Of Husbands and Dogs

One of my favourite pre-wedding photos. I love the dress!

Time passes really fast. I have been so busy over the past few months that I barely had time to do much other than work, travel and sleep. And when I say travel, it is travelling from home to work and vice versa. :(

Married life is not as I imagined it would be. I don't know if other newly-weds feel the same way. My more experienced colleagues told me to 'train' my husband from the very beginning (haha...while I laughed that they sounded as though they were asking me to train a dog, I regret a little for not heeding their advice). :P

Train the husband to do what? To share the housework. While I am not the best housekeeper ( I admit I'm lousy...and glad that Jimmy doesn't complain that I don't cook, sweep and mop the house every day as I have heard from my colleagues), but I wouldn't mind if I had Jimmy trained to help with what little I do around the house. Hehe...

My efforts to 'train' him after two months of marriage failed miserably. Telling him to take out the trash one day, ended up with me taking a bag of rotting trash out days later. The garden that he had insisted to keep was left unkempt and I had to weed it alone (in anger). Luckily, I insisted on not doing anything with the aquarium that he had wanted. So now, the poor fishies are living in an aquarium of water that has not been changed since a couple of months ago.

However, it's a great thing that he enjoys cooking. Since we also have a rather well-equipped kitchen, he has been experimenting and making rather delicious meals for me. Although I must say that I would have a heck of a cleaning work to do after that because he uses almost all the pots and plates and bowls to prepare a meal. :)

Mashed potato and omelette to go with our roasted chicken

Roasted chicken with garlic and thyme

Malaysian style breakfast

6-course lunch that he prepared for my family before the wedding. My father gave him tips to improve his cooking. LOL

So, if someone asks me, "How's life, married woman?", I guess my answer is "It's like living with an untrained love-able puppy who cooks." Hahahaha...woof!

Life after marriage

Photography by William Leong.

Has it really been almost 2 months now that I have become Mrs. Tan? My tea ceremony was conducted almost a month ago now. So, what has changed since changing my marital status from single to married? Nothing much except that I have now moved into our own house. That also means that I need to wake up really early in the morning and travel about 38 km to school. That's 38 km for one way. Yeah...I know it's a norm for many people. But I was staying a mere 5 minutes' walk away from my school for 3 years! Imagine the change! :)

Other than that, having our own house means a lot of cleaning. I was very enthusiastic about the cleaning up until I moved all my things from my rented room over. All the things are still in boxes tucked away in the maid's room. Hahaha...Jimmy has been great as in he doesn't complain about the many boxes hidden in the maid's room. He also understands that I have trouble adjusting to the fewer sleeping hours and the terrible mood swings that I have because of that.

I wonder how long I need to get used to travelling and then still find the energy to clean up the house AND do my school work. Thank God I live near my parents so my mom has been helping me out with the cleaning up at least once a week! Hahahaha...Mum's the best!

My mom and dad are the best! :)

ROM 120611

I'm officially someone's Mrs. now. It's funny how Madam Tee instead of Ms. Tee makes me feel so old. Of course, I have not asked the students to change how they call me for fear that I would forget to acknowledge them when they call me. Hehe... Some of the pupils, however, have noticed the ring on my finger and the few photos on my Facebook account that they tried to call me Mrs. Tee just to see my reactions (and perhaps to see if I would tell them if I were recently married). Haha...smart kids.

So, I didn't lose any weight at all despite my attempts to do so before my pre-wedding photoshoot in less than a week. But then again, why worry about weight? Brides who are happy are always beautiful, right? :)

Outside the temple

Jimmy said that I spoiled the photo because Mr. Braun Buffel was visible. Hahahaha...that's my purse, by the way. :P

What started as regular dinners with family friends ended with a union of two of the three families. :)

I actually like this photo....hahaha...see our new and nice-looking shoes?

One done, erm...how many to go?

It is a blessing in disguise as I am bigger than the average girl. It is because of that, the range of bridal clothes available to me was slashed to about 45% from the hundreds of clothes in that shop. And I took almost 4 and a half hours to choose 8 dresses for my pre-wedding photos, the tea ceremony and the reception. I remember my sister who starved herself skinny didn't take as long. It's probably because everything looked nice on her, so it was easier. Also, she was very particular about the type of dress she wanted. But my beloved mother and sisters gave useful comments for my dresses and chose dresses that would flatter my curves rather than work against them. Love you, jie jies and mama!

Jimmy, on the other hand, was very eager to try on his coats. He didn't give much comment on the dresses because 3 girls against 1 guy. Haha...and when it was finally his turn to try on his coat, it took him only 5 minutes. Haha...too bad la...weddings are owned by girls'. :P

So now, I've ticked the wedding dresses off my list. What else? Hmm....

...

...

...

You know, I'm sure there are more to do about the wedding. Haha...Let me just go and enjoy my school holiday first. :P

Getting wha?

Following the Chinese Hokkien custom that when there is any death in the family, any celebrations must be done within a hundred days or wait for 3 years. Hence, my wedding has to be rescheduled to take place within the hundred days. Truth is, I had actually wanted to wait for the three years but it is not fair for certain parties; so, everything has to be done in lightning speed.

From expecting to be married at the end of the year or sometime next year, I got the date from the Feng shui Master for Sepember this year, and now, I'm suddenly going to be registered in June and have the Chinese ceremony in July. Wow...It is hard to digest. :)

So, what have I done so far for my wedding? Erm...I did start a diet. And then I lost control and almost gained back all the weight I'd lost. Jimmy and I have started the renovation works to our house with almost no input from me as I do not care much for designs, compared to practicality.

Everyone around me has been asking me if I am stressed out. Truth is, I think the reality hasn't sunk in. Hahaha...I think I will feel the stress when I try on wedding dresses that don't fit well the day after tomorrow. -.-"

In the meantime, let's just chill. =)

Krabi Day One

Once we touched down in Krabi, fellow passengers started congratulating us. It was too bad that Jimmy was too nervous that he did not ask someone to take photographs or video of the situation. Nevertheless, it will always be ingrained in my memory. :)

On the way to the taxi, when the both of us had calmed down, Jimmy started to recount the things that he had memorized prior to the proposal (something along the lines of "we have been together for more than two years now and would you give me the honour of being my wife"). And then I complained that he had actually thrown the box at me. Hehehe...

Once we reached the hotel, the receptionists were whispering to each other. When we entered the room, it was decorated as shown in the previous post, in case the bouquet couldn't be sent on board. That was when Jimmy went down on one knee and proposed in Mandarin. Awww...



Another angle of the deco on the bed.



After a short rest, we went to hunt for food near the hotel that we stayed at. We had the most delicious Seafood Tom Yam that we had in our short trip to Thailand in a nearby Dutch restaurant (the area that we stayed in catered mostly to Caucasians).



The very good Tom Yam and so-so Green Curry



After that, we wanted to explore the Ao Nang beach which is about 15 minutes' walk. The place was previously partially destroyed by the 2001 tsunami. They have rebuilt it and the place looks really good now. Along the way, these two lazy fat bums decided to rent a scooter (eventhough neither of us have a license although Jimmy used to ride a motorcycle in his Uni days). The scooter rental was only 200 baht for 24 hours! Cheap!



At Ao Nang beach



Thank goodness for this scooter!



At night, as we were walking along the touristy area, a couple from the Air Asia flight recognised Jimmy. Haha...and the lady was like, isn't he the fella who proposed on the airplane? :)

The night was still young, so I went to have cheap manicure and pedicure done. At around 8, we decided to have seafood for dinner. We chose a restaurant which looked quite good. The food and service were disappointing. The only thing good was its ambience and the dessert.



Mango with glutinous rice and coconut milk.



Love is in Air Asia

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is a special announcement." The voice of the head steward on the flight to Krabi woke me and other passengers from our naps. We must be nearing our destination now. Hmm..Jimmy was not at his seat.

"Love is in the air," the steward, Mr. Afif, continued. "We have a special proposal here from Mr. Jimmy to his girlfriend, Ms. Jiawen."

Oh. My. God.



There was a round of applause as Jimmy walked towards me (from behind the head steward) with a bouquet of flowers and a ring in his hand. I couldn't believe it! Jimmy, who is the most un-romantic guy I've ever dated, was proposing to me in front of so many people?! People craned their necks to see who the lucky girl was as Jimmy quickly sat next to me giggling nervously.



The bouquet of flowers and ring Jimmy gave me on the plane



I couldn't believe it. My hands shook as I opened the box with the diamond ring inside. Jimmy took it and slipped it into my ring finger (he forgot to ask the all-important question). There was another round of applause as the head steward congratulated the "future Mr. and Mrs. Tan".



He slipped the ring into my finger before asking the Question.





So, that is making a long story short. LOL...

Jimmy's plan started a few weeks earlier with him asking Air Asia's help to bring up the bouquet of flowers that he got from Mid Valley (and was sent to LCCT in a taxi). At first, his request was rejected. Then, a Mr. Jonathan from the Customer Care picked up his case and agreed to help.

On the day when we were supposed to leave for Krabi, Jimmy got a phone call from his boss and numerous calls which he did not pick up. I did not think much of it as it was a Thursday. When we reached the airport, Jimmy's parents decided to park the car and wait with us. I did not think much of it also as I thought the parents wanted to have lunch with us. Jimmy went off to look for a clean toilet as he told me he had a stomachache. We waited for half an hour and I got angry because we had to check in soon.

After we had checked in, Jimmy claimed that his sub-contractor had come to LCCT to meet him as he had some urgent documents for him to sign. I believed him as his phone did not stop ringing the entire morning. So, that was how he had managed to pass the bouquet of flowers to Mr. Jonathan, who brought it into the plane, without alerting me. :)

Jimmy's original plan was for Mr. Afif to hide the bouquet of flowers in his cart and push it to us as we were nearing Krabi but he did not have a chance to tell him that before we boarded the plane. When Mr. Afif approached Jimmy and asked if he had ordered a meal, Jimmy answered "no", to which Mr. Afif tried another tactic and said that there must had been a mistake and insisted Jimmy to follow him to the front. As Jimmy realised what was going on, he became extremely nervous. Looking at the almost full plane, he forgot all his plans and all the things that he was supposed to say to me. So, when Mr. Afif asked Jimmy how he wanted him to help, Jimmy was totally blank. That was why Mr. Afif took it upon himself to announce the proposal and Jimmy forgot to ask me the question. :)

Well, it would have been a big YES anyway. But it was truly a memorable proposal. THANK YOU AIR ASIA, especially to Mr. Jonathan (from Customer Care) and Mr. Mohd. Afif (the head steward on the AK 804 flight to Krabi on 17th March 2011).

Special arrangements made by Jimmy at the hotel for Proposal Plan B.

 P/S: Jimmy went down on one knee and popped the question when we reached the hotel afterwards.  :)

Do you have any proposal stories to share? :)

Demoted

I am officially playing second fiddle to my 6 month old niece. My father declared it the other day when he asked if I wanted to join my mom and him for a holiday with their friends. I was happy for a while until he said that since The Precious couldn't join them because she was teething, he called me, the second Precious. -_____-"

At 2 months old. This was what she liked to do. =)

At about 4 months old, puts everything into her mouth. Even mommy's T-shirt.

Who you calling Botak Head?

Showing off her ability to turn at 5 months old.

Actually, I don't mind. She is the cutest thing! Hehe...

The day I almost lost Baby

Baby lost her right eye last week. It happened so fast that I didn't even realise it until the maid told me. She has been reluctant to move these 2 weeks. She is now totally blind due to cataracts to both her eyes. I've read that cataracts aren't removable on dogs. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know.

When I called out to her on Sunday morning, she wagged her tail and came out of hiding, banging her head and body against walls. And when I looked at her, I started crying because she seemed to be on her last legs. She hadn't been eating well because she couldn't find her food or water, I think. The maid told me that Baby had been falling into the drains and did not want to come out.

While I was weeping while patting Baby, Jimmy noticed that there were a lot of flies around her. When he bent down, he saw gaping holes at her neck area and they were bleeding. My first thought was that some dog must have bitten her. I called the vet but he was in surgery and his assistant told me to call again the next day.

Monday morning came and I was preparing myself for the worst. Baby is 13 years old this year, which is equivalent to 91 dog years. I don't want her to suffer. When I reached home, the maid complained that Baby was very grumpy because she couldn't see and she would snap at the maid whenever the maid tried to get her out of drains or under the car. But the maid had already bathed Baby and got her ready to go to the vet's. By this time, Baby's wound was dripping blood and she smelled of rotten meat.

The journey to the vet's was easy as Baby sat quietly and with my hand protectively on her head. She didn't seem to mind not being able to see at that time. When I reached the vet's, he took a look at her and asked if I had time to take care of an old dog like her because many more ailments are bound to come. As much as I prepared myself for the worst, I burst into tears.

I told the doctor to look at Baby's wound first and treat that before saying anything else. It turned out that Baby had a maggot infection. It started with a small scratch wound that attracted flies to lay eggs in it. The vet tried  to pull a maggot out to show me, but Baby whined in pain so he stopped. I had two options: put Baby to sleep or put her under anaesthesia so that the vet could treat the maggot infection with the risk that she might suffer a heart attack or never wake from the anesthesia.

I called my mother and she suggested that I put her down. Why let her suffer, she asked? I was crying uncontrollably by then. I really don't want her to suffer. Jimmy shouted at me for wanting to give up on Baby so easily. I wasn't giving up on her. I cared for her too much that I can't see her suffer in old age. The vet left me alone to think about it for about an hour. A second call from Jimmy made me realise that I really couldn't give up on her so easily. She came with me to the vet happily because she trusted me. She was sitting on the surgery table comfortably because she was leaning against me and because she knew I was there. How could I put her to sleep just because I think she was suffering? She surely didn't look as though she was suffering! Uncomfortable, yes. Unable to adapt because she is newly blind, yes. But she was not suffering.

I took the chance that she might suffer from a heart attack. It's God's will if she died on the surgery table. The doctor put her under anaesthesia and she suffered from spasms for about a minute. I thought I had lost her then. But, everything was well. After a 45 minute surgery, the 20 over maggots that were about 1cm each was taken out and the wound cleared.

(Googled for image)

Baby was knocked out for about 6 hours in total. When I left that night, she couldn't move her body yet but she was blinking and wagging her tail when I touched her. Thank God for Jimmy for talking me out of making the worst decision ever!

I know in my heart that there might come a day in the near future that I might have to make the decision again. But I'm grateful for the days, weeks and months that Baby still has with us.

Love is in the air

Wow...time truly flies. Before we know it, February is coming to an end. Everything seemed to have happened in a whirlwind after the Chinese New Year.

This Valentine's Day brought a surprise to me. Well, a day after the Valentine's to be exact. Jimmy actually took the initiative to take me to a romantic candle light dinner! He booked the place for 730 p.m. and after a day of strolling in Mid Valley, we went to the restaurant. Too many people booked or the person whom Jimmy called was irresponsible; no table was reserved for us. Luckily, we were early, so there were still tables for us.

After placing our order, we sat in the romantic ambience. We overheard the people at the next table saying that the service is very slow, which is fine by most of the lovebirds there. So, we sat and waited and waited. And waited. And waited. Jimmy was in a good mood because he was looking for information on his phone. I was getting more and more impatient. A couple who came later than us had already got all their food...stupid me thought that they had ordered only the main course while we had order set meal, so maybe that was the reason. We got our entree after half an hour of waiting. What finally got me angry was that the table next to us who came at least an hour after us got their main course before us. I mentioned it to the waiter and the waiter said that the food was on the way. Wow, does it take an hour for the restaurant to cook the food? By this time, Jimmy had come out of his trance and was angry too. The romantic mood was ruined.

Finally, we got our main course after twenty minutes. Jimmy had wanted to leave and I was so angry that I actually didn't touch the food even though I was hungry. And if you had noticed, I didn't mention about getting our appetizer.

After wolfing down the pitifully small main course in silence, because both of us were irritated, I told the waiter to serve our appetizer and dessert together. Yay...that finally got their attention. They've made a blunder with our order and they haven't served us our appetizer! The captain apologised and said that the dessert can be served in a short time.

The restaurant gave us 2 complimentary cakes to make up for their inefficient service. Too bad, that will be the first and the last time I'll ever go there. Since they have apologised, I will not bad-mouth the restaurant in this blog. Haha...but if anyone recommends a romantic restaurant in the Jalan Dewan Bahasa area, be prepared! We reached at 7, ordered at 725, got our entree at  8 plus, got our main course at 845, got our appetizer at around 920, finished our dessert at 940 or so, got our complimentary cakes at 945 and left the place at almost 10. Haha....Or maybe it's just my luck. :)

Candle light dinner

Flowers that Jimmy got for me in Cameron Highlands because roses are CHEAP there. HOPELESS!

My laptop still works!

Phew...it has been two months plus since my last post. And today, I finally sat in front of the laptop and turned it on. A lot of work has got to be done by tonight (after I update myself with the going-ons at Facebook, other people's blogs and finish reading my e-mail).

The past two months have been rather relaxed. Spending time with my family has been great, and I appreciate the time with my parents even more now. My grandmother who is 92 suffered from a mild stroke two months ago. It is sad to see a proud woman like her being treated like a toddler because she can no longer move around. Sigh...live the day as though there is no tomorrow. I need to spend as much time with my family as possible. That's my resolution.

Taking our parents out on a trip to Cameron Highlands. Major sponsors: sister and bro-in-law. My role? Menyibuk-ing. :P

I love my old man

I was reading a blog post about a day out with papa and was suddenly inspired to write about MY days out with my beloved papa. :)

The way with typical Chinese family where both parents are Chinese-educated is that the children will never be really close buds with the parents. My family is one of these families. I grew up knowing that my parents love us very much but in their own ways. There never was any outward displays of affection. My father was strict but he never raised his hands on us (except for one time, which I still complain about until today).

So anyway, my siblings and myself were always closer to my mother when we were younger. Then, when my eldest brother and sister went to study overseas, my father must have suddenly realised that children grow up very fast and that he must spend some time with his younger two. So, my elder sister and myself got all my father's attention from the time when I was about 9.

Being the youngest, I got away with a lot of things with my father. And to be fair, my sister was my mom's favourite, and I became the apple of my father's eye. My dad and I used to quarrel a lot...and we actually enjoyed the tongue sparring. =)

Recently, (well not so recently actually), I went on a movie-date with my dad. A lot of people looked at us in a strange manner, possibly thinking that I was my dad's young wife. LOL We were at the airport once and my dad was buying me bottles of perfume when the cashier tactfully asked for our relationship and I had to call my dad "Papa" so many times because people were giving us looks.

And my friends all think that it is so nice to be going out with your dad because our dads' generation just don't do these kinds of thing!

Ooh...I also go shopping with my dad quite often...as in buying household stuff. Hehe...Sigh...and to the little sprouts' mama: don't worry, your children will understand that their papa loves them very much when they are a little bit older. :)

To all you Chinaman papas out there, go take your kids out la. It's really not that bad! ;)

Googled for image. Love the warmth. Can you feel it? :)

He loves me, he loves me not...

Ahhh...the smell of coffee wafting through the air is the best wake-up call for a non-working Monday! Hehe...yup, that's what you can expect, being a teacher/student, so don't be jealous. LOL

___________________________________________________________________________________

Anyway, I don't get it with kids these days. They want to grow up fast and they grow up so fast that it scares you. The boyfriend-girlfriend thing in the Year 6 classes is rampant after UPSR. And I am actually surprised that the "smarter" students are especially keen and excited over them. They profess their love and relationship openly on Facebook and in the class. Gosh...I don't know whether to laugh or to shout at them. I mean what's the rush? I hope they are not doing anything else that is not for their age...

Thinking back, my first crush was my best friend in Year One. He's now married to his high-school sweetheart. LOL...yup, we used to play together all the time. Erm...actually, do you even consider that a crush?

I remember my first real crush was on a Indian-Muslim senior when I was in Form 3. Yup, emotionally-late boomer. But I thought it was all right. Of course, I didn't do anything about the crush because I knew nothing would come out of it, and if he had liked me too, I would not go on with a relationship because I knew that studies are more important.

After that, I had a crush on my ICQ friend. And that was when I was in Form Five. I almost started dating him until my mom put a stop to it and that was that. From a young age, I told my dad to match make for me. You know, I always thought that parents know best. And I actually asked my dad for permission to go out on dates and told him the funny things that boys do/talk about when they were courting his youngest daughter. Gosh...I miss those days.

My next huge crush is on my Indian classmate, especially when he was singing and playing the guitar. And I almost had a second date with him until he found out that I was on the verge of going steady with our schoolmate. Shucks... =P

And at the age of 22, I started dating seriously. Yup, I was 22 (not 12!!). My own choice, but after 2 and a half years, we broke up.

Meeting Jimmy at the age of 25, I think my days of crushes and flirting with other guys are over. My dad is happy. His parents are happy. LOL. But, I don't think I'm ready for marriage yet though. Maybe it's because he hasn't asked me properly yet *hint*! Hahaha...

The first time he actually planned for a surprise. 2nd bouquet of flowers after a year plus together (at that time). Hahaha...

Dreading THE day...

Dear all,

Meet Hunter. I was browsing at my photos and I realised that I have not uploaded this photo from a few months ago. And sad to say, this is the only photo I have of that crazy dog because he wouldn't stop moving/twitching/howling when he saw me. He looks beautiful especially when he is running. Jimmy sometimes gets imaginative and says that it is so touching to see Hunter run towards me from very far away when he hears me call his name (ala long-lost Lassie with its owner)...until Hunter crashes so hard into me and then runs away again. LOL.

I am suddenly saddened by the thought that his mother, Baby, might not be with us for long. I just found out that her brother from the same litter suddenly died 4 days ago. Her health has deteriorated rapidly since the beginning of this year. And as you can see from the photo, she has cataract in one eye. Jimmy and myself noticed that in the past two weeks that she may be almost completely blind now as she bangs her head against our legs and follows us everywhere that way. =(

I really can't bear knowing that she may have to leave me soon. My companion for 12 years. I really wouldn't know what to do if I receive the heart-breaking news. God, please, let her be with us for at least another few years. Or, let her leave the world peacefully without much suffering.

Argh...I don't know! I want her to be with me but it is sad to see that she is no longer herself!  Sigh...how do you deal with this kind of loss, or this kind of dread? My family can't understand my feelings. Of course, they love her (as much as they could love a dog). But to them, a dog is just that...a dog. SIGH...

I love you a lot, Baby. I hope you know that even though there are two other dogs around, I still love you best...

Back from the busy days

Phew...it has been a while since I last updated my blog. I really don't know how did time fly by so fast. I was swamped with work because I am teaching 3 Year 6 classes this year. Before I knew it, the UPSR is over and I had to deal with other work such as my university assignments and erm...spending money. LOL

So what has gone on? Well, there is the arrival of my darling niece. Meet Anabelle. Isn't she adorable? She's only a few weeks old and she has stolen the hearts of all who have seen her. She does the cutest things: not suck when her mummy gives her plain water to rinse her mouth after milk, smile and coo when you talk to her, calls for you when she knows that your attention is not on her etc etc. Ahyi loves you a lot!



And then here's something funny to share with you. Look at number 7 and guess what vegetable is the child trying to write. :) Have a great weekend ahead.



Challenge

Ok..here's a challenge to all Malaysians and Selangor people who are no longer in school:

Can you type out the entire lyrics of these two songs without Googling/cheating? Negaraku and Lagu Negeri Selangor. :)

More tomorrow. Cheers!

I didn't realise until when I Googled for these flags' images that the star on the Selangor flag is slanted. Is it supposed to be so? 

Presents, presents, presents

My family loves me! ^O^

Although I complain all the time about petty things, being the youngest definitely has its perks. My brother and sisters have been working long enough to pamper me with some things now and then (not to mention the generous ang paus I've been getting from them for years!) :P My parents are retired and have lots of time for me. Muahahaha....

You know, sometimes, when people say that the youngest are normally the spoilt ones, I can definitely agree to that. :)

My favourite present...Charlie :) 21st birthday present!

My 25th birthday present

On the right, a partial image of my 23rd birthday present. On my right in the photo, my 24th year's Christmas present ;P and in his arms, my 21st birthday present. Hehehe...

Ooh...and my most recent loot. :) A Burberry bag! Love lots!! :)

I Love Malaysia

I had the opportunity to be a part of the pilot programme of Sahabat 1Malaysia. I don't know if I am allowed to blog about it, so I'll just go briefly over.

It was an amazing experience. I was surprised actually that so many of our Malay friends are so unlike the ignorant, attention-grabbing politicians that we have and actually dislike the politicians as much as the non-Malays. All this while, the questions burning in my heart were buried because we can never know who we can discuss racial issues with with an open mind. Some may look as though they are open-minded but in actual they are not. This course, however, gathered selected people who are educated and objective during discussions.

I have yet to have the guts to ask questions that are truly sensitive. I don't think some people can accept my questions. Just as my fellow non-Malays who cannot accept the historical fact that our grandparents' grandparents came to this land to earn money to be sent home to their families back in China/India. I must stress that although it is a historical fact, over the years, our forefathers had settled down here and MADE THIS THEIR HOME. And like my facilitator said, MALAYSIA IS NOT MALAYSIA WITHOUT THE CHINESE, THE INDIANS AND THE OTHER RACES. So, even though history showed that our forefathers may not be loyal to this land and the king, it changed along the way and many of us if not all of the previous generation and this generation and our generations to come are Setia kepada Raja dan Negara (loyal to the King and contry).

Our country should be run by people like my facilitator, not ignorant fools who see the world through narrow eyes and speak without processing.

I love this country. I love the people. I love the food. I love the culture. I love the differences that we have and the similarities that we share. I am trying to do what I can to neutralize the deep dislike in some people about our country. I am trying to spread the word and the love for our country. I am trying to clarify the many misunderstandings created by our ignorant politicians at the grassroots. I am trying my best to make this beloved country of mine peaceful for me, my family, my children and my children's children too.

Enjoy this beautiful and meaningful song from the late Sudirman. Brings tears to my eyes (although Jimmy shakes his head not comprehending). ^_^

Warisan

Di sini lahirnya sebuah cinta
Yang murni abadi sejati
Di sini tersemai cita-cita
Bercambah menjadi warisan

* Andaiku terbuang tak diterima
Andai aku disingkirkan
Ke mana harusku bawakan
Ke mana harusku semaikan cinta ini

Betapa
Di bumi ini ku melangkah
Ke utara selatan timur dan barat
Ku jejaki

Aku
Bukanlah seorang perwira
Gagah menjunjung senjata
Namun hati rela berjuang
Walau dengan cara sendiri
Demi cinta ini

(ulang *)Ku ingin kotakan seribu janji
Sepanjang kedewasaan ini
Ku ingin sampaikan pesanan
Akulah penyambung warisan

Funny but true...

Read this in an e-mail and couldn't help smiling. :) Jimmy, study this carefully!

NINE WORDS THAT WOMEN USE:
1. FINE: Used to end an argument and cue for you to shut up.

2.5 MINUTES: Depending on situation. If she wants you to wait for 5 minutes, it could mean 5 minutes or half an hour. If she tells you that you have 5 minutes, it means 5 minutes.

3.NOTHING: The calm before the storm. You should be on your toes. (Arguments normally start with NOTHING and ends with FINE)

4.GO AHEAD: It is a dare, not a permission. DON'T DO IT!

5.LOUD SIGH: In women's vocabulary, it is a word full of meanings but often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means that she thinks you are an idiot and she wonders why she is wasting her time and effort arguing with you about NOTHING (Refer No.3).

6.THAT's OK: The most dangerous phrase a woman can say to a man. She is thinking long and hard how to make you pay for what you have done.

7. THANKS: Just accept it. Don't question it. Reply with a courteous "You're Welcome"

8. WHATEVER: A woman's way of saying FU** YOU!!!

9.DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I'LL DO IT: Another dangerous statement, meaning there is something that she has asked you to do several times but is now doing it herself. This will normally result in you asking her "What's wrong?" for which she will respong NOTHING. THEN YOU SHOULD RUN!

I thank God(s)

I wake up this morning feeling absolutely great! I am so touched that I am so loved by my family, friends, pets and the Gods above! Why am I suddenly so grateful (seeing that I have been an absolute ungrateful brat before this)? I don't know. Enlightened, I suppose. ;)

I thank Gods above for my beautiful family. I realise now that my parents, brother and sisters and their families love me unconditionally and are worried about me all the time. They would walk on fire or shelter me from rain with their own bodies if there is the need. It was unfortunate that there is the communication break down within the family that makes each of us forget how much the other loves us sometimes. But I am determined to not let that happen to me again.

I thank Gods above for my extended family. Without you, Ah Yi and Ashley, I think I will not realise how much my parents have done for me. I'm sorry for my MIA status for over 2 months, but I did not want to repeat myself like a broken recorder and be reminded of the difficult times. :) Now that all is well, you can question me all you want. :)

I thank Gods above for Brian. It is definitely quite unusual among the people I know to still be friends with their ex. It is great that he is such an awesome and understanding guy. Girls, this guy is amazing! (Hey B, lemme know if my advertisement for you works, k?) ;)

I thank Gods above for my lovely friends...William, Linesh, Vilo, Melwin, Woon, MeiJu, Hwa Cheat, Sara, Ming Keat, Jarrod, Siaw Hui, Sin Yuan, Sophia, Joshua Paul, Jono, KY and others who were truly worried about me when they heard rumours of the break up but dared not ask for fear of intrusion. Haha...you guys are the greatest...And again, sorry for my MIA status.

I thank Gods above for my good looks and kindness. Hahahahahaha...You people who have/had crushes on me, better 'fess up or risk losing me to another person! Muahahaha...I know Vilo, you have told me so many times, let others have a chance! Hahahaha...

I thank Gods above for my job (and with that, my patience). Teaching brings much satisfaction sometimes. And some of the kids make you really passionate about teaching and helping them do better in their lives.

I thank Gods above for my lovely pets - Baby, Charlie, Hunter and Kristy. Baby for not biting me much these days and only welcomes me with a helicopter tail. Hehe...when she was slightly younger, she'd be so excited to see me that she could fly bottoms up because her tail was spinning wildly. For other family members, she would just wag her tail. :) And those of you who have seen Charlie would know that he follows me around as though he can't bear to be apart from me even for one second (except when my mom is eating snacks in the kitchen). Hunter, for all his craziness leapts as though his legs were springs when I'm at home. And poor Kristy who used to snap at me is on her last legs after my mom bought Bobby(which is dead after 2 weeks) home to accompany her. I didn't know that turtles are even more violent than dogs when they fight for dominance.

I have much more to be thankful for. Right now, it is for KFC. Hahaha...am off to have my finger linkin' good lunch now.

Amen, Amin, Namo Amitabha, ohm Shanti shanti shanti...