Miracle* - Whitney Houston

So it's been three months since our wedding! The good thing about being married is... sometimes, housework is miraculously done on its own!!! Hehe :p

This was the status me wife put up recently.

Well, i know exactly how she feels!!! I experience the same too. The clothes are miraculously washed, they are miraculously ironed and folded too. The floors all get miraculously swept and mopped at times too. Lots of teh housework gets miraculously done too.

But this miracle is not a mystery! It's pretty straightforward. This miracle is none other than my wife herself! She is God's miracle to me.

*One of her big hits - not many people know that it is related to the issue of abortion.

I'd do anything* - Simple Plan

Being deceitful in order to look good is pitiful. Asking others to be deceitful so that you'll look good is wrong. Being unhappy at those who did not want to be deceitful for you is sad.

That's what i posted on my FB status yesterday.

I found it really pitiful that people would do anything just to look good or to impress others - even if it involves deceit. Is it so important that you would want to obtain the approval and/or praise from others by deceiving them? If you are good then people will acknowledge it. If you are impressive, then people will praise you. But if you're not, how low would you sink to obtain acknowledgement and praise that you did not deserve?

How can you sleep at nite? But the scary thing is that some of these people sleep very well! They are pleased that their deceit worked and they appeared good in the eyes of others.

What's even worse is when they ask other people to participate in the deceit. Or perpetrate the deceit!!! That is wrong. If you want to sink low, that is pitiful - but it is wrong to ask others to do the same. All the more when you have undue influence over them.

What is really sad is that these people get angry when others did not take part in their deceit. No, i applaud them for not wanting to be part of a scheme to obtain praise and approval that is not due.

I really feel bad for these people cuz they live in a world where the approval from others is so important - no, even essential to them that they'd do anything to get it even if it means getting it by deceitful means. And when such undue approval is received, they dun feel bad about it at all.

Such people will always live their lives trying to win the approval of others - at any cost. i can't imagine what kind of life that would be.

*Their second single from their debut album. It was also featured in the movie, "The Hot Chick".

If you wanna be happy* - Jimmy Soul

Happiness - is something everyone searches for. Some are sure they'll find it once they've moved back home. Some think they'll find it by making a new friend. Some hope to find it once they've defeated the competition. Then there are those who stop searching for happiness because they look up one day to discover it right in front of them all the time.

Mary Alice, Desperate Housewives S07E03

Let's learn to count our blessings and give thanks to God for everything!

*A no. 1 hit way back in 1963 and more recently featured in the wonderful soundtrack of My Best Friend's Wedding.

Heart attack* - Olivia Newton-John

It is not surprising when i read about football managers suffering from heart conditions. Harry Redknapp recently underwent a heart op. Former Liverpool manager Houllier suffered a heart attack during a game way back in 2001.

Why is it not surprising? Well, i almost had one the other night - watching the Liverpool Manchester City match!!!

One of the "heart-attack" moments - Silva rounding Reina but only to find not one, not two but THREE Liverpool players stading at the goal line! It was also quite amusing to see them lining up behind their goalie to protect the goal!

It was pretty good stuffs!!!!! Fast-paced, lots of actions, show of skill. It came to a point when i could not watch it sitting down!!!! There were many moments - to the amusement of me wife - that i was screaming and jumping and rolling on the ground in frustration or relief!!!

I even thought that i felt feverish due to the excitement! I felt flushed!

Why always him? Well, thankfully, he made the headlines not for scoring!!!

In the end, i was truly disappointed. City came to a point when they were contented to just sit back and let their goalie save the ball - and the team, again and again and again. I guess i shud be pleased that we managed to limit City to just one goal - and that too from a set piece. Unlike their average of 3 or 4 goals per match!!!

Still, we shud have won. Sigh... But it could have been worse - we could have lost too. And i could have had a cardiac arrest!!!

*The first track from her Greatest Hits Vol 2 album - not one of her very well known songs.

Too much* - Spice Girls

Found this in my draft posts. I love this quote/prayer. So simple and so true. Too much of anything is never good. Give me just enough.

Give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:8-9

*Their second consecutive Christmas no. 1 single, way back in 1997!

Autumn leaves* - Eric Clapton

One of the main highlights of my recent trip to Madrid was being able to experience autumn again!!! =)

Without a doubt, autumn is my fav season - i think it is the most beautiful time of the year. I absolutely love the leaves, all green, brown, and orange - and red, even! So lovely!!!!

As i was there, i realised that the last time i experienced autumn was in 2006!!!! Altho i've been back to the UK many times since then (and even to NZ and other countries which have autumn seasons), i've never been there during autumn itself!

It was indeed a most pleasant surprise - back in the UK, autumn would have been long over at this time of the year. So i assumed it would hv been the same in Spain - but i was wrong!

The best thing about it was that i was able to experience autumn together with my wife!!! =) I suppose it was really nice as it was totally unexpected. Dunno when i'll ever get to experience autumn again...

*This was his version of a popular jazz standard originally written in French.

Life is beautiful* - Vega 4

Winner of the Best Foreign Film at the 1999 Oscars, i've always wanted to catch the movie. But never did - until last week!

And i was glad i did. It lived up to all the hype and praise!

I have to confess tho that i opted to watch it in English... =( Well, i was on a plane and it was well pass my bedtime - i din think i'd be able to last thru the movie reading the subtitles.

Some may say that this is a comedy - others can say it is a movie about the concentration camps during WWII. But to me, this is a movie about life! And the first part showed how Guido, the lead character lived his life to the fullest - and he had everything! But in the second half, after being deprived of his freedom, having his wife separated from him and facing inhumane treatment and threat of death daily, he still show how life can still be beautiful!

I guess it is a good reminder that circumstances around us do not need to shape how we feel about our life - and that real joy can be experienced even in the darkest moments.

Wonderful movie!

Thoroughly deserved the Oscar! And Roberto Benigni? The man deserves his Oscar for Best Actor too - beating the likes of Ian McKellen and Tom Hanks!!! But i think he was just playing himself! If you have seen him during the Oscars (see here - can't embed it), he is just like Guido in the movie!

*This song by a British rock band has been featured in many TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Ghost Whisperer etc.

Part-time lover* - Stevie Wonder

What got our attention was her high pitched Mickey Mouse voice. It was kinda irritating – but not so bad. Not yet. We knew that longer exposure to it will surely drive us suicidal – or worse.

I wondered about her husband – how he puts up with it! Day in, day out… But then again, to each his own. He must really love her – and probably finds her chipmunk voice cute. Or even sexy!!!!!

And as we ate our dinner in the table next to them, it was pretty clear that he was utterly smitten by her! It was pretty nice to see that. There they were, married with a kid – at least one since he had a big bag of newly bought diapers with him – and yet, still acting like they were dating.

But as the dinner went on, something just wasn’t right. I could not put my finger on it and TW told me later she felt the same. But we were there for our dinner so we just let it pass…until the “husband” got up and left. So fine – he went over to settle the bill. But no. He did not return. He just left with his big bag of newly bought diapers!!! After a while, the lady got her stuffs together and left also.

Then it all clicked together!!! That explains why she was so flirty with him. That explains why he was asking her questions which he should have known as her “husband”. That explains why they were acting like they were on a date. They WERE!!!!!

We just felt so disgusted with them after that. Well, you may think we were being self-righteous – but we feel very strongly about the sanctity of marriage! The man prolly had a wife back home with his child. And he went off to buy diapers like a responsible father. And he did. But he took the opportunity to have a secret rendezvous with another woman!!!! And the woman surely knew that the man was married – all of us saw he was carrying the pack of diapers!

Well, it din spoil our nite – but for a moment, we felt very sad for the wife back home. It was an eye-opener for us. Sure, we have heard of people being unfaithful all the time – and we are not surprised by it. But to have it happening right next to us? That made it so real. Reading and talking about it is one thing. Seeing it played “live” before you is another!!!

Anyways…I did try to justify the situation for the guy. Perhaps the wife knew about it. Perhaps the lady was the sister of the wife? Perhaps… but the more I tried, the more I realized how unlikely it is. Based on their mannerisms and the conversations, it was surely not a platonic relationship!

But having said that, as I’m blogging about this now, I thought of a possible perfectly good explanation – maybe the guy was a widower and/or a single parent. Surely then he has the right to go and meet other women. Well, I hope that is the case – if not, then I feel really sorry for the wife and child for whom the diapers were for.

*Hit the no. 1 spot in 4 different Billboard charts back in the mid-80s!

Feels so good* - Chuck Mangione

But for most of us, nothing is quite so therapeutic as a good long talk with a few old friends.

Mary Alice, Desperate Housewives s06e13

We have many wonderful memories of our wedding – and we truly thank God for it. And one of the memories was what took place the day after. We arranged to meet up with my ex-UEL mates to catch up.

We were late, tho. Took us a while to leave our nice hotel room. And by the time we got there, everyone had finished or were finishing their meal. After we were “kicked” out of the restaurant (they had to prepare the place for dinner), we stood outside for quite some time, refusing to leave, still lingering on, not wanting the time to end. Especially for TW and me, since we missed most of the catching up (they even went out for karaoke the nite before – and I had to turn down their offer for obvious reasons).

Finally, Ling really had to go as he was driving back to JB. That left Augustine and wife, Stephan and us. I suggested we go for a drink and we did.

It was such a wonderful time! We just went into a bar nearby, ordered our beer and talked. And talked. And talked. And laughed a lot too!!! We talked all the way and thru dinner time. In fact, Ling probably reached home way before we left the bar!

It was so good to catch up with them again. For it had been a really long long time since we had such an opportunity. But like true old frens, each time we get together, the years in between the time we last met just seemed to melt away and there we were, just as if we were students again and not having parted ways at all.

And the best thing about it – TW who hardly knew them at all except for whatever I have told her about them just fit in so well! She wasn’t just there, sitting quietly listening to us. She was in the conversation too. =) She felt so comfortable with them and they just treated her like they have known her as long as they have known me.

Can’t wait for the next opportunity! =)

*An instrumental piece which lasts 10 minutes! Brilliant stuffs.

I'm so excited* - Pointer Sisters

It's coming to 2 months edi. But to be honest, the entire proceedings on that day still seem surreal to me! Maybe it's cuz i haven't seen the official photos yet.

But i remember it to be real. Especially the days leading up to it! Stressful, yes, but also very exciting! And one of the wonderful memories i have was that a lot of my frens were excited as well! It was quite amusing but at the same time, heart-warming, that our big event was important to not just ourselves but to our frens as well. Reading their messages and seeing their comments on FB was really nice!

We thank God everything went well and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves! We did!

*Considered to be one of their signature songs.