but I was absolutely amazed by God's creation! I made an effort to observe the change in colour of those maple trees that I walked pass everyday on campus.

As shown below, the change in colour of a maple tree (from left to right):

I started searching for an answer, HOW and WHY does the colour of leaves change?! I finally got a satisfactory answer from my first year Biology lab professor. The different pigments in leaves are doing the tricks!

“During growing season (spring and summer), chlorophyll is continually being produced and broken down and leaves appear green. As night length increases in the fall, chlorophyll production slows down and then ceases. All the chlorophyll is destroyed eventually. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that are present in the leaf are then unmasked and show their colours.”

However, bear in mind that not all trees go through the similar phase of colour change. Some will actually turn into bright red, and look as if they're on fire!

A close view of the leaves:

Enjoying the scenic view on campus:


I like this the best so far:


Strolling along the trail, while appreciating the Mother Nature's recipe for the spectacular season, and.....

...this has led us to the majestic view of Saint John river across the walking bridge:

What do you think? Are you tempted to pay Freddy a visit yet?