Future



My yesterday, my today, and my future



 

When I was young, I used to wonder how my future would be...

 

Behind my childhood home, there was this secret hiding place among the tall rubber trees. Everyday, I would bring food, lie down in the hammock, look up the big blue sky, and day dream for a long long time...

 

I asked the cloud...I asked the wind...I asked my future self...

 

Which man would fall in love with in the future? Is he going to be handsome? Tall? Funny? Romantic? Are his hands warm and assertive? Are his kisses tantalising?

 

How many kids would I have? How my son or daughter would look like?

 

What job would I do? Doctor? Scientist? Writer?

 

Which countries would I want to travel to? What people would I meet?

 

The future seemed so far, so uncertain, so mysterious, and so full of possibilities.

 

Suddenly I realised, 30 years have passed...I am now in my future.

 

Here I am, my future self, writing to the little me.

 

Dear little me,

 

You would have a husband, a lovely and funny one. Small eyes, tall, always likes to tell jokes, but never laughed at the jokes you tell. One who would write you poems, and give you romantic surprises when you least expect it. One who loves to sleep so much, that you sometimes feel like you want to kick his butts so hard that he fall from the bed. And one who is always the anchor when you are lost, showing you the direction, reassuring you that everything will be ok.

 

You would have two beautiful kids. So beautiful that every night you go to bed thanking God for the perfect gifts that He give.

 

The older son has big beautiful eyes, long lashes, rosy cheeks, beautiful smiles. He would tell you how beautiful you are even when you haven't brush your teeth and your hair looks as if it hasn't been washed for 10 days. Every night before bed, he would tell you how much he loves you, and that he is sorry for every little mistakes he have done.

 

The baby is a cheeky, loud, and opinionated one. He would make sure you know what he wants, and make sure he gets what he wants. His lung capacity is so good that when he cries, the neighbours would come running asking what happened. But when he smiles and laughs, it is so bright so warm and so cute, he'd melt you heart in an instant.

 

You are now a housewife, a full time mother, a driver, a teacher, a chef, a small business owner. You hair is forever messy, face forever oily, wearing the same T shirt with baby food spills a whole day, hardly have time for toilet break. Nothing that you imagined yourself would be. But that's exactly what so exciting about future. You can never know what fate would bring you. So you go with the flow of fate, and try to live each day the best that you can. Your little dreams can wait, but your kids are only kids once. Being able to see them grow healthily each day, that's the biggest blessing.

 

30 years passed like it was only 30 days. I can still see the little me lying in the hammock thinking far...  

 

Dear the little me, your future is here, and it's not that scary, it's not that far.

 

I just want you to know that everything is going to be fine.

 

Stay strong, stay focus, be happy, be free, live each day as if that's your last day on earth, and you will be just fine.  

 







 

 

 

About Life...and Death

Received a very sad news...A good friend's husband passed away suddenly this morning due to heart attack.

I heavy-heartedly texted T about this, telling him I am going to pay respect in the evening. T is working outstation this week. Eventhough I couldn't see his expression, but I can tell that he was saddened by the unexpected news.

T: If one day I am not around, I will miss you and Cedric kia...

Me: If you are not here anymore, you won't be able to feel anything lah

T: I think can still feel loh...unable to witness Cedric's wedding...to have grandson granddaughter...

Me: The one who passes on first will be less sad...The ones that are still alive will be sad for the whole life

I paused for a while, then decided.

Me: Dear, if I pass away first, you go marry another nice lady, then you will be less sad, can move on to a new life.

But (the lady) must sayang my Cedric lah, if Cedric doesn't like can not hah

T: I don't want to re-marry. (I want to be) Single and  go travel...Bring your photo along...Assume you with me kai kai...

Very touched...I can almost imagine a silly lonely man sitting alone at a farm in New Zealand holding my photo...

Me: (You) better re-marry. Otherwise Cedric big time he will have his own life, sure you gu ling ling (lonely), a kesian (pitiful) old man...

T: He comes back once a week to yam cha (have tea) and dinner with me OK already. I get a golden dog or husky accompany me

Me: We should enjoy our life everyday right dear? We never know for sure what will happen tomorrow...

T: That's why I really look forward to our new house. You don't worry about money, take it easy, we will work it out together. Relax lah baby!

Me: After we moved in, three of us should all jump into the bathtub together as the opening ceremony! I'll go pluck some flower petals, put some aroma oil

T: I want to scrub and mask using the New Zealand Rotorua stuff that we bought

Me: You laki banyak, can rub out huge black stuff like 50 cents

T: ~~~~~~~

I think life is as simple as ABC...to be happy...to make others happy...and to realize how lucky we are to still be able to open our eyes today, to see the people we love, to feel, to touch, and to just be here.

T might not be the richest, most handsome, most patient, most caring, most hardworking, most etc etc man, but he is the man that I have decided to spend my whole life with, be it 5 years, 10 years, 20 years or 50 years. And he is the one and only that allows me to be silly, to be sad, to be angry, and to be myself. He is the one who makes me laugh and constantly reminds me to "Relax lah baby"...

Great to have you and Cedric boy in my life dear...!

P/S: I really don't mind if you remarry after I am gone. As long as it makes you happy, and it is good for our boy.       ~~Cheers~~

One of the very few family photos we have

A dog named Wow Wow

Please meet the bushy Wow Wow, a new member in our family.

Wow wow, a name given to her by Cedric.

When I first met her, she was in terrible shape. Anxious, skinny, hairless, deep wound on one of her leg.

She used to be a stray, roamed about Subang area. One fine day, a kind rescuer Mandy spotted her wounded leg from afar, and her life has changed 360deg ever since.

Mandy, who was an avid dog lover and rescuer, took her to a veterinarian clinic for treatment. Apparently Wow Wow was hit by a car and lost her toes and most part of her paw on one of her leg. She was also carrying an oversize dead fetus in her womb. She was then treated for her wound, had her dead fetus removed, and neutered for good.

Mandy then posted Wow wow's story on the facebook, looking for someone to foster her until she recovers and is fit for adoption. That was how we met.

Wow wow many months ago, when her resuer Mandy Chee first found her on the street.

Wow wow was fostered in our home for a few months before we decided to adopt her. Initially hubby had a lot of concerns in adopting a dog. He thought it was not a good time to have a dog since Cedric was still young and needed a lot of attention. We do not even have enough time for ourselves, let alone to take care of another being. Furthermore, we live in a terrace house without much land area for dog to roam, which might not be suitable for dog keeping. But I guess Wow wow sensed our doubts, and tried to show us that she really wanted to stay. There was once she escaped from the backyard (where we usually keep her), only to be found at our front car porch the next morning. And the rest is history...

Favourite evening walk

She is an extremely smart and opinionated dog. Picky eater too. She dislikes doggie biscuits very much, and to show her disliking, she would cover her bowl of biscuits with a towel, and of course refuse to eat. She can go whole day without biscuit, but when she sees us having dinner, she would immediately wag her tails and come to sit under our chair waiting for a few bites of the "real" food treats. Mandy told me she used to survive on leftover "chap fan" when she was a stray, but now...she has official joined Terrance and Cedric's picky eater club.

Boiled chicken breasts - Yay!
Doggie biscuits....Nay...

Looking miserable when chained

From a quiet cage dweller when we first fostered her, she decided that she needed an accommodation upgrade a week later. She would cry out loud for a long long time and bang the cage aggressively if we put her into the cage. We got her message, so no more cage.

We then leashed her with a long chain and allowed her some freedom to roam about the backyard while waiting for her leg to heal. That only managed to keep her happy for a short few weeks, after which she refused to be chained. So we unchained her, and the backyard was all hers to explore.

Unleashed for a few weeks, finally she decided that she belongs indoor and she wanted to be an indoor dog very badly. Same old tricks - crying out loud, scratching and banging the door demanded to be in. Her tricks worked, again, and now she is happily sleeping in my living room enjoying air-con and watching TV.

New Study shows that pets may reduce children's risk of allergy (http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20110613/pets-may-reduce-childrens-allergy-risk)

She has been quite a good girl ever since we allowed her to be indoor. Except a few accidents, where she peed on Cedric's play mat, presented me with a broken door mat, a few holes on my cardigan, and the scattered rubbish at the kitchen every morning.

My mouth is itchy...yum yum...

I realized to keep a dog is like having another baby. A lot of responsibility and patience needed, but the reward is unconditional love and affection. 

We are still trying to adapt to each other's needs and habits, it may take some time for the both the human and dog to adjust and to learn, but I am sure eventually we will find a way to live happily and peacefully together.

Welcome on board Wow Wow! Now you have a place called home, where you will be safe and sound, and away from pain and suffering.

2103 Hot Air Balloon Festival @ Putrajaya

30th March 2013, Saturday

A Sunny Day.

6:30am - Woke up and had a nice hot shower

7:00am - Woke hubby up

7:20am - Carrying a sleeping baby, and off we went to Putrajaya!

We arrived at Putrajaya around 8:20am. 

To our relief, we arrived just in time. All the hot air balloons were still lying on the floor, and the members from each team are busy firing up the burner, preparing for take-off.

Balloons preparing to take off

Smurf! The star of the show

Good morning Cedric

Baby refused to smile for camera despite numerous attempts

Some of the larger balloons that took off later

Morning kiss

Cedric and daddy

Too young to appreciate the balloons. Nevermind, let daddy show you...

Balloons taking off one by one

Oreo balloon, yummy

More balloons

Tata smurf!!

One of the last ones to leave was this green monster balloon

One more pic before we head home

1-Year-Old Cedric

Time is a magic wand. In a wink, my little baby Cedric has turned into a cheerful, cheeky toddler. 

Now my big boy Cedric is very much a little adult. He is pretty good in doing what we adults do.

He can walk, sometimes he walks very fast, and he trippers and falls. But he is such a brave boy, he will stand back up in no time, and walk again. But his little legs sometimes get very tired from all the walking, and after 10 minutes or so he will start wanting to sit on the floor, and want daddy mommy to 抱抱 (carry). Never mind my good boy, let mommy 抱抱，then you can walk again when you have enough rest ok?

Walking in my first shoes!

He is a chatty boy, he can talk, talk and talk. But too bad mommy and daddy is not very smart, so we can only understand some, but not all of what he wanted to tell us. Luckily he is not at all discouraged by his blur parents. He keeps his talking spirit high and always patiently explaining and talking to us.

His favourite words are "nen nen" (milk), "抱抱" (carry), "mom mom" (eat), "wow wow" (dog), "pa pa pa" (daddy). Oh, not forgetting his signature 不要不要 (Don't want!), which comes in a package with a dramatic shake of head and hands. 

Cedric giving speech

Since last week, mommy decided that Cedric is a big enough boy, so he has been promoted to join the rest of the family members at the dining table. He has his own spoon and plate, so he is free to feed himself and explore his food. One good thing about my lovely boy is that he is quite generous in sharing his food. He shares it with the floor, the chair and his shirt. And he sometimes worries that mommy is hungry, so he likes to feed mommy his food too! Mommy is so proud of Cedric who is not stingy to share. I hope you can keep up this good trait and continue sharing with others.

Self feeding, the Popeye way

Mommy I feed you!

Cedric is a very affectionate boy. He likes to hug and kiss. His way of showing his love is by head-to-head knocking, and rubbing his face and nose against his loved ones with a lot of energy and passion. Sometimes he will kiss/eat/bite your face, nose, eye with his little mouth, and leave his sweet saliva as a souvenir.

We rub head sayang sayang

Cedric sayang yiyi

Cedric is a lucky boy. He is being loved deeply by daddy mommy, gong gong popo, grandpa grandma, yiyi, gugu, and suk suk. And he himself is a fair boy with a big heart. He will share his love with all who love him. He will want gong gong to carry for a while, then it's yiyi's turn. Before play time with daddy, he will sayang mommy for a while and perhaps gives a few kisses and hugs so that mommy won't feel left out. He makes sure everyone has enough of his attention and love, so that all will not get jealous and fight among each other. 

We are lucky to be blessed with Cedric! We are one big happy family who loves Cedric dearly!

We love Cedric!

Langkawi Go-Around, Part IV

We did some light and easy go-around during our recent Langkawi Trip.

On the first day, we spent our afternoon shopping at Kuah Town. Kuah town is famous for its duty free shopping, with price about 10-20% cheaper than buying at Langkawi town or the airport. We bought some chocolate, liquor and Luminarc cooking ware for the new home. Generally the price of these items was not much different from shop to shop around Kuah. The cheapest Kinder Bueno we managed to find was RM18.20/pack of 16pcs, Ferrero Rocher RM19.80/box of 30, both about 50% cheaper than main land. For liquor, it is limited to 1L per person, and there will be some extra discount given if paid by cash.

Cedric was bored and hot but well behaved throughout our shopping at Kuah. So the next day, we decided to do some baby friendly activities. We went to Underwater World to see some animals in action. The entrance fee was RM28/adult, and free for children below 3 years old.

Lizard

We were lucky enough to catch the furseal feeding session at 2:30pm

Penguins

Marine animal

Huge river monster, but Cedric was not afraid at all!

Our last day in Langkawi, we visited the Temurun Waterfall. I was pretty amazed by the magnitude and beauty of the waterfall. At 40m height, apparently it is the tallest waterfall in Langkawi. The volume of water is seasonal, and the best time to visit is around September-October. 

Walking the stairs up to the waterfall was not too strenuous even when I was wearing a baby. But be prepared to get a few mosquitoes bites if insect repellent was not used.

A cooling walk

Tallest in Langkawi

Mommy and Cedric

Daddy

Langkawi, Part III - Pahn Thai Restaurant @ Berjaya Langkawi Island Resort

It was dinner time! 

There are 5 restaurants in the resort - Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Beach Restaurant and Dayang Cafe. The most famous and most popular among all is of course the Pahn Thai Restaurant on the sea. 

Dining at the Pahn Thai was not all about the taste, as the food was only average in my opinion. What sets it apart is its romantic ambiance. Having dinner at an open air restaurant above the water, with the sound of wave as background music, breeze of the sea kissing your face, while admiring the beautiful sunset was relaxing and romantic. The live band that plays love songs from table to table adds some extra points to the overall wonderful experience.

Enjoying some quiet moments before dinner

Daddy, please don't throw me into the sea!

Daddy and son

Seafood Tomyam

Green Curry

Stir Fry Prawn

Coconut Milk Tapioca Pearl Dessert

Mango Sticky Rice Dessert

Langkawi, Part II - Berjaya Langkawi Island Resort

With the help of GPS, we drove along some twisty winding roads, and arrived at Berjaya Langkawi Island Resort about 20 minutes later.

Berjaya Langkawi Resort, Seaview Chalet - RM560/night, included breakfast for 2 (Free upgrade from Rainforest Chalet)

Berjaya Langkawi Resort is a secluded, quiet hotel nestled amidst an old tropical rainforest. From the hotel lobby, we took a 5 minutes shuttle bus ride to our chalet. It was a semi-detached wooden chalet built in the traditional Malay style. It comes with a lovely balcony overseeing the sea, shaded by some old, tall trees. The chances of spotting a monkey is high, so we make sure we close our windows and balcony door properly before we leave the room, or during bed time. 

A curious visitor came to check us out

Since the chalet is located in the forest, initially we were quite worried about mosquitoes, but to our pleasant surprise, not a single mosquito bite after our 4-day stay. Perhaps the breeze from the sea helped to keep the mosquitoes away. And so I thank the nice receptionist who was kind enough to upgrade our room from standard Rainforest Chalet to Seaview Chalet free of charge, upon knowing that we come with a baby.

Cedric @ 8mo

Mommy and Cedric 

Of our 4 days at Langkawi, we spent most of our time in the resort, chilling out and enjoying the resort facilities. To get to the beach, pool, restaurants, gym and other facilities in the resort, we need to travel by shuttle bus. Luckily the shuttle bus service was quick and efficient, usually it will arrive within 5 minutes after a call. And the resort staff were friendly and helpful too.

The Water Chalet

The very first contact with the sand

Daddy trying to sand bath Cedric

Swimming time!

Torpedo

Cedric kick, kick, kick!

Daddy trying very hard to keep the boss entertained

Having fun!