Happiness is within one's control

I hate to say this, but the wkend's coming to a close. However, it had been an awesome wkend. No earth shaking events, just some quiet, almost nondescript everyday matters but these always form the foundation of my happiness. I realise that once I'm on top of things, I feel much better and will be able to receive the week with greater happiness. Taking matters into hand, I cleared 99.5% of my markings by Saturday when sweetie went to Y's place for soccer fest. A feat which no words can express! To be able to complete a multitude of tiresome projects way ahead of time is serenity. The immediacy of them all have been trashed, stepped and trampled on! Sunday -- Errands such as purchasing laser toners (it's appalling how much ink I use for my job!), buying of groceries & necessities and most importantly putting together an itinerary for my big trip in May were all done within a day. Fine-tuning will take a while but at least I finally got started! Setting out and achieving small goals daily should be one little routine that has to be added to my happiness quotient. They say that 40% of happiness is within one's control while the rest is genetically inherited. I'm definitely not gonna let my crazy genes get into the way judging by how insanely unhappy mom is. So here's what you should do instead of procrastinating:

1) Set small goals daily
2) Plan plan plan! Preferably one wk in advance or even one mth in advance! It really helps to ensure things move on more smoothly. Though there's bound to be hiccups, it's all a matter of readjusting to fit into the plan.
3) Treat yourself (even if it's something small like an ice-cream) should you achieve the goals
4) Refocus negative thoughts once in a while, don't let it subconsciously dominate your thoughts.
5) Set realistic goals, not elusive ones
6) Take time off and smell the daisies!

I believe I will still have my disgruntled moments and honestly, i'm still learning how to cope with the uncertainties of life. Dwelling deeply on an issue certainly doesn't help and sometimes if you take a step back you may realise how minuscule the whole matter may be. Learning is not a linear process and I still have to learn how to make time for several activities and live a more meaningful and mindful life. Though chasing after money and status is just as important to me, I MUST take time off and smell the daisies! Which is why, though it's still 2 months away from my big trip, I'm planning already! The research has been grueling. I arduously ploughed through forums and blogs to piece together places to visit. It seems like 8 days isn't enough to cover them all! Perhaps I'm greedy, but it's not somewhere u'd go everyday! (unless you are that rich) So maximizing time and value are top of my list.

Why the Hiatus?

Time seems to just evaporate into air these days. It's been a hectic week thus the lack of updates. Hysteria had been screaming in my head since last Monday resulting in the blog fading to oblivion. There seems to be a multitude of tiresome chores and tasks to attend to, which render me breathless. First was the hols, which saw me waking up the moment sunshine starts to stream through the sleeves of the clouds. HATE THE HOLS! But with that said, it was pleasant to be home at decent hours and catching a meal or two with sweetie. Sweetie went Batam for golf on 14th (Sunday) and as they say, when the cat's away, the mice play! Play I did! Invited my girlfriends over for lunch (1st batch) and dinner (2nd batch). Cooked a whole lot of palatable food. Not boasting but my gfs had 2 bowls of rice! Was nice catching up and chilling over a beer till the wee hours of the night!

Lunch with H and E (who were camera shy). They claimed I overcooked but ended up licking the dishes dry!! Noticed they are all vegetarian? E's pretty hardcore and I had a hard time planning the menu.
The evening menu was way easier. With more meat on the table! Showed off my culinary skills. On the menu: Mayo prawns (a big hit); Prawn paste chicken (am still inaccurate when it comes to saltiness) and my favourite Braised mushroom...oh n of coz the ever famous Bittergourd soup! Was floundering in my own pool of self-conceit!


Finally mastered the art of frying wings! Had to sieve the flour before dusting it onto the chicken for greater consistency. I know it sounds like a chore, but the result's pretty satisfying.This is pretty random. Legend has it, on one's lunar birthday, it's essential that you eat longevity noodles (Mee sua) with two eggs. Supposedly it'd bring the person luck. Well, let's hope that's true!

Last wkend was also peppered with loads of activities -- Wedding @ OOSH on Saturday (which I will blog separately when I have the time) and Baby E's 1st mth on Sunday. Things like marking and organising really had to take the backseat.

Aren't those darlings simply adorable? Baby E is right in the middle. He's currently the thorn amongst the roses..lucky him! Can you spot the odd baby out? It may be a toughie given that she looked pretty much like Baby C with her swollen square jaws!

The one who's the apple of my eye however has to be this babe. Round face, rose-coloured cheeks, and a pair of sparkling alluring eyes -- That's the description my darling A! She's such a poster girl!

Needless to say, with all the activities and no time to prep for the wk, I woke up feeling extremely testy and grouchy. Am totally encased in annoyance and wish I didn't have to work so hard. The consolation, I've booked myself a trip to somewhere! Virgin trip with H. That really excites me to no end though it's only gonna happen at the end of May! Still, at least that's something to look fwd and a motivation to push on! So guess where I'd be heading. Clue's below: