Archive | May, 2014

Everything Has a Name

13 May

M2 loves her study corner so much, she has decided to give names to the things that make up the area! (Remember Pancake the pet plant?) One evening, she told me, “Mummy, you know my Pixar light? I call it Peter!”

“Really?” I was amused.

When hubby bought her an external hard drive to store her data off the computer, she gave it a name too.

“This is Phil.” She introduced the hard drive to me one evening.

“Waa… You’ve got Peter and Phil. What next?” I asked. Which I shouldn’t have because the next thing I knew, I was introduced to her table.

Image

“Mummy, my table is called Bobby.”

I rolled my eyes; everything has a name. I dare not ask what will be next.

Tags: ,

Oh! Pixar Lights!

12 May

The study areas were created and both girls were extremely happy with the result. To top off the space, we needed to get lights for them. So I promised them after work, we will run off to IKEA to buy the lights. I was even reminded every hour via iMessage after they came home from school. Such was their excitement especially M2.

So at the lighting department in IKEA, hubby and I were debating between aesthetics and practicality. He decided it shouldn’t be halogen-based to minimize heat issues when used over a prolonged period. I pushed for those swing arm worklights that uses energy saving bulbs because I used to have them when I was in college and secondly, I thought they were the most practical. Braced to a furniture, it looks sturdy and won’t topple over even if handled too roughly but hubby thought they weren’t pretty. But in the end, my insistence for practicality won over the pretty table lamp choice that he had in mind.

When we came home, both girls waited excitedly by the door because we called ahead to announce our return with lights for them. The front door opened and dramatically, the lights were shoved forward to present to them.

“Oh! We got Pixar lights! Yay!!!” one of them exclaimed. Wow. I never even made that association and in my mind I knew it was the right choice. Without giving us a chance to have dinner, the lights were quickly assembled and put in place with our help of course. The two study areas are now complete with Pixar lights.

Tags: , , ,

Hitting the Jackpot

9 May

ImageImage

I confess. Besides Candy Crush, Zookeeper Battle and Farm Heroes, I play the Jackpot in Facebook. A year ago, I decided to chase the game’s leaders and try to break into the top 50 in the world. Why? Just to test myself and see if I could do it. I figured if other Facebook users can have their names on the list, why not me? So diligently, I would spin the jackpot every single day without fail. Days when I travel, I’d enlist the girls to help just spin the wheel for me. It’s almost a crazy obsession but the key was to be constant on a daily basis.

So a year ago, I was trailing the 50th player listed by 4 million. Yes, I kept a tracker! A gargantuan task but I have been chipping into the gap consistently, slowly but surely. And you know what? Exactly a year later, two days ago, I broke into the Top 50! Yeehaw….

It feels great when you have achieved something. Persistence does pay.

Tags: , , , ,

Imaginary Friends

8 May

Friend

When I was young, I had imaginary friends who were very interesting and loyal. Way cooler than real friends, they were constantly by my side and totally understands me. I never knew this trait is also evident in my children until I was spring-cleaning their room recently.

It was a Sunday and we decided to revamp the girls’ room a little to create two study corners. As boxes of toys were moved, we had to decide whether to give them away or keep them elsewhere to create space. In the midst of this, I stumbled upon a note written by M2 when she was young.

“Oh… Shaun! That’s her imaginary friend!” chuckled M1.

“Really? I never knew!” I said.

We opened the folded note and read it.

It was hilarious!

I must salute M2, for her imaginary friend was way, way more interesting than mine! And letters… classic. I never wrote letters to my imaginary friends.

Tags: , ,

Oh No! My Pants Don’t Fit

6 May

Image

Image

You know you had a good holiday when you come home and find that your work pants don’t fit. I was aghast! I had to suck it in—not a whole lot just a tad (but still!)—to wear my work pants yesterday. Oh dear… I thought with four rounds of golf in Batam, sweating it all out under the sweltering heat, I would be fine. And it’s not that I ate excessively, my portions were normal. I didn’t even drink beer on the course on this trip.

But looking back, the four rounds was all buggy on course unlike a month ago in Chiangmai, the three rounds, we walked and walked and walked. Now comparing the stats – in Chiangmai, it was close to 20,000 steps each time at the golf course, and this is not inclusive of the before and after game walking. All in, I’d say a good 23,000 steps a day, more than the 10,000 steps quota for a day.

In Batam, it was slightly over 10,000 steps but with the before and after, I’d say it wasn’t even close to 14,000 steps each day. I remember by the third day, I decided not to wear my pedometer because the earlier stats were not very impressive and I did not want this to distract me.

Could it be the food? Or the drinking? We had hard liquor for four nights in a row, single malt and blended whiskeys: 12-year old Chivas Regal, Glenfiddich, 12-year old Dewar’s and Label 5. We drank as well in Chiangmai but that was a 4 day/3 night trip versus this recent one of 5 days and 4 nights. By virtue of an extra day and an extra bottle of whiskey, my pants don’t fit? My personal trainer would have a fit if she knew!

Looks like I have to do something about it and it’s not buying new pants nor skipping going to the office! Sigh…

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Chat

Back to Routine

5 May

Every time after a good holiday, the energy is sapped and the Monday we face is almost with trepidation. The act of getting ready for work is lagging and the thoughts are running wild.

How many emails will I be looking at? How much work has piled up? Will I be stressed immediately? Will I have to work late? That’s the reality of being back to routine. I guess we have to just take it in stride while at the back of the mind, a little seed to plot the next getaway is taking shape…

Tags: , ,

Chat

Batam: Goodbye

4 May

We say goodbye to Batam today. It has been very enjoyable, with the plans and the people. I now look forward to going home to see M1 and M2 whom I must admit, we did not talk to the last several nights. It’s not that we have forgotten them but with our coming back late every night and them being an hour ahead, the timing was not good.

Anyway, I look forward to planning the next trip. Soon.

Tags: , ,

Chat

Change of Plans

4 May

Sometimes things does not go our way during the holidays. The earlier plans to return to the food court had to be shelved as one of us had taken ill. It was most unfortunate to cap the ending.

We returned to the hotel then to settle the sickie but we still had to eat and there’s that last bottle of whiskey. So what did we do? We ate in the hotel and drank our whiskey, with corkage charges incurred.

Not too bad I guess considering it’s such a change from the local fare that we’ve been having. Several packs of whiskey later, I am ready to call it a night and have a good night’s sleep. Tired from four days of golf and heat, aided by the massage today, I think I will sleep well tonight. The big plus being no 5.30am wake up call!

20140504-002503.jpg

20140504-002510.jpg

20140504-002518.jpg

20140504-002525.jpg

Tags: , ,

Chat

Same is Good

3 May

People are quirky. When we find something good and comfortable, we tend to go back to it. Creatures of comfort and familiarity? The whole group agreed that the massage place was good and we will be going back to them, with the request for the same masseurs.

As for dinner, all also agreed that the choices at the food court during lunch was good, so we are going back to the same place. Tonight, our fourth bottle of whiskey will accompany us to mark the end of yet another enjoyable golf trip consisting of the same people. (Remember the Chiangmai trip in March?Same people.) With same drinks (whiskey), same fun (golf) and same company (same group of people), same is good.

Tags: , , , ,

Chat

Finding Things to Do

3 May

We opted for an open food court to eat Chinese food. I think everyone agreed enough of Indonesian food. The food choices at the food court were indeed a welcome change from the curries, spices and chilly that we’ve been having of late.

Sitting at the food court after the satisfying varieties that we ordered, the skies finally opened up and ensured we stayed there for a longer while. But the minute there was a break, we got onto our van to go buy Batam’s popular layer cake.

Basically we are finding things to do to wait out until 6.00pm for our massage, which could not be booked for an earlier slot.

20140503-153645.jpg

Tags: , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →