What is your idea of an ideal date?

Date with a stranger, with your boyfriend/partner/fiance, with your husband.
Obviously when you enter into different parts of a relationship, the 'definition' of a date changes. I often hear married women complain their husbands aren't as romantic as they used to be when they first started dating. May it be perhaps since they're now married, men tend to think 'the woman is already theirs' (for lack of a better phrase) so they don't have to make much of an effort? I can't be sure what the exact answer is having never ask a married man that before (I'll make a note to do that when the next opportunity arise).

*NB men: Despite what some may say, we DO like to be surprised with a single stem of rose every once in a while (well, not rose per say or any sort of flower for that matter but you get my drift).

Having said that, I shall come to a conclusion that the vast majority of relationships works in this manner: The 'deeper' in a relationship you are, the less 'ideal' the date becomes, i.e. the more 'familiar' one become with one another, the less one would feel for the need to impress. Fair enough I suppose. On a first date, who wouldn't get blown away when your date says he knows the best pizza place  (you're thinking , "Must be that place on the corner street!") and flies both of you out to Rome? (Got that one from an episode of Friends) By the 10th date, it could just be trip down to the pizza place at... the corner street.
Ramble, ramble, ramble. Yes, I know I haven't answered the question but I do have a point here. Since these definition changes when you're in different parts of your relationship, I'll describe my ideal date in  all 3 parts (I'm a sensible woman. I know not to expect too much. Really?! Lol). Then again, it all depends on where we are. If we're in the middle of the city, my ideal date can't possibly end with a stroll by the sea under the moonlight, or can it?

With stranger: Cliche as it may sound, presents me a single stem of whatever type of flower (I don't have a favorite one...yet) when we first meet. A nice dinner with a chance to get to know each other would be good. After dinner, walk in quiet contentment (we really don't have to talk all the time; I enjoy the silence every now and then) under the moonlight AND depending how the date went, a soft, gentle kiss with the sound of the waves lapping behind us . OR screw all that! A fun day out to the theme park! Let's get to know each other over a ride on the roller coaster! Wheeeee! 

Hmmm...No, no. My REAL IDEAL date would have to be something out of the norm or something I haven't really thought of. I'd like it if my date surprises me with something totally unexpected or something out of the ordinary. I love surprises! I really wouldn't mind my first description of a date (dinner and such) but then again, most dates is exactly that, eh?

For now, just a date wherever is ideal enough as it is (I really should get out more but then again I have my books and uni assignments buried right up to my armpits).

With boyfriend/partner/fiance: We really don't have to do something fancy-schmancy ALL the time...only sometimes. So, ideal date now would have to be a meal we both cooked then after, put on a movie and snuggle on the sofa

(Why is the TV blank??!)

OR walk down the beach and watch the sunset

OR lie on the grass somewhere and look at the stars together.

With husband: Now being married and we're both busy, busy, busy with work and all (probably have little tots running around as well), a nice evening with just us two would be nice. Maybe even a romantic getaway for the weekend!

Ask me anything

Did you have any nicknames when you were younger? What about now? Are they still the same, or have they changed?

Funnily enough, nobody outside my family has ever come up with a shorter version of any of my three names: Siearra Celastra Sarina. That does make it rather difficult when it comes to putting names on class/club/societies' t-shirts since they usually only limit it to 6 letters and both Siearra and Celastra are 7 and 8 letters each (I've only used Sarina when I was 9 years old and younger). Only 2 of my friends call me Si (short for Siearra) though it wasn't something that caught on. I remember once in high school one of my closest friend tried out Arra but that didn't work out. She only called me that for the first 2 days when she first thought of it, I think. Lol.
In my family, I do of course have a nickname. 2 in fact. Dad calls me by one, mum and sis by another:) Both the names remain the same since I was a little tod.

Ask me anything

The 3 phases in a boy-girl thing

Had a chat with my mate a few weeks ago and she gave me an interesting analogy on the different 'phases' of dating (or at least I've always thought that was all to it). Only just starting to test the waters myself, she asked me where I stood at that time. Asking what my options were she then said the 3 phases are: the seeing phase, the dating phase, and the relationship phase.

Seeing phase: When boy-girl goes out with each other but can still date other people/play the field aka lets see where this goes or whether I like you enough to think this can go somewhere.

Dating phase: When boy-girl move on to monogamous dating but no exact set in stone 'agreement' aka only date each other but hey, I'm not saying you're my boyfriend/girlfriend or anything...We're just d.a.t.i.n.g. each other.

Relationship phase: When boy-girl finally get to declare they're a couple aka boyfriend/girlfriend phase...finally!

Given that my own experience is mostly limited to what I learn from Barney from HIMYM (not a very reliable source, I know) or from the countless books I read or the endless list of sappy Hollywood movies I watch, I can't say for sure whether the 3 phases applies to everyone though I suppose it makes sense though I 'm not one to play the field much (time's against me to be mucking around...for now at least).

*Note: Marriage phase is not included as you can see because I reckon when you finally get hitched, it's no longer a boy-girl thing, it's the real deal, the end of the line of the endless search  and a new beginning to a new and (hopefully) happy life together with your better half.

A word, a wave, a simple smile

I wrote this about 2 months ago on the last day of my first semester in uni. Life seemed somewhat bleak at that time. Maybe it was the thought of looming finals, maybe it was the feeling of 4 difficult, long months finally coming to an end. Whatever it was, I remember walking down the stairs of the library heading towards my last ever first year Engineering Mechanics tutorial feeling alone and dejected when quite suddenly I looked up and saw one of my seniors waving and smiling at me. I don't know why really but that lifted my spirits up a bit and the line "a word, a wave, a simple smile makes a difference by a mile" came to mind and inspired me to write this: 

When you see the world with a sigh

When you feel life’s not worthwhile

A word, a wave, a simple smile

Makes a difference by a mile.

It’s those littles that are so big

Will pull a man off a bridge

And now you have a second chance

To live again life’s endless dance.

And finally when the time draws near

You’ll look back to all that’s dear

Content with all that’s been achieved

To live the life that you have lived.

You’ll remember then how it almost ended

But against the odds you lived through the sadness

Because a word, a wave, a simple smile

Makes a difference by a mile.

~28 May 2010 (Fri)

Originally composed by:

                                                                                               Celastra R

So maybe life's not all that bad but yet again (cf. blog entry The POWER OF WORDS dated 21 May 2009) the power of words (or in this case the power of a wave and a smile) really makes all the difference.

There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.

~(Taken from blog entry The POWER OF WORDS dated 21 May 2009)

If you could suggest one Disney/Pixar movie for someone to watch, which one would it be, and why?

O! I like this one. Disney/Pixar movies are my favorites...you know there's always a happy ending in the end.
Since I just watch this one recently (for the umpteenth time), I'd say National Treasure (for now at least). You get to learn a lot of interesting history ("...daylight savings wasn't established until World War I. If it's 3 p.m. now that means that in 1776 it would be 2 p.m."), it's fun watching them solve the riddles and puzzles (The Freemasons among our Founding Fathers left us clues [takes out one-dollar bill] like these. The unfinished pyramid, the all-seeing eye. Symbols of the Knights Templar, guardians of the treasure. They are speaking to us through these.), and the script is funny and witty ([after finding treasure in the treasure room]
Abigail:[seeing Riley cry softly, staring into the distance] Riley, are you crying?
Riley: Look. Stairs. [sighs])
AND my favorite:
Ben Gates: You know, Thomas Edison tried and failed nearly 2,000 times to develop the carbonized cotton-thread filament for the incandescent light bulb.
Riley Poole: Edison?
Ben Gates: And when asked about it, he said "I didn't fail; I found out 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb," but he only needed one way to make it work.

Ask me anything

What would you do if you found yourself caught in the middle of an argument between two of your close friends?

Depending on what they're arguing about, I would, I suppose try to reason with them if it's about something trivial. It could be a simple misunderstanding that needs a third point of view.
If it's something personal I would let them sort it out themselves. They might not want others interfering in their matters.
As a friend, I'll try to be as supporting as possible without taking sides (or at least try not to take sides...some people really aren't budge-able even when they are in the wrong).

Ask me anything

What's happiness to you?

Watched Vanilla Sky (for the first and possibly last time-too darn confusing) a couple of weeks ago (yes, yes... I know its been out ages). Despite the confusion and twisted plot, there was one memorable scene that keeps playing over and over in my head, the car scene when Julianna (Cameron Diaz) asks David (Tom Cruise), "What's happiness to you, David? For me is being here with you right now." (I might've mixed up a few words but you get the picture) Ignoring the fact that Julianna then pulls a crazy on David and crashes the car, I can't help but think about what she said. What's happiness to you?

Now, when I feel even a tiny surge of happiness or when I see it on someone else, I can't help but ask (mostly the conversation goes on in my head), "What's happiness to you? Coz heck, if this moment ain't it, then I don't know what is." Funnily enough, just this morning (just past afternoon really) I had that exact thought. My day started out by going to the bank to sort out some 'issues' (still haven't gotten them sorted as of now  but that's a different story), visited sister at the pharmacy where she works, and went over to Blockbuster to rent out some movies. Was then contemplating if I should catch the bus home (it'll be literally a 3 minutes bus ride and costs me $0.60) or walk (about 15 minutes walk and costs me $0). Decided to walk then because the day was SO beautiful (not because I didn't want to dish out $0.60). It was sunny but windy but not the freeze-till-you-die wind, just a nice, breezy, cooling wind. On the way back got myself a bubble tea (hazelnut with sago), had my MP3 blaring in my ears (yes, I'm one of the few that hasn't got caught in the iPod trend. Cbb to get one really. It'll knock me back $200 so unless I get it as a birthday present, I'm perfectly happy with my MP3), and was on my way home. 

So, there I was, bag on one shoulder, MP3 playing all my favorites, sipping away my bubble tea, nice breezy fresh air blowing in my face, when a sense of pure calmness washes over me. And then I thought, "What's happiness to you? To me it's here, right now, living the present and not worry about the future or for that matter the past." 

At that moment, nothing existed for me but myself and the surrounding (was admiring the beauty of the trees which oddly enough in winter still had a tree full of green and occasionally golden-brown leaves. Shouldn't they have shed them all during fall? Maybe the Australian trees didn't get the memo). 

I wasn't thinking of anything beside me and my walk back (well, and the about the trees not getting the memo). I wasn't thinking about the bank, about the worries of uni, about my sister, about what I have to do when I got back, about what I'll have for lunch or anything. Just me and my walk.

Then and there, for me was my moment of happiness.

To be happy,

don’t do what you like,

but like what you do.

Happiness comes not from

having much to live on,

but having much to live for.

~Author unknown