A STORMY START TO THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON 2012

School re-opens on the 4th of January this year.

Life goes back to routine. Daughter goes back to school and husband goes back to work and I goes back to my housewifely and motherly duties.

Like jinx would have it, the year of the dragon starts off stormy for me and my husband.

We were at logger head over the most trivial matter and all hell broke loose. Emotions fly and tempers flare uncontrollably.  A lot of tears were shed.

When the storm subsides, we had a heart to heart talk about our feelings. We were openly straightforward and direct without reserve and secretiveness with what we want from each other. It took us the whole night to sort out our differences and feelings and I am glad that we love each other enough to settle these issues.

We have both learned a lesson that no matter how busy or caught up we are in the art of making a living, we must not take each other for granted.

We must not neglects to let each other know that we are always appreciated and loved and it is a two way street required by both partners.

Although the starting of the year of the dragon may be stormy for us, but it is a blessing that we have done some soul searching and have forgiven each other and renewed our love for each other.

Welcome 2012...

A MEMORABLE YEAR - 2011

The famous Everland in Korea..

The last month of 2011 for me was really a busy and exciting one.

My daughter and I went on a 6 days tour to Korea and of course we were sad that my husband is unable to join us due to work commitment.

Photo session in traditional Korean costume.

But the feeling of sadness was soon forgotten once we landed in Korea with about 30 wonderful people in our group.

Warm food for the winter...

We visited a lot of historical places and had Korean barbecue and steamboat most of the time.

Temple visit...

As it is winter time in Korea, we spent a day in the ski-resort learning how to ski and this is best part of the trip for me.

Feeling the snow falling on my face is really magical and I would like to do it again although the temperature was below 0 degree.

Feeling the snow...

At the end of the 6th day, it is time to said goodbye to our new found friends.

Santa and his little helper..

Flower power...

Farewell to our guide and Korea....

We were so happy to be greeted by my husband again at 6am in the morning at the airport.

Upon arrival home, my brother-in-law and his family from Australia was already in our house.

They arrived a day earlier in Kuala Lumpur before we got back from Korea and were staying in our

house to attend a niece wedding to be held in Kuala Lumpur and Penang respectively.

After a few hours of resting, I have to get myself ready for the wedding dinner to be held on the same day.  Phew, how exhausting and exciting..

The Wedding ...

The three Lim,s.....

Talking about jet-setting, off I go again after settling down for two days from my Korea trip and this time to Vietnam with my daughter, brother-in-law and family.

The Norther dam Church of Vietnam..

Sadness sinks in again, without my husband...


Vietnam has a different kind of excitement in store for us.

Chu Chi Tunnels..

It is more of going down sad memory lane visiting historical places of past war happening.

The War Museum...a grim reminder of war

The food was great, the people were friendly and after 4 days of fun and food, I left Vietnam feeling sad that war really strip off all humanity from human and I am glad that it is over for them and they are still re-building their life.

The historical post office of Vietnam...

God bless all...

After settling down from our Vietnam trip, it is time to take a drive down to the north to Penang Island to attend the wedding of the year.

Back to basic...

This is the happiest trip for me and my daughter because this time we are travelling as a family. My husband is joining us and I felt love and warmth.

One of the many interesting Chinese temples in Vietnam...

The wedding was great and it is always an emotional occasion for me as I will imagine me giving my daughter away in probably 15 years to come..when she gets married.

Down the Mekong River...

We spend 3 busy and crazy days in Penang. The traffic was frenzy due to Christmas but we manage to comes out of it alive.

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The streets of Vietnam....

The last week of December were spent on dining and more dining before my brother-in-law and his family return back to Australia.

December 2011 is definitely a meaningful and exciting month for me and I am thankful for being blessed with so many wonderful people around me.

Goodbye 2011...

WHAT A SIGHT!!

Yes... sight...it has never occurred to me that it will affect me so much except of course my short-sightedness since my secondary school days.

Forty-nine going on fifty not only gives me more grey hair, crankiness and wrinkles but worsening eye sight

Long-sightedness or medically known as hyperopia creep ed into my life about a year ago. I was too proud to admit than that I am done with the hill and am now over the hill.

Going into denial definitely is not a wise thing and being vain does not help me either. I refused to seek optometrist advice and the consequence of my vanity makes me an agitated person as I cannot read small prints from newspapers, menus and a lot more other materials which I encounter daily.

Here I am now, surrendering to the gravity of aging as I cannot fight on further fearing that yours truly will one day may not be able to write on this blog due to long-sightedness, far-sightedness what ever you name it.

You can live without sex but not without glasses. Without doubt, it is so true.

So now the first thing to do is pay a visit to the optician and than proceed home to wait for my husband in bed.

Guess it is not such a hugh problem at all and at it's best, I get my sight and sex in order now.

Human are definitely a confused species.

Our feelings are like a triple-loop roller-coaster running on super high speed.

On days when the good hormones rules, we will be riding up high blowing carefree winds on our face and without warning, dark clouds will looms the sky covering the blue sky and swallowing up the clouds.

Sometimes I wonder aloud to myself is it god's way of punishing this merciful servant of his for all the sins he has be felled on earth?

If it is true, I thinks god is not being fair to all.

Not all of his servants are sinner. Innocent people has been wronged, kind people has been hurt, helpless people has been abandoned, women and children has been abused, animals has been tortured and life's has been taken for no reason. And all of these, sadly, are all inflicted by our own kind.

Did god create human and bring them to this world to suffer?

Oh god, please help mankind before they deteriorate further and make this world a better place to live in for all the living things that you have created.

Thank you god if you ever exist.....

A PROUD MOM I AM

My daughter has been playing the clarinet in her school band ever since she was in year 3. I have never give a thought about it until last week when she came home announcing that she will be participating in the 2011 Wind Band Competition. A type of competition that was held for school band in the same region, I guess.

The competition will be held in another school in another part of the town which was alien to me and I was initially feeling fine about it because transportation will be provided by the school.

My normally bored brain has already swung into full action and was brewing up plans for that privilege freedom day.

But the feeling fine feeling was soon diminished the next day when my little girl came home with a ticket in her hand.

She told me that she have to literally lose an arm and leg just to get the ticket.

I look into her eager innocent eye waiting for my answer and my heart just melt.

How can I turn her down when she went all her way out to do this for me and I know that she wanted so badly for me to watch her perform.

So my plans for that fateful rendezvous's day went down the drain  and on the day of the competition, I drive my way to the unknown school and reach there a little-wee-bit late but in time to watch my daughter school perform.

I could not believe the amazing sound when the band started playing. It was in perfect harmony and I was so caught up in the rhythm of the song and was totally blown away when the band played their second number, which is Mambo No 5. It was so vibrant and energetic and the little act that they did was awesome.

My initially plan was to leave right after my daughter band has finished their performance, but hell no, I was practically glue to the seat (except for visiting the toilet). Totally bewitched I was by all the little wonders that performed that morning, I have to humbly admit that I am glad that I drag my lazy bump out of bed that Saturday morning to attend this beautiful and mesmerizing event.

Thank you all you little devils for making my day.

15TH YEARS OF MARRIAGE

20th of October 15 years ago is the day I married my darling and after 15 years of marriage, I have another little darling from our union.

We are always a threesome wherever we go or whatever we do. And today we are sitting in this wonderful Japanese Restaurant celebrating the good fortune that we are blessed with.

I feel blessed to have these two wonderful people in my life and I would not trade anything in the world for it.

I may have made many mistake past and presence but I immersed from it all to be a better person everyday through the guided hands of my beloved family.

There are days when the moon is full and my madness erupted but I am surprised that I can keep it under control unlike during my younger days, I will spiral out of control.

That's what you call love. Ha....a ferocious tiger like me turning into a docile kitten.

It is not always bed full of roses in a marriage though. We have been through some turbulence times but we will always sort out our differences immediately.

By doing that, we will not have any ill-feeling against each other.

I have also learned that compromising, patience and communication goes a long way in a marriage also.

I am no expert in marriage talk but I am willing and am still learning everyday.

Happy 15th Wedding Anniversary to me and my beloved family..

A BATTLE WELL WON

YESSSSS...... I survive, I won the battle.

Finally it is over. Dust, dirt or whatever you are, I prove to you that I can withstand all your destruction and comes out even stronger than before.

It takes 3 months for everything to be finalised but the hard works pays off and of course it also burn a hole in my husband pocket.

Fifteen years ago when we got married, we extended the kitchen only as we were on a budget and the car porch was in it's original state.

Our second renovation to this house now is extending the car porch and erecting a new fence with automatic gate and repainting the whole house. There are also wear and tear that needs to be looked into.

Sounds like very minor job right?

Ha...I was also fooled into thinking that but was I so wrong.

The minute the workman set his foot into the house there is no stopping.....bang, bong, whack...whatever you name it.

I have to admit that all the hard work it was like killing two bird with one stone.

On the positive note, I lost a few kilos of my weight and we get to enjoy an almost new house and the sad news for my husband is the boss of the construction company goes home with a fat check.

Now whenever we are going out or returning home, it is no longer an issue of getting wet if it rains as we have the luxury of sitting in the car and with a magic touch of our tiny weeny thumb, voila....the gate open by itself.

Our pet bunny is also getting fatter now that she is also enjoying a bigger and cooler place.

Yes, hard work it is but it is well worth the effort but I also swear there will be no more renovation to this house anymore.