My $0.02 Worth of Thoughts

My Apparent Addictive Nature

2010-03-01T15:04:00.001-08:00

My husband says I have an addictive nature. I guess it is true. When I am into something, I can’t/won’t let go of it until I am thoroughly sick of it or done with it. He cites two recent things that I was hooked on. One was Farmtown. I was obsessed with it and was farming day and night until I got my mansion on the hill. Now I don’t even bother going in to water my dying plants. Now, I am hooked on a game on my Ipod Touch. It’s not even that great a game, but addictive to me nonetheless. It’s called Alchemist, for those who are curious to know what it is. 
The earliest memory I have of my ‘addictive’ nature is when I was probably 10 years old. I would get a new Enid Blyton story book and just have to finish it. I remember waking up at 3am in the morning and reading it in the bathroom. My favorite is still the Magic Faraway Tree. In fact, I have a copy of it on my bookshelf. And this is the very reason I have not started reading the famed Twilight series. Those books are thick and I do not wish to neglect my family when I have my nose stuck in the book at days on end.
I like to say that I am passionate about it, instead of the term ‘addictive’. Sounds more positive. Haha. This same nature of mine works for the worse when I want something. I won’t stop thinking about it until I get it. Right now, I want an Iphone. I don’t even know why. I have an Ipod Touch. It works the same minus the data plan and voice. I could get a mi-fi to go with my Ipod Touch. I have thought about it. But I am not sure if 5GB is enough to last me a month. It would be my sole home internet provider. My husband has his laptop and I have my Ipod Touch. Will 5 GB be enough? What are your thoughts?

Facebook - the downfall of blogging

2010-02-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

Blogging slowed to a stop after I signed up on Facebook. How sad. I am reading the posts I made here and it certainly brings back sweet and funny memories. I shall contrive to start again. Although I should also confess that going back to work does not leave me with a whole chunk of time to update my blog.
Anyhoo, life has been interesting. Got involved again in worship ministry in the beginning of last year and now, one year later I am no longer in the church. Drama, drama. But not really. Just believe that God has something different in store for us and we shall see what it is. I believe that a lot of change will be happening in our lives.
On the homefront, the husband does not like to take me out to eat anymore. (Have I blogged about this before?) He says that the meals I cook for him is so much better that he cannot imagine paying money for bland food. In fact, he just called me the best cook yesterday! You must know that when I came to live in the US almost 10 years ago, I did not know how to cook. Well I can cook instant noodles but that was the extent of my expertise in the kitchen. The first year of our married life, my husband was the one who taught me how to cook scrambled eggs, pancakes, spaghetti and meatballs. I have come a long way. Well not much choice really. I guessed I learned to cook out of desperation. There is only so many cheeseburgers and sandwishes I want to eat on a daily basis. No nasi lemak, curry laksa, roti canai, chicken rice, hokkien mee, har meen, chap fan at a moment's notice. People living in Malaysia must take this for granted!
My passion is food, can you tell? :)
Cael is a good boy...most of the time. I think he is very well-behaved. That is what most people tell us when they meet him. So I will take their word for it! :)

Recap 2008

2009-01-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Here are the highlights of 2008.

January - Finally got hired permanently with Ferguson. Did not expect this as people were getting laid off everywhere I turned! Ferguson is a distributor of plumbing supplies ie, bathtubs, toilets, showers, water heaters, so the housing crisis directly impacted the company. SO THANK GOD I still have a job!

Cael turned 2 on the 29th. No birthday party. Just a tiny gathering with the Scotties and David Matthews and family.

April - Joined 24 Hour Fitness. Ashamed to say I have only been there less than 10 times at the close of 2008.

May - Finally moved into new home after much struggle with the whole escrow process. The nest few months saw us busy turning the house into home. Spent lots of money, drained lots of savings! But well worth it!

Mid-August - Cael started potty training. Was not as difficult as anticipated. Baby sitter helped a lot. The process took less than 3 weeks. But Cael has turned into a toilet tourist! Everywhere we go, he loves to check out the restroom. (Need to go potty, Mama!)

October - George and family came for a 3 week visit. Had loads of food and fun!
October was a bad month at work. News of people getting laid off was rampant. The morale was low. Contemplated buying a bigger SUV but soon decided against it. Now is not the time to get into more debt. Job uncertainties abound but God is faithful.

November - Joined the Pampered Chef business to get out of the house once or twice a month to have fun and socialize.
Celebrated Thanksgiving 3 times - One at the Burge's home, one at my home, and another one during Home Group.
Company did not celebrate Thanksgiving.

December - Gerald went to the ER again this Christmas because of food poisoning. Last year same time went to ER for stomach flu. We celebrated Christmas at Lucille's BBQ on eve.
Company did not hold Christmas party.
Had a New Year's Eve party at our home with friends. Lame-o's did not last until midnite! Last guests left at 11.30pm. Made a new dessert called Banana Split Cake. It might be the best dessert yet but completely fattening!!

What will 2009 bring?

Family Visit

2008-11-03T14:35:00.001-08:00

So my family was here for a visit last month, George, Coreen and baby Luke. Family visits are so few and far between so we were really excited. I was especially happy for Cael who got to play with his little cousin, Luke. They were here for 3 weeks. Geirge is a really great cook. He can cook anything he puts his mind to, or so it seems.  We had ‘Bak Kut Teh’, BBQ ribs, risotto, crabs, ‘Kim Kueh Ker’, Char Siu, Steaks etc. Not in one sitting of course!

We had fun in San Diego although Coreen was quite sick from flu. We went to the San Diego Zoo and manage to capture a good picture of the panda! We ate a lot of good food, bought a lot of stuff. It was a fun and relaxing time. Cael has a nickname for Luke, which is Baby Yum-yum. That is what Luke says when he wants to eat, which is pretty often! Hehe. But he is not a fat baby by any means. In fact I believe he lost a lot of weight while he was here because he was sick for quite a while too. The poor little thing.

Did lots of shopping at Cabazon Premium Outlet. Shoes, shoes and more shoes for Coreen! George had a good time at the Morongo Casino next to the Outlets.

Pictures are available on Facebook. Feeling a little lazy after uploading 60 pictures!! Will post some here another day!

Pictures of our new home

2008-09-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

These are for those who have been asking again and again to see some pics of the home. The norm would be to invite everyone over but there are a few oceans separating us and the gas price has hit the roof! So this is an unworthy substitute but better than nothing, eh? :)
The second floor is still a work in progress. We are right now busy doing up Cael's room. The guest room will be next as we have family coming to visit soon.

News

2008-08-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Blogging is getting harder these days. Too many distractions. Scrabulous is dead. And the new Scrabble application on Facebook is a joke. But now I have another distraction called Netflix. I received a free month of Netflix due to a settlement. So I am catching up on all the movies I have not watched in one and a half years. For those who don’t know, Netflix is an online DVD rental company that ships movies to your home.

And for anyone who is curious. I received an email from my brother saying that someone told my mom I was pregnant. I have no idea how that rumor came to be but it’s just that, a rumor. I am NOT pregnant and will not be.

On the home site, we now have a very beautiful back/side yard. Thanks to my husband who LOVES gardening. We have a couple of fruit trees, tons of daylilies, some miniature roses and ornamental grass. Cael’s room will eventually be a cute boy’s room. That is my next project. I PROMISE to post some pictures soon.

Cael is a big boy now. He is being potty trained. I know, I know…kids is Malaysia are potty trained by one. But I am American now :). He is talkative, very silly, loves to sing. Nags his parents to go to the beach. Loves being outside while daddy is gardening. Calls me mama, mommy and mom. Hilarious.
Does not like to eat.

Okay more news from the homefront later… hopefully with pictures :)

Pictures of Boy

2008-07-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Wall Art for the Home

2008-07-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

These are some wall arts I bought for the new home. The last one was a wedding gift from a Malaysian artist, Stephanie Kuen, and her husband Joshua Yip. That painting has followed me through 6 moves!

Happenings

2008-06-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy lately, BUT, we are finally the proud owners of a new home. The deal threatened to fall through a couple of times but I guess it was meant to be. It was a completely long drawn out drama. So yes, we finally own a piece of the so-called American Dream. So what next? :) I will try to take some pics and post it on the blog.

The other great news is that my younger brother and his wife welcomed their little bitty baby boy into the world last week. So cheers to you, Mike & Sheau Wei! Welcome to the Land of No Sleep. And it sure does look like baby boy has a pair of strong lungs, judging from the youtube vid.! :)

As I am writing, Cael is singing himself to sleep. He is such a cutie. We have been in the new home almost 2 weeks now and he has finally gotten used to being in bed by himself. The first week was TOUGH. Now he is back to his nightly routine. Bath, Storytime, Prayer and Kisses and Hugs. But one of us still sits outside his door (we put a gate up) so he can see us. I have a feeling that is going to end soon. :)

Oh and I received an office email today saying that they are changing the coffee from yucky Folgers to Starbucks. What else can we ask for, eh? :)

What's That Sound, Mama?

2008-05-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

This is what Cael asks a million times a day now that he is Mr. Chatterbox. It drives us crazy. His ears are so sharp he hears every single thing. The fridge hum. The a/c. The next door neighbor's phone.
He also has an attitude now. He frowns and looks from the corners of his eyes to show his displeasure. I have no idea where he learned that.
We bought him a jeep. He is still learning how to steer it. I took some vids but have not been able to upload onto Youtube. It is a neverending frustration. Did not work on Internet Explorer nor Mozilla.

More Pics

2008-04-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

Cael P Diddy?

2008-04-15T20:40:00.001-07:00

Cael in Disneyland

2008-04-15T20:30:00.001-07:00

Life is .......Busy

2008-04-06T02:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have blogged. It was easier to find time to blog when I was a stay at home mom not because there is less work. It was a physically challenging work (which helps you lose all the weight you want without ever hitting the gym). But the job I have makes me so tired mentally that the last thing I want to do with my down time is to think up something to blog here.

The reason I am blogging right now is because I am awake at 2.30 in the morning. I think I am getting old as I frequently have trouble sleeping through the night lately.

These are bits and pieces of life happenings within the past month.

1. My husband was on school break for a month and for once he didn't do much. He is usually a busy body and does not know how to relax.

2. I found out I will never tire of looking at model homes or looking at real estate over the internet. It is my favorite pastime.

3. Cael has not grown out of watching Baby Einstein, his favorite dvds.

4. Cael still gets terrified of going to the nursery at church and cries the whole time he is there.

5. My husband did not get laid off although there were a lot of teachers who were let go because the education budget was tightened considerably. Thank God his district was safe.

6. I am thoroughly addicted to Scrabulous.

7. Cael is getting more opportunities to be outdoors now that the weather is warming up. That is his top-of-the-list all time favorite, going to the park and chasing after the ducks!

Okay I think I am getting sleepy again.

More Cael Updates

2008-03-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Cael has the dreaded hand-foot-mouth disease. Sounds terrible, doesn't it? But apparently it's a pretty common harmless thing, just painful and uncomfortable. He got it from a little girl at daycare. So the poor thing had sores in his mouth and rashes on his legs and hands. I feel so sorry for him but he is a little trooper. He only says 'ouchie' once in a while when he tries to drink or eat something.

Cael is also sleeping in a big boy's bed now. We sold his crib on craigslist for 100 bucks. Not a bad investment at all! I'll use the money to buy him more toys he doesn't need!! Shhh, don't let Gerald know.

Growing Up Baby

2008-02-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

My little baby is more a little boy as each day goes by. He is now not interested in going up or down the stairs on his hands and knees. He wants to be just like mama and dada, on his two little feet. He loves being helpful. He reminds me every morning to close the garage door as we leave the house. He also likes to remind us to turn off the light or better yet, he turns them off himself. When I come out from the shower, he brings out my hair dryer and says, "Hair!". He loves helping us put the clothes in the wash. Once it is done, he opens the washer door and wants us to help him put the clothes in the dryer. He comes and leads us to the dryer and say "Dry!". Can you tell he is a little bossy?? His dada says he is silly 24/7. I guess that's why we are keeping him. :)
He is very observant too. One day when his dada took the trash out, he opened the cupboard to get can liners to line the trashcan. We are constantly amazed by the things that he is learning daily. He is a little climber too. Let's just say he knows how to get to what he wants. Nothing deters him. The daycare provider told my husband that one day, he wanted some snacks off the kitchen countertop. So the boy pulled a chair next to the high chair. Climbed on top of the chair onto the high chair, then climbed from the high chair to the countertop to get his snack.
I think this is the stage of "Monkey see, monkey do." We have been careful not to let him see what we don't want him to learn. Nothing bad. Just stuff like cleaning the bathroom. Otherwise, he will be playing with the toilet brush! Yuck!
He is growing up way too fast.

Finally ... An American

2008-02-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

This process is finally over. Only took a little less than a year!

So I went for my Oath Ceremony today and came out an American. The ceremony was surprisingly short. Just that there were 5150 other people there for the same reason! Lines were long but conducted in a very efficient manner.

A little about the ceremony. Went in there. Followed the lines, handed in the Notice and Green Card. The Officer wrote down a booth number in which I should go to after the ceremony to collect my Naturalization Certificate. Went back in line to take a seat. Officers handed out Voting Registration Cards and small flag of the USA. Waited until everyone was seated. Some announcements. The Judge presiding led us on the Oath. Pronouced us Americans. Everyone waved their little flag and cheered. Short speech. Someone else came up and told a short story about the Statue of Liberty. Then we watched a short video clip of President Bush welcoming us as new citizens. Video clip of the song "Proud to be an American" sung by Lee Greenwood. Said the Pledge of Allegiance. A lady got up to sing the Star Spangled Banner. More cheers and waving of flag because the news media wanted to take some pictures and stuff. Waited for our turn to get up to go collect our Certificate. And it was all over. 2 and 1/2 hours. Not bad at all.

Timeline for process:
March 13, 2007 - Mailed Application
March 22, 2007 - Receipt of Notice of Action
April 24, 2007 - Notice to get fingerprints taken.
May 17, 2007 - Fingerprints taken.
November 15, 2007 (guestimate)- Notice for Interview
Jan 4, 2008 - Interview
Jan 25, 2008 - Notice for Oath Ceremony
Feb 21, 2008 - Oath Ceremony

Need I Say More?

2008-02-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to upload this video to Youtube for the past two weeks. It just wouldn't load. Finally asked my brother for help and he said to try using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. Needless to say, it worked so here it is.

Cael's 2nd Birthday

2008-02-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Cael celebrated his 2nd birthday this past week. We took him out to dinner on Tuesday to Chili's and ordered him his very first kiddie meal. He is a big boy now, no more sharing his mommy and daddy's food, not to mention he has a voracious appetite lately.
On Sat, we had a little celebration. Bought him a cake and his Uncle David and family and Cael's friend, Isabella, and her mommy and daddy celebrated with us.

Good News

2008-01-20T05:54:00.000-08:00

I am finally going permanent at the company I have been working with as a temp for the last 4 months! I guess I am relieved that I don't have to look for another job and thereby be a temp for the next couple of months! With the USA economic outlook right now, it is a wonder any company is hiring. So THANK GOD!
The first thing that popped into my head the moment I got news that I will be hired was "YES! Now I can buy my house." Or, at least submit a loan application. So we went looking for houses yesterday with our friends who were also looking for houses.. Hmm I wonder if Meritage Homes will offer a two for one deal?? hehe..
We have seen the house model we love. Prices have gone down. There are some lots that have already been built and are now on sale. Many upgrades are thrown in like granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, upgraded cabinetry and a jacuzzi tub plus a $20K incentive to use to pay down points or help with closing costs and stuff. People tell me to wait as prices will continue to go down. I believe them. I also believe that when everyone is paranoid and not buying, that should be the best time to buy. I wouldn't want to buy when everyone is coming around and saying yes, the time is now, because then it would signal that the market is picking up... don't you think?
The last time we bought our condo, people told us that the bubble was going to burst anytime. I think the most important question to ask in a situation like this is "Why are you buying a house?" If it is for investment sake, then yes, I probably wouldn't buy at this time since no one knows where the market is headed. If you are buying so you can have a place to live for a while to come, then I would say go for it. The property value will go up again, perhaps not in the next couple of years. But who cares if I have no intention of using the house as a cash cow nor plan to sell it to make a profit. I just want a place to call our own!.
Well, the next couple of months should proof interesting!

Video Clips

2008-01-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

Not the plane stunt because it takes too long to upload the video. The snow capped mountains way in front is likely the mountain we just came back from.

Day at Mt Baldy

2008-01-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

We spent the day at Mt Baldy today to let Cael experience his first snow.
After a quick stop at Denny's for a hearty breakfast this morning, we made our way up the mountains. Armed with a snow sled and layers of clothing, we started our journey through the treacherous snow covered mountain. Our first stop has us running back to our car because the wind was blowing so hard and it was so cold. Cael was not enjoying his first experience. Especially after the husband and child fell from the sled trying to avoid running head on into a little boy who had no control over his sled speeding down the slope. Cael did not suffer from the fall because his loving dad broke the fall and suffered injury to his hand and lost his watch in the process. And you might want to know where Cael's mom was in the midst of all this happening. Cael and Dad had 'sled' away leaving mom to try to catch up on feet. Unfortunately, it was so slippery that Mom fell 4 times in the process of trying to get to them, thereby suffering painful bruise.
So after runnign back to the car and taking a break from the cold and falls, we decided to go to another spot where it is less 'slopey' and windy. We found the perfect spot and that was where we spent the rest of our time with no more accidents.
To end an almost perfect day, on our way back from the mountain, we saw some airplane stunts. I tried to capture it on video and I did...but we were in a moving vehicle and therefore the short clip does not do justice to what we saw. I will try to post the video here as soon as I have downloaded it on YouTube.
In the meantime, here are some pictures to speak a 1000 words.

Naturalization Interview

2008-01-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

I finally went for my naturalization interview this morning. After a nervous morning, my husband drove me to the site and my interview was set at 11.05am. I arrived with 15 minutes to spare and knowing that I couldn't possibly cram anything else into my stressed out mind, I settled down in the waiting room with the People magazine. Just as I was getting into which celebrity was wearing what and who's hooking up with who, I heard my name called, right on the dot. This gentleman led me to the slaughter.... ooops, I meant his office and I had to solemnly swear that I will tell nothing but the truth. Then we proceeded to go through my application to check that everything was correct. Then I signed my name on the dotted line to say I am willing to bear arms for USA if required. Following that, I was asked 10 civics question (of course I got them all correct!) and was asked to write the sentence "I know how to write English" on a piece of paper. And that was it. He said, "Congratulations! You passed the interview." I must say he was a very nice man, frinedly and not intimidating, doing his best to make a person feel at ease.
He then told me a letter will be mailed to let me know when and where to go to take the Oath of Allegiance, at which time I will get my Citizenship Certificate and forfeit my Green Card.
I was out of there in 15 minutes. I am really very impressed by the whole process which was very different from when I applied for my Green Card. That process was not as pleasant and prompt.
My husband told me that my demeanour took a 180 degree change after I came out from the interview. I guess I have been quite stressed for the last week. I KNEW I should never have watched the movie, Green Card!

Timeline for process:
March 13, 2007 - Mailed Application
March 22, 2007 - Receipt of Notice of Action
April 24, 2007 - Notice to get fingerprints taken.
May 17, 2007 - Fingerprints taken.
November 15, 2007 (guestimate)- Notice for Interview
Jan 4, 2008 - Interview
??? - taking the Oath.

Stomach Flu

2007-12-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

Both my husband and I were bedridden on Christmas Day because we both had stomach flu. It was a nasty experience. His drama started on Christmas Eve when we were having Christmas dinner at our friends' place and he started feeling nauseous. We had to cut short our evening and by midnight, my husband was feeling sick to the stomach, getting cold sweats and chills and shivering. So I called our insurance company nurse hotline and she advised us to get him to the emergency room. So I called our dear friend who drove us to the hospital. There, they ran some tests and hooked him on the IV fluids and anti-nausea medicine. After 3 hours, the doctor said he could go as it was a stomach flu that was going around.
Around that time, I started feeling sick too. By the time we got in bed, I was feeling sick too. And sure enough, started throwing up everything I ate not long after. The worst thing about stomach flu for me is not the throwing up or even the diarrhea, it is the aching of the whole body and feeling too weak to do anything besides laying in bed. So that was pretty much what we both did on Christmas Day and poor Cael couldn't understand why his parents would not play with him or do anything. Mostly we just let him play in our room by himself or watch his DVDs while mom and dad kept coming in and out of consciousness.
That is one sickness I would not care to experience again. I am just very thankful that Cael has not caught it.

Recession

2007-12-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

Still don't think America in on a recession? The world's largest plumbing supplies distributor has been laying off people due to the housing market taking such a huge downturn. We are even getting 3 minutes motivational videos on our PC telling us to stay encouraged while our co-workers are laid off left and right.
Last week was such a horrible time for me. When our bosses came back from a 4 day meeting, they started calling people in to the office. And one by one, the unfortunate ones got let go. It was a very sad experience for me because I never expected that our dept would be touched by this too. That's because most of us were new hires (well, not me, I am not a permanent staff yet, still under temp agency).
I can only think it is by God's grace that I am still there though truthfully, I am not sure if I will stay there. I am just in a wait and see situation.
And you can know how serious it is when we start getting emails telling us to put our pc on hibernate when we leave instead of screen saver mode because it takes less energy. Every penny counts now.
So I'm kinda in between a rock and a hard place. At the same time I want the house prices to go down, I don't want to be out of a job! haha..

Knotts Berry Farm

2007-11-29T20:06:00.000-08:00

We went to Knotts Berry Farm with our friends the day before Thanksgiving because it just so happened that Knotts were honoring veterans with free admission plus a guest. And Gerald and Jeremy were veterans so lucky us, we got in free. And now that we know they do this annually, we will be going for sure! Well, except when Cael turns 3, we will have to pay for him.
So anyways, each of us went for one scary ride, except for a little chicken who will remain nameless. :) We went for some kiddie rides too just for Cael's sake. Also went on a horse carriage ride. I think that was it. The lines were sometimes long, sometimes short, depending on the rides.
We ended the day with dinner at Mrs Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. Food was yummy, even Cael ate a lot. Oh boy, was he hungry after a hard days work!
Unfortunately, we do not have any good pictures to post.

Cael in Missisippi

2007-11-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

About a Date

2007-11-24T20:54:00.000-08:00

So my husband and I decided to go dating. He was on a school break and I took the day off so we could spend time with each other. We set off in the morning in his Suzuki S650S. First stop was Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles for breakfast. It's apparently a very famous place. Lots of stars have eaten here.
Our next stop was The Getty Center. I would write something about it but I think the link would give a better idea. Then it was home we go. Our day was cut short because the babysitter had a doctor appointment.
A bit bummed we do not have a picture of us on the bike. But these are a few pictures we took at The Getty Center.

A Week of Solitude

2007-11-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

I dropped my family off at airport last Saturday. All the plans that I had in my head of going out everyday, shopping, eating and doing whatever I wanted got blown to the curb as I was just satisfied relaxing at home, watching old dvds, reading books and playing scrabulous on the computer. I guess the desire to go out in the evenings no longer holds any appeal as darkness comes upon us here at 5pm. Just seems like a good time to snuggle under the covers and be lazy. So that was pretty much what I did the whole week. Except for Thurday when I went over to my friend's house to watch a movie, Ratatouille.
I pick my family up at the airport tomorrow at 5pm so I am determined to flee the house in the morning to do some serious shopping. Clothes, Christmas, groceries, whatever needs to be bought!
I have enjoyed this period of solitude but am excited to have my family home with me again. :)

Updates

2007-11-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

Cael has not been feeling well for a while now. He was really down last weekend. Had a fever that will not go away so we called the nurseline a couple of times to get advice. On Sunday, we took him to pediatric urgent care (nothing scary, it's just what it's called when you need to see the doctor immediately instead of making an appointment and waiting a couple of days). Turns out the poor thing has ear infection on both ears. One quite bad, the other mild. Got some anti-biotics to treat the infection. So we are glad we went to see the doc. For some reason, the medical centers don't really want to make appointments for you to see doctors unless necessary. We would have gone earlier if the nurses didn't tell us to keep monitoring his fever. Can you imagine letting my poor baby suffer more days than necessary! :( He is feeling much better today. Has finally started eating again. He stopped eating on Friday, would hardly drink anything. I guess it hurts his ears when he swallows.
So that was some miserable weekend. Made worse because it was our last weekend together before my family leaves me for Mississippi for a whole week! Gerald and Cael will be off visiting with Gerald's family. The plan was made aeons ago and of course I was included too. But then, I started working and it wouldn't have looked good to take a week off. I had wanted us to spend the weekend doing something special, but oh well.
Anyways, I am looking forward to a little break. Is that too revealing of my inner self? :) I guess sometimes the 'demands' (and I use this word loosely) of being a mother and a wife takes its toll. It's nothing to do with them. It's everything to do with wanting to make sure your loved ones are taken care of in the best possible way you know how. So a week of not having to care for anyone but myself sounds really good. I can eat junk food all day long and not worry if they are having nutritious meals. :) I can be out and about as late as I want.
I will update you on this later. My husband says I will come home after dropping them off at the airport and stay in bed all day long missing them. We shall see eh? :)

Harvest Festival Pictures

2007-10-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

Thankfulness

2007-10-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

I am really thankful to God for the mountain of blessings that is continually heaped upon us. I don't think I deserve any of it, it is just His faithfulness in pouring out His blessings ceaselessly. There are so many instances. I will try to journal them here starting with the most recent. I never want to forget and I want our boy to know one day too.
When I came back from Malaysia, and decided I wanted to go back to work, I started searching for a daycare for Cael. I called a few. Visited two. I was never comfortable about putting Cael in a 'school' environment. I happened to find his babysitter by chance. I had search the advertisements, craigslist, google. I found this lady who had advertised in the 'wrong' section of craigslist. Instead of going under 'childcare' heading, she listed her ad under 'household services'. I just happened to search google by typing in my criteria and hers was a search that came up. And they say the rest is history. She is a nice lady with a very nice home who also takes care of her grandchild. She is also a Christian, I think. Since there is a plague in her house that says Christ is the head of this house. :) She lives 5 minutes away from our house.
So once I found Cael his daycare, I started looking for a job. You already know how I got this job. I have blogged it. So that is another blessing. The part I will add is that I like this job. It is interesting. Basically I have a boss, but mostly I do my job unsupervised. My boss is very nice and friendly and she does not boss me around. I have good co-workers. No office politics (yet!). Found me a lunch buddy but I will have to tell her I sometimes like to sit in my car and read my book and have some peace and quiet. And my office is VERY near us so if something happens with Cael, I can get him in a short amount of time. This is indeed a blessing.

Cael's Boo-Boo

2007-10-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Cael embarrassed his parents last Friday at daycare. When Karen (daycare provider) went to pick him up from his nap, the boy had smeared poop all over himself. I am sure he must have ate some too since he puts everything in his mouth. EEEEEEEW! How he managed to do it is anyone's guess. He is getting more creative day by day.
I have to put a onesie on him before I put on his pajamas these days (even when the weather is hot!!) because the boy likes to unzip his pjs and peel off one side of his diaper. One morning, I went to pick him up and his room reeked of peepee. That is when I found out what he had done. Not good because we now run a tight schedule since I have to get to work. So I had to quickly clean him up and change his sheets. For some reason, he wakes up early on weekends and on weekdays he likes to sleep in. I am always waiting on him to get up since I don't like to wake him from his sleep. So it is indeed a blessing my work is 10 minutes away.

Time: Precious Commodity

2007-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

I find myself with very little time these days. I wake up at around 5:30 in the morning. Take a shower, drink a cup of coffee, get my verse of the day, ponder a little on it, read my emails, get news feed from friends at facebook, play scrabulous, read a little news, check the weather forecast, check ziprealty.com to see if housing has gone down, and then it's time to get Cael's stuff ready for daycare. Get me ready for work, get Cael ready for daycare. Leave the house around 7.20am.
Come home at 5.15am. Straight to kitchen to prepare dinner for family. Eat dinner, clean up. Spend some time with Cael before beddy bed.
7.30pm. Finally get a chance to relax again. This is when I get a chance to update my blog. Or facebook. Or write emails, which I don't do very much these days. People who read my blogs don't email me because they already know what's going on with me. People I keep in touch with on facebook don't need to email me because we are already in touch. :)
I go to sleep around 10pm if not earlier :). The day has taken its toll on my old body haha!

Science Lesson

2007-10-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

Teaching the boy about static.

Facebook Songs

2007-10-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

For those who have joined Facebook, you will find these funny.

First Lollipop

2007-09-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

Neglected

2007-09-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Poor blog. I have neglected you. It's just that I have been having so much fun keeping in touch with friends I haven't really kept in touch with for years and it is not my fault facebook.com makes it so much easier. The difference is you are just a one-way conversation. :) But I still love you. You keep all my memories in tact.
That said, here are some memories to KIV.
It is confirmed that Cael is a very picky eater. Even the daycare provider tells me he is fussy. Sigh! What is a mom to do?
Cael is picking up tons and tons of words now. His favorite is bu-bye! He makes up his own gibberish sentences when he talks on his toy phone and 'ends the calls' with 'bu-bye! He is too funny! His antics bring laughter to our lives. Well no one else might understand him but Gerald and I sort of know what he is talking about most of the time.
I am enjoying my new job. The best part is the 5 mile commute each way. No more traffic on freeways ever (hopefully!). During the interview, I asked my current boss what was the best thing she liked about working for Ferguson's Enterprises (a Fortune 500 Company and the largest distributor of plumbing supplies in USA) and she told me that the best part are the opportunities. I guess I believe her since she said she has only been in the company for 2.5 years, started out as Accounts Receivable and now she is an Assistant Controller. I will see what happens to me in 2.5 years, hehe. Besides the commute, the work is quite interesting too. My job is resolving trade payables discrepancy issues. Whatever that means!
Okay I am quite tired. Had some disturbance at midnight yesterday when we heard neighbor yelling and fighting. Gerald said the fire dept eventually came but I didn't notice. I went back to sleep.

Updates

2007-09-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

I actually failed the first drug screening test and had to re-take it. Well, I don't know if 'fail' is the right word here. It came back inconclusive, whatever that means. So had to rush back to the lab to get another test done. Thank goodness it is just a urine test and not a blood test. I can swoon like the best western heroines in movies when it comes to blood tests. Good thing I passed it this time, otherwise I was gonna consider sueing Starbucks to see what they are putting in the coffee as that is the only thing I take regularly without fail. :) And yes, for all those who know how much I dislike Starbucks coffee, all I have to say is that I ain't got no choice if that's what's a'brewing in the office pantry every morning. Hey, could be worse I guess. Not one to compain about free coffee.
I start my new job tomorrow. I will let you know what coffee they provide. For some reason, I am not as nervous as I was two weeks ago when I started the temp assignment. Maybe because I now have had practice and is not as rusty as on that first day. Like Celine Dion sings, "It's all coming back to me now" :)

On Cael updates, he is doing very well at daycare. I don't know if the same can be said about the daycare provider. Cael is a very energetic boy. :) I am very happy that he is in a home daycare and not an institution. I don't think I would have been ready to leave him if that was my only alternative.
He is constantly amazing us. Very hard to describe the antics that he comes up with. It is a 'you have to be there' kinda thing. Like what he does whenever he says goodnight to his dad. He sits on my lap and looks at his dad and without fail, every single night, he folds his arms and looks at dad as if to say, 'Peace out, homie.'
More later....

Got Job!

2007-09-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

That about says it all. It's a temp-to-hire Accounts Payable Specialist position at a Fortune 500 company located 5 miles away from home. SWEET!! Will be working under Accountemps for now. And if they like me, they will hire me full-time after a while. Have to go for a drug screening test tomorrow morning...so I guess no sleeping tablet for me tonight, haha!
I will have to say that I am impressed by Accountemps' professionalism. They have called me back every time I have called them. They called me to check in even when they don't have a job for me. They found me a job that paid what I asked for.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said about AppleOne. Maybe it is just the individual who was my accounts rep. She has never once returned my emails. Neither my call. Got me a 2 week temp assignment paying below the minimum of what I asked for. Needless to say I will not be recommending this company to anyone I know in the future.

Sweet Slumber & Shoe Fetishes

2007-09-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Something's Gotta Give

2007-09-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

Now that I am enjoying facebook.com, I am afraid I will have to neglect this blog for a while until the novelty dies off. hehe... Too many websites calling for my attention, too little time. Oh yeah, also have to go to work, so no more playing hooky and spending all day at the computer!

Missed My Little One

2007-09-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Oh what a grueling day this has been. For those who don't know, I started working again today. Job is not too far, about 12 miles away from home. I think it is just the stress on the unknown and wanting to do everything right that stresses the mind out. All in all, was a good day.
Arrived at the wrong building because the agency gave me their old address. So had to call back and get the right address. What a start! Had a hard time finding the office within a huge building because of lack of proper signs. (They just moved, I guess). Good thing the courier guy who shared the elevator pointed me in the right direction. Went in and came face to face with the CFO. I must say after working for a Taiwanese company, it is a nice change to see white people. Well in the beginning. I later find out there are about 100 people working in the building, which incidentally is HUGE, who are of different races.
The office pantry is filled with goodies. Starbucks coffee, hot chocolate, tea, all kinds of soda, chocolate chip cookies, pretzels and goldfish snacks. Someone will not go hungry if she skipped lunch.
I was assigned a two-week assignment with the company but from what my boss was telling me, I am not covering for anyone who is on vacation. SO I don't know if this position is open and they just want to see how I work. My boss himself is a temp who has been there 3 days before me. :) So I don't know what is really going on but looks like it is a very new company. So we will see where this goes.
I missed my little one a lot today. Only had an hour to spend with him before he went to bed. sniff sniff!! Hubby was sweet, he cooked dinner tonight.
Ok, I am beyond tired so off to relax.

Facebook.com and Notes

2007-09-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Can someone please tell me how to use this website? All I know is that friends keep getting added. Does it work like an email or messenger or WHAT!!!!
On another note, I just realized that blogger has a new icon for videos. yay..no longer have to upload to youtube.com.
Yet another note, I received a two-week work assignment which starts tomorrow so have been using the weekend to shop for some career wear. Shopping has to be done fast, heat in unbearable, 110 degrees F!!! Previous company allowed jeans and t-shirts. I'll wear something professional tomorrow and see what the rest are wearing. Hopefully can go back to jeans and tee. hehe.
And yet another note, experienced minor, minor earthquakes yesterday and today. What is happening!
One final note, went for an hour of fitness class using barbells and dumbbells. Spent the weekend moaning and groaning because of severe muscle aches.

Gym Anyone?

2007-08-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, in the plight to lose some of the weight accumulated in Malaysia and also to tone the abs, I went to 24-Hour Fitness because the guy I spoke with offered a 30 Day Free Pass to try out the gym. Okay so went to the gym yesterday with a friend for the yoga class. I was apprehensive at first because I know yoga has some base in the Hindu religion or something. But my friend said if they started meditating and praying to their god, then we will just use that time to meditate upon Christ. Okay, sounds good to me. So we went there and we were definitely lemmings. We just looked around at others and followed meekly. Take off shoes, take off socks, sit cross-legged. Instructor began. Music soothing. Breathing exercises, check. I wanted to laugh out loud when she started saying do the cat pose, cow pose, monkey pose, dog pose... hilarious. But I really enjoyed the time to just check out of every care of the world and just concentrate on the body and the poses. It was pretty relaxing although some of the poses threatened to break my back and scared my muscles into shivering for mercy. At the end, I refrained from saying Namaste (I think it means I bow to you or something). All in all, a good experience. Next will be the cardio workout. Was supposed to go today but got call from Accountemps. Maybe tomorrow.

Job Search Continues.....

2007-08-29T15:10:00.001-07:00

Still searching for a job. After waiting a week and a half for Appleone (temp agency) to call, I decided to call the Accounts Rep. I have been assigned to, to check in and ask what is going on. Well, it's been two days since I left her a message and 5 days since I emailed her. Still nada. I must say that her work ethics must be quite unprofessional for someone working in that line, well actually, as a matter of fact, any kind of line. So I went ahead and signed up with Accountemps yesterday and I got a call this morning to go in for the interview. Called a little after 8:30am and silly me picked a 10.00am appointment! So here I am rushing all over the place. Picked clothes to wear. Shoes. Shower. Shave. Blow-dry hair. Iron. Got directions from Google. Okay. Out the door. Except that somehow the directions were wrong and ended up going a totally different way. Which was just as well because there was a bad traffic going that way. Made it to the agency 2 minutes late. Filled up the application, and was asked to take 6 tests(!!!) A/P, A/R, AlphaNumeric Data Entry, 10-Key, Ms EXCEL, MS90. Took me 1.75 hours. Grueling. Especially when I was not expecting to be tested so soon. Well, I made above average on all of the tests except for MAS90, I was just average. :( Then the lady interviewed me and said she might have a job for me, she will call in 2-3 days. So let's see where this takes me.

Fun at the Beach

2007-08-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

Bizarre Happening

2007-08-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

I was in church last Sunday when a lady I've said hi and bye to slipped me a piece of paper with her contact information and told me to call her sometime this week. It was quite bizarre as I hardly know her. But I said okay anyway. Perhaps she wanted to invite Cael to her son's party (they are about the same age) or something like that. That was the only reason I could think about. So anyways, I had forgotten all about it until yesterday when I was looking through my purse and saw this piece of paper. So I called her. Got voicemail. She called back later in the evening and we started this very odd conversation. I said "Hey, I'm Julie, you gave me your contact and told me to call you? What's up?" She starts telling me she had caught the flu and had been home. I was thinking, Wow! she is being real friendly like we have known each other awhile. It was really odd. She must have felt like something was not right because she suddenly asked me who I was again. I said I was Julie. Then she said, "Do I know you?" I said "Well yes, we are the couple who used to sit behind you in church with a toddler". She said, "ohhhh...I thought you were Wendy, I meant to give the contact to Wendy as I said I would." So okay we ended the conversation after a laugh over mistaken identity.
I am writing all this to say that for some very very odd reason, people here have a hard time recognizing Asian faces. I guess we must all look alike to them. There are basically 3 Chinese girls (that I know) in our church. And I have been mistaken for 2 of them. Once, someone came up to me and started congratulating me and asking me how the honeymoon was. As I did not know this person, I thought it was very bizarre that he would be asking me about my honeymoon that happened 4 years ago. I later found out he thought I was another girl who just got married!
Well, I guess I will take these happenings as a compliment since I think those 2 ladies look much slimmer than me. Haha!

Learning to RELAX

2007-08-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am learning to not stress about the no job situation and just enjoy this free time that I have to myself. After all, in the weeks to come, once I start work, I will probably have to work for the rest of my life or at least until I retire..I think. Unless we struck lottery. I am telling myself not to worry about finance. Yeah yeah so what is $650 dollars a month for childcare that we don't have because I am not pulling my weight? haha. Not going to last forever right? Well, except that it is $650 lesser in our savings towards buying a house. House shmouse. I am just thinking that if I don't ever have the desire to buy a house, we will be relatively well-off. No mortgage, no property taxes, no HOAs...Might even be able to send Cael for golf lessons, music lessons..you name it. So why am I so itching to buy a house? One question I cannot answer. Is it because everyone is doing so? Keeping up with the Joneses? I wish I didn't WANT to buy a house. Makes life easier for us.
The pit of my stomach is going to have a hole soon because although I make light of this situation, I am a worrier, which goes against my belief. And again, this is not because I think that God cannot open doors..I know He can.. I just wonder why He would want to? I confess I have not been the best of His sheep, not even close. Mediocrity is my middle name. Unfortunately.. although it is something I detest.

Where is My Job?

2007-08-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

I always have this fear in the pit of my stomach that no one is going to hire me because I am just not good enough. I am now feeling the same thing as I felt 7 years ago when I came to America and was looking for a job. I had gone to an employment agency called Appleone. I said I was willing to take any kind of job, temp, temp-to-hire, whatever, just to get my foot in the door. So I got kinda desperate when after 2 weeks I had not heard a peep from them. I started looking for a job on my own and found one that paid a MEASLY minimum wage which at that time I think was $6.25/hour. You will realize that unless you have worked in America before, most time your previous work experiences will count for zilch! Furthermore, when you are asked what your last salary was, the computer won't even allow you to put in the amount since an error message will come on to say that you have made a mistake, there is no possible way you earned so little for a month's work, may they suggest instead that you meant WEEKLY? So there ya go... so anyways, back to my story... So here I was working in this hole in the wall company processing invoices for a wireless service provider when I get a call from Appleone 3 days later to say they have a job for me. Pay is of course considerably higher. Can I start next week? I say yes. (BUT OF COURSE!!!!) So I told the supervisor that I don't think this is my kinda job and I don't think I will be coming back. Well, she immediately calls her boss and then the boss came on the line and told me that although I have been working there only 3 days, they liked my work ethic and told me I was really efficient and how about they bump my salary up a dollar and maybe in 2 years' time, I could even become a supervisor myself and get a higher salary of x amount of dollars? Well I thanked him very gratefully and said no thank you. That is because what I would be earning in my new job is already higher than what the poor supervisor is earning! Well she is very young and so is the boss. They might not mind starting from the bottom of the pile but I am too old and cannot afford that. Got bills to pay. They are probably still living with their parents and are carefree.
So here I am 7 years later, same place, same Appleone, same situation...it's like deja vu. And the same 'fear' in the pit of my stomach. I will let you know soon if I resort again to accepting minimum wage!

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

2007-08-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

10. I used to be able to remember all sorts of things that used to surprise a lot of people. Not anymore, not since Cael.
9. I am too direct for my own good and have offended tons of people. (well I guess a lot of ppl know this about me!)
8. When I was a kid, I used to wake up at 3am in the morning and sit in the bathroom to finish reading a new Enid Blyton book that I just could not put down.
7. Someone who once liked me a lot failed his university exams because he was busy writing love letters to me in class. He was never my boyfriend.
6. I ran away from home when I was 17 but that only lasted a day before my mom came and got me.
5. I have been to China, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Phillipines for mission trips.
4. I never realized I love working with numbers until I started managing our home finance and budget and happened to be very good at it.
3. My secret desire is to be a part of a broadway musical like the Phantom of the Opera.
2. I faint at the sight of blood because I once saw an uncle of mine in anger took a chopping knife and whacked it down on his fingers.
1. I used to dream prophetic dreams and am fairly good at interpreting other people's dreams. "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." Joel 2:28

Biking

2007-08-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

Gerald went biking with a group of bikers last Saturday. The small picture is him taking the curb. Cool!

What A Difference a Year Makes

2007-08-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Eeewww, girls!

2007-08-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

First Visit to the Dentist

2007-08-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

Today marks the first of a lifetime of semi-annual dentist visits for Cael. He did pretty good. Took x-rays of his teeth while he sat on my lap and we were covered with the black protective thingy.. He was fascinated with the equipment. Then the dental assistant took us on a tour of the place. Very clean. Dropped us off at a playroom so Cael can be busy without making mama crazy. Was barely 5 minutes before we were whisked away to meet the dentist. She was nice. Very Hollywoody, must be because she also has an office in Beverly Hills! She was very well groomed with (must be) Japanese straightened hair and glittery eye liners. I sat on the chair with Cael on my lap again. Took all of 3 minutes to get the tartar (she called it calculus) off Cael's few front teeth. Had to hold him down of course. He cried of course but I could see it was not painful at all, just didn't like his mouth invaded. He was ok once she was done. Then armed with advice on how to care for his teeth, we walked out where Cael was rewarded with a toy car and a toothbrush and floss. All is well, waved bye bye and off we went. Took us about 35 minutes including the pages and pages of paperwork I had to fill up.

The End of the SAHM Era

2007-08-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well technically, no, because I will still be staying home until I have found a job. But it does mark the end of 'Exclusive Cael and Mama Days'. My miniature person will start daycare tomorrow albeit just half a day for now. This will go on until I feel comfortable enough to leave him for a whole day. Then it is back to work for me.
I am not concerned about getting a job. It's just a matter of how low will I go.. salary-wise I mean. haha. But that's another blog.
I have mixed feelings about this. Not that I am worried about Cael going to daycare. I am mixed as in part of me is happy to get out of the house, join the workforce again and have some outside interaction with other adults. The other part of me is sad because like the title says, it marks the end of a chapter of my life. I can't say that it has been all wonderful. There have been days when I want to tear my hair out in frustration. But this new chapter means that from this day forward, I will never ever have my baby boy all to myself again. I will no longer be his sole caretaker.
I console myself that there will be vacations, holidays, weekends. Plus I am a much nicer mom when I have been away from my baby for a couple of hours. Plus it will definitely be good for Cael to have a social life. Plus someone else will potty train him instead of me!!!

Chillin'@home

2007-08-05T22:01:00.001-07:00

Fun in the Sun

2007-07-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

Watching the Housing Market

2007-07-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

I am currently watching the real estate market to see what will happen in the next couple of months. Not that we will be able to afford anything soon, and even if we were, we will not be able to get a loan just because our (mortgage) debt to income ratio will look too risky to any lender. In order to buy a home, I will have to go back to work to hike up our income so it looks good on paper. Well, not only on paper, :) I will get to pamper myself with all those extra money lying around too! haha. We shall see. I am just very tired of moving so if the housing market comes down, it will mean we can afford to get a cute little house we can call our own and I don't have to worry about Cael destroying the curtains and such!
We think that Cael is ready for childcare now. He will thrive very well in a home childcare environment once he gets familiar with the surroundings. He loves playing with other children. In fact he loves playing with other adults too besides his mama and dada. He is bored seeing our same old faces! So the search is on for a home childcare. Not to mention updating my resume too. Daunting!

While We Were Away

2007-07-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

Why do unexpected things happen when you are having a good time? Anyways, we come back to a voicemail from our landlord's agent saying that she wants to put the condo up for sale. Well, our lease expires in October so I guess we will be doing some moving again! Just the thought of it makes me want to tear my hair out. I think I have moved enough to last me a lifetime. This will be the 6th move since I stepped into American soil. It is TEDIOUS. Harder with a little person. Well it doesn't necessarily mean that we will have to move in October but I am not cottoning to the idea of having strangers traipsing around the house for however long it takes to sell it. I didn't like it when we had to sell our own house, so much less when it is not ours. Gerald suggested that if this is what the landlord expects us to do, then we should ask for a discount since we are under no obligation. So we'll see.
The other 'lovely' surprise we got was that our VoIP provider, Sunrocket, decides to shut its door suddenly. So we are left with no local line. We signed up with another provider yesterday so hopefully we will receive our new number soon. Yes, for the umpteenth time yet again, we are changing numbers. Only consolation is we only had Sunrocket for 2 months so I think our credit card company can get the money back for us. Paid a whole year's worth cause it was a GREAT deal. Well we know better now. So it's back to month to month.

Gripes and Updates

2007-07-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Finally arrived home from Malaysia at almost 1am no thanks to Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and its infamous delays. And I speak this from experience. The last time I came back from Malaysia via MAS teo years ago I was subjected to a delay of more than 3 hours. I guess this must be a standard practice for them, because this time around, the same thing happened again and it has gotten worse. Not only were we delayed from Malaysia, when we arrived at Taipei, there was an additional delay of over an hour. The captain said it was due to MAS changing to a new system and having computer glitches. We'll see what kind of excuses they come up with the next time I have to travel with them again. When we left for Malaysia, there was also a delay. This was due to the fact that the flight was full and they only opened 2 counters for economy class and 1 for business and first class. Is it that difficult to get more staff?????
Anyways, so we arrived home. Everything felt kinda weird for me after almost 2 months away. The home looked different, forgot which drawers held what! Felt quite odd. We had finally nodded off when at around 3.30am when we heard Cael crying in the other room. I was so disoriented that I asked Gerald, "Where am I? Just tell me where I am and I will be able to find Cael!' Gerald didn't know either. We finally realized we were home and he went to get the boy. Boy ended up sleeping on mama's tummy and our bed until this morning. Both mama and child didn't want to get up when Dad tried to wake us up at 7.30am. Finally resisted more sleep and got Cael up at around 8am. Boy and Dad are sleeping right now as I type.

Our Farewell at Tony Roma's

2007-07-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

We are all still wondering how Cael knows he is supposed to pose and smile for pictures! Forgot to take a picture of all the food we enjoyed at my brother's Tony Roma's chain in Malaysia. Suffice to say there were steaks, ribs, shrimp pasta, margaritas and pina coladas and desserts! See you again in 2009! ( I think, hope)

Island Getaway

2007-07-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Need I say more? :) Just the two of us. Snorkelling. Canoeing. Walking on the beach. Saw a baby shark, tons of multicolored fishes, some live corals, sea cucumbers, little bitty sea urchins, jelly fishes, baby turtles.

Insomniac Ramblings

2007-07-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is the second day in a row that I forgot I am no longer young enough to be drinking caffeine in the evening. So I have been having a hard time going to sleep and ending up tossing and turning all night long. Finally called it quits, so I have decided to do something 'useful' besides surfing the internet mindlessly and playing games.
Being on vacation gives us time to reflect on what we can do differently in our day to day lives to prevent monotony setting in. Or at least my vacation does, maybe yours is filled with activities! Well, I don't necessarily sit down in a corner and do nothing but reflect. It is more so just talking to friends and seeing how each one is doing different things to make life more exciting? enriching? meaningful? I also have the opportunity to observe lives being lived and from there glean certain things that I see that I say yes, that is how it should be, or no, that is not something I want to do.
I think what I mainly learned is that it is important to find someting that I am passionate about and see what I can do about it. The question is, What am I passionate about? Well, I love musicals. I love theater. I (used to) love singing, but I think my voice is horrible now from years of neglect. I would love to be able to sing classical songs. The next question is, will my neighbor still like me?? haha. Anyways, the next step would be to do something about it. Maybe I will take vocal lessons. I want to, I will have to work that out into my budget as they don't come cheap.
I also learned from this trip that the day does not end at 5pm!!! HAHAHA! I think I live a very sedate life. It is probably an insult to the word live. I think the word should be just being. Well, I guess the situation of living on one income that does not cover all our expenses probably has something to do with that. I am not divulging this information to get pity or sympathy. Just that this is the choice my husband and I made when we chose that I stay home with Cael in his first years. But I think that is something that we can work on. I mean, I can start looking around for part-time work. Or start selling stuff on Ebay or something. No one stops me except myself, right? So I think there will be some different steps taken when I get back from this long vacation. I am actually looking forward to it.

More Pampering

2007-07-15T06:14:00.001-07:00

I fear if I don't blog about this soon, all the sweet memories will fade into the back of my brains.
So, a very sweet friend treated me to a spa resort to relax and be pampered. We went to Cyberview Lodge Resort & Spa and had a lazy time. It is a very beautiful resort, very quiet, lots of waterfalls, palm trees, hammocks, tropical, no mosquitoes(!!). The package came with a daily massage. Bliss! We dressed up every evening for our dinner. It was a fun ladies' getaway. Need I say more? Someone forgot to take her camera so the only thing I got from this resort is a very tense-looking little teddy bear souvenir which somehow stowawayed in my carry-on. :)

Back from Singapore

2007-07-05T06:06:00.000-07:00

Ok..for those who are wondering why I haven't blogged for a while but still not willing to drop me a line in my email, this is for you..thanks for inquiring!!
Once Gerald arrived in Malaysia our lives have been a bit frenzied. We left for Melaka on our way to Singapore to visit my dad and my brother. Broke the journey so Cael didn't have to endeavour 5 whole hours in the car.
Went to visit my dad's church and finally dedicated Cael to the Lord. We spent 2 days at the Conrad Centennial Hotel which was a luxury indeed. Housekeeping comes in twice a day. Once to clean, the next in the evening to prepare the room for bedtime. We were pampered. Cael had his own crib too. I might post some pictures later if I remember. A daily breakfast buffet came with the hotel. This luxury is thanks to my brother Mike, who had lots of reward points on his credit card.
Spent the rest of our stay at his home. We ate a lot, tried to shop but found the crowd overwhelming and the stuff not really cheaper than US. Although I must say they do have lots of interesting things not commonly seen in US.
Came back to Kuala Lumpur today and I go off with my friend to a spa resort tomorrow leaving Gerald and Cael to their own devices! Can't wait to be pampered even more!!! Yippee!!

Nail Spas and Margaritas

2007-06-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

Started yesterday morning with an extreme nail makeover thingy. Could get used to being that pampered if I didn't mind the duration. It lasted for about 2.5 hours. Started with a scrub and ended with a french manicure and painted toe nails with glittery stuff. And in between, there were masks, saran wraps and massages.
Then went out in the evening for a margarita to mark the end of my 'singledom' vacation. Hehe..sounds like I have been out being Paris Hilton but the truth of the matter is, I have been a good girl, I have. It was just me and my friend being silly that's all. And those who know me know I can't drink much alcohol, if at all. So despite the margarita being a watered down one, I only managed to sip half the glass. But it was nice, two married women out for a drink and just sitting and relaxing in the open air enjoying the company.

Cael and Great-Grandma

2007-06-23T23:38:00.001-07:00

Cael and Darshini

2007-06-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

Cael and Food

2007-06-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Cael with an ice chip in his mouth.

Cael is eating lots of variety of food now but I think his favorite are the buns we get from the bakery. He loves those. I guess its because they are sweet. He also eats the food we put on his tray. Most of the time. He loves crunchy stuff and is not a fan of soft-textured food. In the mornings, he usually gets a slice of dry toast. I have not been very strict about his foos intake so he has been experiencing a lot of different foods including junk! oops. Te food police is coming to get me! I let him try coca-cola once and he scrunched up his face when the gas hit him. He gets M&Ms from Uncle Edward. He loves keropok (kind of cracker). He eats the porridge my mom cooks for him, usually has pork, sweet potatoes, carrot and Marmite. He ran out of baby food a long time ago so had no choice! But he allows my mom to feed him new foods. He likes roti canai like his dad.

Cael and His Mama

2007-06-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

Cael is finally leaving my legs alone. He no longer holds on to them. In fact he doesn't even look for me anymore. Today his mama went to get her hair done (again! yeah, I cannot make myself sit in the salon chair for hours and hours so I am doing my hair in stages) and he spent the day with his grandmother at his great-grandmother's home. They all had a swell time while his mama wondered how he was doing. He did very well. Not a peep nor squeek! Methinks Cael will be more than fine left with his grandmother for a few days while his mama and dada go on a short honeymoon. :) He is also not as afraid of strangers anymore. So this vacation is doing him a lot of good, being exposed to all kinds of human beings and animals :-D

Cael Pics

2007-06-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Cael and Pepper

2007-06-17T02:17:00.000-07:00

My Mother's Garden

2007-06-17T01:58:00.000-07:00

Down Memory Lane

2007-06-13T16:59:00.001-07:00

We drove down to Melaka yesterday. This is the small town in which I was born to. Driving past the street that eventually leads to my mother's house, I noticed that everything remains as it had 25 years ago, when I was a mere child. The 'chai tau kway' seller is still there in the exact same spot. The chinese medicine shop is where it is looking the worse for wear. Seems like time had stood still while I was growing up. In times like these, I wonder if I walked over to my once best friend's house... will she still be there?
Flashes of images pass through my mind as I drive down this road where I grew up. Those days when we walked behind our house to get to the beach to poke at the holes in the sand created by tiny crabs. Cycling with my younger brother sitting behind me and going too fast and making him fall and scrape his knees. And getting punished for it! haha! Walking everywhere! Riding in trishaws because we didn't own cars then. Those were the good old days.
Anyways, I won't be able to post any pictures these few days because someone forgot to bring the memory card reader.

Memories

2007-06-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Cael used to have a bouncer just like this when he was a baby. I bought this for a friend who just had a baby and Cael couldn't help climbing onto it and pushing all the buttons. I am guessing he has a vague memory of his babyhood. :)

Now that's My Kinda Vacation!!

2007-06-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

Kissing and Talking to Dada

2007-06-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

Lackoffunitis?

2007-06-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Blogger's Block

2007-06-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

I was wondering why I have been having blogger's block, as opposed to writer's block! I mean, come on, I am on vacation, there must be lots of exciting things to write about...everything is different! Then I realized that it is because I have been doing stuff but I have done nothing interesting for Cael...the poor baby. This is his vacation too, so he should be having some fun too. So I will take him to a play gym in a mall today. It is way too hot and humid to be outside, besides it has been raining almost every evening. I am waiting to take him swimming too.
For me, I am having a good time catching up with friends. It is nice to reminisce about old times and friendship remains as comfortable as before. Doesn't feel like I have been away for 7 years...
Cael is still apprehensive around strangers but I believe he is more 'relaxed' now. He is getting used to seeing lots of new faces and environments. He is eating better too. He also has a new morning routine now. He likes to go out in the patio to feed the fish in the koi pond.

Updates

2007-05-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

Finally got hold of a laptop. I was seriously going into withdrawal symptoms. haha! Am I an internet addict or what!
Anyhow, arrived in Malaysia on Sat feeling the worse for wear. For some reason, I got so airsick I had to puke my guts out a couple of times. (TMI!) Something that has never happened to me before. The stewardess said it might have been because I hardly got any rest/sleep so the body was probably weak. However, Cael did very well in the plane. He didn't sleep much so guess who had to stay awake to entertain him. Thank goodness that for the last 2 hours of the trip the boy next door played with and entertained him while I caught up on some snatches of sleep.
And I THANK God that I met a friend on her way back home so she helped me with the baggage. I had with me 2 huge luggages, a bulky carseat and a bulky stroller not to mention Cael. So she was really Godsend. I mean, what are the odds?????
I am also pleased to say that Cael only had jetlag the first night. He woke up at 3am and I gave him some Benadryl and he played for an hour before going back to sleep. He got right back on schedule the second night and now he is sleeping as before... 7.30ish to 7am...what bliss.... I get my much needed break.
Cael has been following me everywhere like a little lamb. He will not let me out of his sight for a minute. He is getting better though. So yes, I still have hope that when Gerald arrives, we will go dating, and leave Cael with my mom :)

Yard Time

2007-05-23T12:16:00.001-07:00

Cael enjoys the yard so much you would think he lives in a jail or something. :-D

Here I am experimenting with the different features available in the camera. I have yet to figure it out completely.

Lists, Lists, Lists!

2007-05-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

I have been taking Benadryl to help me sleep. My over-active mind can't seem to shut down by itself. I guess it is because of the million things that I have yet to do but cannot until Count Zero Day. So my mind has just been taking inventory.
I am a HUGE fan of lists. I make a list of everything in my life....shopping list, to do list, bills-to-pay list, checklist, you get my drift. So right now I have a Cael's Stuff-to-bring List. My Stuff-to-bring list. Diaper Bag list. Stuff-to-do-before-I-leave List. Gerald's Honey Do List. Food-to-stock-up-for-Gerald-while-I-am-away List. One might feel overwhelmed with all these lists...but it helps me not get into a panicked mode since I know exactly what I have to accomplish.
OT, Cael has so far broken 2 of our cherished possessions. The laptop and the camera. CPU still works but the monitor is gone. Camera works periodically. Anyways, since both are quite unreliable, we have been thinking of replacing them. My husband is still deciding if he wants a new laptop since he saya it is not a priority as we do have a desktop at home and he does not use the laptop for school. Only problem is, I have sort of made the desktop MINE, so he hardly gets to use it. Not that I mind, but I guess he feels that he is encroaching on my computer time when he uses it. Which does tell you something I guess....like I am on the PC all day long! So we'll see what happens on this front.
I have been sitting at home all day long waiting for the UPS guy to come with my new camera. And it's now 1.15pm and he is still not here. Grrrrrrrr! Yeah I mostly buy everything off the internet. They are usually cheaper than the store, plus I don't have to pay sales tax, plus its almost always free shipping ( I love Amazon.com!).. only downside is having to sit home and wait for the dang package.. sometimes if no one's home they will leave it at the dorrstep but I am guessing they won't do that with a camera. So I guess I'll continue this waiting game........

Without a Hitch

2007-05-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

I went to have my fingerprints taken today so my application for naturalization can be processed. I must say I was VERY impressed by how courteous and fast the service center was. I was in and out of the place in half an hour. I took Cael with me and he was a good little boy. Did not make a fuss at all.
Timeline for process so far:
March 13, 2007 - Mailed Application
March 22, 2007 - Receipt of Notice of Action
April 24, 2007 - Notice to get fingerprints taken.
May 17, 2007 - Fingerprints taken.
All I have to do now is wait for the notice for interview. Then I will start studying about the U S of A. ;-)

Studio Pics

2007-05-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Old Vid - Cael Laughing

2007-05-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

This vid was taken at 11 months. When he finds something I do that is funny, he laughs hysterically. And he wants me to do it again and again.
OT(Off Topic), now that I know how to share the videos, I wished I had taken more vids with my camera. I thought I had to use a proper camcorder...bummer!!!

Old Vid - Cael Crawling

2007-05-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

Cael learning to crawl. This vid was taken 5 days before he turned 6 months old. This little one is very tenacious. He is like a dog with a bone. He wanted very badly to get to the phone I had placed out of his reach.

Old Vid - Cael on Jumperoo

2007-05-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

This was taken when Cael was just shy of 5 months. He loved his jumperoo. We had to give it away when we moved back to CA because we knew he wouldn't have a door wide enough to hook his jumperoo. Sob! Sob!

My Funny Little Bunny

2007-05-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today as I was preparing myself some breakfast, my child was wiping the floor with a dish towel that he had removed from the rack. I was about to reprimand him for dirtying the dish towel when I realized that he was wiping the juice he had spilled because I did not tighten the lid on his sippy cup correctly. How smart my little one is! His daddy thinks that he is going to be able to read soon because he is always bringing us a book so we can read to him. Which makes me feel guilty because my child has to urge me to read to him instead of the other way round.
He is getting more and more tanned now that sunny days are here. We are always going to the park or Disneyland or doing something outside the house. I don't foresee being outside in Malaysia much though because it is way too hot and humid for me. Besides, unlike most Californians, I do not like being tan. I am only doing it for Cael. If left to my own devices, I would never see the sun, and I wouldn't miss it either.

Yippee! Success...

2007-05-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

I can now relax since Cael has no problem sleeping in his new travel bed.

Mr Darcy

2007-05-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading 'A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman' by Pamela Aidan. It is a trilogy that retells the story of Pride and Prejudice through the eyes of Fitzwilliam Darcy. And I must say they (the three books) are pretty good. I came about these books as I was browsing in Borders one day looking for something to buy with a gift card I received. I did not realize there are tons of sequels from this classic of Jane Austen's. There was one about Darcy's and Elizabeth's lives at Pemberley. And even some books dedicated to their children's lives! How very odd. I don't think I will be interested in those.
Darcy will always be Colin Firth in my mind :) He is one dashing man! I simply had to watch the TV series again while I was reading the books (I own the DVDs). It really helped to know what he was 'thinking'. My favorite part in the TV series must be the part where Elizabeth comes upon Darcy while she is visiting Pemberley.
Anyways, needless to say, I am thoroughly enjoying walking through picturesque England with Elizabeth and Darcy............

Disneyland Monday!

2007-04-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Travelling with a Toddler

2007-04-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

Travelling with a toddler is not an easy matter. It calls for some intricate planning, unless its just me and my anal ways. I have been losing sleep wondering what Cael is going to sleep on when we go on our vacation. It would have been easier if we were just staying put in one place and can just get a crib. But we are planning on going places, so we needed something versatile. I thought about getting a playard but am already planning to take my whole house. So, I finally ordered this thing called the PeaPod Travel Bed. It springs up into a tent, has an air mattress and is a space saver, not to mention light too. Well, I just ordered it online and haven't seen the thing yet. It should arrive within 10 days so hopefully I will get to test it out and see if Cael likes it, otherwise I will have to find a different alternative. A lot of family and friends have mentioned that I should just put a mattress on the floor and let Cael sleep on it. Unfortunately, Cael needs boundaries... he not only will not stay put in bed, he also moves a lot in his sleep. So I hope this bed really works.
Will update you on my success (fingers crossed, hehe)

Morning@Disneyland

2007-04-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

Finally got an annual passport to Disneyland so I can take Cael to Disneyland a couple of hours every week, weather permitting of course. This first time was a bit frenzied because it took a while to get our bearings, but I got a map of the park so can plan ahead for our next visit so we know exactly where to head to. Didn't take any pictures worth showing here but will do so next time. Cael was a little puzzled by the throngs of people and he did get on a few rides. As he gets older he will be able to enjoy more rides but for now Dumbo it is.

My Day of Fun

2007-04-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Some friends treated me to a whole day of fun at Disney's California Adventure Park, inclusive of all meals. So sweet of them...thank you guys! And we ended the day with a really yummy meal at an authentic Italian Restaurant. Too bad I forgot to take a picture of the meal I ordered so you can drool over it. Here are some pictures I took at the park.
The haunted Hollywood Tower Hotel. Its my favorite ride.
Picture taken during the ride. See if you can spot me.
Beautiful flowers

Colorful buildings. The roller coaster ride was COOL! Mickey's face is actually a loop.
If you look carefully, you can see the backdrop.

Not a Baker

2007-04-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

For the life of me, I do not know why I have such failure baking anything...bread, cake, cookies. I am hopeless at it. The only thing I can make passably are scones. Or at least I think so...since I have nothing to compare them with as I have never eaten an original British/Irish/Scottish scone. So.... I think I am finally just going to throw in the towel and declare my kitchen bake-free. Obviously this does not include the Pillbury Cake-in-a-Box. I am not THAT bad. I am talking bake from scratch. There are only two desserts that I can make which will not fail. Peach Cobbler and Banana Pudding. Both do not include measuring stuff to the tee. Maybe that's where I mess up. Which is odd considering that I (used to) work in Accounts! Haha. I mean, give me meat and veggies anyday and I can probably cook up something that is more than edible but flour and eggs? Forgetaboutit.

Poor Little Soldier

2007-04-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

Cael busted his lower lip yesterday when he was twirling round and round and tripped and fell face down on the tile floor. Broke his mama's heart. It bled but my little soldier just cried a little before he was off again playing. Today, he was out in the yard playing and enjoying the sun when he started running and tripped and fell face down again. This time he busted his upper lip and it was bleeding bad. My poor little baby. Good this it was just a layer of skin which I had to cut off when he was sleeping because he kept licking at it. Made me want to pass out doing it. He is now sporting a swollen lip much like those Hollywood stars who inject stuff for puffier lips. I don't think my heart is conditioned to witness all these heartbreaking events. I jokingly told my husband that I will have to start making him wear a helmet.

Binky and Bottle

2007-04-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Cael finally gave up his last bottle, the one right before his bedtime. So I am real GLAD I can put away those dang bottles that have so many parts to wash. Yes, he uses those Dr Browns bottles which come with a million parts! Grossly exaggerated but try washing 6 bottles with all their different parts and see if it doesn't feel like a million! I got him those bottles because he was one gassy baby and they helped him suck it less air. You can read about them on their website if you are interested in the workings. Just too long for me to get into and besides, who really are interested?

He never learned how to use the binky. Perhaps if I had had more patience to keep putting it back into his mouth everytime he spat it out he would have learned eventually. Well, I guess it is a good thing because that is one less thing I need to wean him off. I found a binky the other day and popped it into his mouth. As you can see he doesn't know what it is for. He likes chewing it though.

On the last pic, he was being a little baby resting on his mama's lap and loving on her. So sweet! That is about 5 seconds of the day. The rest of the day, he tries to see who has more stamina, him or me.

About a Bloom

2007-04-13T19:35:00.001-07:00

The first blooms of spring. I moved into the home in late fall so I never knew what flowers were in our little patio. Well, it's taken a while but these are some of them. There are also two rose bushes, a blood red and a yellow. They were already past the prime so I didn't take the pics. I will wait for the next buds. The white one is a calla lily (if that is how they are spelled). Not sure what the other one is.

Deep Thoughts

2007-04-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

Not that I have any right now. Deep thoughts, that is. I just wonder why some people have so much (many?) thoughts that are so complicated I have a hard time understanding them. It is like trying to read a textbook, and sorry but I left all that behind when I left school years ago. I hate having to read sentences a couple of times just to try to guess what they are trying to communicate. So yeah, I try to keep my thoughts simple. Maybe this is the reason why I never liked poetry. I am not a fan of reading the line over and over again to see where it is all going. If you tell me that the winds were blowing hard that night, I take the meaning literally. So don't tell me that it was supposed to mean that the poet's thoughts were swirling hard in the head or something like that! I mean, hey, good for you if you enjoy that kind of stuff but it is just not for me. And I don't think it makes me any less of an intellectual...or does it?
Anyways... the bad thing about simple thoughts is that I also do not enjoy meditating much on the Word of God. I can read but again, I do not enjoy mulling over it. The good thing is that I don't have to mull long because usually the Holy Spirit helps and gives me the meanings so I don't have to crack my head open.