This year Lent starts early on 6th February (Ash Wednesday). But for us here in Singapore, and probably some other parts of the world which are also celebrating the Lunar New Year, 6th of February this year happens to be the eve of the new Lunar year. It is a day of celebration and reunion as family member rush home from all over the world to enjoy a sumptuous reunion dinner and usher in the new year together. Hence the Archbishop of Singapore, Nicholas Chia, has given us a special dispensation to bring forward the day of fasting to 5th February (Tuesday) instead. So I’ll be welcoming the season of Lent slightly earlier than most of friends in the US. So while everyone’s celebrating Mardi Gras, I’ll be fasting, and while they’re fasting on Ash Wednesday, I’ll be feasting on my reunion dinner. Kinda wierd huh?

I just got myself a pocket Bible (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition) from Amazon.com. Just in time for Lent too. I’m sure it’ll come in handy during this season of prayer and reflection. At the same time, I’ve just enrolled myself in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, so I will try to make it a habit to pray a complete Rosary (20 mysteries) every week. (using the audio Scriptural Rosaries from the RosaryCast by Rosary Army of course)

Meanwhile, I hope you noticed the beautiful Pauline Reflections widget that I’ve added to my sidebar. Kudos to Sister Anne Flanagan for creating this wonderful widget!

As some of you may know by now, I lost my Rosary bracelet today. It was a beaded Rosary bracelet which I bought at a charity drive at church last Sunday. I’ve been wearing it to work every morning since then. However this morning, in my rush to get to work on time, I left the bracelet in one of the compartments of my handbag and ran out of the house. I had meant to put the bracelet on later on the bus, but I totally forgot about it until I got to the office, when I noticed my rather “naked” wrist while washing my hands. I made a mental note to put the bracelet on once I got back to my desk, but forgot about it again since there was a pile of work screaming for my attention.

It was until after lunch when I finally remembered about my bracelet. I dug into my bag, but the bracelet was not where I had left it. I searched through all the components of my handbag, all my pockets, all my little pouches, and everywhere and anywhere that I could have possibly placed my precious bracelet, but it was nowhere to be found. I must have dropped it on my way to work. Perhaps it got hooked to my mobile phone and fell off when I took the phone out. I felt terrible. Like I’d lost a piece of me. I was angry with myself for being so careless.

I still have not found my bracelet, and probably never will again. It isn’t losing it that’s upset me, but rather what has happened to it that’s worrying me. I had the bracelet blessed by a priest, so that makes it a sacramental. I’m worried that someone will “mis-treat” or abuse it. I feel guilty of not taking good care of my bracelet, like I’ve let God down. But after some thought, perhaps I lost the bracelet for a reason. Perhaps someone who needs it more than I do will find it. I can only hope and pray that whoever comes across it will take good care of it for me.

I’m in a really bad mood this morning, so forgive me if I seem to be ranting.

What happened was this: I was supposed to submit a report for a group assignment to my lecturer and my “employer” (we were working as a virtual group in a “virtual company”, if you get what I mean). The instructions were to combine the various parts of the report into a SINGLE word document, which was exactly what I did. The problem is the university’s webmail portal kicked me out while I was sending the email. I tried a few more times, but I still got an error. I figured that my word document was too huge, so I compressed it into a RAR format, which was significantly smaller, and that managed to go through.

The next day I received a “return receipt” from an unknown address regarding the report. I check with my lecturer if the report has reached both her and my “virtual employer”. She said they have received it, multiple times.

All is well until yesterday, I receive emails from both the “virtual employer” and the lecturer saying that the file received was corrupted. I resend a compressed copy, complete with instructions on how to extract the file.

This morning, my “dear” lecturer sends me an email saying “Instructions are there for a reason. Please submit a SINGLE document containing all the parts of the report”. I’m pissed. I reply her, explaining that the word document has been archived in the RAR file which I submitted. I also tell her that the original word document was too large to be sent across via email. After that, I proceed to send her the original document anyway, just to prove that it will not go through, at the same time I promise to send it to her via my personal gmail if necessary.

As expected, the email went through, but with a corrupted copy of the original document. This somehow pisses off my lecturer who replies asking me to “get my act together”, and that what I did was not professional, etc. She insists on the word document, but I’ll have to figure out how to compress it to a “sendable” size.

Thanks teacher, for helping to “make my day”. Thanks a lot.

I know I promised to do some podcast reviews in my coming posts, but this week has just been too terribly crazy. I have 2 assignments from 2 different 3rd-year university modules. Both due within a day of each other. Both requiring my full attention in research / development / documentation. Both TOO tough for my puny little simple mind. I’ve since submitted both, although I have a nagging feeling that I did not do a good job for either of them.

And just when I thought that I can take the rest of the week off to rest and relax a little, and adjust my time-table to a slightly more normal one, I discover that the next assignment for one of the modules I’m taking is due this Friday! More research, more reading, more stress!

Oh, and did I mention that I work as a software developer FULL-TIME?

Urgh!!!

So, no time for reviews this time. But I did update my side-bar gadget to show my “Top 15 Favorite Podcasts” instead of just the original Top 10. There are too many note-worthy podcasts out there that I like. I can foresee the list slowly and steadily growing longer and longer. BTW, the list is not sorted in any particular order.

Ok, that’s all for now. It’s time to head home for dinner followed by more research, reading, organizing thoughts, etc.

Hmm.. Apparently I’ve done some clean up of this blog, and deleted whatever little pathetic bits of complains I posted previously in this blog. I’ve decided to start out new. “Scratched” out a clean slate, you might say. No more relationship-induced whining (at least I’ll try to keep that to the minimum), and more on me, myself and I.

Narcissistic? Not! I just thought I’ll share more of my simple boring life (other than just my “tumultuous” love life). I will attempt to “brain-wash” you with what I’m doing, reading, watching, feeling, etc.

This is going to be my main blog from now on. I’ll try to direct my current “audience” to here. Movie and restaurant reviews will be duplicated both here and at my Multiply page. Frankly speaking, my Multiply page has been done up so beautifully that I really can’t bear to leave it, but for some strange unknown reason, I can’t get the posts imported to my Facebook page the way they originally appear. Grr..

I aim to keep this post brief, as I’m typing while waiting for a certain software to generate the “physical model” of a certain database diagram. (i.e. I’m working) So I’ll just list a few ways you can find me online:

• My Multiply page, which currently houses my previous reviews, photos, jokes and other stuff
• My Facebook profile, which is where I’m at most of the time that I’m online
• Follow me on Twitter

I have to get back to generating databases and developing programs for now. In my next post, I’ll be sharing my podcast listening experience, where I’ll try to list the 40+ podcasts that I’m subscribed to, and perhaps attempt to give reviews for some of them. Read on!