2 May
Midnight Microwave Meals
Midnight Microwave Meals
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| A bowl of egg and cheese instant noodles. |
3 May
WonderPoke WonderTea @ Sunway
WonderPoke WonderTea @ Sunway
A new poke bowl contender is in town!
It was the opening day for Wonder Poke Wonder Tea and a bunch of us from uni went there for lunch. Situated right behind Fish Bowl at Bandar Sunway and serving its poke bowls in a bowl shaped like a fish (interesting...), the portions were pretty big and I quite enjoyed it.
Also, Leanne skipped class to have this lunch with us.
4 May
Recently whenever I put on my contacts or my glasses, my vision is still left a little blurry.
I went to get my eyes checked and found out that the power of my left eye went up just a tad bit, along with my astigmatism.
The optician asked if I have been staring at the screen for an extended amount of time over the past few months. I sighed, nodding as I remembered all the time I have spent sitting at my work table, furiously typing away in reaching the word limit for all my essays and my assignments.
She recommended a different kind of lens that will help correct the emission of the light from my laptop screen and from my phone.
So, I gave her my glasses and continued walking around 1 Utama being almost blind with the rest of my family.
5 May
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| RM25 Culottes from Tapas. |
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| Earrings from Lovisa that my cousin bought for me. |
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| Hand-me-down heels from Mama's friend. |
Every now and then, people will come up to me and compliment my outfit.
"You look so effortless," they say.
"Well, I put in a lot of effort in looking effortless," I laugh.
I don't know what it is about it, but I really enjoy the process of getting ready.
It is the simplest thing from deciding the eye look I want to go for that day and revolving my whole outfit around it, or it can be deciding whether I want to put on statement earrings or a few studded ones instead.
Of course, there have been days when I wake up, shower, brush my hair with my fingers, put on my glasses and call that 'getting ready' as well.
But there's something therapeutic about the hour or two I give myself in getting ready before I head out for the day. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it. And hey, take some selfies while you're at it.
6 May
Recording tings
Recording tings
We headed to Calvary Studio at Calvary Convention Centre, Bukit Jalil and recorded a demo of Surrender, a song that I wrote.
Having it be the first time being at a recording studio and recording something, what more it being something that I wrote, it was quite nerve-wrecking. If you were there to hear the first few rounds of the recording for my vocals, the nerves were very obvious.
But it was fun and I am thankful for being able to have that experience. Huge thanks to Marcus for arranging the song, the talented band who executed it flawlessly and also Josh who helped with the recording and the mixing!
As for the story behind the song, I know I promised to share it some time soon, but my heart tells me that it's still not time for me to do so as of yet.
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| M&M: One is smelling candles, the other is smelling his hand. |
"I want to go smell the candles," Melvin said as we walked pass Yankee's Candles at 1U after the recording.
We spent a good 10 to 15 minutes in the shop, picking up all the different scented candles and deciding which one we would put in our rooms if we were to buy any.
We left the shop without buying anything.
7 May
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| Two photos of my three friends at Four Fingers. |
Shin Wei was back for her brother's wedding so Jun Wen, Cherie and I squeezed in a quick lunch before she flew back.
Every time I write about my friends, I realise how grateful I am to have been able to keep some of the most important friendships I've had ever since I was a little girl. I also realise how low maintenance my friendships are in the sense that we don't need to talk everyday or be in each other's presence 24/7, but hold each other as important as we've always had since the beginning.
The people pictured here (and those who are not) are an example of these friendships.
I am thankful for each and everyone of you, I hope you know that.
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| Marcus fell asleep on me while we were watching the latest episode of Worth It by Buzzfeed.. |
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| ..and then he woke up to look at his fishes after that. |
10 May
Newlyweds*
Remember the wedding we went for in the month of April (of which I forgot to record any videos of the wedding for the vlog and made it look like a food trip instead)? Here are their beautiful, married faces!
Joseph and Elizabeth had Marcus and I over for dinner at their place the other night. This was also the night where we watched the swearing in of our new Prime Minister on livestream and had our minds blown about a lot of other things that we watched on the internet.
Despite the short amount of time we've known them both, individually and as a couple, they have invested so much time, energy and love into the lives of Marcus and I, individually and as a couple as well.
We are forever grateful for the roles that we have played a part in not only at your wedding, but in your lives as much as you have played a part in our lives, too. We appreciate this friendship and we love you two very much!
*Question: how long can you consider a couple who recently got married as newlyweds? Is there a timeframe that everyone follows to say when they are not newlyweds anymore and that they are just married? Did I not get that memo growing up? I need answers.
13 May
Snip snip
Snip snip
I have a bad habit of cutting my hair when I feel bored or whenever I feel like I need a change. Nothing too drastic, just a little sniping off of some hair to give myself some bangs or a fringe.
Even though this is the only thing that I do once in a blue moon, people tend to tell me that they notice something different about my hair almost every other week. And this is despite the fact that I haven't re-dyed or cut my hair since Christmas last year.
If you've been waiting on a sign to know if you should finally have the courage to do something to your hair that you have been wanting to for awhile now, this is the sign. And if you're afraid that it might not turn out the way that you want it to, hair will always grow again!
14 May
An apple a day..
An apple a day..
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| ...might still leave you back at the doctor's. |
My cough and flu have been going at it for about a week.
It was getting worse after having to sing for the overnight prayer for the election and after serving for weekend celebration. I remember that Sunday at Terry and Sara's graduation from the Young Pastor's Academy when I was feverish, coughing away and losing my hearing in my right ear.
Man, thinking about it makes me feel as if the constant ringing in my ear from that day has come back.
Marcus accompanied me as I went to the doctor's on Monday. I was diagnosed me with a viral attack, as I pretty much guessed it. The doctor gave me some medicine for the virus and told me to go back to him if it got worse.
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| We went to a nearby pet shop after that. |
17 May
Rock and roll
Rock and roll
Marcus, Nic and Melvin were around Aman Suria and I decided to join them after class.
You get no points if you can guess what they were shopping around for.
18 May
Round Two
Round Two
You also get no points if you can guess what happened after my visit at the doctor's a few days before this.
The viral attack led to a secondary infection because my immune system didn't pick up fast enough. He gave me an MC as I was still having classes, so I took it, drove myself back home and slept through the afternoon.
As I sit here now and remember how sick and tired I felt in every inch of my body that week, I cannot believe I mustered enough energy to get out of bed to go for classes, even after the first viral attack.
Besides the fact that it was a week when the bulk of my assignments were due, which meant that I wasn't getting enough rest anyways, I guess I was also making sure that I was able to meet my lecturers face-to-face to get things sorted out for said assignments.
I think this is the ugly side of studying that people often talk about very lightly.
Phrases like 'I'm so tired', 'Kill me now', 'Can I just give up' are thrown around like it's confetti and other students respond only to say 'same'. Other people then look at us as if we were babies just whining and crying about, going nowhere with all talk and no walk.
True, I admit to many times of my own irresponsibility that has led to these situations. Many times it is also the bad habit of procrastination that results in last-minute work.
But I think it's about time we acknowledge that as much as it is important for us to do well in our studies, it is also as important, if not more, to take care of your physical, mental and emotional health, too.
Pause. Breathe. Manage your schedule. Plan ahead. Have friends to check on you. Get enough sleep. Have fun. Prioritise well.
A little goes a long way.
This is a reminder for you as much as it is for me.
20 May
Ready Player Not Me
Ready Player Not Me
Mama bought a PS4 for Papa as a gift and the living room is now everyone's favourite part of the house. It's also Marcus' favourite, too.
24 May
Escar-no
I was filling my water bottle downstairs when I needed to wash my hands. Upon opening the door, this was what I found crawling on the floor.
"Jie, there's a snail in the toilet!" I screamed at my brother.
Some of my friends asked me to sprinkle salt on it to melt it away, but I didn't have the heart to do it. We then folded a box out of a piece of paper and (I) carried it to the garden outside.
After that, I took the piece of paper with the slime and chased Jie around the living room.
Sometimes I look at snails as they crawl around with shells on their backs and wonder where they’re going in life. Other times, snails probably look at me as I burden the responsibilities of becoming an adult and wonder the same about me.
VaporMax x VapoRub
Besides Jesus, this has been a lifesaver for me.
My coughing was so bad that it kept me up until about 4 or 5 in the morning, and by then I would have to get up for class soon already. Ask anybody in my house and they will tell you how they can hear me coughing my lungs out, almost constantly throughout the night.
Mama went out to buy VapoRub for me. And rubbing it on my chest every night soothed my cough like a charm. Of course, this only cures the symptoms of the cough and the flu and doesn't really have any healing properties. But it granted me a bit more sleep in those few weeks.
25 May
Friday Nights
Friday Nights
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| Having a full tank is so satisfying. |
After almost two weeks of resting at home and having close to no contact with the outside world, I finally went out that night. I was still coughing away, but I forced myself out of bed.
Lying in my bed was legitimately the only thing that I was doing over the past few weeks and even then, I didn't get the rest that I needed.
I think part of it was a mental thing.
Almost every night I went to bed thinking that my cough would probably keep me awake anyways, and almost every night I let it happen. Then, in the morning, I would wake up feeling angry at everything.
I remember crying to Pris over a video message on Telegram about how frustrating it has been to be in this endless cycle of needing to rest because of my cough, but also having that cough be the reason that I wasn't getting enough rest.
I stared at the ceiling that evening, being this close in choosing to continue to just lie in bed that night, but I jumped on the chance when my gut feeling told me that I needed to get out of my room.
Needless to say, I'm glad I did.
Besides CRAVE itself, the supper after that at 223 left me clenching my stomach from laughing so hard. Despite the fact that I ordered limau ais, only managing to take a sip of it and giving the rest to Marcus because I was starting to cough, and despite the fact that I only ate the rice and the egg from the nasi lemak, I was full.
My heart was full.
I went home, took a shower and got my first good night's rest in a long time.
SpotCrazyEyes
Another big reason why I was so happy that night probably includes receiving this shirt!
Designed by our dear friend, Jun Jin, and sold on his shop called @spotcrazyeyes on Instagram, it has been a shirt that I have been wearing almost every other day now. He has other cool designs and stuff on his page, too.
Do check him out! Suppok kawan.
26 May
Kam-ming Home
This night also marked one week of Ashton returning home from the States ever since he left to study there in August.
As mentioned before, Ashton is one of the four leaders that I lead GENesis with and have been doing so for our third year now. I want to say good things about him but if I do, I know that he will forever use it against me.
Let's say if I did end up saying what I intended to say, here what I will say:
I will say that he is one of the first few people I turn to when it comes to questions about faith. Not only because he is a complete nerd and that he puts in a lot of time and effort in increasing his knowledge on the Word, but also because he is someone who is patient, loving and kind when it comes to teaching and discipling others. He is also someone who I can talk to about nonsense things and someone who I roast daily and vice versa (though he is many times the receiving end). I will say that he is someone whose friendship I appreciate very deeply and will never exchange for anything in the world. I will say that there has been an Ashton-shaped void in the lives of GENesis, the lives of our own CG and in my own life, too.
But, I will never say that.
Never ever.
Surprise, surprise. The boys ended up FIFA-ing in my house because Joel and Jeremy needed a place to chill while waiting for the Liverpool game that night, and Ashton....well, Ashton just so happened to be there.
27 May
Driving in the rain is something that still scares me, ever after I've been driving for a good three years.
But being a passenger in a car when it's raining outside has a rather calming and therapeutic effect.
I guess it's because being behind the wheel in the rain immediately catalyses my responsibility-meter and puts me on high alert, which gets pretty tiring at the end of a long drive. Not needing to do all that as a passenger will end up with me curling up into a ball and taking a nap.
I also curated a playlist for when it rains to make rainy drives a little more emotional than they need to be. You know, the kind of music where you look outside the window as the raindrops trickle down and gather at the car window sills and you pretend you're in a music video? Yeah, that kind.
28 May
Uncle Don's @ TTDI
Uncle Don's @ TTDI
Marcus and his newfound love - Uncle Don's.
He had their fries a couple days before this and ever since then, he couldn't stop thinking about how crispy they were on the outside and how fluffy they were on the inside.
So, we went for a lunch date to the Taman Tun branch. He ordered the sizzling sisig and I had the butter rice pork chop. 10/10 will recommend the lunch set because it is super affordable, comes with a main, a side of rice (unless your main comes with a rice), an ice lemon tea and an ice cream!
Of course, he didn't forget his side of fries, too.
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| Marcus claming his spot in our PS4 as he trains his character on FIFA18. |
A Diamond Wedding Anniversary
We celebrated our Gong Gong and Popo's 60th wedding anniversary.
Nothing screams "Chee family celebration" more than having an 8-course Chinese dinner in a private room at a seafood restaurant, along with a karaoke machine of a songlist that desperately needs to be updated.
I cannot imagine being married to someone for 60 years, and having to get to know them even longer before that. It's quite scary, I think.
But when I look at my grandparents and how they made it such a big deal, as they rightly deserve so, because not a lot of people can celebrate this moment together with their children and their grandchildren, it paints me a picture of what true love can amount to.
And I look forward to having that moment someday.
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| The cousins went to the park for a bit. |
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| Tiny furry friends. |
29 May
Tonkatsu by Ma Maison @ Isetan, 1U
Tonkatsu by Ma Maison @ Isetan, 1U
I don't remember how my parents found out about this place the first time they came. But it immediately became a family favourite, and is now easily my personal favourite place to go to when I feel a little hungrier (because of the unlimited rice, vege and soup!) and a little fancier than usual.
31 May
Wake up, make up
Wake up, make up
Serving on stage in the early morning means getting to church barefaced for soundcheck and getting my face ready only afterwards.
LEAD2018 was happening from the 31 May to 2 June and this was the fifth and final year in which DUMC has held this leadership conference. And for every of those five years, I have been serving in the different ministries that they have to offer.
I remember helping out with the media team by handling DUMC's Instagram account during the first year and the second year. For the third year, I assisted Sara Leong with the deco and the display in the concourse where we featured Stories@LEAD2016. Last year, I had the privilege of hosting Alarice and Calvin and the team from Awaken Generation Singapore. This year, I was part of the worship team for 2 of the 3 mornings at our final LEAD.
Throughout these years, I am grateful for LEAD as it has provided so many different platforms for people who are differently gifted to be able to serve and build the body of Christ.
Nevertheless, I am also grateful that 6am call times will not be something that I will be hearing again anytime soon.
Y(Wr)ong Tau Foo
Marc has been telling me about this really good Yong Tau Foo place nearby his house for a couple of weeks. But for some reason, when it came time for me to find where the place was on my own, the words and the instructions were blurred.
This meant that I brought Hannah, Kenji and Jeremy to the wrong Yong Tau Foo shop. And I only found out after that.
This meant that I brought Hannah, Kenji and Jeremy to the wrong Yong Tau Foo shop. And I only found out after that.
The Yong Tau Foo was still good anyways, so it was still a fulfilling lunch. It was also fulfilling because of the conversations that we had at this table.
And even though we always say that we don't want to talk about it, we somehow always end up talking about it and laughing about it like it's the first time we're hearing all these stories.
I know, I know. I'm posting this when it's already July, which means I'm way behind schedule.
But the Months in Moments for June is already in the works, so you'll get two doses of Months in Moments for this month. How about that?
