Me on being 12.

Our marriage is a dozen year old and I couldn't be more impressed at what those years made of us---of ME. The happy times to treasure and the challenging ones that made ME the woman I am now. Most of us know that marriage can be blissful yet can be the most difficult relationship because it's a continuous evolution of two individuals. Similar yet different in various ways.

Without doubt, I am not the same woman he met years back. I neither accept nor live by the phrase, "where's that woman I married?" and vice versa because that person has surely matured physically, emotionally, mentally AND hormonally. Of course we try and keep the good qualities that our partners fell in love with in the first place but come on, I'd probably be bored with myself had I stayed the person I am a decade ago. Insecure. Weak. Dependent.

That was then...I hope I improved a bit ;-) Besides, only a dead butterfly rots in their cocoon right?

So I'm glad to be where I am now. Grateful for the smooth and rough journeys of the past years that showed me what I'm capable of facing and blessed to be in my sturdy shoes.

Happy Heart's Day

It's the last day of this long Chinese New Year weekend and I have to say it's probably one of the days I really enjoy being here---IT'S empty! Feels like 50% of the population has left and I could see it in the streets. Trust me, it's wonderful when most of them are NOT around.

On the morning of heart's day, we decided to have a biking tour with the kids and thankfully (due to the CNY) I didn't have to be on super guard mode for traffic. The cars had enough space to not squeeze the bikers to be on the canals and you don't have to play chicken with them in the zebra crossings! We biked for 2 hours and Keanu did a great job catching-up with us with his very basic bike. Though we tried to choose the roads with the least uphill direction, we can't really avoid it but he really worked those leg muscles! Alyanna was on her imaginary horse Trekker, aka Bike brand Trek, and that sure was her motivation to keep on going. Me? well, I huffed, puffed and panted but I made it to the top every time.

In the evening, A and I went out for dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day---well, we eat out for non-themed days anyway but given the extra ooomph most restaurants do for the occasion, why not? We went to the The Lighthouse and had their 5-course valentine menu which was delicious---enough for me to eat DEER meat. With its cozy ambiance and waterfront skyline, it was a charming idea.

I gave A a simple present for the occasion's corny romanticism *blush-blush* and he gave me mine which I could've opened next week for our big day but my impatience got the best of me of course.

Time after time...

It's Chinese New Year in this part of the world and I'm wondering where the heck did last year go?!!! more so, last MONTH?! Either I'm so busy with life's daily grind and happenings or I did the Snow White snooze and let time pass me by---AGAIN!

I was some years back a SAHM as well and I used to think that my life was fast. I was moving like a programmed robot, multi-tasking here and there. By the time I woke-up, the to do's go tsak-tsak-tsak...and voila! it was night time once more. Sometimes the need to change from jammies to house clothes or vice-versa is futile because what I wore seemed good enough to function as both.

I'm done (for now) with that stage and now on another platform of life. I'm a Working girl, er Woman. Not bad and I'm not complaining at all. Though sometimes I find myself entertaining the thought of being just home once more then minutes later, I whisk the thought away and be glad to be doing something else.

I enjoy my work. I like the people I work with. I like the independence of having my own working life and $$$. Buying stuff for family/friends from my own sweat (yeah right) makes me feel proud. Not to mention the little "tokens" our boss gives us every now and then which makes having an office in the Orchard area a disadvantage to shopaholics. (not that I'm one)---I'm the ant who likes to save for the rainy days.

So despite the speed of everyday, I'm grateful for living in it.

So bring it on Tiger Year! Meet the Pig! The year has just begun.

Plans, plans, plans

If there's one thing in planing a trip (or trips) that I didn't expect--it's losing the excitement. Call it weird but yes, it can happen. It's only February and I have dates blocked until mid-July!

I'm still overwhelmed with the after shock of the Christmas/New Year holiday preparations and celebrations and now I find myself hunting for nicely priced airfares to Germany FOR Christmas 2010 and the year JUST started!!! oh well, planning way way ahead is considered a norm, if not a safety precaution to have a place to stay in in this case.

The trip to Beijing has been postponed for another time. I'm getting burned out with organizing and looking forward to this and that that I'm ending up NOT excited anymore and yet another suggestion of a short getaway is brewing. Add to that is organizing our helper's trip which again tickles my pet peeve---disorganized, bureaucratic PAPERWORK!

Last but not least, $$$. Knowing this year end's family vacation won't be cheap, my ant character is quickly taking over because though vacation is part of our lifestyle, I'm very much aware that we have a reality to live in a.k.a. Kids, School, House, Food and and and

Thank goodness my better half got the message and took control of planning an alternative and not so pricey dozenth year with the request that I should trust him with it.

So, trust it is.