A smile to brighten up my day

Whenever I go grocery shopping at Carrefour, Endah Parade, I always look forward to meeting him.

He always greet me with a cheerful smile, a happy 'thank you' and a wave of the hand.

He's none other than the guy who collects the parking fare.

I'm sure that despite his humble job, if he keeps his cheerful attitude, he's heading towards a great, happy life. All the best to him :-)

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Ramblings of a Mom

As Damian becomes a Teenager, the one person I keep having in my mind is ... my Pa.

 

I remember how Pa keep looking into the crib, but refused to carry such a small infant.

I remember when Damian reached his full-moon, and Pa awkwardly carried him and posed for a picture.

I remember how Pa said he gave up smoking because Damian was constantly coughing because of his allergy to ciggy smoke.

I remember Pa taking Damian and Marcus out to the playground so that my sister and I could have a little timeout.

I remember once when I wanted to cane Damian and Pa just whisked him away! Then I threatened Pa that if he doesn't allow me to cane that brat I will cane him [my son, not my Father :-D] harder!! But Pa just drove off to the shops and bought his grandson an ice-cream!

I remember when we first went to USA, how Damian, so tired from jet-lag was crying for his grandfather "I want my kung-kung. I want go back to Malaysia".

I remember how Pa used to save hundred of ringgit in coins and gave it to the grandchildren to be counted and divided amongst themselves. Pa was a good grandfather not only to my Damian, but to all his 13 grandchildren.

 Why the nostalgia? I guess... with kids growing up, I realised that I can't pause time, no matter how much I wanted to. I might have this desire to keep them small, to keep them with me forever.... but that's not possible. They have to grow up. They have to leave the nest one day.

 

Damian turning 13 is just one more step into that direction. I cant stop that, and I do not intend to. What I can do now is to continue to ground him, give him roots, and at the same time, strengthen his wings. He'll fly away one day. And I hope.... that he'll also learn to fly home once in a while.

 

Just like what Pa gave us......

 

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My Kids are Great

Havent posted anything new for so long coz I was at a Training in Singapore last week. Just got back on Monday, then the internet was down. Ok, I'm back online now.

Came home to this :

Sweet eh? I should go away more often :-P

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Back in School!!

Now I am happy, Happy as can be
Happy as can be
Happy as can be....
Now I am happy
Happy as can be....
the kids are finally back to school!

Yee-haw!!!!

It's all worth it

Sometimes, something just happen out of the blue, and makes my day:

Moving On

It's been almost a week since Pa left us.

On one hand, I know that it's a good thing. That he no longer suffers. That his illness was short. That we were able to take care of him in during the 3 weeks he was sick. That his kids manage to pay filial piety before he dies. That we were able to be by his side at the time he breathed his last.

Some people commented that the fact he died before breakfast (at 6.32am) shows what a considerate person he was. That he left all good things (and all his meals) to his kids. He was also considerate in the sense that he died on a Monday, thus allowing us to observe all the 7th-day observations (on 7 consecutive sundays). We kids do not need to take leave from work.

One thing I'm truly thankful for is my 2nd Brother-in-Law who took it upon himself to settle all of Pa's medical bills. He certainly did not need to do so, and I'm grateful for his generosity.

I'm also grateful that somehow with all our differences, we 5 sisters and 1 brother remain united. (We hear stories about so and so who has a fall out with a sibling etc etc or so and so no longer on talking terms with a family member etc etc.)

So many things to be thankful for. So many blessings.... yet when I go to sleep at night, all the emotions come crowding in, and I start to weep. My eldest boy told me this morning that he don't know why, but when he closes his eyes at night - he wants to cry. I hug him and told him "It's ok to cry. In fact it's good to cry. We must spend some time mourning. Then we move on...."

I also pray that my mom will also mourn.... and then move on. She's been living with him for more than 45 years... now single again. I imagine it's not going to be easy for her.

Goodbye Pa

Pa passed on ....
Monday (July 20th) @ 6.32am.

We mourn .....
but we can move on ....
for we understand ....
it's better this way ....
to allow him ...
to leave his body ...
wrecked with pain ....
and go to a place ...
where eternal rest attained ....

A good man ...
With all his faults ....
A quiet man ...
who likes his mahjong ....

The testament of his Life...
Us 6 kids ...
All grown now ...
with kids of our own...

All of us ...
with no regrets ...
Say "Godbye Pa, go now in peace ...
You know for sure ...
We'll take care of Ma"

We see your smile ...
We feel your love ....
You say "I go now in peace...
For look at you kids ...
My work here ..
now is done...
This goodbye is not forever ...
Much unlike ...
Our love for each other ... "

Good to be home

I went to Singapore last Wednesday and came back on Sunday 2am! After 5 days away, I was exhausted. Saw this:

Aren't they the best? Makes all the hard work so worthwhile.

Happy Daddy's Day!!

Guess who's head this is?

Well... of course I have the full face photo as well... but I think he'll be embarassed if I post it up here. :-)

He was really sporting, playing with the kids, and he let the girls use him like their dolls. They really have an amazing time with him.

"Anyone can be a Father, but only he who really give his Heart can be a Daddy. "

I LOVE YOU DARLING.

I'm 'HELP'less

So, my old Indon maid left on April 30th and I've got a new one on the same day. This new maid is a foreigner, but her hubby has been here for almost 5 years. She said she needed to work to make ends meet. Have to feed a family (kids, cousins, etc) of 10! She gets off work on Saturday morning and comes back on Sunday night.

And she just QUIT!!!! From her limited English and BM vocab, she said it's simply too much work!

My two indon maids in the past (the first was with me for 5 years!) did EVERYTHING! Cleaning, washing, ironing, cooking, Babysitting and bathing the kids when they were younger. And everyday, they managed to squeeze in at least 2 hours of sleep/free time in the afternoon. (I know coz I found them sleeping many times!)

This new one - No need to cook. No need babysitting. She has not even clean/wipe any wondows or shelves or fans or make the beds since she was here almost 2 weeks ago!

In the mornings, she takes an hour sweeping the floor, another hour mopping it. I put the clothes in the washing machine and she hangs them. She then spends the rest of the time ironing. Oh she does the dishes after meals too. But that's too much for her. So, today during dinner, she literally threw in the towel. Wants to go home NOW! So, I sent her home lor.

Sigh... I am now HELPless. No HELP to do all the housework, which up till now, I have taken for granted. Although the 2nd Indon maid was not that good, if I close one eye, she's really ok. Futhermore, my kids like her. *Wail* I really miss her!!!! *Wail*

Then.... (maybe law of attraction?) she sms me from Indonesia. Said she wants to come back work for me. I called her immediately!!! Now have to find out how to go about getting her visa. Wish me luck!!

Bye-bye Old One, Welcome New One

My Indon maid left today. Completed her contract with me, and we mutually decided not to renew each other. Initially she said she'll stay another year (which I was ok with), then a month later, she decided not to stay (which I was glad as well, coz her work quality is getting from not-so-good to really-not-so-good).

Woke up at 3.30am to send her off to LCCT. She shed some tears, hugging me, saying all those 'kam-tung' (touching) thank-yous etc. Well, on my way back from LCCT, I started missing her already. Well, she can be really clumsy, and most of the time in her own dream-world, but she did try her best, and the kids really do like her. In fact, when I got home in time to help the kids prepare for shool, D and Jo actually cried, saying they missed kakak.

My new helper arrived today! And OMG, she could hardly speak English and BM! So, I drew up pictorial chart for her, detailing what she should do everyday. And I think I will not be able to go out very often in the next month as have to train her to do things my way. She seems ok.

I've been fortunate with the maids - first with Erni, then with Sur. And I really do appreciate the work they've done - cleaning my home, washing and ironing, cooking and babysitting. Running a household is a lot of hard work, and somehow, they did it! Leaving me with the time I need to do what I have to do - running my business and being a mom - guiding the kids in their schoolwork, taking Happy out for a walk or cycling with them, etc!

Thank you dear maids! May God bless you!