My lecturer brought in people from STARBUCKS today to share with us about coffee....
i never realised that there was so much about coffee.....
to me, it used to be a dark coloured drink with caffine in it....
which my granny used to give me a little when i was a kid...
my only vivid memory of STARBUCKS coffee was when i was a kid in 1999 on a plane bound for USA New York...or was it Florida??? Can't remember.....
Anyways, my family found it hilarious when the air steward pushed his trolley up and down the aisle......
Repeatedly saying......
" STARBUCKS coffee........"
The people from STARBUCKS told us the origins of the name of the company and its logo....
STARBUCKS is a character from the book MOBY DICK
The lady in the centre of their logo is a siren from the mythology of the past...
They take twice as long to produce their premium coffee.....for they take pride in the quality of their coffee beans....
So much so that they make sure they get the best top grade beans....and process it throughly.
No shortcuts....
More research....
i learnt that to drink coffee, the best way is to SLURP it so that the coffee spreads around your mouth throughly....
the best way to brew a cuppa of coffee is....
using the FRENCH PRESS=)
the cylinder looking pot with a wire gauze that you can press down.....
1) put coffee grinds in the French press....
2) add hot water
3) wait 4 mins
4) Press the gauze down.
it apparently releases all the flavour of the coffee as well as its essential oils.....
Coffee goes well with some food...depending on what type and blend you drink and what food you eat....
they said that last year's Valentines Day Coffee was VERONA- goes well with chocolate......
u got to bite the chocolate in your mouth and spread it in there...then SLURP in the coffee=)
this year's valentine's coffee is some "guatamella" tingy.......too long to remember....
sounded like a tongue twister.......
also...they told us decaff does not mean no caffine but jus caffine at its minimum.....
but....................their one pack of coffee costs like 11-13 bucks.........
and it is rather tiny....
heheh
the price one has to pay for quality......
mommy says she rather get her KOPI from the kopitiam where they charge 70cents......
oh well..........
STARBUCKS............i guess is an indulgence for occasions?
and another thing....coffee.....they stain teeth...drink too much and i will give my onthodontologist (dentist-braces) as well as dental therpists a "wonderful" time removing them....
haha
still..
it was cool learning about coffee today....
it only goes to show how much we still have to learn from the world=)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Pictures....
A picture tells a thousand words......
The artists of long gone eras, like leonardo and picasso have left their mark in history by saying something with their pictures and paintings....
In this modern day, we use the digital cameras that we have to document the special moments in our lives...
or to pass time...
or to evoke emotions........
i took a picture with grandma on my handphone the other day and while i was at vivocity, i took a look at it and it just made me emotional looking at it.....
i suddenly felt that...i really love my granny very much......
even though i snap at her when she repeats herself too much( it scares me cus this is a sign that she is aging veryveryvery rapidly).........
even though i get irritated when she nags......
i suddenly felt that, the further you are from that person......the more you will miss and realise that you care alot deep down inside.....
despite the fact that when you are both in the same room and you all sometimes really piss each other off.......
despite the times where you wished he or she would buzz off.....
despite the moments where you deny that you feel anything for that person.....
despite it all...deep down inside you do care.....
Also, today, my family chanted daimoku together at the PC.....
in front of the gohonzon...it suddenly just felt so beautiful to be kneeling there with my parents on my either sides and my brother next to my mother....
i don't know why but just like the way i suddenly felt so emotional about my granny's photo,
i felt the same way about my daddy too....as well as mummy and didi....
but at that moment....the most i felt for was for daddy.....
like, its so nice to be near my papa....
chanting together with him......
i could feel that he actually really sayangs me veryvery much.....
the rims of my eyes grew red and started to get more moist than usual....=PP
i tried to calm down and not tear up badly...or else daddy and mommy would have thought that i was bonkers and off my rocker....
even so...................
it was just so beautiful........
i really appreciate that i have the good fortune to practice together with my family.....
The artists of long gone eras, like leonardo and picasso have left their mark in history by saying something with their pictures and paintings....
In this modern day, we use the digital cameras that we have to document the special moments in our lives...
or to pass time...
or to evoke emotions........
i took a picture with grandma on my handphone the other day and while i was at vivocity, i took a look at it and it just made me emotional looking at it.....
i suddenly felt that...i really love my granny very much......
even though i snap at her when she repeats herself too much( it scares me cus this is a sign that she is aging veryveryvery rapidly).........
even though i get irritated when she nags......
i suddenly felt that, the further you are from that person......the more you will miss and realise that you care alot deep down inside.....
despite the fact that when you are both in the same room and you all sometimes really piss each other off.......
despite the times where you wished he or she would buzz off.....
despite the moments where you deny that you feel anything for that person.....
despite it all...deep down inside you do care.....
Also, today, my family chanted daimoku together at the PC.....
in front of the gohonzon...it suddenly just felt so beautiful to be kneeling there with my parents on my either sides and my brother next to my mother....
i don't know why but just like the way i suddenly felt so emotional about my granny's photo,
i felt the same way about my daddy too....as well as mummy and didi....
but at that moment....the most i felt for was for daddy.....
like, its so nice to be near my papa....
chanting together with him......
i could feel that he actually really sayangs me veryvery much.....
the rims of my eyes grew red and started to get more moist than usual....=PP
i tried to calm down and not tear up badly...or else daddy and mommy would have thought that i was bonkers and off my rocker....
even so...................
it was just so beautiful........
i really appreciate that i have the good fortune to practice together with my family.....
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
how do i tell you daddy??
yesterday.......
it seems far away.......
yet i still remember it vividly ........
i quarreled with daddy........
though it is not as if it hasn't happened before
but even so, it still hurts doesn't it?
all i wanted to say was "daddy, didi needs you...he needs your praise and your support"
but it all escaleted into a huge quarrel in the car all the way to school in clementi that seemed to him to say that i as his child did not appreciate him............
it is almost needless to say that i cried buckets...
i found out later that he does show his concern to my brother in a more gentle way....which i sort of in a way said that he did not posses.......
it makes me so guilt-ridden.
but it all started with me just wanting to share with papa what i have learnt in class about positive child guidence..........
but i ended up hurting him...........
For My Daddy:
Since i was in the dark warmth of my mother's womb,
i heard you voice.
Since i first opened my eyes to see this world,
i saw your face.
With small steps i started walking my road in this world.
Yet every step would not have been possible without you.
As a baby and a little toddler you sang me to sleep
to the song "love your pa, love your ma...."
whose familiar notes that i still recall.
As a baby and a little toddler i delighted at your smile,
or cried when you frowned.
for the familiar notes still played.
yet.
Since i have growned and started having views of my own,
i wanted to shut out your voice.
Since i have grown and started having a mind of my own,
i sometimes want to shut out your face.
and slowly the familiar notes where shut away.
but they still softly, almost silently play.
till the day that it dawned that i have hurt
you in more ways than i know
so much so that is seems as if i no longer love or appreciate you.
yet daddy, the familiar notes still play.....
how do i tell you daddy,
that i do not want to dissapoint you in anyway?
how do i tell you daddy,
that i am still that same child that delights in your smile?
how do i tell you daddy,
that the familiar notes still play?
that i will never forget the words
"love your pa, love your ma"
that you once sang,
softly,
to end my day.....
i so want to tell you and show you that i love you daddy
but.......i don't know how.....
or am i just afraid?
it seems far away.......
yet i still remember it vividly ........
i quarreled with daddy........
though it is not as if it hasn't happened before
but even so, it still hurts doesn't it?
all i wanted to say was "daddy, didi needs you...he needs your praise and your support"
but it all escaleted into a huge quarrel in the car all the way to school in clementi that seemed to him to say that i as his child did not appreciate him............
it is almost needless to say that i cried buckets...
i found out later that he does show his concern to my brother in a more gentle way....which i sort of in a way said that he did not posses.......
it makes me so guilt-ridden.
but it all started with me just wanting to share with papa what i have learnt in class about positive child guidence..........
but i ended up hurting him...........
For My Daddy:
Since i was in the dark warmth of my mother's womb,
i heard you voice.
Since i first opened my eyes to see this world,
i saw your face.
With small steps i started walking my road in this world.
Yet every step would not have been possible without you.
As a baby and a little toddler you sang me to sleep
to the song "love your pa, love your ma...."
whose familiar notes that i still recall.
As a baby and a little toddler i delighted at your smile,
or cried when you frowned.
for the familiar notes still played.
yet.
Since i have growned and started having views of my own,
i wanted to shut out your voice.
Since i have grown and started having a mind of my own,
i sometimes want to shut out your face.
and slowly the familiar notes where shut away.
but they still softly, almost silently play.
till the day that it dawned that i have hurt
you in more ways than i know
so much so that is seems as if i no longer love or appreciate you.
yet daddy, the familiar notes still play.....
how do i tell you daddy,
that i do not want to dissapoint you in anyway?
how do i tell you daddy,
that i am still that same child that delights in your smile?
how do i tell you daddy,
that the familiar notes still play?
that i will never forget the words
"love your pa, love your ma"
that you once sang,
softly,
to end my day.....
i so want to tell you and show you that i love you daddy
but.......i don't know how.....
or am i just afraid?
Sunday, January 7, 2007
What is freedom really???
Is Freedom really freedom in its true sense?
Once we break free of something, of some chain tying you, one will say its freedom at last.
But are we truely ever free of anything?
I mean, aren't we the subset of something else, some other restriction after we have broken out of one?
ignore me....
just another random rumbling from me=P
Once we break free of something, of some chain tying you, one will say its freedom at last.
But are we truely ever free of anything?
I mean, aren't we the subset of something else, some other restriction after we have broken out of one?
ignore me....
just another random rumbling from me=P
Friday, January 5, 2007
Solitude in a crowd...
Sometimes, it feels so weird......
you are in a crowd, yet
you feel so alone, like you can't connect with the people around you.
then again, it could be one's own arrogance.
The ironic thing is that these days, i feel that i want to be alone even admist my friends in school. it is as if there is more attraction to being solitary.............
unexplainable i guess..........i mean...there are a million and one reasons i suppose. Maybe i misplaced the part of my brain that tells me to socialize???? yea right...
have i begun to close myself up i wonder....
and if there is a problem......i wonder what the problem is??
again how ironic=/
all i can say is......diligent daily practice!!!!! gambatte masu!
you are in a crowd, yet
you feel so alone, like you can't connect with the people around you.
then again, it could be one's own arrogance.
The ironic thing is that these days, i feel that i want to be alone even admist my friends in school. it is as if there is more attraction to being solitary.............
unexplainable i guess..........i mean...there are a million and one reasons i suppose. Maybe i misplaced the part of my brain that tells me to socialize???? yea right...
have i begun to close myself up i wonder....
and if there is a problem......i wonder what the problem is??
again how ironic=/
all i can say is......diligent daily practice!!!!! gambatte masu!
Monday, January 1, 2007
A New Year Has Come..........
To all my dear friends, a very Happy New Year to all of you. I wish everyone every success in the year ahead.=)
Isn't it scary?? I seems just moments ago that i met Mae and all the rest, but actually, it has already been one whole year. I wonder, years down the road, would i still remember what it was like to be 16, 17?
Well, 2006 was filled with all sorts of memories, but in life, people only look back and with a smile-that is sometimes tinged with a little sadness, and after that, they live on. I want to live on, with as much courage as Aya from One Litre Of Tears.
Who is Aya?? She is the main character of the show One Litre of Tears which is based on a real story. She has an incurable disease called Spinocerebellar Degeneration. As the disease progresses, the victim slowly lose her ability to walk, talk, write but her thinnking-brain is not affected.
Imagine being pulled off the young active colourful life one can have at 15? Imagine the agony of wanting to say something, of having so many thoughts you want to express and yet, your mouth does not want to do your bidding. Imagine knowing that with every step you take, you are just stepping nearer to you death and that you will be killed by something as small as choking.
What does she live for? she constantly asks herself. She wants to do something to help others. Her dairies were published and inspired those that were like her, trapped by the disease.
As i watched the show, i could not help myself from crying buckets for the pain, courage and frustration of all the characters.
Small beautiful stories like that are found actually in every corner of the earth. They all speak of true human emotion. I want to learn of more of such stories.
Aya-chan lived a life of darkness and yet she was still able to smile. So did her family.
Though she asked "What do i live for?" she bravely plodded on and found meaning in it in the end.
Then, what do i live for? I ask myself.
I am still looking for that answer.
I want to be like Aya-chan. I want to be brave like her, and smile through any adversity. I want to touch the lives of others in some way. I want to look up at the sky eveyday and smile as the warmth of the sun caress my face or as the stars twinkle at me.
Even though its true that like Aya-chan, every step we make is a step closer to death, but every moment till then there is something beautiful that we can do.
and......................
everyday, with every little step..............i want to find the light in my life.
Isn't it scary?? I seems just moments ago that i met Mae and all the rest, but actually, it has already been one whole year. I wonder, years down the road, would i still remember what it was like to be 16, 17?
Well, 2006 was filled with all sorts of memories, but in life, people only look back and with a smile-that is sometimes tinged with a little sadness, and after that, they live on. I want to live on, with as much courage as Aya from One Litre Of Tears.
Who is Aya?? She is the main character of the show One Litre of Tears which is based on a real story. She has an incurable disease called Spinocerebellar Degeneration. As the disease progresses, the victim slowly lose her ability to walk, talk, write but her thinnking-brain is not affected.
Imagine being pulled off the young active colourful life one can have at 15? Imagine the agony of wanting to say something, of having so many thoughts you want to express and yet, your mouth does not want to do your bidding. Imagine knowing that with every step you take, you are just stepping nearer to you death and that you will be killed by something as small as choking.
What does she live for? she constantly asks herself. She wants to do something to help others. Her dairies were published and inspired those that were like her, trapped by the disease.
As i watched the show, i could not help myself from crying buckets for the pain, courage and frustration of all the characters.
Small beautiful stories like that are found actually in every corner of the earth. They all speak of true human emotion. I want to learn of more of such stories.
Aya-chan lived a life of darkness and yet she was still able to smile. So did her family.
Though she asked "What do i live for?" she bravely plodded on and found meaning in it in the end.
Then, what do i live for? I ask myself.
I am still looking for that answer.
I want to be like Aya-chan. I want to be brave like her, and smile through any adversity. I want to touch the lives of others in some way. I want to look up at the sky eveyday and smile as the warmth of the sun caress my face or as the stars twinkle at me.
Even though its true that like Aya-chan, every step we make is a step closer to death, but every moment till then there is something beautiful that we can do.
and......................
everyday, with every little step..............i want to find the light in my life.
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