Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections

okay, when on average the sun rises at 8 am and it sets at 4...
so when it's cold, there are all sorts of strings keeping me in bed, away from the gloomy weather. my brain scans through all sorts of plausible excuses to get out of actually living the day... even my absolute favourite place in Dublin, the Dome takes on its own gloom of doom (the Dome has this beautiful glass roof that lets in the most amazing rays of sun if the timing is right. it's truly like having a small piece of heaven on earth!)

BUT there are always things to be thankful for....

1. everytime i stroll through Stephen's Green Mall, in hunt of my absolute essential, my GRAPES, the Christmas songs, Christmas trees never fail to life my spirits!

2. Grapes are now 3.49 euros! and i've been overcharged EVERYDAY for the past week. whenever i attempt to tell the cashier, the price is wrong, she'll pull an awful snoobish haughty brash expression that makes me feel like a stingy bitch. one lady 'kindly' told me to take the issue up with the customer service.. and what do you know, i got a full refund cause i was overcharged after closer investigation! :-) so now,i do still attempt to correct the cashier, but the moment any of them pulls a "greater-than-thou' expression, i gleefully pick up my grapes and proceed to customer service! :-)

3. I've been slaving over my project. Thing is, besides the main subject content, a HUGE percentage comes from this report on our efficiency as a group i.e. Belbin roles, group conflict and how we "miraculously utilised our group rules" to overcome such things. truth be told, some group mates are content in completing their own parts and leaving the loose ends (and they're a handful mind you, search strategy, meeting reports, 4 groups tasks, determining peer review marks and reasons, piecing everyone's work together...) to someone else, or maybe they dont or are not even interested in knowing about the existence of other parts of the project. Another kind, are the ones who do their work, but soooo incompetently that everyone else ends up working even harder to cover up for their lack of (i shall refrain from inserting any word here, cause as hard as i try, there's never a good word to cushion the blow)... And yet another kind are the ones who breeze in apparently too busy to check emails to find out about tasks, but these ppl dont lack competency, just interest and motivation.
BUT good thing is, i'm DONE with everything i could possibly do for the project. all that's left is referencing but this other group mate of mine is completing it. which. is. taking. forever. but where's the surprise there ya?

4. I recently started attending whitefriar church on aungier street. i saw sylvia in the choir on the 2nd week i was there. then the following week, the choir director encouraged anyone who wanted to serve in the choir to come up. and hey, i DID! :-) so last sunday was my first service. :-) the priest actually thanked the choir, but i was gently reminded not to expect such a 'fulfilling reward' after EVERY mass. :-) but practice is on Thursday nights and it's crazily unbelievably uplifting. i've always loved singing at church, and mummy used to say i used to many inaudible noises even as a toddler. but never dared to deem my voice worthy of a choir. That and the fact that going for practice at St John's was quite tedious. so Sunday School was the obvious and easy way of serving God. but hopefully things will be different when i go back this Feb!

5. I used to be the kind to always need ppl around me. First day in INTEC, i rushed around our Akasia block making friends, saying hi to almost all the girls there. Even in St John's, though we Melawatians made up the majority in Sc 1, i remember quite scaring ChiFei and before long, ppl started thinking he was a fellow Melawatian! :-) Even in RCSI, the first year, i seldom needed to tolerate being alone. But in the 2nd year, everyone but everyone had their own agenda. i was unfamiliar with the loneliness, but i got to know Alex, Naren, Lorraine and Kenneth really well then. when i was alone, it was a conscious effort to not bug other ppl, or just a general depressed feeling. i even ended up going home for christmas cause i was soooooooo uneasy. but this year, i enjoy my solace. even when there are things for me to do, or ppl to see, i find it's not uncommon for me to prefer being on my own. :-) it's quite an amazing way to unwind, email my sister, send my mom and sister songs, call some friends and relatives back home... Just when i'm getting used to being independent, i'm going back! hehe

6. I'm going back in Feb!! Our JPA officer said we'll head abt somewhere Mid Feb. before Chinese New Year. hehehe Yippie doo? ?

7. I'm going to London to visit Ei Leen in December! that equals seeing EiLeen after soooooo long, our long chats, hopefully our shopping excursions, Boxing Day in London! hehe i've seen London, but it's been ages since i saw you, Girl!

8. I finally completed our compulsory 10 sign-up-at-your-own-leisure-but-at-your-group's-stipulated-slots-ONLY!!

9. My sister is happy. :-) My brother's driving. Christmas is upon my family, so i'm sure they're happy. That's reason enough to be happy....