Sleep, books and an appointment

1. I enjoy the first restful sleep in weeks, and wake with little neck pain. All thanks to a new, extra-firm pillow. It's amazing how it's often the little things that matter.
2. After weeks of not reading and feeling restless and antsy as a result, I place a reservation at the library for several books. The long weekend shall be spent immersed in other worlds.
3. I get an email confirming a health appointment in a few weeks. A little bit of anxiety rolls off my shoulders.

Recovering, some cash and peppermint tea

1. I wake up a little breathless, but by the time I head into the office, I'm feeling quite a bit better than I have in the past few days. This flu bug is a tough one but I think I'm finally getting the better of it.
2. First day back at work after the long Christmas weekend, and I'm running late. There's no choice but to take a taxi...thank goodness I happen to have some cash in my purse.
3. A nice cup of hot peppermint tea soothes and calms me as I start the work day.

Ill, gifts and Christmas packages

1. In a month where I've been ill almost every week - and scared and anxious because of it - I'm thankful for the feeling that I'm recovering and that things might actually be OK.
2. Holiday gifts await me on my desk as I step into the office this morning. I spend a happy half hour opening them and thanking colleagues.
3. I get news that the package I ordered for a friend has shipped and is on its way. She'll get it in time for Christmas.

Sunday tea, migraines and weekends

1. After many months of silence, I text a dear friend to see how she is. We end up arranging to meet for tea on Sunday.
2. My migraines seem to have gone away. For now at least.
3. It's the weekend so there's time for afternoon naps, reading and catching up on all the TV I've missed this past week. Criminal Minds, here I come!

The weather, chocolate and a movie

My page is looking a little dull, so here are pics of what I'm grateful for today.

1. Sunny weather is very welcome after all the rain.

2. I gave in to this, after trying to battle my chocolate craving.

3. I may have found Stephanie Meyer's writing to be 'dire' as my friend E put it, but I'm still looking forward to catching BD Part 1 this evening. It must be the 'Rosemary Baby's' scene that's fueling my excitement.

Peace, breakfast and shoes

I'm thankful for these today:

1. Quiet in the office. I'm always amazed at how much I can get done when I'm alone.
2. A green tea brioche for breakfast. Soft, and full of green tea flavoured cream.
3. Comfortable new shoes that kept my feet (relatively) dry from the rain.

Thai food, a trip and friends

1. A lovely, spicy Thai meal. All paid for by a colleague in thanks for help rendered.
2. A 3-day trip to Kuala Lumpur lurks just around the corner. Food and shopping, here I come!
3. I'm asked by a friend heading to Paris for a holiday if there's something I'd like. It's nice when your friends think of you.

New books, organising and TV

1. Two books sit on my side table waiting to be read. I think I'll start on Camilla Lackberg's The Hidden Child first.
2. New storage containers mean I spend a happy hour (or two) organising and arranging my bead stash. I spend more time admiring the beads than I do organising them.
3. I while away a lazy, rainy Sunday buying, downloading and watching several new TV shows. Among my faves - Ringer, the new series starring Buffy Summers herself, and the always yummy Ioan Gruffudd.

1BT

I find myself crying at regular intervals while reading this. By the end, I was sobbing like a baby. Yes, I'm sentimental and often have fits of melancholy. But the extent and intensity of the crying took me by surprise. If you haven't read this book by Ann Brashares, you might want to try it. But be sure to have some tissue nearby, just in case.

Prejudice, cupcakes and books

1. I watched a play yesterday that made me think and re-think the issue and nature of prejudice and racism. I appreciated the thought and hard work that went into the writing and execution of the play.
2. A tupperware of carrot cake cupcakes waits for me in the fridge. Thank you to S for being such a generous friend.
3. I picked up the library books I reserved and looking forward to spending the day reading.

The weekend (almost), the boy who lived and new furniture

1. It's Thursday afternoon. The weekend is almost here.
2. Catching the last Harry Potter movie installment was both exhilarating and bittersweet. I can't quite believe that this is the end of Harry. I have an overwhelming urge to read books 1-7 again.
3. I find a coat rack/hat stand that's on sale. It's wood and will look perfect in my room.

2BT

Today, I was in a car accident. My first ever. I wasn't driving but it was scary all the same. It was a pretty bad collision but miraculously, we're all OK. I can't say my life flashed before my eyes but I did think of how easily - and quickly - our lives can be snuffed out. So today, I'm going back to basics with my 3BT.
1) Life. For this one infinitesimal moment in our planet's history, I breathe and am alive.
2) Health. Whatever medical conditions or ailments I've had or still have - and there have been/are a few  - I am relatively healthy. I have my 5 senses, my mental faculties are intact and I can walk. What else is there?

I can't think of a no. 3. I really do feel that Nos. 1 & 2 are the most important and beautiful. Nothing else matters. Not really.

A new love, the flu and beads

1. A black iPad. My new love.
2. I'm slowly but surely recovering from the flu. The cough is still there but it doesn't keep me awake so much at night anymore.
3. The prospect of a package of Keith O'Connor beads arriving in a little over a week. Can't wait to play with them.

Absent but implicit reasons to be happy

It's hard to think about 3BT when you're ill with the flu. Coughing and sneezing and generally feeling miserable has been my lot for the past 2 weeks. But I recently attended a workshop where one of the things we talked about was the 'absent but implicit'. I know I'm miserable because I've known what it is to be happy. So in an attempt to get myself out of this blue funk I'm stuck in, I'm forcing myself to think about the absent but implicit in my life - at least for now.
1) Desserts. Right now they make me cough more. But I love them. Everything from ice-cream to Asian  desserts like cheng teng.
2) Going to the movies. I haven't been to the movies in more than a month. And I've had to miss several free screenings - Green Lantern, X-Men First Class, the funny one with James Franco and Natalic Portman which title I can't quite recall at the moment - which has severely bummed me out. I can't wait till this cough is over so I can go watch the last installment of Harry Potter.
3) Meeting friends. Usually over tea, lunch or dinner. Since the dastardly flu bug hit, I've avoided going out and meeting my friends, several of whom have young children. I would hate to pass on my bug to them. So I'm really looking forward to getting better so I can go have a chat again with my friends - preferably over some peppermint tea and apple date cake.

Rain, ice cream and reading in bed

1. After some fiery hot days, I woke up today to the sound of heavy rain beating on my windows. The cool, grey skies are a welcome change.
2. A post-dinner walk around a mall on Friday led me to a tub of durian (an Asian fruit that's an acquired taste, I hear some people equate the smell of it to that of soiled socks) ice cream. I savoured a scoop of it for dessert this afternoon.
3. Cold, rainy days such as this one are best spent curled up in bed reading. Something I'm doing at the moment. My book of choice? Jasper Fforde's One of our Thursdays is Missing. I highly recommend Fforde. He's a great read, in any weather.

Feeling down

I'm finding it hard to think of 3BT today. Mostly because I'm fighting a cold and my throat is painfully scratchy. I think I might be coming down with the flu. I do have 4 books I borrowed from the library last Friday and which I'm looking forward to reading. And with Good Friday coming up, I'm looking at a 4-day work week. Oh and I'm going on a short trip to Kuala Lumpur over the long weekend which should be fun. Hmm, I seem to have found my 3BT after all :-).

Rainy Sunday, lava cake and purrs

1. There's something very right about spending a rainy Sunday afternoon curled up on my bed, listening to my iPod and making jewelry.
2. I sample a friend's new baked creation: chocolate lava cake with cherry bits in the centre. Dee-licious!
3. Stretched out on the carpet, I spend several minutes petting and stroking my 18yo one-eyed cat. His purrs are music to my ears.

Term break, hanging out and Facebook chats

1. It's the school break right now. So I get to have a breather for another week before the students return. Time to catch up with my reading - for work, I mean. I already keep up with my leisure reading :-).
2. Just confirmed that I'll be hanging out with a few friends this Thursday after work. Take-away pasta, chocolate for dessert and some good gossip to look forward to.
3. Weekly Facebook chats with a friend in the US have resumed. I'm glad. I missed her when we weren't chatting.

A musical, a fridge and jewellery

1. Looking forward to meeting up with friends later this evening for dinner and a play. Well, a musical actually. A student production of West Side Story. Tickets were dirt cheap and I've always loved the songs from WSS.
2. Our new fridge is coming in a few hours. It was a bargain and the silver finish on it is snazzy.
3. I finally completed the necklace I was making. All those wrapped loops took time but I like how it turned out. I may post a photo here later.

Quiet, some cash and a necklace

1. The office is quiet today. There's time to think and breathe in peace.
2. My boss calls me in and lets me know that I'll be getting a sizeable performance bonus this month. I'm surprised and grateful.
3. I'm in the midst of completing a necklace. Wrapping the crystals and linking them with vintage chain components is therapeutic. It's a bonus that that necklace is turning out to be rather pretty.

Workshops, birthdays and new music

1. I survived my very first stab at conducting a jewellery-making workshop on Saturday. All but 1 of the participants managed to complete the 2 rings I taught. That one woman went home with baggies full of beads and instruction guides so she could make the rings at home.
2. This is way overdue - but I celebrated a birthday. I'm now a year away from another milestone birthday. Not quite sure if I should be happy or sad. On the whole, I'm leaning towards 'happy'.
3. Not being particularly hip or cool (as you can clearly see since I just used the words 'hip' and 'cool' in the same sentence), I've only just stumbled on Florence + The Machine. I'm now in love with Dog Days are Over. It's on loop on my iPod.

DVDs, teaching and being sick

1. I (re)discover the joy of watching DVDs in bed. I'm currently wading my way through a box set of Criminal Minds. Not a show I'd typically watch - much too gory and formulaic. But a colleague lent the set to me and I've been oddly enthralled by it all.
2. The jewellery-making workshop for low-income mums is confirmed. It's good to commit to something I'm terrified of. Let's hope all goes well on the 5th of March.
3. A cold and migraine yesterday meant I spent the day curled up in bed with a glass of honey lemon water by my side.

February, Chinese New Year and movies

1. February arrives amidst thunderstorms and rain. I should hate it but I don't. I love the cooler weather. Plus it's my birthday month.
2. Today is the eve of Chinese (or Lunar) New Year here in Singapore. This means we get off work at 1pm so our Chinese friends have time to go home and prepare for the all-important Reunion Dinner with their families. It also means the start of a long 4-day weekend. What a great way to start the month.
3. Two DVDs sit on my desk waiting to be watched. It's been quite some time since I've been on a movie watching spree so I'm looking forward to it.

Winning, pampering and dessert

1. After some - well, a lot actually - scrappy play, we win. Cue huge sigh of relief.
2. I spend the afternoon in the company of old friends and pampering myself with a back massage and facial. Sunday afternoons should always be like this.
3. There's a tupperware full of mini lava cakes waiting for me in the fridge. I know what I'll be having for dessert this coming week.

Friends, football and volunteering

1. An evening out with good friends to watch a movie. My friends are wonderful and Black Swan is a chilling insight on mental illness.
2. Score! My football (ie. soccer) team wins. We have a date with destiny on Feb 27.
3. I agree to volunteer my time for a jewellery-making workshop for low-income mums. I'm terrified but secretly proud that I've worked up the nerve to do something outside of my comfort zone. It helps that it's for a good cause.

Winning, a dress and ice-cream

1. We win. Again. I sigh with relief.
2. A new paisley print dress hangs in my closet, waiting for the day it gets to be displayed to the world.
3. There's time later this afternoon for a scoop - or two - of organic vanilla ice-cream. Life is good.

Victory, rose quartz and solitude

1. After a run of horrendous results, my football team manages a victory. In style.
2. I'm asked if I will make a bracelet and 2 sets of prayer beads - all with rose quartz - for an old schoolmate. Why yes, of course.
3. My sisters are away in Hong Kong so I spend the weekend in beautiful near-solitude. I read, make jewellery, cook pasta and play with my cat. I can't wait for another such weekend.

Happy 2011!

Happy New Year to everyone! May the new year be better than the last and may it bring you much joy, love, good health, prosperity and every beautiful thing you can wish for.