one green monster

If I could freeze a fountain...

I'd keep some of the pretty crystals and sell the rest for lots of money - at least that's what I thought while playing with water in the shower as a child. Well, now I know you really can freeze jets of water - in photos at least. Here are some pics I took at the Bugis fountain for my photojourn assignment. Nothing near great, but the water's beautiful.

New FAQ Question!!

joanna asked: ""Who is the cutest man alive (that) u like?""

my ANSWER:

Really, this type of thing need to say one meh?!?!?! And I don't just like lor... ;p

*swoon*

The MICHELLE FAQ

ah... blog sweet blog. I haven't been around some long time, but I'm returning with answers to some burning questions you always wanted to ask...

1) Why "Green"?? Are you dreadfully jealous of some1?? - thus "Monster"??

a) Green's my favourite favourite colour - an affection for which I discovered in JC - I suddenly realised it was very soothing to look on, and bcos it's rarely used (look around, how many people wear green?) i it kept catching my eye!! (friends will swear and curse at how I ALWAYS gravitated toward green when shopping)

My Fav Green Bowl n My Fav Daily Breakfast of Oats & Strawberries

b) Now that you know my penchant for green doesn't stem from envy... "Monster" came from dear Ann-jie, who called me "little green monster". It's an affectionate term lah! I decided it was nice and unique to call my blog after it - except tat it'd be too "act cute" -
"One" green monster seems to add a nice touch of anonymity;>

2) What's with eating "Cai4 Fan4" daily?! And all the vegetables?!

Cai4 Fan4's like the healthiest choice around - I can get all the veggies I need, PLUS a healthy mix of carbs and protein... And I can mix and match with full control.
What's not to like?
As for the veggies.... It's really for the fibre - I like to have a go every morning... ... instead of carrying around that baggage all day... get what I mean? ;p

3) Okay so admit you're a health freak, you veggie-eating thing. When do you EVER relax?

Think those who with me at TNP really hate me for attacking the Cai4 Fan4 stall nearly everyday... but really if one just thinks logically -
If I REALLY eat like this all the time, I won't be this glorious size now will I?
The truth is, when I'm with my folks, we eat A LOT, and it's mostly Fried and Lots Of Meat.
Plus we don't cook (so no healthy soup, veggies like normal families), we always eat out where it's unhealthier, as common wisdom tells us...
So unfortunately, I'm always doing "make-up" for all this when friends see me.... thus this "healthy michelle" misconception among some.
Trust me, I love kfc, durians, mooncake, brownie, cookies.... and i hate goin hungry ;)

4) Now spit it out: Are you Catholic or Christian?

Weird question, cos Catholics ARE christian what, since their belief revolves around Christ!
But since most ppl mean Catholic or Protestant...
I prefer to say I'm Evangelical.
I side with the Bible, not words - 'Catholic' or 'Presbyterian', 'Anglican' etc. They are too many confusing connotations I prefer to avoid. I mean, not all Protestants believe in what the formal faith says they should, the same goes for Catholics.... and there are many traditions in both which are different, but not consequential at all - things the bible doesn't really care with - so it's so complicated. So let's just say I belive in what the Bible says about Christ, and I don't agree when Churches go against it.

(anw I was baptised at 5 in a Catholic church, which I go with my parents now. I attend a protestant bible study grp at NTU, and attend a protestant churh some saturdays. a few yrs later I will most prob end up in John's church, as I feel Catholism has gravitated quite a bit from the bible.)

Ok! any more questions?!?! Bring them on yah? I'm feeling free=)

Rather than debating...

Really, who hasn't indulged in all the "actually-religions-are-all-the-same", "religions-brainwash-you", "which-is-the-best-one" debates?

Much as I such discourse usually psychs me up (excited? nervous? troubled?), I have to say that it doesn't get people anywhere closer to knowing what the gospel is, or what the Bible says.
You can argue till the cows come home and howl at the moon but
1. Such debates don't change their preconceptions of God,
2. They don't hear the "gospel" as it's meant to be - "the good news".

So rather than debate with you, let's just hear what the Bible says first, ok?
Please see: 2 Ways To Live

I was a good girl today.
To meet my interviewee, I brisk-walked from Kiliney Road to Orchard Mrt to save money. =)
And even though I had absolutely no need to, I travelled back to Cineleisure to help my bro look for Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory.... and then when I found out it was out of stock there I walked over to Heeren and finally helped him bag it.
Then I walked to Scotts Picnic to buy 2 bagloads of Roti Boy for my family and grandma et al.

Savoury buttery bread topped with addiction-inducing caffeinated coffee powder. Ingenious.
Then I walked to Scotts Picnic to buy 2 bagloads of Roti Boy for my family and grandma et al. This was despite the fact that my interviewee stood me up and made me wait for a fool for 45 minutes and did not answer my 6 calls and 2 sms... and despite the fact that my bro was nowhere near sympathetic when I called him for some comfort ;p Yay.

("A new commandment I give to you...: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" [Jesus said] John 13:34-35)

Rotiboy trivia: 2 rotiboys + lots of water + a mug of cooling tea = coffee-smelling pee

a bit of loving

I've been having quite a rough time relationship-wise. It's so hard to keep up with what friends expect of me, and I found myself giving everyone just the bare minimum, saying nice things here and there so they won't suspect anything's amiss.
If I'm referring to you, I'm really sorry I haven't been a good friend.
I try to avoid of friends calling at night because I want time to myself, because beauty sleep is important, because I need time to pack my room, because....
Some of these are good reasons, but... I can be so selfish that I close my mind to spending extra time with my friends, not thinking about whether they really need a listening ear.

So much for being a friend. I just care about myself. Well, sometimes I do care about them.
But only in the little pocket of time (eg. 15 mins/2 days) that I allocate to each.

I'm not trying to be a bad friend, but I guess this is really innate selfishness.
I'm like this to my family too. I talk to my mom in whatever tone I wish just because I'm right... It never occured to me that I should give her the proper respect deserved by a mom, even if she were wrong. I think when God set the commandment to "Honour your parents", that was the mininum. If I could love them more, honouring them would only be the least I could do.

Maybe this shows how imperfect human love is. No matter how much we say we love, we still let each other down now or some time in the future. A good friend told me there is nothing in the world we can wholly rely on - not our accomplishments, not our friends, not even our family, but only God's consistent love.

So now I'm really gotta to see my love for others not as a "minimun returns" exchange, but in the way God would want me to show love for them. People are not detached bit players in Michelle's Game of Life but God's cherished creation - so loved that He died on the cross for them. So I am no one to be selfish and mean towards them...

an innocent little question

LAST Friday at work, i asked my fellow intern, Medha, a devout Buddhist, about her views on premarital sex.
To cut her answer short, she was against it but told me her reasons had nothing much to do with religion. I told her I was against it too, but on religious grounds.
Anyway, in the middle of our lively conversation, my never-mince-my-words, never-politically-correct editor joined in. He started off laughing and teasing and as usual looking at us like we were little girls.
Then suddenly he changed his tone and adopted a serious fatherly voice, and told us he wanted to give us some 'objective advice'.
According to our dear Mr M. Singh, his vast knowledge and wide social circle taught him that many couples who breezed through romance and dating eventually end up in tears and divorce after marriage because....
they were "sexually incompatible".
At this point Medha shot out: "So you're saying we ought to test-drive our partners?"
"Well, you all know I'm an agnostic, and I know you're religious so I'm not asking you to do as I say," he answered, "but I'm telling you this thing about compatibility will be a serious issue."
At this point I couldn't take it any more so I asked,
"Don't people 'improve' their performance over time?"
"Who's born an expert in bed?"
Then the both of them gave a very small but noticeable pause ... and decided to ignore that.
I can't remember how exactly the rest of it went but our dear boss did make his point that sex was a very important... element in marraige. And yes he thinks test-driving would eliminate a lot of tears.
But tat's not the point here anyway - you already know my stand. But I do have a little question:
HOW incompatible can two lovers be in bed?
Seriously! I mean, if you've got the complementary organs - and they are functional - what can go so bad that it triggers the divorce alarms??
And if both parties love each other, they'd be comfortable with expressing love in physical ways - holding each other, hugging, kissing (we even do that to frens lor).... so surely you won't find your husband or wife revolting to touch in bed right?
Hm.... I don't have the experience of my editor so I can only speculate... but I still don't see any problem what.
If you're inexperienced, you can learn.... ... and if both are inexperienced, learn together la! sounds quite sweet, somehow.
Furthermore... if it's the first time for both, then you won't even know if your partner sucks! Sounds nice. And works both ways in case you need it too ;)
So... yar that's what I think.
Got a view?
;p

during our rafting break, these kids from the countryside greeted us good morning - or so we thought. It was only after I posed with them that I realised they were saying "money, money" repeatedly.... ugh.