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My Friends Can Cook, Part 3

24 Jan

The catch up session with the same small group seems to have flourished, having connected so well over the last dinner; this second time at the second girlfriend’s home. Sometimes these sessions don’t have to be a big group, so the chatter can be more personal and deeper.

All these years of pursuing our respective careers have created quite a vast gap and the need to close this is much stronger now than ever. Perhaps with age, the need to reconnect with childhood friends feels more apt, pleasurable and forthright. We don’t have to say a lot yet we want to without being judged.

The reminiscing is always great to learn how our paths have been, affecting our lives now. We talk without reservation and there’s no masking the truth. And the laughter and tears that follow are truly genuine in this small group. A welcome change because we don’t often get to this level with others for we tend to be more careful and guarded.

The flavorful home-cooked ribs were simply heavenly with the meat falling off the bones and finger-licking indeed. And the mushroom soup, made from scratch was not too creamy, thus suited my tummy well. The salad, bread with dip and wine rounded up the meal. My friends can really cook up a fantastic meal!

The five hours together was insufficient needless to say when there’s still so much to share.

So much so, we’ve decided to have another session. Soon. Suddenly, hanging out with friends who can cook is more enjoyable and gratifying than going out for dinner in noisy and busy restaurants.

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Let the Classes Begin

22 Jan

M2 is adjusting to her new life I must say. Suddenly my baby is all grown up and I am glad we made this decision for her to go off much earlier for her studies. We chat daily, sometimes twice a day which is nice despite the eight hours time difference. The much-dreaded distance is not too bad after all if this means she’s learning to be independent so much faster and us, having a new found freedom to enjoy.

Maybe once she settles down to a routine, the video calls will be lesser but that’s okay, classes begin today to keep her busy and not miss home or us.

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New Found Freedom

21 Jan

Thank goodness for technology! It’s been a week that M2 has left but we don’t feel that she has left because we connect daily via WhatsApp with messages and video calls. So there’s hardly a moment to miss her despite the physical separation.

As we now have more time on our hands because there’s no tuition run to contend with and time to keep, both of us are doing things together that we enjoy, that is playing more golf. I played my first golf game of the year on Saturday and it was nice; pain-free and responsibility-free but a bit rusty on the approach shots and bunker saves. I’m not worried though, in time these two problems can be fixed with the new found freedom to play more often.

And today-being a public holiday-I am playing my second golf game instead of sleeping in! Gotta make up for all the missed opportunities last year.

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A Quiet Home

17 Jan

Reality has sunk in and the quietness of home is now louder than ever. It’s not so obvious in the morning when we get ready for work because if M2 was still here, she would still be asleep. It’s the evenings.

The grunt, snort and stubbornness of official pet number one is more prominent, the water spouting within the aquarium is more pronounced and the lack of another person to have a conversation with is so glaring.

Sigh… both of us have to get used to this.

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A New Beginning

15 Jan

M2’s travel to Ireland was more manageable to track, eight hours behind our time compared M1’s travel to the US where the time difference was much more and so hard to keep up, travelling back in time and all.

She had a big send-off entourage which was nice but emotional at the same time. Sad tears flowed among family and friends present at the airport to see her off but there was also happiness for her as she faces a new beginning.

Like her cousins and sister, we are very proud of M2 to bravely go off to college without us having to accompany her – being so young at 17 and a half years old, surpassing even M1. Her taking this path in stride, to see and experience the world and be more independent makes me tear up when I think about it because my baby is all grown up.

M2 may be travelling in a group with other students unlike M1, who travelled solo but the fact remains both girls didn’t need us to go with them. M1 graduates this year while M2 has just begun her exciting journey.

We got home at almost two in the morning and I couldn’t sleep, needing to keep track of her on flightaware.com. This is the best site/app ever to live track the what, where and when status of an aircraft. When morning came, I was like a zombie in the office from the lack of sleep and my eyes still stung and remained puffed from all the tears shed.

By Monday evening our time, she arrived safely. The layover in Dubai wasn’t too long and Emirates is a great airline. I heave a sigh of relief knowing she’s well on her way to greater things in life.

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M2 onwards to her new and exciting beginning!

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Then and Now

14 Jan

When the girls are four years apart, the heartache occurs four years apart too…

Four years ago, when our firstborn M1 left for the U.S. to further her studies, there was heartache and anxiety. And it took us some time to adjust our lifestyle with one family member less.

Now four years later, history repeats itself.

Last night, our baby, M2 left for Ireland for her studies. And suddenly, we find ourselves having to adjust our lifestyle all over again.

Whether it was four years ago or now, the heartache and anxiety are the same. Sniffle… tears… and more tears.

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My baby’s all grown up!!!

 

 

 

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Wave Mom, Wave

11 Jan

When M1 was still around years ago, both girls had the habit of tuning us out with their headphones on especially during exam week. Typically after dinner, both M1 and M2 would be diligently doing their revision at the dining table with their headphones in place.

It was hard enough for me when they’d do the same in the car, headphones in place and I have to wave to get their attention before speaking. It’s the same at home with this habit of theirs to tune me out and I have to wave.

With M1 away at University and only M2 around, she continued to have her headphones plugged in especially during exam week. And she constantly reminded me that I’d have to wave if I want to say something to her. Can I fault her when doing this was for a good cause, studying for the exams?

M2 may be done with school this year, so no more studying at the dining table but she still has her headphones in place these days to watch her videos instead.

The situation may have changed but some things never change and I will surely miss this habit, waving that is, the day she leaves for college.

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Being an Adult

7 Jan

The minute M1 turned 18 four years ago, we decided to give her a credit card and this marked another step towards being an adult. I remember when I received my first credit card from Dad, albeit a supplementary one, I felt so important and all grown up.

And it wasn’t just a credit card but an American Express charge card. Even more important I felt back then!

M2 will be turning 18 this year and obviously we will do the same for her soon. My goodness, they grow up too fast, my babies. Sniffle…

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Goodbye 2018

31 Dec

What a year it has been! At the beginning 2018, never did it cross my mind that I would be facing many ups and downs, making it a truly eventful year. Top on the up trend has been my musings and followers, and my carvings for Gigglesville and Gnomie-wood. The cumulative number of 273 pieces carved consists of Citizens, Big Citizens, Monuments, Whales, Ocean friends, Apeach, Dinky the dinosaur, Gnomes and their homes. But there were no increase in the Superheroes count.

And worthy to mention also is my chase on Candy Crush Soda to reach 1000 Days on my iPad. To me, the daily launch just to get the Daily Bonus is an up trend to achieve that number. I just hope the device don’t die on me as I inch closer to my target.

On the home front, my two girls are all grown up with M1 in her Senior year at University and M2 ready for the next exciting chapter in her life, college-bound having completed high school. Time goes by so fast. Too fast I feel sometimes.

On the down trend, there were notable events too that could almost rival the good ones. These are mostly health-related issues and I must say are pretty life changing.

I was diagnosed with Infectious Colitis in February after a Colonoscopy and Endometriosis in April after a Laparoscopic surgery. Not good so I had to change my diet and lifestyle to deal with these issues. I gave up coffee, eggs, cheese and avoid certain food groups but alcohol and chocolate are still hard to resist. I lost weight as a result from this change which was good until recently, I added some back. Oh well…

However my physical problems didn’t end there…

My sports injury exacerbated and the diagnosis turned out to be a Wrist Tendonitis problem due to my constant carving besides golf. When you think about it, subjecting the wrist to the constant swinging of the clubs and hitting the ball is actually too much to bear upon impact with a weakened wrist. And golf is a non-stop 4.5 hours or thereabouts, thus aggravating the problem acutely. Whereas for carving, the time spent on it can be controlled. I can carve for less than an hour or sometimes three to six hours at a pace without pain that can aggravate the wrist.

So I stopped playing golf for ten weeks to rest the wrist, and did treatment and therapy which helped. Carving continued though but only as and when I have time.

An even bigger down trend is my iPhone5S. It is dying. I thought it would at least last until my birthday next year but the situation does not look good at all. The battery drain issue is just so bad, I find myself using the phone lesser and lesser. One charge can only last a quarter of a day if I even use it a little bit. Perhaps in retrospect, this is a good thing to be less device-dependent? Then again, I suspect this less device-dependency will change once I get a new phone. We shall see.

But I should not focus on the down trends to say life was not good in 2018. There were many up trends as well which I should be thankful for. And I have my friends to make me laugh and be happy, my carving to keep me occupied and contented, and my health is actually much better after those two main episodes.

So as I bid 2018 goodbye, I brace myself for 2019 to be an even more exciting year as there will be major changes, positive ones to look forward to. Thank you 2018, another year to remember by and to 2019, I welcome you with open arms.

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Two More to Go

27 Nov

M2’s SPM exam feels like an eternity even for us! Thank goodness, she is almost at the tail end of it. There’s one subject today, two more subjects to go and then we are so done with it.

M2 is managing well, so are we. I think the three of us deserve a little break once the final paper is finished next week.

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