To Be Or Not To Be

I posted this on my FB on the 29th June. When you get an opportunity, you either grab it or leave it. If you leave it, 1 day you may realise how much you need it. If you grab it & sit on it, you'll never reap the rewards. Humans very complicated hor?

Expending on my FB status this morning, the original thought came to me with regards to my purchase of the Shake Weight. Mister & I chanced upon it at the Aibi store in PS. We were idling away, window shopping while waiting for our movie screening time to arrive. They were having a promotion on the Shake Weights. It wasn't exactly cheap but still affordable. As it was approaching screening time, we left, but not before asking for the closing time (9.30 pm), telling ourselves that if the shop was still open after our movie, we would buy it.

We walked out of the cinema at 9.35 pm, thinking out loud that the shop should be closed for the day. But as we were heading down the escalator, we noticed that their shutters were still up. We ended up paying slightly over $100 for the Shake Weights. We've been using it diligently everyday since, save for the 3 weeks that I was cramming for exams.

If we didn't buy the Shake Weights (forgoing the opportunity), I would have regretted by now since I would have found out at a later date that I was to wear a wedding gown (with extremely flabby upper arms). If we bought it & left it lying around somewhere in the house without utilizing it, we won't reap any rewards (toned upper arms). Of course, to achieve the desired results, we have to perservere no matter how tough the going gets. Trust me, while it takes only 6 mins, I can't tell you how painful it is to sustain this duration.

There's only 1 difference between Shake Weight & a major life decision: the magnitude of it all. I would have blown a mere $100+ if I didn't put the Shake Weight to good use or having to endure the pain with usage. But I will either live with irrevocable regrets or irrevocable stress trying to achieve my goals. Of course, with all things in life, if you perservere enough, something has to give. You just have to make sure you're not the 1 giving up. That's why they say, no pain, no gain. There're sacrifices no matter what your decision is. Only you can decide if you're willing to see it through to the end & whether at the end of it all, is all your hardwork worth the while.

Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)

Got this recipe off my copy of Bread Making by Lauren Chattman. I decided to use chives instead of the traditional spring onion. They turned out pretty good. The recipe yielded 8 pancakes and they vanished within minutes.

The Dogs In My Life

 Puggy (Pug)

Ton Ton (Miniature Schnauzer)

Carrot Cake

While I have no desire to do so professionally, I love baking & cooking & I do so every weekend without fail. A few weeks ago, I decided to take a break & I felt so restless. There was simply something missing.

Been wanting to bake a carrot cake for as long as I can remember. The recipe calls for ingredients measurable in cups & I've always felt that grams would be a more accurate measurement. It turned out pretty well despite it being my 1st attempt. I halved the sugar stated in the recipe & I'm glad I made that decision as the cake was sweet enough as it is. I added orange flavouring & sugar to the cream cheese (to taste), as well as some yellow colouring. By the way, please excuse the photo as I'm a nurse, not a photographer.

On The Legally Binding Contract Called Marriage (Sg Context)

What is it that makes 50% of marriages fail? Having gone through a divorce myself, I should know right? Actually, I haven't got a clue. My best guess is that people are less willing to put up with the crap we deal out to each other these days. The new generation are also much less resilient. What do they do at the sign of serious trouble? Run for their life of course! This is evident in the work force. Facing problems at work? Not an issue. Quit, find a new job & repeat the process a few times. I would know because I used to be one of them. But I got sick & tired of running. I refused to be a coward anymore. I've never stayed at a work environment for more than a year & a half. I've been at my current for 3 & I know I'm gonna get that 5 year long service award. When I do leave, it's because of my plan to migrate to Australia. Anyway, back to the topic. People are more self centred these days. Gone are the 'us'. It's all about 'me'. I'm not going to care if marriage is supposed to be 'till death do us part'. All I know is that if I'm happier leaving this marriage, I'm gone. Afterall, why stay & be miserable for the rest of my life?

At the breaking point in my marriage, a colleague recommended that I read Willard F., Jr. Harley's His Needs Her Needs. He says that to keep a marriage alive, you have to keep the love alive. The book talks about fulfilling each other's top 5 needs to maintain a high balance in our love bank. I've gone on to read his other book, Love Busters which talks about habits that destroys the feeling of love. The books are great but we do have to remember that marriage takes 2 to tango. Efforts on one partner's part is simply not enough.

I'm none the wiser when it comes to keeping a relationship alive. But there's 1 thing I know for sure. It requires a never say die attitude. I know disappointments tend to snowball out of proportion. But if you're going to be giving up everytime that happens without actively seeking out solutions, then I'm sorry to say that you'll always be running. J. Lo said that she love herself enough to walk away when a man isn't treating her right. But I say, if everyone thinks that way, then divorce rates will be at 100%. That is why all these people marry so many times & divorce so many times! Your partner can never love you exactly the way you want him/her to. We can choose to see only the good and ignore the bad. This of course does not apply to problems with gambling, drugs use and whatnots. It's not easy but I've done that with Puggy. Well, that's a story for another day.

Tear Stains On My Pillow

Born in 1983, I'm the only child to my working class parents. Recently divorced in late April, the ex had since remarried. I used to enjoy writing in my younger days and I hope to get back into it with this blog.

I want to have the resilience to stand right back up everytime life pushes me down. I'm proud to say though severely wounded at times, I have managed to pick myself up time and again. I may be a rolly polly, but I want to be a slim one at that.

The tears have dried, leaving behind only the stains on my pillow. The memories define the person I am today. They are who I was, who I am & influence who I will be. We all have a choice. So make it count.