Chez Dre

This was the steak sanga at Chez Dre. Also pictured is a half drunk latte with beans from The Maling Room. I remember having this circa 2012 when I was training for the half-marathon and was famished after the run. Made for an awesome breakfast. Feeling happy just recalling the memory

Quiet times in New York City

As I woke up early on one morning, I decided to head to the Starbucks round the corner from the hostel. I ordered a strong latte which wasn’t strong at all and took a seat by the window. I strategically placed myself so that as I spent some time reading, I’d look up just to do some people watching. 

There it was on a busy Wednesday morning, streams of people walking into Starbucks to get their caffeine fix for the day. On the outside, strangers walk past with intent. Everyone seems to be so purposeful and fixated on getting where they need to be. There is a pace and urgency in each step. 

I stop and I wonder, are New Yorkers always that busy? How different is life in comparison to Melbourne? Is a work day there the same as what it is as I observe these people now? Is it only different because I now have the time to sit back and look at life around? As if time for this moment were to move at half count while everyone is moving at a full count. In the ‘city that never sleeps’, is there ever a quiet moment?

Quiet time in New York sounds like an oxymoron. At my slow pace, I go on to read a few more pages of each book, Have a little faith by Mitch Albom and the Bible by God. In the city where dreams are made, a world of glitz and glam, the stage, in the noise of everyday, what motivates each stranger? In the city where dreams are broken, a world of ‘could be-s’ and ‘one day’, reality, I wonder what’s the life story of that diner chic or that homeless person I walked past on the way here.  Have they been deafened by the noise or left behind?

Post NYC: Jetlag

It's 5 a.m. in the morn on the second day back from my trip abroad. I think it's jetlag. Or maybe some things just don't change.

I came home from work, had something to eat and scheduled a catch up with Ian. It was 7:15 p.m. when I set the alarm for 8:20 with 10 minute snooze intervals for a 9:10 p.m catch up. I woke up thinking i was late for work and was about to get ready when i looked at the clock and it was 12 a.m. I was so confused. Checked my phone and it was still snoozing and saw a message from Ian received at 10 p.m. saying how he guesses we're not catching up anymore. I'm sooo sorry.


The day before
I arrived home at 6 a.m. the day before and seeing that i slept throughout most of the flight, i did not feel all that tired. I only watced one complete movie which was the last one and one that i've watched before, Zoolander. I slept through most of Three Days, Harry Potter and The King's Speech.

Upon reaching home, I unpacked, did the laundry, headed out for lunch and voluntarily headed in for half a day's work. I thought it was a good idea and a cure for jetlag and resetting the body clock.

After waking up
So, upon waking up, I took in the laundry, made instant noodles, washed the dishes and sent out the song list for Sunday. All this between 12-5 a.m. I think i should get some sleep now.

Goodnight.

Coming up:

NYC: Convo with a taxi driver
NYC: Convo with a homeless
NYC: Convo with a hairstylist

the everyday

Did anyone realise, it's not just a new year, it's a new decade? Well, I just did.

So, notes to self:

No matter what, we win!

Don't give ourselves to the trivial and miss the significant.

'He has put eternity in their hearts'... only people last for eternity.

The gift of God of eating, drinking and enjoying all his efforts is not about what we eat or drink (though sometimes I really like what I eat or drink) but who we share them with.

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life. -Ecc 3:12-

Back to the daily grind

Blessed Christmas and New Year!!

Firstly, when do we stop greeting people the above?? When is it too late? Right now, Christmas seems like a long time ago to me. But then again, Christmas is also everyday cause *cue singing* Christmas isn't Christmas till it happens in your heart...

Anyway, I've been away for 2 weeks and a bit and I'm now back in Melb. And my observations upon coming back, traffic seems to crawl so slowly. Driving at 60km/h seems like a cruise compared to the zooming around in traffic in kay-elle. For the record, I try not to speed (I can't afford a traffic fine). The air, it's dry and nice smelling, unlike the pollutant-laden  air of Msia. But, it's hot. Yes, compared to the rainy season AND La Nina effects on the motherland, it's currently hotter. It was humid but cool on most days and the weather was actually very bearable. Thoughts and prayers go out to those in Queensland suffering from the above mentioned La Nina that's resulting in crazy floods up there.

In and through all that rambling, I'm glad to be back! Bring on 2011!

Work Tales pt 1

I'll start from where I currently am right now. This really isn't about who reads this cause I don't think anyone really visits anymore but really, it's a reminder to myself of this account and what this year has been.

I do recall having well and clearly, resigning from my previous job (which in itself was a blessing and i'll blog about that one some other day) by this time last year. When I considered submitting my resignation, I thought and prayed about it for weeks. In my mind, I could hear my parents lecturing me against doing so telling me how silly I am to resign from my job before securing another job. It came to one Manifest rally night that I had the peace and the prompting to resign and it'll be alright. I called my parents and told them and to my surprise they asked, "What was I waiting for?" I handed in my resignation that Monday morning.

I took an extended holiday and came back starting the new year without a full time job (I did have a few freelance things to keep me out of mischief). The moment I got back, I called an agency and told them that I was in the market for a job and scheduled to go in to update my details. They did say that there was this company with it's Asia Pac base in Malaysia and they're hiring an accountant here in Aust. I got excited imagining posisble frequent trips to Malaysia. The agent said she'll send me the details which I waited for but never received. I assumed that they were just not interested and oh well, what's new?

I look back and I've actually not gotten any of my jobs through an application that I've put in. And this alludes to the rest of the story. I got a call from the agent asking if I did not mind travelling to the bayside to work for a not for profit org. The interview is the next day with a view on starting right away. Without much thought, I said yes.

The interview was 2 minutes. No, like literrally. 2 minutes. I sat down and he asked me a few simple questions and he said I could start working now and  my colleague would train me. I didn't think starting right away meant starting RIGHT AWAY but what else could it possibly mean?

A few weeks into the job, I did wonder whether I rushed into the job and did not really pray about it because I said yes right away. I also did think as it was on a contract basis at first, I could just find something else once the contract lapses. My superior then, did say that while I'm being trained and doing Accounts Payable (which is basically processing and paying invoices), they are looking for an accountant to do more. However, i took it a day at a time and it was Accounts Payable a day at a time. It's not the most stimulating job. As I questioned my decision to accept the job, my superior walked in that evening and he started asking me a few questions. I felt that that was more the interview rather than the first 2 minute meet and greet. He asked about my previous job and a few questions about my personal life and he concluded saying, "You are very lucky. I actually interviewed three other people before you and I didn't think that they were suited for the job. But when I interviewed you the other day, I thought you would be suitable for the job."

Really?? The cheeky thought was, "How bad did they stuff up a 2 minute interview??" But in actual fact, I cannot attribute any of this to myself but God's favour upon my life. Do I deserve it? Certainly not. I did not even apply for the job. I thought I wanted something more corporate which if I do blog soon, I'll blog about how I'm glad that I'm working where I am now and how it's impacted my life. And about how He opened the door from Accounts Payable to more interesting stuff. Yes, accounting in my eyes is amazing.

For now, this job fell out of the sky from nowhere. As I did let go of one job and with my little trust, trusted Him to provide, He provided. Beyond my expectations. He's got my back and if anyone else still reads this, He's got yours.

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Luke 12:24-26 

United, my love

I'm back!

I've been reading a few biographies lately and I do recall agreeing with a friend how a sports biography is no biography at all. What's so great about the achievements of a sports personality in comparison to someone who's shaped a nation or built a business aempire out of nothing, the risks and the challenges that came along the way.

I was sadly mistaken. One of my GMs who ardently supports the Scousers lent me Stevie G's autobiography. I remember looking at him and thinking, "you want me to read this trashy stuff?" Of course I was joking. But as he handed me the book, he said, "You should read about this fantastic Liverpool player." To which I replied cheekily, "Stevie who? I don't know about the club, but I know a player who plays quite well for his country." (Of course we all know that in actual fact, I think we've seen him perform better for his club than country but that was the best I could come up with on the spot than to acknowledge that anything good could come out of Liverpool! cept for Owen who's made the right choice)

Now that exams are over, I've found time to read the book and I must say it's quite a good read. Football through his eyes, his determination for every challenge and every game, makes me want to kick a ball right now!

As great as a footballer he is, this what he has to say about greater footballers in his first ever training sesh with the England boys.

"All around, the quality was frightening. This is the first time I had seen Beckham cross a ball close to. 'F*** me!' I said to Michael. 'How does he do that?' When it was my turn to run in to finish one of Beckham's crosses, it was a goal before I touched it. Honestly. He was dead accurate. Beckham puts his crosses in just the right place; it is in fact harder to miss. We had a game after the crossing and finishing, and Beckham was again sensational. After only a couple of hours of training with England it was obvious who the top players were.

A couple of weeks earlier, Michael and I had been at Melwood, chatting away. 'Just wait till you get to Bisham and see how good Paul Scholes is,' said Michael. 'Wait till you see with your own eyes.'
I looked at him. 'Well, I've watched Scholes loads of time and I know he's good.' Michael just smiled. That set me thinking. Michael was going on as if Scholesy was different gravy, streets ahead of everyone else. During that shooting session at Bisham, I realized where Michael was coming from. Scholes was just so sharp, so clever. He banging in goals from anywhere. Crossing, finishing, volleys, the power in his shots, the dip and movement. 'F***ing hellfire,' I said to Michael. 'How do I get to this level?' The Man United players were just brilliant. I swear it. 'Just watch the United boys,' Keegan told me. 'Just watch the way they are around the place and in training. Learn off them.' The United lads gave a master-class. Bisham was heaving with top players, like Shearer, but Beckham and Scholes seemed to be just on a different level."

-Gerrard, My Autobiography-

For a lot of us who've followed football recently, we've seen quite a fair bit of great freekick goals and setpieces and thunderous shots from the outside including some from this Scouser. Reading this has brought fond memories of when I'd put on my United jersey to watch a match and each time Becks steps up to a freekick there'd be a buzz of excitement, and almost a certainty that a goal would be coming up. I think if someone were to do a count on percentages of goals scored from freekicks taken, Becks might be up there. We're not talking about one great wonder free kick. But more to come after each freekick goal. Every time Scholesy has the ball outside the penalty box with a view on goal, we'd almost be ready to celebrate. And then celebrating when it hits the back of the net.

It's a good read and I can't wait to read more. He's a great player, but I'll always love United more. Michael knows what I'm talking about.