better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all

i've known poochiespider since i was 8. but i didn't really know her till i was 16. we became quick close friends, sisters almost. after school, i'd bunk at her place to sponge off meals. together we developed our own style of cooking instant noodles. we had countless sleep overs. we'd double date, then boy bitch till the break of dawn. we shared happiness and supported sorrows.

we were sooo tight, that when she was studing in australia, i mailed her my armpit hair just to remind her how annoying i am. in retribution, when i went to visit her in perth, she left a can of spam in my room for 2 weeks. she also made me smoke in gale force winds outside her house coz she insisted on the no-smoking rule. so everytime i needed to light up, i had to use layers and parker up. looked like kenny from southpark, but with a cigerette hanging out!

anyway, poochiespider and i drifted apart about 8 years back. we both became so consumed with our own lives (and we had different lives) that it was a natural drift. but i never stopped thinking about her and the fun times we had together.

i just received a generic sms saying that she is terminating her line and going to UK, : ( . i immediately called her back but she din pick up. it's so her to do something so abrupt and annoying like this. now i miss her more. watsup poochiespider!!

postnote : SHE CALLED BACK!! yeah : ) we promised to keep in touch viz email.

The new Adrien.. Danielle Alexis (aka Dani California)

Well the news is out..I so wanted to blog this but alas time has not been on my side..but anyway.. let me introduce our little Dani to you all.

Here she is..


aint she a doll.. ahhh..

so the newly appoint aunt is also the Godma and her hubs (my brother) is the Godfadder! Cool eh..of course the Aunt is calling her Dani California..at first she called her Nemo (since she was due on 4 March, a pisces, a fish do the math)..but then she came out an Aquarian!! The story of her birth was an interesting one..

We went for a normal check-up on the 13/02/2007 afternoon. We waltz into the Doc’s office and casually did the normal checks but found out that the wife’s BP was high. Doc told us to rush to the hospital right away (without even having lunch..NO LUNCH!!..she said grab something on the way over..but noooo..not us, we went to Delifrance and ate our fill before heading over). She wanted to induce the kid out on 14/02/2006 (V-Day). We were not really sure that it was that bad but you know, doc's word. Well we went to the hospital (Mt. Alvernia) and took another BP reading. It was still high so the Doc told us she was going to do the C&Y procedure. C&Y = Cut & Yank, otherwise known as caesarean with epidural. Well everything was a rush and a blur. They wheeled the wife away, and ferried me to another place to change into the gown (yes I got to go in!). I was trying to message everyone I know that we are going to have the baby that night itself! Halfway batt kaput! Nabae!! So everyone got the last message that “we are going to the OT, let you know soon”. Then waited..brought me in, wife was already opened up..as a loving husband, i went to look at the operation before coming back to hold her hand. We had a few laughs in there, and finally when it was time, SHE WAS YANKED OUT!! my goodness, i tot baby was fragile..

then the cleaning came..the Paediatrician Counted all the toes and fingers in front of me (which reminded me like someone showing me a product before it was sold to me) Dani already had her eyes opened up..looking at the world. She did cry when she was yanked, and it was the sweetest, cutest voice ever! At this time point of time, the shock did not set in yet..was still amazed by the procedure! Then they cleaned her up, put her on her mommy, took pictures..then the told me to get out. I felt like I was in the way most of the time, and was side stepping to let ppl get to my wife or kid. I was in the way! I wonder if every other dad felt that as well..when the nurses politely tell you to MOVE! Haha.. anyway, they wheeled the baby out and gave me the option of either waiting for the wife or follow the baby to the nursery. As a good loving husband, once again, I went with the baby. The first look I got sight of Dani, her hair was all curly looking like a Jamaican. Was worried for a bit there..but then when it was dry, she looked Asian alright. Will spare all the other details, but would just like to add that at first it felt like I was watching a telly, like it wasnt happening to me..but when I took her into my arms, that’s when the magic hit. Wow..that was amazing. So precious she is! I don’t know how many times I held back from crying.. but yes..that’s the story.. need some pics to view..below is the link.

The wife and I are very blessed to have so many ppl who shared this journey with us, and that was the magical part. So thank ya sis..for everything! You certainly played a big part and welcome to Auntyhood!!

picture link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boomy

godparents = magic and mayhem

just when i thot that the gender divide was finally over (or at least narrowing), i found that we are still very much testosterone and eostrogen.

couple of weeks ago, i became an aunt. a big deal for me coz i thot i would never be an aunt to any kid. then out pops danni california (my niece) and wham, my tree of life just sprouted a new branch. she's beautiful. and sooo very tiny. well tiny-er than the ones i gave birth to. red-hot-chilli-padi. actually i thot you-know-who would have blogged about her but i guess he is catching up on sleep. i waited and waited .... till i could wait no more.

anyway, back to the gender divide ... i googled "godfather images" and had pages after pages of stills from THE GODFATHER and paraphranelia. you know ""Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But uh, until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day." says Don Corleone to Bonasera. say it out loud with your best sicillian accent. (i just made myself crave for italian)

then i googled "godmother" and i had pages and pages of wand wielding fairies! fat chicks with wings! so this post goes pictureless just because.

taking google as a guide, we have just laid down our roles. while the hubs will watch over her like the italian mafia (watch out boys!) i'll ensure that she's glamourously fashionable, wears proper shoes and back before midnight!

ps - danni california is not her real name, just in case you were thinking "poor girl".

mum's the word

the feeling is here. so strong that i can’t stop it. i want 2 tattoos and i know just where I want them. It’s going to be a chrysanthemum ... one tribal and one oriental.

the feeling is damn cosmic, it's driving me nuts. so i did a little research. it’s the birth flower of November. it’s nickname is "mum". and it stands for honesty and determination. In Japan, it means strength. how apt is that of my character.

more factoids : according to chinese feng shui, chrysanthemums bring happiness to the home. it’s a eurasian plant where it’s history is rich in both Greece and Germany. In China, it is sought after for it’s herbal benefits to stop depression and in Japan it’s a noble flower.

its also used a lot in funerals but who cares coz you know how fixated i am about death and rebirth! now waiting for my partner in crime. hurry up lah!

personal jesus

talking to angel girl about muslims and mosques ... she quickly quips that not all lim's go to mosques.

monkey boy was making the sign of the cross. earnestly he said, in the name of the father .... and of the son .... and of the hooligans!

+++++++++

i mind *uck my kids all the time. the other day i caught angel girl lying. i said, you can lie to mummy and daddy but jesus knows, he sees and hears everything. and he is making a list.

+++++++++

i remember going to church in a low cut top/ a short skirt as a teenager (there were cute guys there! c'meon who has EVER paid attention in mass at 16!!). grandma told me to cover up before jesus comes down from the cross to do it himself. the mental visual was enuf.

even younger, i remember snoozing during the homilies. once my aunty caught me. for 3 months i had to write summaries (post-mass) to ensure i paid attention.

years later, i'm still not paying attention in mass. most times, i'm just glad that i make it to church in one piece. i do like going, but i don't make a consistent effort. so if you make it for mass, pray for me k. promise to put in a good word about you to JC if i get there first : )

Cheetahlicious!

took the kids out to the Cheetahlicious event a couple of weeks ago. hubs company was running it for Disney. i got suckered to do this coz Cheetah-girl wanted her moment of glamour. so i hid myself behind dark glasses and a hat. ended up looking like a minah-steamer lah. the boy did his best koala impersonation. everybody say "CHEETAH-LICIOUS"!!!

management sandwich

god, i hate being middle management. now i know why managers are such pricks. coz they finally got out of hell and they want to torture the next in-line. it's like a "hazing". (oh, for crying out loud, go wiki "hazing" if you don't know what it means!) worst, the ritual could last years.

delegation sucks. i swear it's pure torture for someone who likes being in control, like me. how can i be sure if the staff i've delegated to, can do the task. when i give work to someone, i expect the same level of outcome as i would have done it myself, if not better. if i had to buddy/ shadow, i rather just do it myself. a teacher i am not. time is something i do not have.

what i am is a go-getter. and when it comes to work, i'm really anal. my work is a reflection of my office personality and i pride on it. there is no failure. and that is my expectation.

*deep breaths* ok ... i'm not usually a psycho bitch but it's been a long one and a half months. work and home stress is getting to me ... there is just not enuf chocolate in this world!

... turn back the time

do you remember a time before music was available on CD. and even if it were, it was like 30 bucks a pop for a johhny hates jazz album! remember johnny hates jazz??!! smash hits. bad hair and shoulder pads. but i digress ...

i was remembering a time when i used to cram-study at night while listening to the radio. i didn't have the dough to buy CDs nor casettes. (how can you tell if you bought an OA casette from an indonesian import? originals got lyrics inside) anyways, i used to buy blank casettes and keep it on stand-by, in my mini boom-box, waiting patiently for the dj to play my song.

in those days, we couldn't sort, tag or shuffle songs. the playlist was completely dependent on the dj's selection. no song build-up nor genre arrangement. to split genres, i usually had 2-3 casettes on stand-by. rock, pop and slow. sometimes it got soo frustrating, especially when the song was near it's end, and the dj decides to start talking as it fades. or plays a cheesy commercial as transition. so many times, i pulled my hair out in tufts at the wasted effort. but when the tape was full of my fave tunes, it was magic.

i remember my first CD which i bought with my first pay cheque. actually i bought 2. it was the best of eagles and best of hall & oats.
eurasian girl what!