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Saturday, March 31, 2007

Romantic Dinner at Jimbaran Bay
pic taken by adr 29/03/07 (C) 2007 all copyrights reserved


"Special Holiday?"
we decided to stay in santika hotel again, since i've always had good memories of the smiles of the welcoming hotel receptionists and bell boys at front desk. on wed am, we approached the tour desk to ask for tour packages. guess what? same tour guide as the previous bali trip last year! i remembered him. well, we started asking for the prices of car rental and the different tour packages.


"i've been to bali a few times now. i've gone to Kintamani..." i said

"yeah...you looked familiar." tour guide smiled.

"are you here on a special holiday?" he continued to ask.

adr and i looked at each other and simultaneously replied, "err...no, just normal holiday..."

"i remembered you. you came with your girl friends last year. i thought you are here for honeymoon this time!" tour guide said with a grin.


HONEYMOON? gasp :)


nope, even though bali is a great place to spend some cozy romantic time together. well nonetheless, the tour guide introduced us a Mengwi-Bedugul-Gitgit-Singaraja-Lovina-Jimbaran Bay tour route which left us spectacular memories of a different bali. i've always remembered bali as the place for cheap massage, the beaches and the sunshine. this time, we explored the waterfalls, the mountains and the padi plantations. the fondest memory of the day tour? the romantic candlelight dinner facing the crashing waves at Jimbaran Bay. the singers came around with their guitar and sang "Now and Forever". man! perfect place, perfect song with a beloved one :) i have tried shopping for 4 hours on my feet, but this was my first walking through alleys and bali streets and beaches for 4 hours. in my previous bali trip, i remembered i sat in a motorbike down from Tuban all the way to Seminyak. this time - we walked! we passed by Discovery, Kuta beach, street alleys down Legian and all the way to Ku-de-ta at Seminyak. phew. a long journey. the night view at Seminyak beach was breathtaking. we strolled by the beach, enjoyed the cool breeze and walked all the way to Warung Italia (italian restaurant that serves cheap lasagne and spagetti) at jln kunti. a long long way. i know the next question on your mind: "did you guys walk back to Tuban after dinner?" nope. tired la. hehe. revisited Dreamland too. it's called dreamland for a reason. sucha beee-eautiful place. and yes, it is still a beautiful place. we got there to watch sunset together. i must say, God really is a great painter and He is romantic too. the colours on the beach, the waters and the sunset just blended together. a great picture indeed. the view along the sandy beach was terrific. the sound of crashing waves was therapeutic. and of cos, i'm glad i went there with my soulmate. needless to say, i've enjoyed this bali trip most. i've realised that it's not the place nor the atmosphere that memories flow in deep into our minds. it's the companionship that turns the world upside down. every moment was a great memory. we will go back bali again. YES. again. for a real honeymoon, maybe? grin.



~gracie left a note at 6:20 pm

Friday, March 23, 2007

pic taken by gracie 10/2006 copyrights (C) 2006


Bali Beach, Here I Come!
yes. i'm paying my quarterly pilgrimage back to my sunny beach. time to receive a healthy dose of my vitamin d. it's my excuse to runaway from the busyness of metropolitan lifestyle here in sg. i find it quite a therapeutic experience to block off the city life noise and do the famous act of lazing around at beaches and enjoying the gustful of beach breeze and beautiful sunshine. i'm looking forward to the sun, the beach and the sand. more so, what's making this trip a special one for me is - i'm going with my beloved :) yay. i'm looking forward to it. i'm excited. i know i'll have the best time of my life. *smiles*



~gracie left a note at 1:53 pm

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Popcorn Hour: Cages
Watched the trailer on tv mobile on my way to work this am. my first reaction was, "i wana watch!!" perhaps i've grown to appreciate local productions over the past one year. realised that there is beauty in singaporean culture. call me a patriot. if only we could open our eyes to see the way things are in singapore, i'm sure there are some good stories to tell. drama - that is what life is, or probably that's how i view my own life. as i read the synopsis of Cages online, i felt that it would be an emo -movie. lots of struggles, brokeness and heartaches. perhaps lots of tears too. it's drama, yet i believe it aims to pull the chords of your emotional soul as it focuses on a family love story revealing the intricacies of life. perhaps i'm in my emo moods right now. don't mind watching an emo movie.
Director/Writer: Graham Streeter
Director of Photography: Mark Lapwood
Original Music: Roger Bourland
Producer: Joshua Wong, Frank Cody, Tania Sng, Hari Chembukave
Cast: Makoto Iwamatsu, Zelda Rubinstein, Tan Kheng Hua, Bobby Tonelli, Dickson Tan, Asrani.

catch the trailer: http://youtube.com/cagesmovie



~gracie left a note at 10:22 am

Monday, March 19, 2007


Fishing Under Moonlight
in my vague memory, i went fishing with my jc friends many years back. it was hot & sunny. got 'chao-da' (super tanned) after sitting under the scorching sun waiting for fishes. as usual, i remembered yakking and yakking non stop with my jc buddies. no wonder no fishes! :) i have never really understood the mechanics of fishing and never took interest in fishes since young, i think.

i went beach fishing with him and his friend over weekend. i spent long hours under moonlight, admiring at the spread of starry host up in the sky, the serene beach view and listening to the calming waves crashed at the shores. i think it was the serenity of the night. it is unusual. gracie didn't speak much that night. perhaps i was too engrossed in everything else. i listened to the songs stored in my new apple ipod shuffle. the lyrics of the songs went insync with the beautiful scenary that was set in front of me. i got sucked in the entire dreamy atmosphere and the emotions evoked were beyond description. quite an experience. of cos - gracie is charitable and benevolent. i donated my sweet blood to the mozzies during the 4hrs there.

yes, fishing under moonlight can be fun. even with the mozzies and no fish caught at the end of the day, it's definitely better than a good day of report writing at office. i'm already missing those moments of moonlight fishing...


~gracie left a note at 11:49 am

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Your First Time
when was your first time?

if you are by nature adventurous, you might have more first times in your life. experience tells you, some first times are unforgetable and some you wished to forget. however, that being said, somehow the moments of your first time will always linger at the back of your mind. because nothing bids the first time. it is the very moment when all your imagination, fantasy and dreams become an instant reality. while you may think and imagine it, not until you experience it for the first time, you'd never know what it really is.

mum told me recently during our casual chats about how i took so long to learn how to walk as a toddler. i used to cry out to dad, 'carry me..carry me..' and yes, he would always abide to my request. yes, a pampered child. and when i finally learnt how to walk, i wobbled with my fat ass and wished i could run. and when i learnt how to climb down flights of stairs, i wished i could jump the steps. adventurous. and yes, you might have guessed it. the first time i fell, i cried so much. do i learn my lesson? yes. i learn what is pain. i learn to be careful. yes, first times may not be the best experience. nonetheless, it is a process of learning :)

so have you learnt anything from your first times?

~gracie left a note at 11:39 am

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Depeche Mode - "Somebody"
was in his car and listened to the song played on. especially in the serenity of the night, the song lyrics speaks a lot to me:

I want somebody to share
Share the rest of my life
Share my innermost thoughts
Know my intimate details
Someone who'll stand by my side
And give me support
And in return
She'll get my support
She will listen to me
When I want to speak
About the world we live in
And life in general
Though my views may be wrong
They may even be perverted
She'll hear me out
And won't easily be converted
To my way of thinking
In fact she'll often disagree
But at the end of it all
She will understand me
Aaaahhhhh....

I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought and
With every breath
Someone who'll help me see things
In a different light
All the things I detest
I will almost like
I don't want to be tied
To anyone's strings
I'm carefully trying to steer clear of
Those things
But when I'm asleep
I want somebody
Who will put their arms around me
And kiss me tenderly
Though things like this
Make me sick
In a case like this
I'll get away with it
And in a place like this
I'll get away with it
Aaaahhhhh....
(music lyrics adapted from: http://www.lyricsdir.com/depeche-mode-somebody-lyrics.html)

To listen on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trosYmAyjLE


~gracie left a note at 5:01 pm


pic taken by gracie 03/2006 copyrights (C) 2006

Holiday Fever
probably work stress has caught up with me lately. a lot of events, meetings, minutes to write and reports to submit...and more to come in april. grrr...so much to do! i've been dreaming of a beach holiday! "my sunny beach, i missed you!!! how i long for your heat!" forgive me, i'm a sun-worshipper :)
went down to ica to apply for my biometric passport yesterday. quite an experience. though the wait in the Q was quite a long one, i had a great time chatting with 'the one'. somehow time flew and very soon, my turn came. the lady at the counter smiled, as i expressed my urgency in knowing my new passport number and expiry date to make air tix booking. i was supposed to collect my passport this saturday before 12.30 noon. very quickly, i did a mental calculation - have backup singing practice at 845am, sabbath school at 930am & worship leading at 11am. perhaps i had a troubled and pitiful look (which is sometimes a good thing. ha :)), she told me that she can release my new passport to me a day earlier - friday! woo hoo. great.
have been checking through asiarooms.com and once again, i feel thrilled! the excitement of preparing for a long-awaited holiday is just amazing and could be quite a de-stresser too! lots of adventure, memories and sweet moments to look forward to...this time, another kind of fun i believe :)


~gracie left a note at 3:46 pm

Sunday, March 11, 2007


Apple Ipod Shuffle (pic uploaded from: http://www.apple.com.sg/) This new toy is something i have convinced myself to buy after much deliberation. in fact, i have always wanted to have a mp3 since JC days, but never purchased it. perhaps mp3 players are expensive toys to own since young. in economics terms, mp3 is a luxury good, not inferior nor normal good. i have guarded my heart from the marketing traps and told myself, consumerism is unnecessary.

needless to say, i've changed my mind as i speak now. i've successfully convinced myself that i need a music companion badly, especially on bus rides to school everyday. music is such an important part of my life. how could i not have it? excuses eh? :) well, i'm looking forward to pay day. that is the day when i'm meeting my new toy.

i'm already thinking of my song list at the moment. this being a shuffle, every song comes as a surprise and that in itself, makes listening to music an inevitable joy. on a separate note, i often surprise many when i tell them that i'm an ardent FM933 fan. "eh, i tot you ang moh pai wan? how come listen to ch songs?" well, the truth of the matter is, i love the 933 DJs. i'm fine with english songs too. surely, i'll include songs from Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Shania Twain, Zhang Dong Liang, Wang Lee Hom, Steph Sun etc. maybe some oldies too... :)




~gracie left a note at 4:20 pm

Wednesday, March 07, 2007


starry starry night
have you gazed up into the starry night and wonder what lies beyond? i have. it's amazing how it calms your heart in the stillness of night. if you know gracie well, you'd know she's not a night person. she likes the sun more than the moon. she likes light and brightness, not darkness. it's not until much recently that she's immersed herself in astronomy once again. thanks to the one.

it's just spectacular to have watched the Milky Way one night. and what a wonderful way to witness God's creation and wonder how great and awesome everything is. i've always this fantasy dream of wishing upon the midnight stars and spending the night counting the stars with my beloved one day. a wonderful and unforgetable experience indeed.

if it's clear sky tonight, why don't you try looking out of your windows and take a few moments to gaze up upon the sky? you might find your own revelations about God and life. and really, it works!

~gracie left a note at 5:07 pm

Sunday, March 04, 2007

A Very Good Deed
my heart's filled with joy. i feel like tearing. it feels great to have returned a favour.

i'm speaking of the Mac Donalds incident this morning. as usual, my brother and i ordered our meals and he asked for his student meal. careless as he is, he left his EZ link card at the cashier counter and walked away with his Happy Meal. he didn't realise his loss until the Mac Donalds' cashier came with his EZ link card 30mins later. surprised, he didnt manage to react in time. the lady left before he could say some words of gratitude to her. i told joel that it is only nice that we return her a compliment and praise her GEMs spirit to her Manager.

it is sucha joy to affirm and compliment. it leaves the heart warmed and the soul rejuvenated. relationships being so mutual, should be reciprocated with love. perhaps i'm an ardent believer in 'do unto others what u want others to do unto u' and passing on goodwill and kindness. when we do receive kindness and love, do we keep them? it is your choice.

i've found joy in giving, you?

~gracie left a note at 3:26 pm

Friday, March 02, 2007

The Future Isn't For Us to See?
precisely. uncertainties. blurry. unknown. these are the 3 words we try to avoid. very often, we try to erase it off our minds. the real underlining reason? fear. we fill our minds with truck loads of 'what ifs' and we hesitate when thinking about how we should move on. our steps forward in our journey through life is inhibited by this word: fear. we stand at crossroads wondering: hmm, what shall we do next? where to?

but if you don't take a bold step through faith, you will never know. you will never experience. you will never understand, because your 'what ifs' were never acted upon. as i speak, i know that some of you are thinking through your life choices and go, why did i choose to date him/her 5 years ago? man, i should have done this! oh, i regretted choosing this school. had i known, i wouldn't have taken up this job offer. the wise men says, the journey through life is a lesson for us. we learn as we go along. we make mistakes. we proceed. we grow. we move on.

very often, we sit down and spend long hours just repeatingly blame ourselves. we cry over wrong decisions. we wished we could turn back time. yet, i've grown to be thankful that we can only live life once. we make it our best shot. we treasure time. we learn and we grow. and most importantly, i learn to tell myself, "it is okay, gracie. try again." that to me has been the most important lesson to learn through life.

~gracie left a note at 3:47 pm

Thursday, March 01, 2007

shang memoirs II
i'm glad i'm part of this big family. close knitted i'd say. perhaps i owe it to my childhood days spent living with my grandparents, uncles and aunties at the 3-room toa payoh flat. till today, i call them my friends. and despite the length and breath of time spent apart from one another, chinese new year has always brought the families together under one roof. that's the essence of new year reunion, isn't it?

what's special and precious to me are my cousins. as i mature with age (a-hem! not that old la..), i realise that i'm beginning to see my cousins as besties much recently. and the more i spend time with them, the more i discover the joys of sharing and building the cousin-bonds. and i realise the importance of such close bonding over the years. i call them soul mates. ain't i glad we are blood related too? :)

okay - i've been getting raised eyebrows about: why shang? not xiang? well, the story goes when long time ago when Singapore just got her independence, there wasn't a standardised system of registering surnames. when little gracie was born, all Singaporean born babies were given han-yu-pin-yin names. that's why, gracie xiang. not sweet-smelling 'xiang' (chinese: 香) but belief 'xiang' (chinese: 相). yes, a very unique surname :)

~gracie left a note at 3:58 pm

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gracie
activities: beach-ing, swimming, camping
interests: music, history
birthday: 18 june
home sweet home: singapore


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