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Don’t you love gif pictures? :p Brings me right back to geocities/angelfire webpages of the late 1990s!

Since yesterday was Thanksgiving (well, my American friends would be celebrating it today), I figured that I’ll take some time away from revising for my last paper of my undergrad life to count my blessings for the year.

Personally, one doesn’t need to be American to partake in this tradition because I believe we can and should express gratitude on a regular basis. Of course, I wouldn’t deny that it’s another perfect opportunity to throw a dinner party where you can gather all your loved ones for a time of good food and merry-making, but that will come in future when I have my own kitchen oven and $$$ to splurge on a Butterball… in addition of not having my final exams during that said week.

On with my list of things I would want to give thanks for:

1) God

He has always been my source of strength and comfort even though there have been times this year I feel I’ve been so caught up with my own activities that I forgot to ‘talk’ to Him. He epitomizes unconditional love. Time and again, I have fallen away from Him, but He is always there despite it all. He reassures me that He knows the best plans for me, even though sometimes I really do not know what my future holds but all He asks of me is to trust.

2) My family 

Ironically, I think I’ve grown closer to my parents and brothers despite not being at home around so much this year. I am still learning to be more patient and slow to anger whenever there may be potential conflicts that may arise but I am thankful for the many opportunities afforded to me this year to just share with one another and listen to what each of my family members have to say.

Joel is still serving his National Service, so we don’t get to see him around that much except on weekends. As for Jason, he is used to speaking to his brother every night but ever since Joel has gone for NS, I have an easier time speaking to him, be it exchanging some ideas, sharing about our day or cracking some jokes. In the past, we used to bicker a lot but we have all grown up.

My granny is also feeling much better. That tough 83 year-old warrior that she is has fought back and regained her health after being admitted to hospital at the beginning of this year for about 3 months, and thereafter, had to stay in an old folks’ home for another 3 months as she needed constant monitoring. In July, she moved back home and even had the energy to tell my boyfriend how I was such a crybaby (colic) in the past. ;)

3) Mike

I guess I’ve been talking too much about this amazing boyfriend of mine. See this post. But he is another huge reason I have to be thankful for.

He has been there for me the whole time in the last 5 months. Whether he brought me to hospital in the middle of the night where I spent my last hour of being 22 and first hour of being 23 there because of an acute pain in my lower abdomen, to cheering me up during my really grouchy moments with my favourite soft toy bunny Babbity (oops, time to grow up Joyce) and surprising me at my workplace with a rose!

4) Friends- both old & new.

I know I have been lousy at keeping in touch with my friends, especially those overseas this year. :( But nonetheless, I am grateful for all of you who have made my life better. Thank you, thank you, thank you… :)

Most of my friends here are new- i.e. I’ve got to know them or know them better in 2011, save for my ‘sistels’ and BFF.

  • Jitka from Czech Republic whom is a sister like I never had. We met in Sociology class but hang out almost everyday of the summer hols with and we travelled to Vietnam with Don & Anna from Germany earlier this year too. I had so much fun with them.


  • Christina whom I got the chance to know through ‘Issues Management & Risk Communications’ class and whose sense of humor is really unique. :p Glad we also had a chance to hang out quite a bit during the summer hols, and even met each other’s boyfriends! ;)


  • Veronica who is a friend of Christina’s & Adam and how we coincidentally ‘met’ in the library’s photocopying room only to discover we were in “Conflict & Justice in International Relations class” together. She’s always so chirpy and entertaining. ;)


  • Nadim who was a fellow teaching assistant to Prof. Gregor with me earlier this year, and who was in the above mentioned classes with me as well. He is such an inspiring friend who is aspiring to be a human rights lawyer in future!

  • Naresh, another friend whom I got to know better through Risk Comms class. He is one of the most sincere people I know and a super encourager bro-in-Christ. I am thankful to God for letting our paths cross!

  • Sofie, Nat & Mich. The last 2 whom I had the privilege to share another round of joys by working with them on another Corp Comms project after PR Strategy in 2009, and Sofie, new exchange friend from the land of H&M! ;) And that’s us with one of the best profs I had the opportunity to learn from- Prof Mark Chong. 


  • EdShad with whom I had one of the most unforgettable holiday with to the Philippines, also earlier this year. My golly, we lived to tell the tale! (This warrants another blog post altogether.) Now Eds and I have been friends since we were 12 years old… sometimes it’s really hard to believe that we’ve come so far! To more crazy times together- hopefully while backpacking across the world.

  • Adam, whom I got to know better though Media Relations class and had one too many bitching sessions with about school, PR, work, the future… everything lah!


  • Bartley cell-group & friends. Thank you for keeping me accountable during the past 3 years. Every one of you have been an amazing blessing in my life.

  • Social Science cell-group. Thank you to my sister-in-Christ Esther for inviting me despite my initial apprehension because I was a ‘late joiner’. Thank you for being my prayer warriors!


  • Capstone girls- Gladys, HX & Julie. It’s always comforting to see familiar faces around in school after your most of your own cohort has graduated! And to HX, I am so glad for your baptism! ;)

  • Nadiah (aka Nadz) whom I got to know during my Bite Comms internship last year. She never fails to crack me up and I am glad we still try to meet up despite her holding a full-time job!

  • The girls & guys at Littered With Books- Nurul, Hui Min, Yuko, Cara, Claudia, Jacelyn, Michael (+ Tim, Gwen & An Yu who have stopped working there). LWB is indeed my happy place. ;) Fantastic bosses & fun colleagues.

  • ACJC AA3. Almost 7 whole years on and some things we know will be for life. ;)


  • My ‘sistels’- Slam, Bev, Olie, Hang, Fong. What’s a girl without her girlfriends? It’s comforting to know we have grown up together. ;)

  • SMU Social Science friends. Uni was made meaningful because of you guys!

  • Sammie. Since when we were young girls, way back in Primary 5. I still keep her letters & her cards to me and although life takes us to various places now (She’s in HK for an indefinite period of time for work at present), I believe that our friendship has stood the test of time. There were some difficult periods where we just didn’t make the time to keep in touch, but I definitely don’t take this girl and our friendship for granted.

OOOOOOKKKKKAAAAAYYYYY. I just spent 2 hours uploading photos & inserting them into this post.

I think I have to cut short this post and really get back to my revision but I really have soooo many things to give thanks for!!