my last say for 2007

it's new year's eve already.

scary how time's flown past with just a blink of an eye.

for me 2007 was special as i moved into my haven @ arif, welcomed litle prince arif (our dog) into our family, completed my THEC course, read the last harry potter installment and became pregnant for the 3rd time. unfortunately, there were awfully painful moments too: the deaths of fanny, our 13-year-old alsatian, and my maternal grandma. and then the scares: both my FIL and dad were hospitalised.

i'll just have to put these episodes behind me and look ahead. really, what else can i do but move on?

i guess most people are busy with making plans for tonight - celebrating with friends and loved ones - boozing and partying to usher in 2008. we're probably having dinner with my folks before calling it a day. the hub rented a couple of VCDs so we might just have a movie marathon, if time and energy permits. (those with young kids know exactly what it's like with the energiser bunnies running amok...)

in 2008 xian will start K2 and wen's going to pre-nursery at the same kindergarten. the only reason why wen's going in a year earlier is cos xian will still be there and hopefully she'll help wen settle into a new environment. also, the baby will be arriving in mid april and with the older girls in school during the early mornings, i'll have more time to rest before they get back. hopefully.

of course, these are plans which may change according to circumstances. i'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that things will work out smoothly in 2008 for everyone.

so enjoy the last day of 2007 and may 2008 bring greater fotunate and blessings to one and all! :)

p.s. - next year i'll send some love from 3 kiddies. for now here're my cheeky monsterina (xian) and rascalrella (wen)!

ah-por's last video

this is the last video of my maternal grandma alive - we were celebrating her 85th birthday in october. my cousin's wife, althea uploaded the video onto youtube and sent us the link.

ah-por was already rather ill and weak by then, and was wheelchair-bound. but at least we managed to get her to smile a bit during the cake-cutting session. :)

goodbye ah-por

my last living grandparent left us yesterday morning at about 11am.

it wasn't a huge shock as my maternal grandma (who's about 80 i think) has not been well for the last couple of months, and i think the family's quite prepared for her death. my uncle is planning a small, modest and quiet affair for family members and close relatives, and there'll be no obituary in the newspapers.

still, i think it's going to hit us all during the funeral on thursday - and i probably won't be attending the cremation for 2 reasons:

a) i'm pregnant and am not supposed to partake in the funeral rites
b) we're supposed to drive up to genting on thursday morning itself.

my parents told me not to cancel my trip, and that i should go ahead since i'm not supposed to be even present at the wake/funeral (for superstitious reasons) as i'm already married and considered "out" of the family. but i'm still going to attend the wake (taking the necessary precautions), out of respect for her.

goodbye ah-por. we will all miss you and your famous hainanese chicken (ball) rice, abalone soup and the sumptuous spread you whip up at every family gathering. thank you for showering your care, love and concern on us all, and for the selfless sacrifices you've made for everyone. you've lived a long meaningful life and may your soul rest in peace.

i've been in love before

i'm suddenly sucked into a time warp and travelling back to the 80s...

granted, there've been some really great music in the recent years but whatever happened to all the sappy love ballads with hauntingly beautiful melodies and simple lyrics?

cutting crew's "i've been in love before" from their debut album "broadcast" is one of those gems.



I've Been in Love Before (1987)
by Cutting Crew

Catch my breath, close my eyes
Don't believe a word.
Things she said, overheard
Something wrong inside
Hits you in a minute, Ooo
Then you know you're in it, aah.

I've been in love before
I've been in love before
The hardest part is when you're in it
I've been in love before
I've been in love before

Just one touch, just one look
A dangerous dance
One small word can make me feel
Like running away
You can't say you're in it, no, until you reach the limit

I've been in love before
I've been in love before
The hardest part is when you're in it
I've been in love before
I've been in love before

I've been in love before
I've been in love before
The hardest part is when you're in it
I've been in love before
I've been in love before

I've been in love
The hardest part is when you're in it
I've been in love
I've been in love before

heaven give me words

here's one of my all-time favourite songs from a relatively obscure german band propaganda.

and i have been trying - without much luck - to buy the CD album "1234". i have the cassette tape though. shows how "old school" this 1990 song is...and how old i am too.

*sheeeeesh*

grandparents rock!

last week, both FIL and MIL visited hong kong and macau with 2nd BIL's family.

it was a good break for them as they've been staying with us, mostly to help look after my 2 kids while both the hub and i slog to earn more moo-lah to feed our expanding family. my folks usually relieve them on tuesdays and fridays when the girls go over to terrorise their other set of grandparents.

unfortunately, i wasn't able to clear leave because it was the last week of school before the mid-term test/break, and there were some assessments which i needed to conduct. my only option was to mobilise my parents - but that meant disrupting their activity-packed schedules like qi-gong on certain mornings/evenings, tai-chi, dad's weekly wednesday stag-only luncheons with his old buddies, mum's lunch/tea appointments with her yogamates etc.

but my parents gamely set aside their plans for that week to help out with the kids. they'd drive over every morning between 9.30 to 10.30 (that's when the girls rise and shine), get the kids to have some breakfast, sometimes stay over for lunch before hauling them back to their own home till the hub and i are done for the day and collect the brats - which is usually around 9 to 10 in the evening.

i was hoping that the girls would sleepover at my folks so that i wouldn't have to worry about leaving them alone at home with our foreign domestic helper (who's still quite new to our household and not familiar with the girls' routines) during the time we're off to work, before my folks drop by. after much coaxing, xian agreed to spend a night at her grandparents, but naturally wen was resistant to the idea so the younger one followed us home.

and as expected, xian called me the next day and asked if she could stay over for another night. :) as a kid, i often had sleepovers at my cousins' and aunts' homes during the school. it was considered a real treat and was infinitely more fun than staying alone at home.

so my folks had the herculean task of grandparenting xian and wen for the week. as usual, during the weekends, this mumsy takes over so i was too busy to call them or collect the house keys back. and every few hours, wen kept bugging me with "i wanna go grand-dee's house!"

it was only yesterday when i got back to work (ironically the weekends are my most hectic because i'm at the girls' beck and call for 48 hours) that i managed to catch my breath. that's when i sent an sms to both mum and dad, thanking them for helping out with the rascals. being brought up in a typically conservative asian household (we're already considered less formal than the hub's family), i just find it odd to pick up the phone or say "thank you" personally to my folks.

so i was really, really, i mean REALLY surprised when i got a reply from dad: "Always a pleasure."

it was a simple, sweet message...but...coming from my dad??? wow.

mum's reply was more in-tune with her character: "Wat r grandparents 4 :-)"

yes. complete with sms-speak, abbreviated spelling and a smiley face. cool, eh?

ah, the wonders of technology. it's certainly aided in fostering closer family relationships somehow.

year end holidays

we're heading for a short drive trip up to genting highlands in malaysia...

...together with the hub's entire family.

that's 3 cars, 8 adults, 6 kids altogether.

the plan is to leave really early in the morning (because it's a public holiday) for genting on 20 december, stay for 2 nights, drive down to malacca for a night before coming back home on 23 december. we're booked at theme park hotel (i think - BIL made the arrangements) and renaissance melaka hotel. it's going to be a really short trip. we'd love to stay on a little longer but had to take into consideration the hub's 2nd brother's work schedule, amongst other things.

it's been ages since i visited genting - my last trip was in 1989! genting was an obvious choice because the adults would be preoccupied at the casinos while the kids would be thrilled with the rides at the theme park.

the kids are looking forward to the trip, naturally. my 2 older nieces wanted to sit in our car (cos the hub fixed up a portable DVD player to keep the girls entertained during the long hours in the car) but there won't be enough room for them to squeeze in the backseat even though we've got an MPV. there isn't enough leg room for them in the last row - rather, it would be miserably uncomfortable and crampy during the few hours in the car. besides, i need to sit with and watch my own 2 monsterinas in the back. and my ballooning body needs lotsa comfy stretching space.

this won't be the hub's first drive up to malaysia, but dad was right beside navigating him in our june holiday. this time round, he's going to rely heavily on the new packard bell GPS system he installed specially for the trip. and, of course i'll try to help in the map-reading even though i'm no expert. :P

honestly, i don't know what to expect during the trip. travelling in a convoy of relatively "green-horned to malaysian roads" drivers isn't going to be smooth sailing. there's always a high possibility that one of the cars might take a wrong turn, especially when we hit the main traffic. plus there'll be 6 hyperactive kids, 2 senior citizens and 1 pregnant woman (that's me) to content with. we'll have to accommodate certain dietary requirements and fussy eaters (guilty as charged, again). no mean feat? think again!!!

so perhaps it's a blessing that it's only going to be a short holiday...heh heh.