dunno why, but i kind of felt a little disappointed when i heard it. i know i shouldn't, but i couldn't help it. actually, i should be glad that he's not lying and saying/doing it just because of our status, but really taking it seriously. it's time for me to be serious and do something about it too. need lots of wisdom..

Thank you God

Would have lost my boi if it were anyone else who was less understanding. Given the nature of my work (and my dedication to it), not only do i start work early+end work late+work on weekends, sometimes things also crop up and plans to go out have to be changed or canceled totally. Not everyone can take such unpredictabilities.

He's already made changes in his life, waking up much earlier to send me to work daily coz i like working early in the morning when noone is at the lab yet.

On thursday, it was the ultimatum. Being the start of a long weekend, many pple had less work to do and planned a nice evening with their partners/friends. But we couldn't leave early, coz I needed someone's help in my experiment. Because he had something on, he could only return to help me about 6pm. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he arrived at 730pm and we started our work in the basement (with very poor hp reception), while my boi waited upstairs in the office for me. it was a tough surgery process, and work on 8mice took us 2.5hours. by then, it was already 10pm. then, i realized that only then was he able to start his own work on 30mice. as a way to thank his help in my work, i offered to stay a little later to help his anesthesize his 30mice so that he could start his work earlier and thus finish earlier. By the time i was done, it was 1130pm. All these while, my dear did not rush me nor disturb me, but waited patiently for me. Haiz.. i felt so bad though, coz not only did we miss an evening together, but the delay caused him to have his dinner only at midnight. I am so very grateful for someone who is so understanding, that i can do my work without worrying about other things. I told myself that no matter what happens (and no matter how much my stomach growls), i will have to do the same, and give my full support to him :)

Dee Divas Day~

After the multiple chinatown outings, we finally made it to the kitchen after 3 yrs!! Thanks to QL's parents being away, we got to their kitchen to ourselves!! woohoo~ really miss those days we cooked together, especially during pre-exam reading week. Maggi mee, rosti, liang teh. Well, today, we whipped up something way better! hee. Thanks to the chef with her 'stolen trade secret'. hehe. shan't reveal what til the photos are out. hehe. i really wish i was back in hall, with my own room, and better still with my own kitchen (not that dirty and gross hall kitchenette). so much fun cooking for ourselves, and hanging out.. can't wait til one of us really owns a place of her own, then we can always go and chill out there! hehe

on a side note, it was a weird being alone. never thought this would ever happen to me, but xb's owner really did it. day and night is the way to go. >.< where's that independent weijia that i used to know!?!? hmmmm...

oh who can help me.. IPIPIPIPIPIPIPIP

so frustrating. change so many things ler still dun work. but i'm glad i've now got more new ideas on more things i can try. more hopes tt i will work. haiz... almost 1 yr ler.. still cannot get it. who will help me?!?!?!? i will marry whoever can make it work!!!!!! >.<

really too stressed?

was down with fever, then sorethroat, mixed with multiple giddy spells for more than a week. it's been years since i was sick for more than a couple of days. and very untimely too, coz i had so many important meetings and presentations arranged this period. but, amazingly, during my presentation yesterday, i could stand on my feet for a whole hour and talk, with no giddy spells in between. my voice lost its huskiness just in time too. right after the meeting, i felt even better than before. last nite, i had no more sorethroat, and for the first time in many days, i didn't dream that my presentation was over! very amazing. one day ago, i was still all sick and weak and unable to move much, let alone stand long on my feet. just a few hrs' difference, i was completely well, and running all around the lab to do tonnes of work. it's not even a gradual recovery. was a super sudden recovery. like a miracle pill. people say i was too stressed, so i fell ill. but i really didn't feel THAT pressured this time round, yet i fell so ill. so weird. or maybe, subconsciously, i was stressed. haha. dunno. but i am happy i'm all well again. ^_^

it's finally over!!

no more butterflies in the stomach. and the questions weren't too difficult. lalala. (tho he kept asking for my PSLE score. hahaha.) and i forgot totally that my voice was bad and my legs were weak! hee. full of strength and energy! OOMPH!

and life moves on.. more experiments to do! =P

Need Strength. Physical strength

Just worked in the lab for an hour plus, while sitting on a chair. Now, i am feeling all weak and fatigued. gosh. such a serious lack of energy. What will happen later, when i have to give the seminar on my feet, for ~an hour? Oh God, give me strength that I may complete this seminar in one piece, while staying on my feet. Amen

my body has it ways

to force me to get my rest. been so busy, and not getting restful sleep at night, that i'd gotten so tired. yet, i didn't have much time to take a break due to lots of things to do at the lab. not to mention, the many presentations and meetings along the way. well, my body threatened to give way 2 weeks ago, but i refused. drank lots of water, and felt better. never stopped working for a moment. Then few days back, it finally gave way. down with a fever, and my body aching all over. but this happened at an even worse time. i already had ongoing experiments that i couldn't stop. at the same time, i had prearranged multiple meetings these 2 weeks, and i had a couple of major presentations coming up. So i had to drag myself to work even tho i was all feverish and giddy. extremely fortunately, i had someone very reliable to help me with some of my experiments, so i didn't have to stand in the lab for too long. thanks xb. you're a true blessing. ^_^ now i just have to tahan a few more days, before i finish my big big big presentation of the year. still cannto stay at home coz i already have experiments planned for the next 2 weeks, but at least, there's less to do. :)

and while being forced to rest at home on a friday evening, (even my mum was shocked i was not out on a friday) i had lots of fun with my family. most of them were home, and we did some really fun things. i like working with my hands. ^_^

let's all be starless and dotless! ^_^

---

Small Wooden People
by Max Lucado

The Wemmicks were small wooden people. Each of the wooden people was carved by a woodworker named Eli. His workshop sat on a hill overlooking their village. Every Wemmick was different. Some had big noses, others had large eyes. Some were tall and others were short. Some wore hats, others wore coats. But all were made by the same carver and all lived in the village.

And all day, every day, the Wemmicks did the same thing: They gave each other stickers. Each Wemmick had a box of golden star stickers and a box of gray dot stickers. Up and down the streets all over the city, people could be seen sticking stars or dots on one another.

The pretty ones, those with smooth wood and fine paint, always got stars. But if the wood was rough or the paint chipped, the Wemmicks gave dots. The talented ones got stars, too. Some could lift big sticks high above their heads or jump over tall boxes. Still others knew big words or could sing very pretty songs. Everyone gave them stars.

Some Wemmicks had stars all over them! Every time they got a star it made them feel so good that they did something else and got another star. Others, though, could do little. They got dots.

Punchinello was one of these. He tried to jump high like the others, but he always fell. And when he fell, the others would gather around and give him dots. Sometimes when he fell, it would scar his wood, so the people would give him more dots. He would try to explain why he fell and say something silly, and the Wemmicks would give him more dots.

After a while he had so many dots that he didn't want to go outside. He was afraid he would do something dumb such as forget his hat or step in the water, and then people would give him another dot. In fact, he had so many gray dots that some people would come up and give him one without reason.

"He deserves lots of dots," the wooden people would agree with one another.

"He's not a good wooden person."

After a while Punchinello believed them. "I'm not a good wemmick," he would say. The few times he went outside, he hung around other Wemmicks who had a lot of dots. He felt better around them.

One day he met a Wemmick who was unlike any he'd ever met. She had no dots or stars. She was just wooden. Her name was Lulia.

It wasn't that people didn't try to give her stickers; it's just that the stickers didn't stick. Some admired Lulia for having no dots, so they would run up and give her a star. But it would fall off. Some would look down on her for having no stars, so they would give her a dot. But it wouldn't stay either.

"That's the way I want to be," thought Punchinello. "I don't want anyone's marks." So he asked the stickerless Wemmick how she did it.

"It's easy," Lulia replied. "every day I go see Eli."
"Eli?"

"Yes, Eli. The woodcarver. I sit in the workshop with him."
"Why?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself? Go up the hill. He's there. "
And with that the Wemmick with no marks turned and skipped away.
"But he won't want to see me!" Punchinello cried out.

Lulia didn't hear. So Punchinello went home. He sat near a window and watched the wooden people as they scurried around giving each other stars and dots.

"It's not right," he muttered to himself. And he resolved to go see Eli.
He walked up the narrow path to the top of the hill and stepped into the big shop. His wooden eyes widened at the size of everything. The stool was as tall as he was. He had to stretch on his tiptoes to see the top of the workbench. A hammer was as long as his arm. Punchinello swallowed hard.

"I'm not staying here!" and he turned to leave. Then he heard his name.

"Punchinello?" The voice was deep and strong.
Punchinello stopped.

"Punchinello! How good to see you. Come and let me have a look at you."

Punchinello turned slowly and looked at the large bearded craftsman.
"You know my name?" the little Wemmick asked.

"Of course I do. I made you."

Eli stooped down and picked him up and set him on the bench. "Hmm, " he spoke thoughtfully as he inspected the gray circles. "Looks like you've been given some bad marks."

"I didn't mean to, Eli. I really tried hard."

"Oh, you don't have to defend yourself to me. I don't care what the other Wemmicks think."

"You don't?"

"No, and you shouldn't either. Who are they to give stars or dots? They're Wemmicks just like you. What they think doesn't matter, Punchinello. All that matters is what I think. And I think you are pretty special."

Punchinello laughed. "Me, special? Why? I can't walk fast. I can't jump. My paint is peeling. Why do I matter to you?"

Eli looked at Punchinello, put his hands on those small wooden shoulders, and spoke very slowly. "Because you're mine. That's why you matter to me."

Punchinello had never had anyone look at him like this--much less his maker. He didn't know what to say.

"Every day I've been hoping you'd come," Eli explained.

"I came because I met someone who had no marks."

"I know. She told me about you."

"Why don't the stickers stay on her?"

"Because she has decided that what I think is more important than what they think. The stickers only stick if you let them."

"What?"

"The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about the stickers."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You will, but it will take time. You've got a lot of marks. For now, just come to see me every day and let me remind you how much I care."

Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him on the ground.

"Remember," Eli said as the Wemmick walked out the door. "You are special because I made you. And I don't make mistakes."

Punchinello didn't stop, but in his heart he thought, "I think he really means it."

And when he did, a dot fell to the ground.

Checklist for you all! haha

from asiaone.com

Recipe to a happy marriage

THE formula for a happy marriage has been discovered – a man should choose a wife who is smarter and at least five years younger than him.

This, according to the findings of a British study which appeared in the European Journal Of Operational Research, reported BBC.

The research, called Optimising The Marriage Market, saw academics including Dr Emmanuel Fragnière of the University of Bath, interviewing 1,534 Swiss couples who were either married or in a serious relationship.

Five years later, they followed up with 1,074 of the couples to see which of them had separated. Their results showed a clear pattern.

Couples with the best chance are those where a woman with a superior education marries a man who is five or more years older than herself.

Neither should be a divorcee.

If the wife is five or more years older than her husband, they are more than three times as likely to divorce than if they are the same age.

If the age gap is reversed, and the man is older than the woman, the odds of marital bliss are higher.

If the woman is better educated than the man, they are eight times as likely to stay together than the uneducated couple, and three times more secure than if the husband were more of a bookworm than the wife.

Unsurprisingly, analysis of the data showed that the most stable couples were those who had never divorced, said Daily Mail. The most unstable are where only one has had a divorce.

The report concluded: “It appears men and women ‘choose’ their mates on the basis of love, physical attraction, similarity of tastes, beliefs and attitudes, and shared values.

“However, the longevity of marriages also depends on objective factors. Matching individuals according to a small number of objective criteria such as age, education and cultural origin may help reduce divorce.”

So.. what happens to guys who have a phD? what is the next higher level of education???

changes happen just too fast

it was such a happy place. the place that brings a smile everytime i think about it. the place that brought me throught tough times. now, the place has changed. totally. and in so short a time. haiz.