A title is supposed to be short and sweet, and to the point, not a blinkin' essay in its own right, but some people don't seem to understand that.

Enough said.

Sit not with mockers

There's one (or more) in every office. The sourfaced pessimist with bitterness dripping from his every word. The one who feels like he has scored when he makes you feel like you have made the biggest mistake in taking up this job. You can picture him snickering and rubbing his hands in glee when he sees your confidence falter and your little bubble burst - or shrink a wee bit smaller.

But then there are also those little rays of positivity who nudge you on with encouragement. The ones who believe in you. And the one who moves you forward with wise words:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. - Psalms 1:1-2

And for those lovely people I am thankful.

Complaining about not complaining

Sometimes people tend to think the worst of things.

I found that sometimes they tend to interpret the things I say and turn it into something vile. It's annoying.

Like for example:

It's been raining. I am trudging along a soggy patch in a field. I bump into a friend. "It's so muddy," I said. Trust me I am just stating a fact. A neutral fact. Nothing more.

And what I get is an admonishment for complaining. It's like an uncalled for slap in the face.

The question is, was I complaining?

If I was, I would not be just commenting, "It's muddy". I may have added a harsh word or two and glared at the mud with such intensity it would turn solid again.


Example number two:

A friend is commenting on girls who wear heels. Why do they prefer to wear heels instead of flats?

I suggest simply, because they're short.

You're so bad, he says.

What is so bad about that? Just because I am tall and I am saying others are short, am I making fun of them? What is wrong with being short? What if I prefer to be short? Better centre of gravity. And you can wear high heels without towering over guys. ;P

Does saying certain word immediately mean you are complaining or being unkind?

Don't be so fast in jumping to conclusion.

Be positive mar...

Grateful

I started my new job 2 weeks ago and I have many things to be grateful for. The list may seem trivial to most people, but to me, it means quite a lot, especially after 4 and a half years of working as a embryologist.

Here are some of the stuff I am thankful for:

My very own workstation, with my very own laptop and my very own cushy high-backed swivel chair, and my very own telephone extension. In my previous place, all 10 of us had to share 3 PCs, 3 telephone lines (with just 1 passcode).

And I get to be pleased with my cool work shoes and work bag. In the previous place we had to wear ah pek slippers and loose-fitting pajamas, and nobody cared to look at your bags.

Last but definitely NOT the least, I get to keep foodstuff and drinks on my desk! No more hassle of putting on a labcoat, walking through long corridors and past at least 5 doorways and down at least one flight of staircase to be able to eat and drink. Woohoo! Sigh, I like keeping myself hydrated. :)

And did I mention that the management is superb?

Across the Threshold

I have been cheating with my latest posts: putting up pictures and posters without much words in between. But then again, a picture paints a thousand words, right?

Anyhow, it has been a week of endings and beginnings. I left my old job as an Embryologist - and thank God, it was with a big bang... I was sent all the way to Osaka in 2005 to train for a tricky procedure called IVM (in vitro maturation), which is a safer alternative to IVF but with a lower success rate. But when I returned, the boss did not see a need to use that particular procedure, so my training was left to gather cobwebs.

Then after I tendered my resignation, the boss thought, hey, she's leaving soon so better squeeze all those information out of her brain first. No centres in Malaysia and Singapore had reportedly carried out this technique before so we may as well try our luck. And true enough, we had our very first IVM case 1 month before I was scheduled to leave.

I had to fight through those thick cobwebs and retrieve those information and get updates on them - because afterall, it's been 3 years since. The case went better than expected. And 2 weeks later, the pregnancy result came back with a very high positive. Praise God.

Needless to say, the boss was elated. Sure he still managed to squeeze my brains even 3 hours before the end of my last day, but he did that in a kindly way - if that was possible.

Anyway, so I left with happy thoughts. And ready for a new adventure ahead. There's trepidation, but I've decided to put all my cares on that big guy upstairs. :)

Oh, and I've moved house too. From PJ to PJ. Haha. (Thanks so much to J for helping me move!) The new room looked rather intimidating, I don't know why. Perhaps I have not settled in properly so it doesn't have that cosy feel to it yet. There's much to do still.

So there it is. The end of the old, and start of the new.

[And yet another thing: a fresh start of an "old" thing. But that's another story ;)]

A Carnival Is Coming to Town!

The People of Egypt

School girls





With kids in a mosque





Crowd outside a mosque

Our boatmen

Traffic police

A bread maker

Staying and Leaving

It's been an eventful year where human relationships are concerned. Being on Facebook helps - you get to know your friends' status in realtime. Who's getting married, who's engaged, who's divorcing, who's single again.

It's a happy happy occasion to find out friends who are getting married. They are bubbly and overflowing with joy that you can't help but celebrate with them. Here are testimonies that no matter what the couples have gone through - the highs and the lows and the breakups and the getting back together - if both are willing to fight for their relationship, a happily-ever-after is possible.

And I also tip my hats off to the guy who is so brave to take on a woman with two extra packages in tow. Not many guys would dare to come close to someone who has got a history.

But it's the breakups that shatter one's perception of how "Love conquers all". It can be quite surprising / devastating / disorientating when you find out. Whatever happened to the relationship that had looked so perfect and comfortable? Perhaps there had been warning signs - or none at all. All one can do as a friend is to provide comfort and a listening ear to them.

And all these staying and leaving make you think of your own relationships (or lack thereof) and you become introspective and retrospective about it all. How fragile human relationships can be. And how precious.

And then there are endless questions: Where does one go from here? What happens now?
Only God knows.

(Sorry for the pointless rambling. Just me and my brain processing all these news and trying to make head or tail out of them.)

The Gateways of Egypt

As the sun sets in Egypt...

Camels by the River Nile

Felucca at sunset






Bridge over River Nile




Pyramid of Giza



Temple of Kom Ombo