A New Year Has Begun

Happy New Year!

For Your Daily Pleasure

My sis got me this tin box for Christmas and I thought it was quirkily nice. It reminds me of Adeline as we often shared somewhat of a dark humour and this tin is exactly what I would imagine her to get for me. I was surprised that my sis would also know my taste, afterall, I don't expect anyone to really know me. Nevertheless, yes, I do like this quirky little tin box although I haven't figured out what to put inside. For it to read "Happy Mood Supply Box", "For your daily pleasure" it could mean a happy pill box. (I don't comprehend the Chinese text). So I take reference to it meaning some form of a happy pill that you pop one a day to keep you happy. But then we don't need any pills. We can firstly, meditate (quiet time to quiet your mind). We could exercise (perspire to detoxify and get adrenaline going). We could do the things we enjoy (like gardening). We could talk to like-minded friends (talk over tea and not over facebook). We could have some wine and be gassy (like the effects of laughing gas). Or we could blog (like talking aloud to oneself. Ha Ha Ha!) Whatever. Just find your natural, healthy way of being happy. No one owes you happiness; not your mother, not your partner, and certainly not your boss. And by the way, don't pursue happiness - by way of saying "pursue" means you are constantly seeking it out. Just BE happy; you know? Like; be a girl, be a boy, be a mother, be a worker, be a student, Be Happy. How to be happy? That, you'll have to find your way(s). Oh, we could start by counting our blessings.

Colin (Baby)

Colin might be using several Pink items, like; the pink blanket, the pink quilt seat cover, and possibly the pink rimmed sun-shades and a grey-pink Puma sports shoes. All because they are hand-me-downs. I try to scale down the pink stuff but those that are still in good condition and not too girly, I would let him use them. Anyway, it will be just for a while as babies outgrow any apparels very quickly. Talking about this, Kiki wants to do inline blading (roller skate) but a good pair of skates cost over two hundred dollars. Bren said to get a cheap pair but I disagree as I say that quality is important especially when learning for the first time. I said I paid like $700 for my pair and it lasted over ten years. (that was in 1993! Like amongst the first to own a really good pair). He said that is because my feet remained largely the same size and I didn't outgrow it hence it made sense to invest in a good pair. I said if that's the case then we could ask around and see if any friend has a good pair to hand-us-down. Well, we will see how it goes.

Nuggets of Wisdom

If you're looking for Singa, they are available at the Post Office.

Found Singa outside the library.

How true. A few times, I had just said something that I thought was normal but the person burst into tears. Sometimes, some people are having much pressure with their lives ( or work). Upon hearing a genuine, caring remark, they could be touched by kindness.

Truancy

Kiki hasn't been going to school the past four days. This is because we couldn't get up early enough to bathe her and give her breakfast in time for a sensible school going time like 8.30 or 9.00am. Plus, it'll be too tiring to keep up with the mornings and we would rather just sleep in. So I've concluded that Maricar is a better time keeper and a disciplined nanny for my child. I always joke with Kiki - Hey Rachael, why don't you go school for lunch? Hur hur hur. By the time she's decently bathed and eaten, it's like almost eleven AM. Shadowly, I wished I could send her to school for lunch because getting her to eat anything decent is a challenge. So, I starve her. I mean, I just give her dinner. No point for me to prepare lunch when I can't get her to eat. Thankfully Maricar is gone for only twelve days. I can't imagine how a household could revolve around cleaning, cooking, washing, bathing, laundry, on and on, and on. That's just too ----- I don't even have a word for it. If we just keep on doing these tasks, they will consume us. They become our lives because they are what I would term- important and urgent. You can't ignore a soiled matress nor ignore a stenched room reeking of smell so bad that could kill a horse. Ocassionally, if you are lazy, you could skip your meal if you are able-bodied but you can't tell the old and sick that hey, you want a day off, because you know what? Their stomachs, digestion, defecation and hunger won't wait. It's the same with babies, just that babies' shit actually smell a lot nicer because they just smell like the milk they drink. It is no big wonder why many people chose to send their aged parents to aged homes. Even as I understand the challenges to caring for the old, I find that sending them elsewhere must only be a last resort. But I am no judge to others, every family is different. If any person were to judge another for sending their aged parents away, I would tell that person to give it a try - go on, go bathe a full sized old person wrapped in a diaper filled with shit. Do that for thirty days and then tell me if you could still have a life at the same time. Of course there are people who could do it, they are generally called -The Domestic Helper. So anyway, I am juggling my thoughts and part taking my life as best as I can. First and foremost, we have to expand our resources in order to move on. We need probably an extra hand. Because the daily tasks are taking away the time we have for our children. Let me put it in very simple terms- between doing the must-do stuff like keeping the house clean and feeding FIL MIL SIL, other activities are being pushed back or I dare say pushed away. Activities like Playing, Reading and Quality Time. I am no subscriber to whinning, I am a rather positively charged person, so like I've said, we probably need an extra hand to get back in balance. How to work things out? I would talk to the Universe and we shall see how it'll work out.

You Complete Me

If I have the chance to just do something I've wanted to do previously, I would surely jump on that chance in a flash. It will surely complete an incomplete loop if you know what I mean. It's not as serious as a bucket list but it is like a sand grain in the shoe, it feels better to get it out.
A very long time ago, my revered pen pal told me about this "must watch" movie called "Pulp Fiction", but that month when the movie was screened here, I haven't crossed age 21 and couldn't make it to the RA21 show. So till today, I cannot come to terms that I didn't get to watch that much revered movie. NEVER MIND that it starred John Trovolta (may I ADD THAT IT WAS HIS COMEBACK MOVIE) and NEVER MIND THAT MY THEN COLLEAGUE WAS SO "FANNED" THAT SHE WENT TO HAVE HER HAIR DONE LIKE UMA THURMA, AND NEVER MIND THAT PULP FICTION COULD JOLLY WELL BE THE GRANDFATHER OF ALL KILL BILLS. (you could guess who the producer is) So ya, I am thrilled that I've finally got to watch the movie, 17 years isn't too late.

John & Samuel L. Jackson.

On my lappy.

My rather odd love for actor Christopher Walken (I love old, classy men! what can i say!)

Boxing Day

Her Yiyi brought her to PP for a walk & shopping. She returned with a straw hat and looked absolutely cool.

Merry Christmas!

Our miniature faux Christmas tree.

(Ai Xin Zao Can 爱心早餐- Breakfast made with love by the Yiyi)

It's a little late at eight in the evening on Christmas day to wish you all a Merry Christmas but all wishes are good on any day, so Merry Christmas to you all.

Maricar has been on vacation the past two days and I am so thankful my sis camped over to double up with being playmate with Kiki & also mostly carrying Colin. Bren perpetually is in the kitchen washing, cooking and doing laundry while I am mostly bathing the kids, making milk and persuading my FIL to eat. FIL has not eaten solid food for five days now and is getting weaker by the day. It is impossible to force-feed him so I really don't know what to do, for now he only takes medicine and a concoction of protein powder with Milo. This is definitely not a good solution for the long run, we've got to make extra efforts alternatively.

Counting down to ten more days before Maricar returns here, after which, soon I will have to return to work also. There's a lot of anticipation for year 2012 and also all the years that lie ahead. Sometimes, I really don't know what I'm doing. It's like I live from day to day and month to month, I am unable to see how it would be like two years down the road but what I know for sure is that I put in my best every single day. I don't try, I just do. So sometimes I do feel a little worn out especially now that my MIL, FIL & SIL are here and they need special handicap-care. Nevertheless, I always just do my best as I've always belived that life is good no matter how you view it.

In the absence of our helper, ocassionally the temper is short-fused. But overall we also feel that we have full connection with both Kiki & Colin. For me, there's a lot of connection during their bathtime, although my back aches with all the bending but when I bathe them, I could feel the love flowing to them. It is a very serene feeling.

So anyway, I wish everyone richness in money, richness in time, richnessin health and richness in joy. May we all bask in love's glory.

Dance

Kiki enjoyed herself very much at the gym, the joy lasted after the session.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R_8boyLi6g&feature=youtu.be

Christmas 2011

Initially, she was fine with Gingerbread man but after bumping into him many times, she began to be a little worried and told her Yiyi- "Yiyi, no need to chase after Gingerbread man you know?"

Christmas 2011

I bought this for Kiki for Christmas because the Leadpad hasn't arrived........

Christmas 2011

Whose BD are we celebrating? - I asked my aunt as she asked me to help prepare the cake.
Jesus' - she said.
And we all sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus...."

Christmas 2011

Kiki took pictures of me.....

(Kiki & my code)

Christmas 2011

And then it was my turn.

Christmas 2011

I am glad we managed to attend our yearly Christmas party at my Grandpa's place, afterall it has been an annual event since 1987, 24 years, can you imagine.

Aunty Jessie's 60th Birthday

Aunty Jessie's & Uncle Michael's Birthdays.

Aunty Jessie's 60th Birthday

Christmas 2011

You know, we have only this hat for Colin. The Papa says no need to buy any and so, Colin looked so mis-matched but utterly cute. I made sure he has a cap on when the air-con is cold.

Pay attention to Kiki's outreached hand.

Subtly stroking the Didi but actually,

..trying to block him.

Block him she did.

For the record, she does love her brother fairly much. She kisses him every day. She kisses him when she wakes up in the morning, before she goes to school, occasionally out-of-the-blue, and before turning to bed she kisses him again. On her own she does it, we do not remind or urge her.