SNOW, WOLF, LAKE, A MANDARIN MUSICAL

Finally the day of the musical arrived. I was excited about it and a bit worried too as the musical was going to be staged in mandarin and I am not that well versed in that language. But as luck would have it, I totally understood the whole play.

To say Jacky was superb is an understatement of the century! He was MAGNIFICENT! I was enthralled to be able to watch my idol in person. I watched the whole play mesmerised. The costumes were fantastic, seeing Nadia Chan and Evonne Hsu in their dresses brought The Sound of Music to mind as the dresses had can-can petticoats. The stage scenery changes were not that elaborate but sufficient to fire one's imagination to follwo the play.

But the minus points were there too. When my girlfriend and I went through the gates to get to our allotted seats, we were asked if we had brought any handphones, camera or audio recorders with us. We were asked fo leave the items (if any) at the security counter. But being obedient and good spectators, we had left our camera phones in the house. So happily we went in to find our seats thinking, "Goody! No phones ringing in the midst of the musical!". How wrong can one get? Barely 5 minutes after settling down in our seats and getting comfortable reading the free program, we were schocked to see so many of the other spectators whipping out their handphones and gleefully making calls, snapping pictures, etc! When the musical began, we were again distracted by the lady seated 2 seats away. Her handphone was ringing and then to top it off, she answered the call and proceeded to launch into a frenzied whispered conversation with the caller.

I wonder which part of the announcement about switching off all handphones did she not understand? Ah well, that is the mentality of the yuppie mindset who cannot live without their PDAs, notebooks, Blackberrry and CELLPHONES! Please lah! If ever you go for any shows, ADHERE TO THE REGULATIONS about handphones. Don't spoil the pleasure of others.

OPEN HOUSE, DO THEY STILL EXIST? (PART II)

Last week a friend invited us over to her house also in Bukit Beruntung for Raya 'open house' on Saturday 19 November. So on Friday night we drove to our home in Beruntung to stay for the weekend. My little toddler was so happy as she loves the house there with the big space that she has to run around and her toys to play with.

On Saturday morning, we went out for breakfast and decided to buy a 'baju kurung' for my little daughter to wear for the open house. We managed to find one which fitted her but was a little bit long in the sleeves and the sarong. So when we reached home, I had to stitch the sarong and sleeves so that my baby girl would be able to wear it.

As we were sitting at home doing our own stuff, one of the neighbours (we don't actually know him at all) came by and invited us to his Raya open house he was hosting that afternoon. I was totally surpised but had to decline as the time clashed with my friend's open house.

Hmmm........looks like the spirit of 'open house' still exists but only in the suburbs, kampongs and when the ministers hold theirs at PWTC etc. In other places, like apartment buildings, 'open house' still exist but only for invited family and friends. None of the neighbours who had open houses here at their apartments invited their neighbours. Ah, but I too am one of them. I barely know my imediate next door neighbours and only am on speaking terms with the couple living on the ground floor. Sad huh?

Anyway, I like to thank my neighbour who invited us to his home and maybe next year when we are able to hold a Christmas open house, I will invite him too.

Whither our ecosystem?

I am happy that the lousy neighbours with the rudest kids you can imagine have shifted off just a few days before Hari Raya Puasa. It is really good to have some peace and quiet but unfortunately they left a load of rubbish behind when they moved on the corridors, stairways and landing. Imagine our surprise one morning when we were going down the stairs and found our way blocked by a 3in high single foam mattress! Some of the other neighbours were so furious that they pushed the whole mattress over the wall only to have it land on the roof of the ground floor back gate. It is still laying there getting wet from the rains and dried by the sunshine.

The tenants on the other blocks have stated that the block I am staying in has been dubbed 'the speculator's block' as most of the owners of the apartments here just rent it out to every Tom, Dick and Harry. What's even worse is that these nights at 2am there are fire crackers being let off in the airwell area and the loud bangs have scared my little girl so much that she no longer wants to sleep in her cot.

When we bought the apartment, we told that there were only going to be a few blocks and the greenery would stay all round us. Now the only greenery we see are the grass and the small hillock which I dare not venture to as there have been reports of robberies, rapes, snakes and monkeys that attack people who go to the lookout tower.

I shudder to think about the rest of the green areas of Selangor. Will the only tree, shrubs, flora and fauna our children, grandchildren's children see will be in museum photos? What then will happen to our Earth? Will we have to buy oxygen and stay indoors?

STRANGE BUT TRUE

On October 15, 2005 I lost one of my favourite diamond earrings. 6 days later, my father-in-law passed away. On October 27, 2005 a week after my father-in-law passed away, my husband found the back stud of the earring on the bathroom floor. Believing that the lost earring would still be in the bathroom, he searched on hands and knees every nook and cranny of the bathroom but found nothing.

Early hours of November 10, 2005 around 1.30 am which coincided with my father-in-law's 21st day or 3rd week anniversary, I found the other part of the lost earring in the same bathroom which my darling husband could not find. I had given up all hope of ever finding it but strangely, it turned up on that particular morning prompting my husband to remark that his dad who loved me dearly had found it and put it in the bathroom for me to find.

We left for Melaka that morning to attend the 21st day prayers at my mother-in-law's home in Melaka. Whilst driving down, we were listening to MixFM and heard the cue to call for Mix Box Office offering 2 tickets wortn RM490 each to Jacky Cheung's musical Snow, Wolf, Lake. Being a great fan of Jacky Cheung and hearing rave reviews from friends who had seen the musical, I called in but was not successful. Thinking nothing about it, I just put it down to being unlucky in these kinds of contests.

After the prayers and dinner, we left Melaka and as usual, I turned on the radio and heard the cue to call for the Mix Box Office. I again decided to try my luck again and this time, I WON! I was so happy and my husband was so amused to see me jumping up and down in my seat. Again it struck my husband and me that it could be a blessing from my father-in-law.

So you who are out there......strange eh? But true. Have a good weekend. God bless you.

What are Telecoms up to?

Recently, hubby applied for a new phone line under one of TM Net's numerous packages and also decided to apply for TM Net Streamyx because  the package was on offer too. Imagine our disgust when we were told that our application for Streamyx was approved but we were not going to get the service as 'there was no port available'. To top it all, when I called TM Point today to enquire and report that the CLIP function was not functioning, I was told that any numbers coming out from Sungei Buloh exchange does not carry the CLIP or any other services.

What then is the point of offering the services and getting end users to sign up and then tell them that it is not available in their area? Ridiculous and very irritating. What progress has Telecoms Malaysia come to? None whatsoever!

OPEN HOUSE, DO THEY STILL EXIST?

I remember the times when I was about 5 or 6 years old. At that time my father who was with the police force was stationed in Kulai, Johor and we were living in the police barracks. We were one of the few non-Muslim families living there. My mom was very active in the officers' wives club and being a very good cook and fantastic cake and cookies maker, she was always in great demand come any Chinese, Hindu, Christian or Muslim festivals.

Mom was never one to say no to helping a neighbour in any way that she could. So we knew that come any festivities preparation time, mom would be busy. The ladies club as papa called them was one fun club.

Hari Raya Aidil Fitri saw many invitations for us to attend 'open houses' and ate our way to full and rounded bellies! There were even neighbours who would bring kuih raya over to our house once because I was sick and could not leave the house. Papa was there with me as mom was busy at the OCPD's house helping out.

Deepavali saw again another round of 'open houses' and again we were stuffed! Chinese New Year and Christmas saw mom busy with the cooking in the kitchen and papa helping out with the roasting of the Christmas turkey. This time round, we were the hosts.

These days with the onslaught of apartments and condos being built up and gated communities, open house is no longer a fun thing. In fact, come any festivities, we are greeted with the rush of balik kampung and closed doors. Is this then the price we have to pay for progress? Has the values of days gone by slipped away or are they only practiced in kampungs and small towns?

Whatever the situation, Selamat Hari Raya, Happy Deepavali, Thanksgiving and most of all, happy living. Let's be glad that we are safe and alive.

An Eulogy of Sorts

When I first met my father-in-law 16 years ago, I worried so much that I ended up with a migraine as my husband had scared me by telling me that his parents were strict and very, very conservative. I was terrified that he would not like me as I was not 100% Chinese (I am a Eurasian Chinese) and I had a left leg which was about an inch shorter than my right resulting in a limp when I walk.

The first meeting was terrifying as my father-in-law just sat there and looked at me while my mother-in-law fired off questions left, right and centre. During lunch, he looked very surprised when I waited till he had picked up his chopsticks before I said the usual formalities of asking the elders permission to eat by saying, "Uncle, Aunty eat rice". From that moment on my father in law sort of thawed out and was friendlier towards me.

When I married my husband, my father in law was the first to make me feel welcome and he always took my side and defended me whenever someone said negative stuff about me. When I had my first miscarriage, he was the one who said consoling things to me. He never once scolded or raised his voice at me. He was a very fair and decent man.

When my daughter died, he was the first one I called and he cried over the phone, heartbroken for he loved my Patty dearly. Even in his grief, he found time to console me and my husband. He was supportive of me when I made the decision to adopt my Angeline even though Angeline is of Indian descent. He said it did not matter what colour skin the child is, what matters is that we love her and she loves us.

When he had his first stroke, he was still thinking of the family, not wanting to cause any kind of inconvenience to anyone. He bade us not to rush home to see him as he was alright. The second stroke paralysed his entire right side and from then on, it was painful to see him suffering so much. Even in death he wanted no hassles. He just wanted a simple cremation ceremony and told us not to weep or grief. The only consolation I feel is that I managed to see him 2 weeks before he passed on.

Father, we miss you. It is one week since you left us. I still cry each time I think of you and the kindness you showed me. I know I never said this to you but Father I love you. May your soul rest in peace. Till we meet again some day, Farewell.

A death closer to home

On 21 October 2005 round 7.30pm, my husband got a call from his brother informing him that their father had passed away 20 minutes earlier. We immediately packed up and rushed back to Melaka and all the way home it was raining. It was a very subdued drive home with my little girl sleeping all the way home and us the adults each mulling over the news and keeping our grief in check. As we had known that my father in law was dying and that his passing was just a matter of time, we were prepared for the news but that did not stop the onslaught of pain at the news. We also felt relieved that his suffering had finally come to an end.

The funeral services ended on Tuesday with his remains being cremated and his ashes placed into a niche at the Melaka Memorial and Columbarium in Melaka. The place where the niche is situated is a peaceful place and one does  not get any eerie feelings whatsover when you are there. It is a clean and calming environment.

Rest in peace Dad and be with God.

RIP Datin Seri Endon Mahmood

The weather today reflects the sombre mood of a nation in mourning, the death of the First Lady of Malaysia. The rains were like the tears of the nation, pouring out grief for a woman who has been constantly and steadfastly keeping a low profile, always complimenting and never once has Datin Seri Endon thrust herself into the political limelight. She has always been the epitome of grace, a pillar of strength not only to Pak Lah, her children and grandchildren but to the citizens of Malaysia.

Kak Endon as she liked to be called has given the Malaysian people and the international community an inside look at the private side of Pak Lah. Their love and affection for each other is well known. Pak Lah never fails to greet his wife with hugs and kisses, unabashedly declaring his love and admiration for his beloved spouse.

Condolences to Pak Lah and family. May Kak Endon rest in peace.

Rainy days

These past few days it's been raining cats and dogs. I am not complaining though. I love the rainy weather. Have you ever noticed how beautiful the dark clouds look when lightning flashes through them? Do you ever see the grounds soak up the rain water, how the rain pools into puddles and then flows back into drains, streams or rivers? Have you ever wondered if the rains never came, how humans and nature would suffer?

Much has been said about the dry spell which had many dams drying up at an alarming rate and some people had to go without water or endure water rationing? It would seem that now the rains are here bringing much relief as well as destruction, these people would stop their grousing.

Do we ever give thanks whether as Christians, Buddhists, Hindus or Muslims for the wonders that God has bestowed on us? We are blessed to have the use of our minds and bodies. Even the handicapped gives thanks each time someone offers to help them. Does it hurt to smile at a total stranger or even your neighbours? Is it because of our apathy that so much crime and destruction of our environment has taken place? Each time a natural disaster strikes, accusations are made that God is cruel. Have we the right to say this? Our apathy has created a huge hole in our ozone layer and the constant cutting down of trees in the name of 'progress' is also one of the reasons for the floods and earthquakes and other natural calamaties. It is Mother Nature's way of fighting back. Do we learn from this? Or does the thought of being 'noble' in raising money just so the world knows what you are doing matter so much? Does it matter how many thousands are sent to reach the victims of disasters in other nations when your own countrymen are suffering?

Charity begins at home. Teach your child to love the other inhabitants of the earth irregardless of skin colour or species. Even the lowliest of animals deserves respect. Decency has since flown out of the windows of most young teenagers these days with the culture that comes from MTV and the pressure to look 'cool'. It pains me to see so many young Malaysians aping the Western culture where foul language and disrespect is encouraged. Gone are the days when sneaking out of the house and getting caught would result in a severe caning! Children these days are threatening to call Social Services and report their parents for abuse and parents just accept the threats as we feel guilty due to our work commitments which has kept us away from home and from our children.

Now I can fully appreciate these words my parents told me when I had sneaked out to go disco dancing those many years ago and was caught, "You will know the pain we feel now at what you have done when you have children of your own." My daughter is only 1 year 3 months plus and already I am worried about what she will turn out to be. I can only hope that I will be able to instill in her the proper values and PRAY!

Dio benedire tu!

A matter of time

Sometimes things happen without rhyme or reason...or so we think. If it is something good then it is not a problem. But when bad or sad things happen, the healing process can be long and tedious. Come October 26, my Patricia would have turned 5 if she had lived. Many friends who know me well and some who have also lost their children know better than to make inane remarks to comfort me. But then again there are some people out there who are very insensitive or plain stupid and shoot off their mouths when Patty's birthday or death anniversary comes round.

Such are the remarks that are made: "Aiyo! So long already mah your Patricia die, you still can cry ah? You have Angeline mah, not enough ah?" or "Come on lah, the living are still here, let the dead stay dead in their graves where they belong". My ever patient and loving husband is also grieving for his first born but tells me to ignore these idiots and that it is only "a matter of time" after which they will realise that all I want is for them to shut up and leave me alone.

So what if I still cry when I think of Patricia? So what if I still carry her photo in my wallet? So what if she still lives on in my heart? I carried her in my womb for 7 months, gave birth to her and watched her struggle to keep alive only to have her die in my arms 4 months and 5 days after her birth! It is my right to grieve, my perogative to cry my heart out over my loss! So to those folks out there who have not lost their children through death, please keep quiet about a person's right to grieve and no matter how many 'a matter of time' statements are thrown at a grieving parent, understand that the sorrow and regret will always be with her/him until the day they die.

So folks, it is only "a matter of time" before I lose my cool and tell you to bugger off! God bless!

Chinese divination-true or plain nonsense?

Last Thursday night I got a call from one of my sister-in-laws in Melaka informing me that our father-in-law was in a serious condition and was not expected to last much longer. My father-in-law has been ill since 28th December 2004 after a second stroke that left him paralysed from the neck down on his right side and since 25 February 2005, he's been in a nursing home. It has been a touch and go situation since then and many of his sons find this very annoying and a blasted inconvenience to them as they have to work, etc, etc.

My husband, 15 months old daughter and I went home to see him on Friday afternoon after my hubby went for an appointment (job is important too!) and after my 15 months old got her chicken pox vaccination. Driving back this time seemed dismal as the skies were heavy with rain and all the way from Petaling Jaya to Melaka, my hubby had to drive in the rains which ranged from a slight drizzle to torrential pour. I learnt a new trick from hubby on how to beat poor visibility from the sheets of rain that were lashing the highways. All he did was put on his sunshades and presto! Visibility was good! Smart man my hubby!

Reaching Melaka, we went home to our house to unload all our luggage (when one travels with a 15 months old, luggages are a lot!) before going to see my father-in-law. The prognosis was bad but the old guy is still alive and hanging on tenaciously to his life. My mother-in-law had asked her daughter to go to the temple and seek divine advise from the fortune sticks that you shake from a bamboo holder as well as ask the monk to read from the "Sum Sei Shi" a book that purportedly tells of your past, present and future as well as when you are going to die. The prediction was that the old guy would not survive till 3 October 2005 and if he did, he would not live beyond 15 october 2005.

Well it is 5 October today and my father-in-law is still hanging on. Will the prediction come true? There has been other predictions since he fell in from the same monk and each time, my father-in-law has proven him wrong. My hubby predicts that his dad will go sometime in December for since 23 December 2003 till now, his dad's strokes have occured all in December.

So we'll just wait and see if the monk wins or is the art of chinese divination, feng shui and taboos are real or just plain cow dung!

Have a good week everyone and spare a prayer for a man who is longing to die but it is just not his time. Dio benedire tu (God bless you in Italian).

Neighbours

Neighbours are the people who live next to us whether we live in condos, apartments, duplexes, houses or bungalows. If you are lucky, your neighbours will be the nicest of people who will eventually be your friends (cum security officers when you are on vacation or away on business) who will help you and share confidences and their food with you.

But if you are not so lucky, you will have neighbours who make the Addams Family look darn normal! If you live in an apartment like me, it can be hell. I have these neighbours in the upstairs apartment who seem to live like zombies! They will be cooking, bathing, washing their clothes, moving furniture, renovating and just about every annoying thing you can think of, they'd be doing it..........at 1 am everyday except when they have gone back to their hometowns or wherever they sprung from.

These so called neighbours are also very lackadaisal about their children running around in the apartment block vandalising just about everything in sight and littering. You can see the candy wrappers strewn all over the hillock at the back and in the parking lots too! There was even a time when soiled baby diapers were seen floating down their windows to fall splat on one of the cars parked beneath their windows! The children love to ring doorbells and run off! Complaints to the parents fall on deaf ears for the kids are still doing it and now they have even taken to scratching the paintwork off all the new cars in the parking lots. So far 8 cars have had their bodies scratched and my car was not spared either!

Then there is the couple downstairs whose only interest in life is to fight each other tooth and nail in the wee hours of the night. The husband will be shouting and the wife will be cutting, slashing herself with knives and pieces of broken glass they will be hitting each other and hurting one another. There will be a lot of things thrown around and there were even times when the police had to be involved.

There is also a guy who comes back drunk every night and starts to kick the doors and gates of the apartments he passes to get to his own and threatens anyone who dares to confront him with bodily harm. Again the police had to be called in to take the man away.

All these happenings in the apartment block are usually ignored by the other tenants as no one wants any problems or involvement. Is this then the famous APATHY practised by us Malaysians? Or are we so busy chasing our own dreams to even remember to say hello or just smile at our neighbours? I have lived here for 4 years and I only know the guys next door and the neighbour next to them and the couple downstairs. Where then, are the friendly, caring and compassionate Malaysians that raises to help in the tsunamis, earthquakes and other tragedies that don't involve them? Do they exist only for the publicity they can garner?

So what kind of neighbour are you? The nosy one? The friendly one? The 'kiasu and kiasees'?

Diana-Saint or Egg Head???

Today I watched on telly the docu-drama Tribute to Diana. It was something to ponder on. Some questions raced through my mind, not to mention the absolute feeling of disgust at the paparazzi's constant pursuit of her with a tragic end.

Diana and I are the same age. I watched her fairy tale wedding take place, the birth of her 2 sons, the way Charles totally destroyed a sweet and beautifully innocent young lady and turning her into a bulimic and insecured woman. Whether her relationship with Dodi would have culminated in marriage is still pure speculation. There is no denying the love she had for Dodi but would Diana have given up everything including her sons for Dodi? Knowing the Royal Family the way she did, I am sure that she would have taken into consideration the fact that she would have to embrace Islam to marry Dodi and that would have been ammunition enough for Charles to stop her from even seeing her sons.

The Princess is dead now for 8 years and still her memory lives on. Her work with the land mines issue, the AIDs awareness and other wonderful things she did during her lifetime has been overshadowed by the 'romance' with Dodi, the scathing remarks issued by her ex husband and others who are just plain stupid. The 'dirty linen' written by her ex-employees are an insult to her memory. Let her rest in peace and stop all the negative reports about her for the sakes of Princes William and Harry.

Diana, rest in peace.

Ashes to ashes Part II

To continue with the last post, I called a certain place in Selangor to ask about niche prices in their columbarium. A few years back, a friend's mother's funeral was held there and I had taken a brochure and price list from them. I was told by one of the sales person that the lower level niches were totally sold out and only upper level niches costing RM1600.00 onwards were available. Try as I might to find out just exactly how much it would cost to buy the next affordable niche, I was told to go there and have a look.

I have always thought that once death comes round, burials/cremations and everything else would be easy peasy! Wrong! There are so many rituals and most rituals cost $$$$$! Buying a coffin/casket depends on the kind of material the said item is made from. Then there is the wake and all the other mojo attached to the ceremony itself! A chinese funeral depending on which dialect you belong to would wary from ceremony to ceremony, costing from at least RM10,000 omwards!

So with trepidation I told my better half just what the sales person had said and told him to go and have a 'look and see' as suggested. I also told him that he was not to make any major decisions without consulting me and the main criteria I set on him is that he has to buy 2 niches side by side so that when Patricia's ashes are placed in her niche, she'd know that when I too an no longer on this earth, my ashes would be placed next to hers. Morbid? Nope. Just something I think I should do before I too go off into the great blue yonder. Never know when the Grim Reaper comes knocking!

Peace and love to all!

Ashes to ashes

Recently my husband and I had a discussion about our daughter Patricia who died on 1 March 2001 aged 4 months. Her ashes since her cremation on 2 March 2001 has been placed at home with us and wherever we go, the ashes go. Well it's coming to her 5th birthday soon this 26 October and her father suddenly drops this bombshell on me about placing Patricia's ashes in a columbarium. It seems that he has been planning to do this for quite a while and well, I am just not taking this too well.

I know that at some point in time I will have to do it. Even Father Andrew Volle whom I respect and love like my own father has advised me to do it at some point or other. I just find it so hard to think of Patricia being away from me. It is so final, a closure of sorts. Am I ready for this closure? Will I ever be ready? Patricia is the flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. My first born and only child of my womb.

Placing her urn in the niche at the columbarium seems like an act of abandonment to me, a betrayal of trust. I never had the chance to care for patty like I am caring now for Angeline, so it is like a double whammy of guilt trips and what nots! I dunno maybe I am not ready maybe I will never be ready. I just know that sometimes in the dead of night when I toss and turn in bed unable to sleep, I think of my beautiful Pitty Pat as I call her and tears flow unceasingly. Even now my eyes are swimming in tears. I just cannot think of Patty all alone in that cold lonely niche with strangers all around her.

Maybe someday when I see her again, she can tell me why God took her back from me and why she is who she is today........Angel Patricia, my baby, my girl, my one love.

Life's a joke!

Life sometimes loves to play cruel jokes and test a person's level of endurance and tolerance for pain. Sometimes, we can cope with it but other times, we need some divine intervention! My hubby and I had planned to leave for our journey to Penang with stopovers in Ipoh and Bukit Mertajam early on Sunday morning. As usual, whatever has been planned sometimes do not work out the way you want it. We left later than planned and arrived in Bukit Mertajam around 2 pm after stopping in Ipoh to say hello and show off my baby girl to my maternal aunt in Ipoh.

While at the shrine of St Anne's Church, I saw an Indian man walking barefooted up towards the statue. When he reached the altar he knelt down to pray and started crying so pitifully. He was so earnest in prayer and kept hugging the feet of the statue of St Anne. He was in so much pain and looked so lost.

My heart went out to him and I approached him asking him if I could help in anyway. He told me that his son had been wrongly medicated by some doctor and was critically ill after that. He was worried that his son would not pull through and that the doctor has washed his hands off the case. He had come to the shrine to seek St Anne's help for his son. I asked if he minded my praying for his son too and he looked a little relieved. I gave him an empty mineral water bottle and asked him to take the water from the church grounds (tap water from the hillock lah!) and to wipe his son's face with it. I also gave him a holy picture of St Anne and the Brown Scapular of Mary to place under his son's pillow. He was so happy that a total stranger took some time out to speak with him and listen to his sorrows. I had told him about the miracle St Anne had worked for me. As we left the shrine together, I casually asked him if he was a Christian, he said that he was a Hindu.

It sure shows that St Anne's fame and generousity in helping others is well documented in and out of Bukit Mertajam. I wonder how the little boy Sugran is doing and how his father Chandramoorthy is doing. Please pray for this young boy and his family. I pray that he has recovered.

God bless and Happy Merdeka.

The Joys of Motherhood?????

There are many times the above captioned has crossed my mind, it frustrates, boggles and at times entertains as well. Watching Angeline grow and seeing her learn things so fast enchants but yet at times scary too! Angeline is 1 year 1 month and 22 days old and already fast growing taller each day. She has a cheeky smile and mischevious minx just loves to give me a cardiac arrest!!

Yesterday, she crawled so fast after her daddy and stopped at the altar of one of the 'god' that her daddy prays to (he's Chinese and Buddhist) and started to play with the oil lamp. Her dad promptly yelled at her and carried her over to me so that I could clean her hands. I was so mad at her dad for allowing her to get away with it that I smacked her hands and caned her (6 strokes! OUCH!) soundly! My heart broke when she cried but I had to be strong or she won't know what she did wrong! On Tuesday night she got smacked by her dad for playing with the electric sockets! Poor baby!

Each day when she wakes up (sleeps round 11.30 pm) at 11 am or 12 noon depending on her mood, she will call Mama and smile at me if I am in the room. If she wakes up and I am not there, you can hear her wailing even from the car park! After having her milk, she will promptly give me the empty bottle (oh yes! she holds her own bottle and feeds herself now!) and ask me to carry her ("Mama, poh poh" which means "Mama, carry") out of her cot. She is now learning to stand on her own and has taken her first small baby step today! Her face was full of glee and she was crowing about her achievements! Kept calling her dad to look at her and screaming when he didn't!

I wonder how she will react to the feel of grass or sand on her toes? Maybe she will enjoy the sand more than the grass! Yup, no doubt about it.....there is joy in being a mother but there is also the sad part, like when she is sick or when I have to cane her. I love my Angeline and I'd like to think that she loves me too. She is closer to me now. She used to favour her dad but now it's more to Mama! Best part is each time we ask her, "Angel, who is naughty?" she will answer with a cheeky smile, "DADDY!" She loves to play with any kind of ball. She has a beach ball, a smiley face soft ball, a pink plain bouncy plastic ball and a small 5 ins purple butterfly ball. She now likes to play with the butterfly motif ball and will scream in glee when she manages to catch the ball, roll it or even throw it.

The joys of motherhood? You figure it out for yourself....I already have. God bless you all!

Contests and winning them!

Yesterday evening round 6 pm, I was tired out and grumpy after having cooked and run after an over active 1 year old who insisted in climbing the chairs and coffee table; standing and shaking her little tush even when she can't walk and whiney like mad, a call came on my cell. Needless to say, I was grumpy and irritated thinking it was just another one of those telemarketeers trying to talk me into buying something! I am so ashamed to say that I was RUDE to the poor young lady who had called to inform me that I was one of the winners in the BEWITCHED contest run by Hallmark and Astro!

First contest I had won this year and I had to go and be rude to the bearer of good news! To the young lady I apologised over the phone. She was real understanding about it. Needless to say my darling better half 'pooh poohed' my win.....sigh! That is one hard jock to please!

Anyway, have a good weekend and God bless!

Another day, another insight

Seems like each day something new crops up. Changes are abound in one's life. How we deal with this is another matter. After all, life has a funny way of slapping you upside down when you least expect it! Here I am at 44, a wife and a mother, thinking about what I have done in this life to deserve all the good I have in my life. Some tell me not to look the gift horse in the mouth and just to enjoy what I have. Yeah I can live with that.

Well, mega sales again and there are 1001 things to buy but moneywise, can afford totally nothing! I would love to buy a notebook so that I can surf the net anytime, anywhere. Then there is the diamond stud earrings and cross that I've been eyeing, the LEVI'S jeans that makes me look good, the NIKE trainers I want, the new swimming costume I need, etc....etc....sigh!

Oh yeah, the new series, Desparate Housewives.......funny enough, I enjoy it. I watched the first episode and I am hooked. Then there is the other show, The Collector.....interesting to think that the horned one would need an 'assistant' to help him collect the corrupted souls. Today CSI Miami Season 3 is back! Yay! Overdose of good shows!