Go With The Flow~ ^^

Helllooooo… I'm back on the scene again! Apology for my disappearance.. I was a little sidetracked for quite a while.

In the past 4 months, I've changed 3 part time jobs! That's like nearly 1 per month? Did I just set a record? I used to cringe at the idea of having to start all over again in a new environment, but now I'm actually enjoying it; new friends, new things to learn, new experiences!

No doubt the same question has been thrown to me countless times as to why I resist a full time job so much. And I know many people think I'm being 'unrealistic' or 'immature'. I think that's being judgemental. Most people are comfortable with a stable job but are they REALLY happy with what they're doing for a living? I'll leave the answer to them. Call me stubborn, 'weird', or be secretly jealous of me all you want because I'll still not trade in my freedom for a meaningless better-paid job.

Yes, I admit sometimes I do get stressed up when I have trouble making ends meet (most of the time it's because clients do not pay on time -.- but that's beside the point). In my years of learning, I've come to understand that stress actually come from our feeling of fear. We get stressed when we feel overwhelmed. As I learn to let go of the need to be in control of every circumstances, I become more at peace with myself.. and with life. When we stop resisting change, life can be so much more enjoyable! What I'll always remind myself if thing doesn't work out the way I like, is to slow down, make some adjustment if I need to. Alternatively, it may be my Angels' way of telling me they have something better in store for me. I just need to have some faith and a little patience. :)

----------------

A few days ago, I received an email from one of my customers. This wonderful lady from Israel bought several pieces of my works on my online store and returned to purchase more shortly after. She told me how much she loves my works and wanted to frame them all and put up on her wall. When I saw these lovely photos in her email, I was close to tears. I had never imagined someone would love my works so much to want to showcase them in her house. This was her message to me,

''Hi Rheea! It took a while but... here are some pictures of my living room wall with your gorgeous illustrations. Everyone here loves it and i L-O-V-E it! You can be proud of your self, you are very talented! I am very picky about pictures hanging on my walls, but the minute i saw your works, i knew exactly - this is what i want!''

Perhaps sometimes all we need is just a little assurance about what we've fought so hard for... Thank you, Aviya. :’)   

No Arms. No legs. No Worries

A Beautiful Story With A Beautiful Moth

Something wonderful happened to me recently.... a beautiful green moth had visited my house. It was lingering near the kitchen area when I discovered her (let's assume it was a 'her'). I've never came across such a vibrant colored moth before so I thought it must be a butterfly (until I did some research on the internet).

As I stood there at the kitchen corridor observing this pretty thing, I couldn't help but recalled a story I once read on a book called, 'The Times Of Our Lives: (Extraordinary True Stories Of Synchronicity, Destiny, Meaning, And Purpose)'. During that time Dr. Wayne Dyer was writing the book, 'Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling' and while working on this particular chapter, “The Language of the Spirit”, a butterfly had landed on his finger and stayed with him for several hours. In the chapter, Dr. Dyer wrote about how our 'Spiritual Guides' (God, Ascended Master, Angels, Fairies etc.) try to get in touch with us sometimes. Often than not, we're either too busy looking for an answer elsewhere that we fail to notice the signs when they're presented to us, or we are merely too occupy with our daily lives to slow down and connect with them. He also states that “Everything in nature is in-Spirit – it isn’t spoiled by ego, nor can it ever be. So when nature speaks to us, we should listen intently. When a wild bird touches us, for instance, or a fish brushes by when we’re swimming in the ocean or lake, I believe that it’s a direct communication from our Source of Being. Since these creations of God instinctively keep their distance, when they depart from their DNA patterns to actually contact us physically, I think we should pay attention.”

Back to my story....
I relatively surprised myself as I began to take interest in this little creature. Usually I'd keep a distance from 'intruders' like this one (worse if they're from the lizard family). Perhaps something about its color drew my attention or maybe I was just curious whether what happened to Dr. Dyer could possibly happen on me as well. Once I set my mind on starting a friendship with my visitor, I did what a good host would do when friends visit; I offered the honey water I was sipping, to her. I poured some into a small bottle cap, placed it on the floor near her and waited with anticipation. What followed thereafter left me in awe. Eager to accept my friendship, Greenie (okay, I'd named it) immediately glided onto the bottle cap! I couldn't figure whether she was drinking the honey but it didn't matter. My first attempt was a success!

Encouraged by that, I got more bold. I leaned even closer.. my face just a few inches away from hers. And she didn't flinch one bit! Wow. I knew I had to record this amazing episode down. I dashed into my room, grabbed my camera and faithfully returned to her side. The next thing that happened marked the most touching moment of our lives. I gently placed my index finger right infront of Greenie. Without a slightest bit of hesitation, she crawled onto it! And I almost wanted to cry!!! I felt an incredible sense of warm over me as Greenie stood there on my finger. It seemed like time had stood still. When I finally regained my consciousness, I lifted her up to my face to observe her closely and snapped more photos of her. Apart from the pretty vibrant wings, there were tiny little fur on them. Everything about her looked so mini.. her legs were even slimmer than the thinnest thread I've ever seen! I might not be able to see her eyes but I had a feeling she was trying to figure me out too.

Greenie seemed comfortable standing on my finger so I took her to my room, sat on my bed and continued to 'connect' with her. I knew this must be a sign from my Angel since I'd been asking for guidance about my life's direction. I also know that green is a color of healing and the symbolic meaning of a moth could mean 'psychic perception, intuition, prophecy and clarity'. I went a little crazier by helding her close to my face again and asked, ''Are you my Angel?'' I know.. you must think this Rheea was probably out of her mind. If I was insane, Greenie wasn't any better because right immediately I asked the question, she responded by flapping her wings! Now I really felt giddy. To prove I was really really out of my mind, I tried this again. And she answered with the same reaction!!! I couldn't remember how many attempts I did but I was convinced I was communicating with my Angel! Totally insane. Oh and I forgot to mention it was way past midnight. Talking to a moth at this hour? HA! Almost an hour passed.. I started to get sleepy. Greenie didn't show any sign of wanting to leave yet. I tried coaxing her to go by gently jerking my finger... no reaction. I turned my finger downward and upward, down and up and down... again no movement. I blew on her face.. still no reaction. She was adamant to stay. Finally I decided if I wanted to make her go, I had to take her out. I carefully placed her outside my window pane, making sure I left the window ajar so she could come in again if she wanted to.

When morning came, Greenie was gone. I never see her again from that day on but that precious hour we spent together will always remain in my heart. I feel really blessed to know that my Angels are always somewhere near me.. whether I see them or not. :)

Something For You

Thank you for every single birthday wish on my blog, facebook, twitter and text messages which add up to over 70 of them! Needlessly to say, I was also spoiled with good food and gifts like last year. Due to the immense amount of love and attention I received, I'm still recovering from my lightheadedness. :p Honestly I don't mind going through this all over again next year.

To express my gratitude, I got a song for you. When I first heard this on radio, I instantly adored it. 'Billionaire' by Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars. Love the lyric and catchy tune. I know, who doesn't want to be a billionaire. If your desire to be rich is like what the song preach; to make the world a better place to live in, well in that case, I think you ARE already a billionaire. So nope, this is not my birthday wish... I'm already one multi-billionaire.



Travie McCoy - Billionaire Lyrics featuring Bruno Mars

I wanna be a billionaire so f***ing bad
buy all of the things I never had
uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine
smiling next to Oprah and the Queen

[Chorus]
Oh every time I close my eyes
I see my name in shining lights
A different city every night oh
I swear the world better prepare
for when I’m a billionaire

Yeah I would have a show like Oprah
I would be the host of, everyday Christmas
give Travie a wish list
I’d probably pull an Angelina and Brad Pitt
and adopt a bunch of babies that ain’t never had sh-t
give away a few Mercedes like here lady have this
and last but not least grant somebody their last wish
its been a couple months since I’ve single so
you can call me Travie Claus minus the Ho Ho
get it, hehe, I’d probably visit where Katrina hit
and damn sure do a lot more than FEMA did
yeah can’t forget about me stupid
everywhere I go Imma have my own theme music

[Chorus]

oh oooh oh oooh for when I’m a Billionaire
oh oooh oh oooh for when I’m a Billionaire

I’ll be playing basketball with the President
dunking on his delegates
then I’ll compliment him on his political etiquette
toss a couple milli in the air just for the heck of it
but keep the fives, twentys (?) completely separate
and yeah I’ll be in a whole new tax bracket
we in recession but let me take a crack at it
I’ll probably take whatever’s left and just split it up
so everybody that I love can have a couple bucks
and not a single tummy around me would know what hungry was
eating good sleeping soundly
I know we all have a similar dream
go in your pocket pull out your wallet
and put it in the air and sing

I wanna be a billionaire so f***ing bad
buy all of the things I never had
uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine
smiling next to Oprah and the Queen

[Chorus]
I wanna be a billionaire so f***ing bad

Rose Garden And...... A Little Smile

I'm not surprise at all to find molds growing on my color palette when I took it out from the cabinet. lol.

Finally I have something new to show. 'Rose Garden', I've named it.

I love roses.... only blue ones... or purplish flowers like the lavender and forget-me-not. I wish there are black roses. Someday I'm going to try to grow black roses. :)

Prints are not available for sale yet. Pls stay tuned for more info.

This evening I ran into two friends at different time. Had a little chat with both of them. It was pleasant. :)

When I got home and opened my email, I was greeted by a lovely message from this wonderful customer who bought six postcards from me weeks ago. The message goes like this,

''I just wanted to let you know that I received the postcards yesterday in the mail and they are beautiful! Thank you! I'm going to frame these and put them on my wall! What a wonderful fusion of art and music. LOVE IT!!!''

Funny how at times when you wasn't feeling your best, things like this happen; you ran into friends or friendly strangers on the street... you receive a sweet little gift when it wasn't even your birthday.... your favorite song came on the radio.... someone complimented you... and........ you smile that smile of yours. Suddenly your day doesn't seem so bad afterall.

Did someone or something make you smile today? Pass on that smile. :)

Chinese New Year Celebration

15 days of Chinese New Year (CNY) fled past.. It hasn't been much change this year; visiting of relatives and friends.. indulging in food we only get to eat during CNY.. gambling (yes we're allow to gamble during this festive period!).. AND.. collecting of red packets ($$$)!!! Hee hee.. As long as you're not married, you can shamelessly collect them from married family members/ relatives /friends no matter how old you are. ;)

On the first day of CNY...

See how packed my grandma's place was. Everyone was walking around, catching up with one another.. laughing and eating. I didn't even know where to point my camera. lol

Grandparents visiting usually lasted for a few hours.. After which is 'BLACK JACK' time! I know I sound like a compulsive gambler but I'm not okay! That's the only time where beloved cousins sit together to have some fun, just like the good old days where playing catching and hide-and-seek was our greatest pleasure. For most of them, each bet would not exceed $3. For me, NEVER more than $2. I'm stingy. lol.

Oh this was fun too - the BINGO game!

Here's my ticket. I won the grand prize together with my mom (we happened to get the same result for the final round) and so we had to SHARE the prize! :( lol lol.

My cousin as the dealer, looking all serious.. lol. All thanks to him who made this game especially fun and exciting.

Gathering with friends...

Posing with mandarin oranges! (A pair of madarin oranges are something we need to bring to the family we visit during CNY - bringing blessings and wealth to them).

Poker cards time again.

Yusheng (raw salmon mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces) is what we eat during CNY too. It symbolizes abundance, prosperity and vigor.

After pouring various ingredients and mixing them together, everyone is suppose to toss the mixture HIGH up in the air (some would stand on the chair. HA) while saying auspicious greetings.  

Catching up with ex colleagues......

The person who took this pic clearly needs some basic photography lessons ..it looked much worse before editing.. -.- 

BEST colleagues ever!

Finally I'm going to show off all the red packets (symbolizes blessings and wealth) I've collected this CNY.

I feel so blessed!

All my blog friends who are huge fans of Hello Kitty, I know where your eyes are staring at... I keep some of the nicer red packets.. Ask me, and I'll send one over to you.. ;) (of course without the $ inside).

This HAS to be a lucky year for me; I won $9 on the first day.. $14 plus grand prize of Bingo game on the second.. $12 from some friends last week.. $6 on mahjong 3 days ago.. AND so many red packets!

Thank you for a beautiful CNY~ :)

PS:  If you're not familiar with our Chinese New Year tradition and are keen to learn more, you may visit this website.

David Tao Concert and Charity

Last Friday was the much anticipated concert of the talented Taiwanese singer-songwriter, David Tao. This was his fourth concert in Singapore for four consecutive years and I've been to all four! First time was because the then-boyfriend liked him and so I went with him. After which, there was no going back. I was bewitched by his captivating voice like honey to a bee and had to return for his second concert. Then I see no reason for me not to go for the third one since he'd chosen to come on my birthday! Heh. Now there were rumors saying this would be his last concert before he leaves the music industry to embark on his movie director career. I hope this is not true (heart shattering). Whether or not he is leaving, I went for his fourth performance anyway. :)

Outside the Singapore Indoor Stadium... The weather was perfect... wind blowing on my face.. Beautiful sky..... (dreamy sigh).

We were there an hour earlier! Yes.. kiasu ('afraid to lose' in Hokkien). Haha. Our seats were pretty far from the stage but not to worry, I was experienced enough (fourth concert) to know there would be two large screens on both sides to give us an excellent view of the performance on stage.

Waiting for the seats to fill up.....

Still waiting.... zzZzzzzzz.......

We got bored....... and started to entertain ourselves......

Argghhh! A snake!! LOL.

And the concert began!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~

Sorry, no more photos! Photo taking is not allow during the performance. I could have done it discreetly and I utterly regretted not doing that! :( Anyway, I'd probably forgot my own name once David appeared on stage, let alone taking photos. His magnetic vocal completely lured me away from any boredness I could possibly feel, for over two hours! David took us back to the 70's and 80's when he sang some of the popular English oldies. What really surprised me was when he showed off his guitar skills and performed the 'Hotel California' by The Eagles. I was impressed! (melting point). If my boyfriend has a voice like his, I will make him sing to me everyday! ha.

Posters for this concert, DT in Space- the Rock and Talk Show.

 

Images from here.

What I respect most about this man is far beyond who he is but what he is about. Many of the songs he composed taught us about life, about love and courage. His attitude towards music is admirable; he stands his ground and refuses to conform to produce what most people perceived as 'beautiful', in other word, 'sellable' music.

In his concert, he shared with us his passion for guitar since he was a teenager. The first thing he did when he got home from school was to play his guitar... even in the bathroom, guitar. Before he went to bed, again guitar. Sometimes he fell asleep and woke up with guitar strings marks on his face! He encouraged that if there is one musical instrument we're really passionate about, give ourselves ten years to master it. Don't give up and we will succeed. This hit home. I can totally relate to what he said because I have a special feeling for piano for the longest time but each time I proceed to learn something new, I felt like giving up after a couple of attempts.. it was really...frustrating. I guess I was too eager to see the result that I failed to enjoy the process. Instead of crediting myself for the little progress I've made, I stressed myself over not being good enough. David's words reminded me to relax and thus be able to fully enjoy what I love. :)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you've read my earlier posts, you may remember little Bobby. This adorable coin bank was bought a year ago. I made a promise that I will drop in 50 cents with $20 spent in my shops. All these money would go to the Singapore SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). On the other side, a portion of my Christmas postcards earnings go to ACRES (Animal Concerns and Research Education Society). Here are the two cheques I issued. Yay!~ The amount may not be huge but I have faith it will increase every year! Having said that, I felt really grateful to have the ability to help/give. :)

Is there something you can give today? It may be a helping hand to a stranger... some money to a charity that inspires you or even by just sending out that loving energy to someone... do it. Trust me, it feels really good. :)

''No one has ever become poor by giving.'' -Anne Frank.

Update: See what I told you about giving? The more you give out, the more you will receive. And I just received a blog award from Babalisme! You got to check out her awesome blog because she is always 'GIVING' away (see, giving again!) downloadable prints, cards, dress-up printable.. you name it. Click HERE for some of her fascinating art pieces. Be sure to hold on tight because you will be blown away!

Anyhow, this award is presented to "bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blogworld." Oh my.. I'm flattered! Positive?.. I TRY to be all the time.... Creative? Well.. I got the award so I must be! Or at least to Babalisme. Heh.

Now, time to spread the positive and creative vibes around.. Ready? Catch it, Koralee, Holly, Emily, Jessy, Valerie and Torie!~

My Last Words

I'm back again! Haha. I know I've said my goodbyes in the previous post but I feel there are still so many things I have not say and people I have not thank. Looking back this past one year (getting emotional again), I noticed great changes in myself, in all aspects of my life; career, personal development... physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Also, I encountered failures, disappointments, frustrations, lessons to learn and grow. I met nice people and the 'not so nice' people. I refuse to use the word 'bad' because no situation or no one is 'bad'. Only our perception/ attitude toward them. I firmly believe that everyone we meet or things that happen to us, do so not without a reason. It is up to us to see the opportunity to learn and grow from them. :)

I also learnt to see life in a more positive way and be thankful for everything I've already got (or things I don't have, that I don't want). I spend more time with family and friends, I allow myself more 'me time', I say my affirmations and count my blessings every morning and each night before I go to sleep. These have indeed help me alot. I feel more at peace with myself and thus.... happier. :) I went for my weekly jogs and workouts. Before that, I'm NEVER into any sports (I could only play badminton. lol). BUT I did THESE within the past 12 months (patting myself on the shoulder)!

Now, time to thank the people who'd walked through these journeys with me...

*A BIG thank you, to all the supporters of my works (Byrheea and Dollgift), my blog (hitting 100 followers. Yay!!) including those who are not in the followers' list. You know who you are... thank you. :)

*Friends I made in the blogging world, Holly, Emily (and her CUTEST daughter, Devon), Ning, Pili, Koralee, Janna and Shelley.. just to name a few. Oh, I even have a 'pen-friend' from Germany! Hello Astrid, if you happen to read this! The most amazing part is that, these people are from different parts of the world and we've never meet in person. Come to think of it, I started my blog on 9 Jan '09.. it took me really long to make up my mind to keep one and this has to be one of the best choices of my life. If you refer back to my earlier posts, you'll see the HUGE difference (another pat on my shoulder). Thank you ladies, you colored my world!! :)

*The 8 local stores (wow, 8! another pat) that allow me to consign my works with them. I hope there will be more to come! :)

*My family and friends for their constant love and encouragement. I LOVE YOU ALL! :*

I hope I didn't miss out anyone? Well, just in case, 'Thank you EVERYONE (living things, non living things) for EVERYTHING!!! See, I'm smart right (another pat). 

I better stop before I sound like some Grammy award winner.

I'll be back with my resolutions for 2010 (okay, I'm almost done). Here's wishing everyone a new year filled with loads of love, peace, abundance, (good) surprises, fun and joy! WAIT don't go yet!! Nono wants to say,

'HAPPY NEW YEAR (and remember me)'! See you in 2010!!! :D