Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Fighter


In the spirit of the 2012 Olympics and multiple Facebook posts about how people have headed to London, here's my contribution to the sporting world... in the form of music. I'm a sucker for inspirational songs (hence, why I do so well in Body Combat classes... haha), and this song has a great beat. In fact, it's the track that I cool down too.

Also, Ryan Tedder is a musical genius and I want to have musical genius babies with him.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Drown Your Troubles in Coffee

Picture found on: ddiar
"Coffee is real good when you drink it. It gives you time to think. It's a lot more than just a drink; it's something happening. Not as in hip, but like an event, a place to be, but not like a location, but somewhere within yourself. It gives you time, but not actual hours or minutes, but a chance to be yourself and have a second cup."- Gertrude Stein
Lattes. Mochas. Iced Coffees. Frappacinos. I am not exactly certain why I find coffee so appealing. I know I love to drink it. Maybe it's the hidden philosopher in me, just waiting for the caffeine to spark some inspiration into my day. I saw it as a necessity to get through university, and now drinking the beverage is required for me to face those early mornings before heading into work. To be honest, I find it hard to drink a full cup of coffee in the mornings. My stomach isn't awake enough to process any solids or liquids at that stage. It is also the reason why I sometimes skip breakfast (Yes, I know that's a big no-no!). But I can never resist having just a smidgen of coffee, this ensures that you will receive the a happy-chappy Sabrina in the mornings. 

Unfortunately, all the coffees I've had the pleasure of tasting have been good to mediocre. Save for only one occasion when there was a Starbucks just around the corner from the building that I used to work in in Singapore - oh yes, I was a frequent frappacino girl. The cream, coffee beans, caramel syrup, and sugar high was a beverage dream for a sweet-tooth lass like myself. And with the severe humidity that was present, downing that icey-cold goodness was heaven. 

I revel in the warm, fuzzy feeling you receive when you take that first sip. Oh, the fuzziness is glorious! As well as the air of elegance and calm that surrounds a cup of coffee. A chance to think and be by yourself. Although, it also has many great advantages for social situations.

Me: "Let's catch up over coffee."
You: "Okay, sounds great."

It is a general consensus that coffee plays a vital importance in human life. But whatever the reason one may have for their love of coffee, everybody should harness their inner peace and have a cuppa. Who knows what brilliance lurks behind the caffeine? In fact, I just might have one right now.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Embrace the Mess

Source of pic: cultureclub.clubmonaco.com 
"What are you going to do? Everything, is my guess. It will be a little messy but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it will be like, but surprises are good for you. And don't be frightened: you can always change your mind. I know: I've had four careers and three husbands."- Nora Ephron, 1996 Graduating class of Wellesly College, Massachusetts 
I've been feeling a bit lost lately. Whilst everyone seems to have their lust for life still in tact, I'm a bit flat - like when someone has forgotten to screw the cap on the 1.5l Coke bottle at a house party. In the midst of wrapping up my final exams for university and my degree, my motivation for anything that resembles aspiration or fun has been lacking. Yes, I've finished my degree I expected to be overcome with all sorts of elation. (As I type this, I received a graduation confirmation email from my university.) Sure, I danced my way out of my last exam, but what next? Do I really see myself in a office for the rest of my life? Dealing with difficult demands, paper, filing, photocopying, running down to the local court before 4pm... Urgh, Just thinking about it is creating goosebumps on my body.

Much of my time has been spent trying to get to this point - the point of completion, and now that I'm finally here, I am scared at what is (and what may not be) in my future. But mostly, I'm scared that I won't be able to achieve my potential, and that I will sit back on the sidebenches never being able to play in the main game. I'd wander through life from job to job, never finding the right fit. Never enjoying or loving what I do. Never being the best at anything.

The above quote is from the late Nora Ephron; part of a beautiful and humourous speech made to the graduating class of 1996 at Wellesly College, You can read it in full here. Most of her words are intended to empower the women in the graduating class. I found comfort in her words. Comfort in knowing that things will be messy and complicated - the most important thing is to embrace and survive it. These are meant to be the best years of my life, and maybe I do need to take a chill pill. So with that said, I am determined to make the second half of this year the most enjoyable I've had. People are always saying to me that they wished they didn't start work immediately, and that they would have wanted to take some time out for themselves. I agree. For me, travel is that comfort. And with India and Singapore waiting from me, I'm sure I can leave the self-doubt in the air for a while, until I return to reality. And maybe then, I'll have a clearer picture of where my life is headed.