I noticed it’s been quite a long while since I last updated the blog, so I thought I probably should give a brief update on what’s been going in my life. Just so that you all know that I’m still pretty much alive, and kicking.

As usual, work has kept me busy. Now that my bosses are cooped up in a meeting room, discussing the future of an upcoming product, I get a little bit of breathing space to relax a little.

Many things have happened in the past months. As most of you that are following me on Twitter/Plurk/Facebook already know, I recently broke up with my boyfriend of 4 years. There were many factors that led to the final decision, of which I will not discuss openly here. Let’s just say I’ve finally decided NOT to settle for 2nd best. Marriage is a commitment for life, and I do not want to regret later. After talking to a couple of colleagues who knew him (my ex was an ex-colleague of mine), I’m all the more convinced that I made the right choice in leaving him. Meanwhile, I’m trying to get back into the “swing of things” of being a swinging single again. I’m still open to starting a new relationship again, but there’s no hurry. I’ll just take things as they come my way.

Most of you also know that I sprained my left ankle pretty badly early last month. It had me limping around for a month! Luckily for me, there were no fractures, or anything nasty. I’ve more or less regained most of the functionality of my ankle, but not all of the flexibility yet. The doctor has cautioned me about not injuring it again, or things could get complicated. So now I contemplate on every step that I take in life, quite literally.

Well, that’s all for now. Meanwhile, please check out the updated Podcasts and Links pages.

Guess what folks? Lent is here again! God is good, for sure. I mean, after all that binge eating & drinking during the Christmas/New Year season, as well as all the festive goodies during the Lunar New Year season, AND chocolates from Valentine’s Day, God gives us the *PERFECT* reason to control our desires for food and other worldly stuff, and focus on HIM.

Apart from the usual fasting and abstinence routine that I normally follow during Lent, I wanted to do something different. Something *slightly* more significant. Especially since I’m not *that* fond of meat anyway, so abstinence from meat doesn’t really affect me all that much. I was invited to join a Giving up Facebook for Lent group in Facebook. Although I didn’t join it immediate, it did set me thinking. Am I spending *too* much time on Facebook? Looking back, I realized that the answer was a big fat “YES“! I’ve been logging in religiously, processing requests received, checking on the statuses of my many Facebook friends, playing Lexulous (previously known as Scrabulous) and Bejeweled Blitz. I guess it probably will do me some good to give up Facebooking for the next 40+ days. At the very least, I’ll have more time to catch up on my reading required for the next big project at work. So yes, I’ve joined the group and pledged my determination to rid my attachment to Facebook, and do something productive instead. So if you noticed that I’m kinda quiet over at Facebook, you know it’s all for a good cause.

In addition, I’ll be giving up computer games, particularly PopCap games, for Lent too. I’ve currently got 8 PopCap games installed on my notebook, and I’m beginning to feel that I’m spending too much time on them. Less time on games, means more time to read, means more productivity.

Naturally, I considered whether I should give up Twitter and Plurk as well, but since they’re my primary connection(s) to my friends from across the world, I’ll probably maintain status quo on those, though I most likely *will* reduce the time I spend there. Thank goodness for Ping.fm, I can easily update all my social network sites at one go with the click of a button.

So there. That was my update on what I’m planning for Lent. What are your plans for Lent? Is there anything you’re giving up? Is there anything you’re doing extra? Let me know by leaving your comments. It’ll be interesting to “compare notes”

I generally try to avoid responding to the latest craze in Internet memes, but this one happened to be “an offer I cannot refuse“, simply because I was tagged by *the* Patrick Madrid. So here goes:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last month, I think. I had an argument with my mom.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? When I make an attempt to be neat, yes. When I’m scribbling, no. It’s been a while since I really sat down to WRITE something, I type most of the time, and I’m pretty happy with that.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Honey-baked ham.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No yet.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so. It’d be kinda sad if you can’t be friends with yourself, right?

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Come on! Sarcasm is my trademark trait!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? I think so. I don’t remember removing them.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Erm… thanks, but no thanks.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Oatmeal.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Of course not. Why would you wanna do that?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything with rum. Alternatively, anything fruity.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? The way they dress and carry themselves.

15. RED OR PINK? Pink. Definitely.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My temper.

17. WHOM DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My dad. He passed away 12 years ago.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? Sure!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I’m actually wearing a purple skirt, rather than pants. Right now, I’m wearing a pair of grey imitation Crocs.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Geek Cred podcast (rss).

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Why would I want to be a crayon?

23. FAVORITE SMELL? The smell of my mom’s cooking.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The salesgirl from the jewelery shop, telling me my ring is ready for collection.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Sure! Patrick Madrid is a great guy! Check out his blog here.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Soccer! But only when it’s World Cup or Euro Cup season.

27. HAIR COLOR? Dark brown.

28. EYE COLOR? Dark brown.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, when I’m attending special functions and want to look good.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Too many to list here.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings, definitely.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? In a cinema, “The Dark Knight“. At home, “My Fair Lady“.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Lavender.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter. We have summer all year round in Singapore, so it’ll be nice to have some *change*.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Can I have both?

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Tiramisu.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I have no idea.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See #37.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Not reading anything in particular right now. Do magazines count?

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? My mouse?

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Korean drama serials.

42. FAVORITE SOUNDS? The satisfying purrs of a happy cat.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I think everyone has a special talent, but I’ve yet to discover mine.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Singapore.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Anyone who’ll take the time to reply.

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE? Don’t have a spouse.

49. IS THE CUP HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? Half full.

50a. IF YOU COULD SIT DOWN TO DINNER WITH FIVE LIVING PEOPLE WHOM WOULD YOU CHOOSE? My mom, Pope Benedict XVI, Jimmy Akin, Patrick Madrid, Father Roderick.

50b. IF YOU COULD SIT DOWN TO DINNER WITH FIVE DECEASED PEOPLE WHOM WOULD YOU CHOOSE? My dad, Pope John Paul II, both my grandmothers (paternal & maternal), Karen Carpenter St. Padre Pio.

OK.. I’ve been tagged by a handful of friends on Facebook to write this, so here goes..

1. I *LURVE* cats! My friends will tell you that I’m crazy over them. I’ll go ga-ga over anything and everything that resembles a cat, or has a picture of a cat on it.
2. Despite my fondness for felines, I’ve never had a pet cat. Nor a pet dog. Nor a pet hamster. In short, I’ve never had a furry pet. However, I did have 2 pet terrapins when I was about 10, but things did not end well. One of my terrapins fell into the toilet bowl and got flushed away. My mom made me give the other one away.
3. I’m Singaporean by nationality, Chinese by ethnicity, and Hakka (or Khek) by dialect. Chinese (Mandarin) is my mother tongue, though I was taught English as a first language. I never got to learning the Khek dialect because we do not speak it at home. However, I’m fluent in the Cantonese dialect, thanks to years of watching Hong Kong dramas. So I’m often mistaken as a Cantonese.
4. Even though I majored in Computer Science back in my polytechnic days, and have been working in the IT line ever since, I’ve never owned a computer until 2 years ago, when I finally bought my first laptop.
5. I studied Japanese for 3 semesters in polytechnic as an elective. I can converse in simple, beginner level Japanese, though my vocabulary is still somewhat limited. I can read hiragana and katakana with relative ease. Since kanji characters are essentially Chinese characters, I can roughly guess the meaning of the word even though I may not know how to pronounce them.
6. I’m currently a BIG fan of Korean dramas, and have a huge collection of DVDs of the genre at home. Korean dramas have also piqued my interest in Korean culture, particular Korean food and the Korean language.
7. I *hate* bell peppers (a.k.a capsicum), particularly green ones.
8. I also dislike mustard greens, unless they’re pickled.
9. I *love* potatoes! Fried, baked, mashed, or boiled. Anyway you cook it, I’ll eat it! Other tubers (sweet potatoes, yam, tapioca, etc) are welcomed too!
10. I can’t swim. I joined a swimming class once, but I gave up when our instructor wanted to teach us how to jump off the diving board.
11. I have acrophobia, that means I’m afraid of heights. I don’t necessarily get into a panic attack, but I do get a little nervous and uneasy when I’m standing in a high place. It was worse when I was younger, when I’d rather walk further down the street to cross at the traffic lights just to avoid crossing the overhead bridge. Nowadays, I can cross the bridge without too much trouble, as long as I keep away from the edges and don’t see the cars passing underneath me. I was even able to ride the cable car and take the Skyride (a type of chairlift) when I was at Sentosa with the bf a couple of years ago. The chief principle is to avoid looking at the things that are moving around beneath you.
12. I have an innate fear of falling down. This has hampered my attempts of learning to cycle, skate, roller-blade, etc. This probably also explains my fear of heights too. I used to have nightmares of falling off high buildings or from a long flight of stairs.
13. I used to have a fear of the dark when I was younger, which probably evolved from a fear of the unknown. I remember singing “Amazing Grace” to calm my nerves, when visiting the washroom in the middle of the night.
14. I’m a sensitive person, literally. I have a sensitive nose as well as sensitive skin. Dust, mold and huge temperature changes will send my nose running for hours on end.
15. I love cheese, but I don’t like cheesecake.
16. I like coffee with milk, lots of it! But I will *not* touch a cup of tea that has even a drop of milk in it.
17. I have a palate that leans more towards the savory rather than sweet. So I’m more likely to fall prey to potato chips than to ice cream.
18. Generally speaking, chocolates do not tempt me. But I do have a soft spot for brownies. I like my chocs dark and bitter, preferably infused with rum.
19. I cannot tolerate animals with more than 4 legs, i.e. insects and spiders. They give me the creeps.
20. I have a habit of talking to myself. Verbalizing my thoughts makes it easier to straighten them out. This probably stemmed from growing up as the only child. As I grew older, I learned to be more discreet to avoid queer looks from passers-by.
21. I used to be a fan of Madonna, Rick Astley, Debbie Gibson and Banarama.
22. Nowadays, I prefer oldies like Carpenters, Abba and Bee Gees.
23. I think guys wearing hairbands are just plain *WRONG*.
24. My maxillary canine are still my baby teeth. I think this is hereditary as my dad lost his last baby tooth at the age of 55. I’m aiming to break my dad’s record.
25. My Chinese name is 绍慧 (pronounced as shao hui), which literally mean “introducing wisdom“.

There! I hope you find all these interesting

Today was my first working day of 2009 and I was greeted with a couple of pleasant surprises throughout the day. First, when I was on my way to lunch, I chanced on the local television station doing some drama filming at the mall where I was at.

Then when I got back to the office, I found a 50 cent coin underneath my chair. Since it didn’t belong to anyone (or so they claimed), they told me to keep it as a New Year’s gift.

While chatting with some current and ex-colleagues on MSN, one of them revealed that he’ll be expecting a baby girl (his 2nd child) soon. Highly “productive” guy, this one.

After work, while I was walking to the nearby hawker centre to get some dinner, I bumped the “baby sister” of our development team and her boyfriend. Hmm.. not bad.. They really look good together!

And as I was wandering around the hawker centre, thinking of what to get, I (quite literally) bumped into an ex-classmate of mine. Seems that she works nearby too. Cool!

Although today has its fair share of downs, I am truly thankful to God for providing me with so many pleasant little surprises to keep my spirits up through the day. It sure feels like the after the rain. Deo gratias!