Chicken Essence

First off, seriously... who on earth blogs about chicken essence? well... i can be the first... hehehe... this is probably the first and the most "bo-liao" entry i've blogged thus far...

i wished i could poll u all...
1) how many of you have had chicken essence?
2) how many of you like it?
and my favorite....
3) how many of you know what's in it???

ok, so I can't remember whether i've ever had it... but i think my subconcious is saying probably yes, a long long time ago.... to be fair, i think i probably didn't quite like it then coz there's just that teeny bit of reluctance to open the bottle....

think we all know it's gonna be good for health and all and it helps to "ti shen" but somehow i can't quite place this hesitance to taste it... so the reason for this is coz i actually had a discussion on chicken essence with ah-si on our way home after dance last night. I mentioned that it's been so tiring these days and I really should try the bottle of chicken essence on my table to see if it really works....

well, according to seasoned chicken essence consumer, ah-si screws up her nose if she has to drink the adult version... true to her petite physique ... ah-si drinks the children version... hehe... she says the e kiddies' one doesn't have such a strong taste....

my first question to her was.... what on earth is CHICKEN ESSENCE?? i mean... it's really suspicious that it's blackish in color and then u tell me it's the best part of the chicken.... the ingredients list is obviously more cryptic... chicken essence(99.78% .... they are really accurate!!) and caramel.... though they emphasised on the packaging that it is FAT-FREE n CHOLESTROL- FREE..... hehe.... u just know the product will sell....

so i don't have patience to read through every single write-up but these are all the benefits of the mysterious tonic......
Gives you more energy
Good for blood (think they mean blood circulation / helps iron consumption, haemoglobin level, etc)
Protects organs from damage (how on earth do u do that? forms a wall of protection around vital organs??)
For mums
Zero cholestrol
Reduce mental fatigue
Enhances mental performance
Improves sleep
Improves mood

well, i don't think i will ever really know what the "drink" is made up of... but rest assured that i will try the bottle on my table TODAY...

will let ya know how the experience went when i next blog... this is really queer, am still scratching my head on why on earth i am blogging about chicken essence... i mean... Naomi.... get a grib on urself!!!

the week thus far

so.... this week is finally looking brighter... pales still in comparison to heaven but brighter when compared to past couple of weeks.... and definitely lower on the stressed scale...

well, in any case.... let's see what happened the past week....

23/9 ---> surprise surprise... was at work in the morning.... then was frantically trying to complete as much as I could before meeting Arati n Satomi for lunch @ Ristorante Valentino... Lynn had recommended the restaurant but have yet to try... in any case... was already running late when i hopped on the cab... then got this phonecall from Arati

"Naomi, where r u? I am REALLY disappointed...
(**my moment of panic, heart racing to find out what's wrong** )

"you should have been here at 12.30pm...
(**the time was about 1.10ish)

then finally....!!! i got out of my super dense mode and realised she was just pulling my leg... but boy, she totally had me... u know u r out of it when the one that's usually pulling a fast one on others GOT IT this time.... actually, that kind of helped relive some stress... laughter is mighty good....

so Satomi, in her usual wacko self, after setting a date that we will all fly to South Africa for World Cup 2010 no matter where we will be then (this was during a dinner gathering during the world cup season), she now proposes that me and Arati join her for the (half?) marathon in Hawaii end 2007.... =)

oohh.... n Arati is so cool... she agreed to pick out a few poems and recite them during our improv performances...

food is really not bad, probably go back at least once more to try their main courses... had a blast just hanging out with the gals... then also met lynette and new L&T colleague (oopsies, forgot his name). totally marketed perfs to them... hehehe...

then it was to church for youth teachers mtg... enjoyed the time when we prayed for the fellowship and the youths.... then it was more work in a cosy room until it was Shaoyun's (one of my youths) 21st birthday party...

was chatting and sharing with a youth when suddenly heard Singapore Idol on the TV ... sped over and caught Jonathon's second song... which was good.... (imagine my disappointment when i found out on Monday late night then... nopes... he didn't win....)

then it was home sweet home... yeah, not much of a Sabbath huh?

24/09 --> obviously worked... been spending quite a bit of time at Polar Cafe across from Hong Leong Building... waaaaay more productive there..... then had lunch with Tat and Chee Hao (JC mates) ... regular catch up though was too tired to be very engaging in the conversation... well, at least they liked the ramen that i like at Nanten... =) at least it was a decent lunch....

at least i had some relief before having to work for the rest of the night.... 1-hr massage.... when the masseuss was working on those knots on my shoulders.........aaaaarrrrr.... nice.... dinner and then work and then home-bound... managed to leave before mid-night... that's good....

25/09 --> so realized that me and my boss talking over one another and had to rework stuff to send to him by Weds morning... had to miss rehearsal and i kid u not... i sat on my chair from 6.30ish right up till 12.30ish in the morning and when i hit the sent button.... that was it... really appreciated Mr. ma's (colleague from work who was also working late) dinner special delivery... else i would probably have skipped dinner... then best... he gave me a ride home....

body is totally screaming in large decibels.......need more ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ........

26/09 --> found a bottle of chicken essence on my table when i went to work from Mr. Ma... (mentioning it coz think will post something about chicken essence later... =)) basically just worked somemore.... though the pressure seems to be less.... then it was time to go for dance.... little episode with one of the dancers, boy-boy Rabian having some personal problems and was hoping to be excused from the upcoming productions but this really kind of messes our original plans for the improv perf... in any case we'll have to make do.... i guess.....

27/09 --> went through the "presentation" pretty unscathe... think don't have to make too many amendments to the material... really hoping for a good headstart so don't have to scramble when deadline for final report comes along. had lunch with Huan... encouraging conversation on why we Christian single women are still single.... excerpt of conversation (as accurate as my 26 year old mind can recall)

"really need to trust and wait for His Best...."
"yeah, must have faith... every Sunday after church, wah, the faith level super high and then over the week, it dwindles and doubt starts to set in"
"the devil tries to put thoughts like... what u waiting for... just grab lar... maybe u will have to wait forever... then u would have missed the bus / boat/ train"

Deep down of coz women wanna be swept of their feet by the dashing knight in shining armor, while it won't happen literally (then again, who knows.... ), but if there's no peace, no confirmation from the Lord.... then it's not the season and we are best suited to focus on the tasks / lessons that He is teaching us on hand. think will blog separately on Not being Offended by God.... a lesson that's etched in my spirit....

then it was dance... but wait a minute, Rabian is here today, turns out he is gonna be dancing... and peisi and meself heard him out after rehearsal... though it was 11.30 before we left... every minute of it was worth it.... like i told ah si... it's not so much the impact on the company or performance that really matters... it's Ah-bian's well-being and development that's most important.... praying that He will help him find Him and to finally know what He created him to be... to find his true identity... think the mild depression is coming from not knowing really what to live for .... truly as the Word says... without hope and vision... a man perishes.....

looking forward to movie date with Cyn yi... finally after 2-3 mths (lost count) i am heading to the theatres again... for The devil wears prada....

then also looking forward to musical next Friday... "tick tick boom"... with colleagues... that's like only the 2nd one this year... after (if u remember) so-so Westside story....

wah.... super chiong hei blog.... will have to remember to blog on chicken essence and Not Being Offended by God....

think coz been working so much the past couple of weeks n really miss human interactions.... this my way of releasing my need to communicate.... =)

nao

Week Ending 23/09/06

Haha... consecutive week blogging... best effort in months now.... well let's try to recollect what else happened besides wake up, go to work, go for dance, go home and sleep.....x 5 times!!

17/09 --> awesome day with the LOrd... didn't go to church coz had to return to office to work... am learning about abiding in the Glory of God... to always be in His glorious Presence. Was quite productive at Coffee Club n then grabbed a cab to go for dance rehearsal @ Ngee Ann Poly. then it was chilling with the gals (gracie, liyi n qilei n her boy boy) @ Venezia Guthrie House. got little carried away with sharing n spilt my snapple. after which, i stayed on with another glass of latte till 10ish to work somemore.... coz of the 19/9 deadline! went home, had dinner and then zzzzz

i really can't remember much for the work week coz it was just work and dance repeated. will just relate the less mundane stuff...

18/9 --> had dinner with cyn yi n her fren soo keong... since soo keong wasn't a believer but quite into philosophical stuff so had some interesting talk about religion... i guess until it's the right time... the heart will always be a little harder but trust that seed was planted that in time the Holy SPirit will water n cause it to sprout n bear fruit. only night that i didn't have dance rehearsal... went back to work after dinner, bumped into late nighters terence n aldric at work n shared a cab home together with terence. at least have company home... then it was zzzzzz again

19/9 --> awesome encounter with the Lord during lunch.... was about to just grab lunch but was led to go to COld Storage @ Marsh Centre (can't remember the building's name) and ended up bumping into Arati n finding ACts lifestyle bookstore... n picked up (finally!) textbooks for my School of Fire course. they actually carried Reinhart Bonnke's books.... i've been wanting to get them for like 2 months!! n of coz, picked up Rick Joyner's The Final Quest n The Call... man... didn't know just how blessed I was gonna be by this book.... God really surprising me with ways to perk me up on what looks to be possibly a dreary week....

actually, i have been having spirit enriching encounters with the Lord this week as GOd leads me to put into practice being constantly led by His Spirit... let me just recount one such instance in detail. Actually it's a part of the lunch encounter... the first item that I felt led to pick up in the Acts store was Pastor Benny HO's SErmon CDs on finances... i have actually placed an order through the mail 1+ mths ago for the sermon series along with other books but somehow the cheque didn't reach the cordinator... n i was wondering when i would ever be able to get my hands on the materials. but by the end of my bookstore visit, i was gonna be spending too much $$ (4 textbooks, rick's book n CDs) so at last minute, i felt led to pass on the CDs this time around... then... in the afternoon, i received an sms from my dad that the cheque had been cleared which means that my order is being processed!!!!! i can still remember the chills when i saw that sms... God really is watching over our every single need....thank u Jesus!!

20/9 --> had lunch with Alison... finally!! we've been wanting to have lunch for the longest time n it was funny coz both of us initially had lunch appts this day but both got cancelled so had lunch together instead. it's so awesome to be able to have christian fellowship @ work n she's such a sweet new mom n sister-in Christ...

21/9 --> had a real blessed lunch with Carol... she came all the way from cityhall n we had awesome ramen @ nanten n great catch up. i miss christian fellowship @ workplace... she was my neighbor in EDB for the longest time n it was just such a blessing.

22/9 --> had a meeting with NLB and MAS for 2 separate projects... glad to be out of the office but doesn't lessen the amount of stuff that I have to do.... so i guess i have to go back again over the weekend... not so thrilled aspect but am reminded that Lord, pls remind me of the things that I need to be thankful for in my life... it's so easy to slip into the grumbling n discontented state when one's attention is on self n not on Christ.... let's testify to His goodness n faithfulness!

23/9 --> had a splendid start to my day... 2 solid hours with the Lord @ coffee bean at westmall. it definitely wasn't enough but already late for birthday brunch with wey-len n merilyn. ah len is turning 28 and the only person on time was the birthday boy!! hehe... sorry len.... went to cellar door... quite cosy place but food was so-so. the company was awesome though n it's always good to know what's happening back in EDB. rushed home to grab dance stuff n then had rehearsal from 1.30ish till 6ish... then it was to church for fellowship n now back home blogging lar.... =)

Week Ending 16/09/06

well, my dear friends, it has been sometime since i last did this. so here goes...

8/9 --> hung out with bunch of colleagues at Cafe Iguana coz it was our (gorgeous) intern's last day. so thanks to Susan, Aldric, JJ, Terence and myself had dinner and some pretty mean magaritas, and not to mention, some pretty honest and open sharing too, which was pretty surprising since it was the first time that we are really hanging out.















(JJ - NOT the singer!!!!, Terence, me, Susan, Aldric)

9/9--> class with Megumi (Jap international artiste) in the afternoon before going for perf at QBC... think this will finally be the last time we perform "Jesus is Alright". then had dinner with Terence, Aldric n Susan at Raku @ HOlland V. boy, did we have fun, funny pics n the drinking yakult episode... classic!

10/9 --> rehearsal for QBC musical and the appointed lead for the finale (which was me btw) had some mighty big lessons on humility to learn that day and God is always good to pull us back to focus our eyes once again on Him. it has been sometime since I last bawled in public like that... but it was all worth the while. then had snack at HOlland V's Yakun with Lei, Gracie, Liyi, Kev and Caleb. so the gals were such sweeties to hear me out while the guys, very graciously, excused themselves and gave us some room.

11/9 - probably tomorrow --> mad rush to deliver a project that's due on Tuesday. Susan (the intern) left a week earlier and I had to come in to help complete the project and boy... I think I have not looked so stressed at KPMG since I started work there. I have one too many comments that I look really fierce at work during the week. but in any case it's all good...

11/9 - 16/9 --> i don't think i've danced so much since I came back to Singapore... rehearsals every night from mon-weds and then it's class + rehearsal from thurs-saturday. it's no joke having to complete work and then to dance... though i must admit that i always feel better after dancing... the endorphines help to neutralise the stress levels... i just need more SLEEP!!

11/9 --> had late dinner with Terence (colleague from work who's also a brother in Christ) at Ember (Hotel 1929) boy... the apple tart there is so awesome!! i'm gonna have to bring humans there to try... alrighties, don't fight, queue up... auntie Naomi will bring u all ok??!!.... hahaha.... I found out later the night that it was actually his birthday that day....so....

12/9 --> bought cake and we celebrated Terence's birthday in office.... then it was back to work n work n more work... had a really good lunch with Kathleen (sister-in-CHrist at work that really has a burden for revival in KPMG)

13/9 --> supposed to meet Carol (colleague from EDB) for lunch but got postponed, which gave time for me to work thru lunch... so coz of work, i don't think i had any decent lunch from this day onwards... am so totally looking forward to AFTER 19/09!!

14/09 --> nothing exciting... perhaps to say that my stress relief has been the 2 gentlemen, Wei CHuan and JJ, both are very new to the office... the former is a "no talent but at least play sports dude and needs me to show him the self-made sign "Don't Frown, Just Smile" all the time" and the latter an "accomplised violinist and lucrative violin teacher who decided to get a "real" job though the realy job is paying much less than what he's earning now".... in any case, bantering with them, whilst can be distracting at work, makes the stress level little more manageable .... laughter is pretty good medicine I must say....

15/09 --> coz Susan was flying off the next day, we all decided to meet up one last time... so despite feeling absolutely tired after dance, agreed to go to Villa Bali with Aldric, Susan and Terence... kind of like a farewell gathering. that place had great ambience... though when we moved outside, they had to bring out the mosquito coils coz the blood-suckers were out to get me... haha... it was relaxing but trifle tiring too coz I didn't get to bed till like 2.30ish...

16/09 --> totally suppose to be more productive at work since I went back on a Saturday... but the lack of sleep is getting to me and after dance, i decided i needed to make a call to get back home to sleep to be able to complete the project and to really just spend time wtih God... getting burnt out is not gonna be any good. So didn't go for fellowship, slept from 6.30pm till i got woken up by the tad too loud Korean drama serials that my parents are watching outside and am blogging now... =)

Now that my blogging is done... to sleep i must go... maybe a little P&W with the LOrd first....

nighties my friends,
Nao