my birthday present

2 sundays ago, on fathers' day, the hub mentioned that he wanted drive to balestier (that's the area we frequented last year when we were scouting for lighting and bathroom fixtures for our new home).

i was a little puzzled and asked if we needed to replace or buy more lights. he gave me a grin and mysteriously replied, "let's go. you'll see soon."

while we got changed, i racked my brains to think of what could possibly be so exciting in balestier. then i recalled that a few days back, the hub had shown me pictures of 2 german shepards from sydney, australia, the parents of a 4-month-old puppy he was keen to buy. the hub was cooing and gushing over how beautiful the mother was, and how strong and handsome the father looked.

i had a sneaking suspicion that we were going to view the dog. i also know for a fact that the hub still misses fanny and wants another canine to join our family. when asked, the hub neither confirmed nor denied my queries but just smiled widely.

i quickly bundled the girls into the car - and (i didn't admit this) was excited over the prospect of seeing the dog. we walked into soo kee kennel and met with kelly who'd been in touch with the hub. (it was only then that i realised the hub had ALREADY visited the shop to view the dog.) there were also 2 other german shepard puppies who'd recently arrived from another australian breeder, so we took turns to view/play with them all for about 2 hours before we decided on the original puppy named hilltop elliot. he was also the most expensive of the lot - S$4,000.

the moment we indicated to kelly our intention to buy the puppy, the hub turned to me and flashed his signature goofy grin.

"Happy Birthday! this is your birthday present!"

wow. i was touched. this has got to be the most expensive gift i've EVER received.

we took him home on sunday itself, and spent another few hundred dollars on his food, accessories and removable metal gate. the hub wasn't too fond of the name 'elliot' so we bounced off a few options. he opted for the popular macho-sounding 'rocky' and scrunched up my face - "you might as well call him 'rambo' or 'arnie'!". finally we all agreed to call him 'arif" since we live on jalan arif.'arif' also means 'knowledgeable' in arabic.

it's been almost 3 weeks since little arif's arrival and he's proving to be quite a handful. but initially he didn't even bark, and the hub was worried he was mute. a few hours after arif came home, he got bored and wanted attention, so he started to whine. thankfully, he doesn't bark unnecessarily. in fact he's barked twice only so far - which is great. otherwise, the neighbours might complain.

arif's pretty good (mild tempered, not overly excited or eager) with young children too having been raised in an environment with kids. xian is especially close to him and since the day he came to live with us, she's played the role of 'big sister' and even helps the hub to wash arif's sleeping area! plus, he actually listens to xian's commands to "eat", "finish your food" and "sit" more often than to mine or the hub's! xian runs around with arif and doesn't flinch with arif starts to lick her legs, hands, face and hair.

wen's a little more terrified of arif although she would cautiously wander close to his gate (when he's safely locked inside) and call out "arif". but the moment he's out, i'd have to carry her and she clings onto me tightly and curls up her legs so that arif wouldn't be able to reach up and lick her feet.

unfortunately for us, arif's been bred on a special all-natural diet: Dr Bruce's Vets All Natural (not available here in singapore) with fresh meat AND a kangaroo tail per day as a gnawing snack! the picky puppy doesn't like processed canned food or dry rations both from Science Diet, a premium (read: expensive) pet food brand and he really got us flustered when he refused to eat. even when we tried to give him his usual Dr Bruce's Vets All Natural, he ate only half the portion.

the hub relented and got arif some fresh chicken meat/bones which he lapped up eagerly. however, his system didn't take to the fresh rations well (we suspect that in our warmer, tropical climate the bacteria in fresh meat spreads faster or the meat isn't so 'fresh'.) and our little puppy prince had the runs for a couple of days. :(

it broke our hearts to see him lose weight - i reckoned he's also homesick and unconditioned to the heat and humidity, which made matters worse. the hub tried a new combination of cooked rice, mutton and yogurt which arif wolfed down eagerly. but when we tried to substitute the meat with processed canned food, he licked the yogurt and nibbled at the rice only.

on wednesday, the hub brought arif to the vet and was given some medication and a vaccination. another $150. at this rate, i'll have to sell my precious LOTR collection to pay for arif's expenses.

ARGH!

i'm happy to say that arif's appetite has improved although he still turns up his nose when we try to coax and wheedle him to eat dry rations or canned food. and he's starting to grow longer and taller. the hub's mood has changed quite a bit too. after fanny died on 12 april 2007, he's been rather moody although he masks his emotions well. arif has brought back the missing joy and many smiles on the hub's face, and perhaps given my animal-lover husband a new purpose. just earlier this afternoon, the hub texted me and suggested we take arif out to the beach this weekend.

heh, i could sniff the hub's excitement through the wireless phone networks.

from now onwards, our weekends plans will have to include the latest addition to our family - little prince arif.

being 33

it's been a week since i turned 33.

and i'm beginning to notice some subtle, yet visible, changes to my physical, emotional and psychological being.

for starters, father-time has beckoned and the early signs of ageing have left their imprint. the fine lines around my panda eyes are deeper, especially when i smile/laugh. my eye bags weigh 3kg each. and my skin has become rather dry and there's evidence of alterations in my pigmentation - tiny brown spots have sprouted on my arms.

my knees have started to creak. a few weeks ago, while i was in the middle of a reverse triangle pose at my weekly yoga class, my knee joints started to ache. i'd never experienced that pain before and when the MIL overheard me describing my discomfort to my mum, she triumphantly remarked that it was rheumatism.

according to MIL i'm suffering because of my "reckless" actions - i now realise the consequences of bathing and washing my hair late at night, and sleeping when my hair is in a semi-dry state. of course, i don't know if there's any scientific evidence to suggest that there is a co-relation between my nightly bath rituals and the aches in my knees, but according to old wives' tales, there is truth in the matter. :P

i've been blessed with 2 beautiful daughters, even though i grumble about them all the time. strangely, my biological clock is ticking faster. at 33, my chances of conceiving (should i decide to have more kids) aren't that fantastic.

of course i know of many women who have successfully gotten pregnant and delivered normal, healthy babies in their mid to late 30s. still, if i really want to have another child, i can't push it off too long.

the obvious truth is that i AM growing older. naturally, one of my greatest fears is that i would become totally unattractive to the person who matters most - there are TOO many pretty young things out there to distract even the most faithful of spouses. :(

but i haven't reached the stage of desperation where i'll seek out the fountain of youth. also, i shudder at the thought of injecting foreign substances (botox) into my skin to keep it tight and taut, and remove my crow's feet around my eyes. i'm not obsessed with looking "forever young" and i'd really like to grow old gracefully.

i started practising yoga 1 year ago and i believe i've increasing grown more patient and tolerant - perhaps i've "mellowed" with age - and i'm quite sure that my weekly yoga sessions played a huge role in realigning my physical, emotional and even spiritual well-being. i only discovered recently that the soothing music used in the yoga practices were taken off the album "embrace" by deva premal and miten, and one of the tracks which i hum to is "Om Tare Tuttare", Mother Green Tara's mantra Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha.

oh, by the way, i'm looking out for the "embrace" album. so if anyone happens to spot it in the local stores (hmv, sembawang music centre, borders, gramophone), probably in the new age section, please do let me know. the album cover looks like this:

but despite the slight physical discomforts that i'm starting to experience, i've never felt more self-assured and confident of my actions.

ironic, isn't it?

Yellow Star

guess what? i've earned a star for being a good ebayer.

and i received a "certificate" as well!

and as you may very rightly guess, all my transactions are LOTR related. yes, LOTR figurines which i bid for, won and purchased from USA, UK and Canada. unfortunately, i didn't receive 2 of the figurines as i'd arranged for them to be shipped to my cousin loong in Canada and coincidentally, his office relocated at the same time and he hadn't informed me so the toys got "lost".

tough luck. but i still managed to get some pretty good deals and saved a tidy sum as the ebay auction sites are still a lot cheaper than online toy stores like http://www.toywiz.com/ and http://www.toyglobe.com/.

as a matter of fact, more than 1/2 of my LOTR collection were purchased either through yahoo auctions in singapore (where i've made about 40+ purchases) or ebay. it seems that yahoo's got a larger fan base here as compared to ebay. but it's the reverse overseas where ebay rules the online auction arena.

and this is all jules' fault. he introduced me to yahoo auctions and i got hooked. (thanks bro. i owe you!)

i still monitor the LOTR figurine sales occasionally even though i've got about 90% of the toybiz figurines already. a couple are still priced way out of my budget - i love them but i'm not mad enough to spend USD100 on a toy. throw in shipping costs and i think the hub would file for divorce on ground of insanity. (me insane over LOTR and him insane from having to put up with my LOTR obsession.)

2 weeks back i decided to give myself a birthday treat and bought 2 LOTR figurines from ebay: Grima Wormtongue and Grishnákh which are presently at my lieutenant's home in the UK. i'll only get them when her brother returns from visiting her, probably next year. but i'm in no real hurry and besides, i need to look for shelf space to house the latest additions.

in the meantime, i'm still on a lookout for rare LOTR figurines - boxed and in mint condition no less.

holiday pictures

there. all done.

here are my Sentosa and Fraser's Hill/PJ holiday pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9106399@N08/sets/72157600388203584/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9106399@N08/sets/72157600388204926/

it got a little tedious writing the captions (which took me ages) but i figured even though it's a painful activity now, it will prove beneficial when my memory fails me in future - not too long from now. :P

marking my life away

there's a reason for my less-prompt-than-usual update.

work.

but hey, i'm finally done with my nightmarish task of essay-marking.

and i've just had enough reading 100 scripts about casinos, environmental awareness and responsibility, music, sports culture, idol mania and single-gender relationships. and all the weird fallacies surrounding these issues.

honestly, i don't know where the kids get their research material from. i'm very sure many pulled these "facts" from thin air which explains the lack of substantial depth / analysis n their work.

i have half my mind to fail them. and i would have if i was grading them purely on content. fortunately for some who are fluent in their writing, their language skills saved them.

and tomorrow's the last day of the school break. xian's heading back to kindergarten on monday and for myself, term 2 of the first semester begins as well. and i'm already expecting projects to be submitted by the first week.

disgusting how time speeds by without so much as a blink.

bleh.

back in singapore

i'm back in one piece and i survived the road trip!!!

*phew*

actually, i was back a week ago but have been too busy to update this blog site.

in truth it was a relatively smooth journey only because of 2 reasons:

1) hub installed a cheap portable DVD player in the car and we used that to distract the fidgety kids

2) i'm still breastfeeding wen who was latching on to me like a koala on a eucalyptus tree 3/4 of the drive time.

heh. so whenever i sniff a whiff of stale boredom lingering in the air (usually a pre-cursor to another sibling brawl) i quickly pull out the remote control, press a button and hey presto...silence from the kids for at least half an hour. the best part? they usually drift to sleep midway through the movie and that would deliver a peaceful spell for the adults in the car.

having my folks around to help mind the kids was also a blessing (especially since wen's glued to grand-dee when she's not stuck to the human milk machine-cum-pacifier) as that gave me about 38 seconds to catch my breath before i started running after the energetic rascals again.

my girls, i mean. not my parents.

i can hardly understand the logic though. the little imps didn't eat very much yet they never seemed to tire. don't know where they get their fuel from.

all in all, it was a good trip. the 3 days at fraser's hill was a relaxing getaway from the smog infested city. the cool countryside fresh air was a welcome. there was much nothing to do and i'll admit that it can be utterly boring but taking care of the girls' needs chalked up most of our time.

both xian and wen enjoyed the horse rides - xian's old enough to sit on the horse on her own and we took them to the paddock twice. in total, xian enjoyed 5 rounds while wen had 4 rounds (the first day the hub sat with her, the second time it was my turn). thinking back, i should have allowed wen to go for another round since it costs only RM7.00 for 2 of us.

ah well. there's always a "next time".

there was also a large playground that kept them entertained for an hour...and that was pretty much it. the rest of the time we were back at the lodgings where we cooked alphabet soup or porridge, mostly for wen, before we drove around to settle our own meals at various eating places.

poor wen had to nurse a swollen eye though. we suspect she was bitten by mosquitoes while we stopped over at auntie mag's home for a stretch and quick lunch before we continued our drive up to the hills.

so yes, my little darling had a really puffy eyelid for 2 days - and that ruined many lovely photographs though it didn't stop her from horsing around.

we left fraser's hills on saturday, drove back to petaling jaya and checked into hotel armada petaling jaya where the 4 of us (kids, hub and i) napped before we attended marcus and amelia's wedding. it was a small simple affair and like most filial children, the traditional chinese wedding dinner was staged more for the benefit of the parents than the couple themselves.

on sunday, my dearest dad scheduled appointments with his old school chums and buddies who were residing in PJ/KL, including the famous karpal singh, a reputable lawyer who was one of the lead counsel appearing for the defence of ex-malaysia deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim in 1999. we spent half our sunday at mr karpal singh's home before heading back to the hotel in the late afternoon for a short rest (while dad drove himself back to continue his "discussions" with his pals) and then proceeded to mid valley megamall for dinner and some shopping.

the following monday we took a leisure drove out of PJ, stopped over at malacca for lunch and more shopping - the hub bought a new pair of sunglasses as wen had broken his old one during the trip, i got more t-shirts for the girls and we ended up grabbing groceries at jusco. then it was homeward bound and we were back in singapore by 8pm on monday night.

*phew*

incidentally, our ever-faithful 8-year-old washing machine had to work overtime for a few days before all our soiled, smelly clothes emerged clean and freshly laundered.

it was a great time for family bonding - with my folks and the kids. and we may even do this more regularly. my dad and the hub are already discussing a possible trip up sometime in december!

looks like i've to brace myself for more road trips :P

road trip

i'm still scrambling to sort out the pictures from my Sentosa break.

do be patient. will definitely regale you with photos and tales of my short little holiday.

all i can say is that i can't believe i managed to survive with my 2 rascals - during those LOOOOOOONG hours hub was holed up in discussions with his colleagues.

now i'm swamped with work - marking to be precise - busy busy busy especially since i'll be on vacation leave again in 2 days' time.

together with my parents, we'll be setting off to Fraser's Hill on wednesday and staying at Fraser's Silverpark Resort for 3 days and then we'll be driving down to Petaling Jaya for the wedding of marcus and amelia. i managed to book 2 deluxe rooms at Hotel Armada Petaling Jaya through asiarooms.com for a pretty affordable rate at S$96 per room per night.

this will be the hub's first driving experience in malaysia. i'm sure he'll do fine - my dad will be sitting next to him to help with the navigation.

now the next challenge is to keep the kids occupied and distracted during the long drive to malaysia. hub's intending to buy a portable DVD player and install it in the car. i even visited toys "r" us to stock up on a few items which will hopefully keep them entertained when they get bored from watching the DVDs. we plan to start our journey really early in the morning so that the rascals will be sleeping most of the way.

i'm almost certain the impatient xian will ask the inevitable "are we there yet?" question several times during the drive. :P

1/2 way mark

we're in the middle of 2007 already.

this is absurd. i haven't even started with all the wonderful things on my "to-do" list for 2007!

oh well.

better get a move on it. i have 6 months to make something worthwhile out of 2007.