Goodbye Ah Goong

Today, we bid ah goong goodbye. May you rest in peace now. Until we meet again ah goong. ❤

A photo posted by Cassie (@jfromwithin) on Jan 20, 2015 at 1:53am PST

It’s closing in on a month now.

28 days to be exact, since you have left us. And not a day has gone by where you don’t cross our minds.

The opportunity to be by his bedside while he slept soundly, made me realise he was only skin and bones.

Never in the light of day,

Had I imagined to have to say,

Goodbye.

Spread your wings and fly,

Reach high up in the sky,

Goodbye.

Tears well in our eyes,

It’s our happy cry,

Goodbye.

But in our hearts you will stay,

Your legacy, we will repay,

Goodbye.

Never in the light of day,

Was it so hard to say,

Goodbye.

His more capable days allowed me the opportunity to capture his hands.

I have been very fortunate and never knew what the feeling of loss really felt like. Now I come home and am greeted by an empty chair where he used to sit daily. The chair where I bid him goodbye every day and am welcomed home every night.

At his 90th birthday bash,4 years ago

Morning ah goong,

I’m going out ah goong,

I’m home ah goong.

Thank you ah goong,

Goodbye ah goong.

Until we meet again,

Ah lui, San-ja.

- - 
I would just like to thank the great work and appreciate the help and understanding the Sacred Heart Pallative care had during my grandfather's stay. 
To endure 40 of us turning up at a touch of a phone call (up until 4am) and playing tag team to keep my grandfather company over the course of 2 - 3 days.

WCW: Dec 2014

I have been thinking to do a Women Crush Wednesday [WCW] for a while now, but have hesitated a few times because … of a few personal reasons. But considering it is now the silly season, then why not? And who knows if I’ll ever do another one or when it could even be.

My WCW are people whom I have been following and have simply admired in different ways. And perhaps managed to mention them in conversations one way or another, which could have been annoying on the receiving end.

So, who would be my first one to ever be mentioned here on JFW…

Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella

Not Quite Nigella

It is only natural for me to name Lorraine first because if I didn’t, I’m pretty sure Miss CC would never let me hear the end of it.

But I have sat and watched Lorraine for a while now, this is meant in the least stalkerish ways as it is only through a screen and not physically. I have always admired the way she writes. I love how she manages to make her stories lead into her post so well, it's so smooth. Her talented kitchen hands and creativity with her food is a massive bonus. If only I could be as creative and innovative with my own cooking would be great, but let’s see if cooking with a recipe to follow could be successful is already something I hope for sometimes.

Lorraine, I hope this does not scare you if you do come by this post. 

Rosie Waterland at mamamia

Rosie Waterland

This would also be no surprise to those around me, I have read some of her articles and could not contain the fits of laughter. Not to mention her scandalous reports on the weekly updates on the bachelor during it’s airing. Not that I followed the reality show, but it sure was an entertainment to read her analysing the episodes #dirtystreetpie

I am completely taken by her mind, and the way she can put her thoughts into words so well, in such an amusing way. If only I could get into that mind of hers and steal some of those thoughts, I would be in complete bliss.

So, I would like to pick at one's creativity and talent in the kitchen and pick at the other's mind and how it is so amusing in so many different ways. My WCW are people who I aspire to be, as I believe one needs to have one, two, or more role models in life in order to achieve personal goals in life.

However, what is my life goal? Currently, I'm not sure - perhaps that's why I have two different ladies who are successful in their own ways. But it's something right, motivation perhaps?

So, have you got her own WCW or role model in your life that you aspire to be or have used to help motivate yourself?

C & A Wedding

Five days …

That’s how long it took for my voice to recover from my cousin’s wedding two weeks ago.

Clearly someone had too much fun…

Weddings.

Photo by my mother

To me, weddings were always like a fairytale ending. The man stands, waiting, wearing a nice suit or tux. The woman walks down in her beautiful white gown.

Their gazes lock, and that’s it. It was is happily ever after.

Matthew Mead Photography

I’m not saying that it’s still not like that to me, it is. I mean when you choose to propose, you chose your significant other and it works vice versa, your significant other could have also said no. But they didn’t, they said yes. So, it is happily ever after, right?

Dreamers Place

But as one grows older, reality hits. You do see the hard work in the compromising a relationship has. It is no longer about you, it’s about us.

Photo by my Uncle RC

However, I was honoured to have witnessed the joining together of my cousin and his new wife. Because there was simply love poured out all over the place that day.

Through his words, and through her smile.

Through his gaze, and through her touch.

Through his song, and through her awaiting hand as he stepped closer.

Mahatma Ghandi had once said “Where there is love there is life.”

opps, sorry to my cousins ... my face got in the way. Sorry, not sorry.
The Booth Fairy

Out of all sayings, I choose that one because we are now all awaiting their good news for a little baby Chan, to add to our clan!

Luna Park: Romance Discovery

My aunt(s) and mother are crazy photo fanatics. And now that Vivid has ended, they need to a way to satisfy their itch to snap. So, Luna Park it is.

I guess this is just a ‘through my lens’ post. Note: there may be more blurry shots than clear. Because I love bokeh shots (Thanks to my aunt for teaching me the "art" of it)!

HOWEVER, I have always had a love for ferris wheels and I always want to try and capture it well. But nothing ever snaps well (because I am such an amateur).

So, looking at the ferris wheel from all sorts of angles I was suddenly hit with a thought, a feeling. Ferris wheels, to me, is really romantic. I don’t know why, how or what – it was just so pretty to look at that it just made me feel a sudden pang of romance.

And yes, those that know me well, know that I am a hopeless romantic. It’s not my fault, I seriously swear it was Disney’s fault.

Believe me, there is a difference between being instilled with the idea of how romantic a ferris wheel is to actually being hit with the feeling. I admit, I used to be thrilled at the idea of it, but that night - the feeling was rather enlightening.

So standing in the cold for 2 hours had my hands frozen, my body shaking. I needed something hearty, thinking hard what would be in the Northern side of Sydney - ipot over in Chatswood dawned on me!

THEN ALAS, the next day, I received two postcards from Miss CC in London and Miss EC from Singapore. See the similarity in the two postcards? They sure know me well.

"We loved with a love that was more than love" - Edgar Allan Poe