To See My Mom

I applied an emergency leave last Friday 27th of January to fly to the Philippines. So with my husband and 2 daughters we went to Changi Airport.

We took the Singapore Airlines flight to Manila and the plane touched down at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

It was a nice feeling seeing this familiar sight again, the Sierra Madre mountain,

and these coconut trees that all brought memories of my childhood.

Mostly, it was the most wonderful feeling to see and hug her not in portrait,

But in person, my Mom, the most wonderful Mom in the whole wide world.

CNY

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Kung Hei Fat Choy

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!

May the coming year be a prosperous one for all of us!!!

Over fed

Don't look at me like that!! I know what you want.

Please listen, it is a sin to consume so much!!
Don't show me your pouting lips!

See, you look like a pregnant goldfish. But you are not.
This is all the fault of your Mommy Paula. She over fed you.
And now, you are so ugly!!!!
Terrible!!!

A Birthday Present

Christ The Lord, Out of Egypt is the latest novel of my favourite author Anne Rice. This book is hard bound and was a birthday present from my daughter Marielle. I specifically asked her to buy me this book when she asked me what I want for my birthday. And so it means that this book is in my possession for a month and a week already.

I really don't know how to say it but I found the book not as interesting as her other novels. Ohh, this is about the story of Jesus. Honestly, I don't want to be hypocrite, but I found it just an average novel. Sorry friends. But that's it.

A Morning Surprise

Here's my grand daughter Karlisse. What a pretty baby. I love my own kasi.

Her photo makes my day. Seeing how she looks now is really a pleasant surprise.

And for you anonymous, your comments this early morning as I read my email, is not a surprise for me. I know somebody like you will come up. That is normal.

You see, I love my own. Same as my grand daughter, I love the Philippines as my own. As you know, I am miles away from both. But in the case of my grand daughter, she is miles away but I am so sure she is in good hands. How about the Philippines, is my beloved country in good hands??????

I am not illiterate, anonymous. I know how to read and write and you know my name. How about you? A lurker.

The Culprit

i am sick with tonsilitis since friday. the one photographed above was the culprit. silly me, i consumed a lot even though, i know that my tonsil get inflammed that easy. yes, tonsil only, for i only have one tonsil. i had my tonsilectomy at the age of 12. and up to now, i still like to eat ice cream.

and looking again. he's still there in san francisco. corny, corny. wahhhh!!!!

On Wet, Wet and Being Assertive

Today is Hari Raya Haji and therefore it is a public holiday here in Singapore. We decided to just stay home as it has been raining non stop since Sunday. Everywhere is really wet, wet and wet. Hayy, we could not even dry our clothes and so clothes are hanged everywhere from the laundry room to the dining area and the terrace. Wahh, what an ugly sight.

I even asked my husband if we can just buy the clothes dryer which he answered with a resounding "NO!!!!" He added that Singapore is in the middle of the equator and it is funny not utilising the good things sunlight can give to sunny Singapore. Why he could not understand that it is rainy season now and it is really so difficult to dry clothes that fast. How I dream I am there in Williamsburg with my daughter. Why over there they have the dryer and at times clothes need not be ironed. How can I tell my husband that I am now a lazy woman and it makes me so tired with everything about laundry? Blogging is the only thing that does not make me lazy nowadays. Hah hahhah...

What hired a help? For goodness sake, I rather do things my way. Hmmm, no I don't have negative comments on househelps. But imagine my $50 dollars gone in a day of ironing. I rather buy some worthy things for myself. I remember that time when we asked that lady and oh, the 8 hours she did ironing, I can do in 2 hours only, I tell you.

And yeah over our family lunch we discussed about each other's work. My husband told us this story a hundred times already and so I better share it with you.

My husband was approached by a worker and asked him if he was kind enough to teach him basic computer. See, the person don't even know how to start the computer. After a few minutes of basic computer, the man went out of the site office very happy. The next day, my husband took notice of a resume lying on his office desk. He found out that the man he taught basic computer skills wrote in his resume that Microsoft Word and Excel were his computer skills. My husband scratched his head. How come that person learnt computer skills in only an hour of tutoring. That is what we call confidence and being assertive!

If people are that all assertive, maybe it is a nice working world we have. What do you think? Or is it funny of people to assert their skills even though they are not familiar with it? But in this tough world where there's a lot of competetion, we really need to be assertive at times, to reach our goals.

Kuan Kung, God of Wealth

This is Kuan Kung, the God of Wealth. I bought this in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia the last time we went there. And I am proud to display it together with my other Chinese ornaments.

For those who are interested to know who this Chinese deity is, do read the following:

KUAN KUNG Of the many colourful deities of the Chinese pantheon, there is probably none as popular as the God of War Kuan Kung who is also regarded as the God of Wealth. He is, amongst many other titles, the protector of the oppressed, patron saint of police, guardian deity of the triads, and in recent times, protector of businessmen and politicians and leaders alike. Kuan Kung is the renowned defender of all. He is also known as the God of War, but his true duties and reputation are as the defender of the state, civilization and morality. Images of Kuan Kung sells like hot cakes. Whether standing or sitting, on horseback or glaring at his enemies, Kuan Kung in your house brings with it his powerful energy.Kuan Kung through hisprotectiveinfluences has also become symbol of wealth. The more fierce his countenance the more powerful he is said to be. Do not lose either his bid staff or his sword, since this are his weapons and make sure you place them onto his image correctly.Other benefits of having Kuan Kung at home is peace and harmony for the residents, awesome protection for the Patriarch and prosperity luck for all. It is also believed that leaders and businessmen who place Kuan Kung behind them at work will never lack for powerful support from important people.Kuan Kung is most powerful when placed in the Northwest corner of the house. He should always face the main entrance door, so that he has his eyes on who comes in and out of the house. There is no necessity to worship Kuan Kung. From a Feng Shui perspective, his image is all you need.Kuan Kung will help to make sure there is prosperity and luck for everyone.

*SOURCE: www.charmsandcrystals.com

December Movies

Though the month of December was a hectic month for me, I was still able to enjoy Saturday movies with my family at Causeway Point’s Cathay Cineplex. And yes, watching movies do makes one relax and enjoy.

We all enjoyed the movie King Kong by Peter Jackson. Since we all watched his movie trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, it was just natural for us to watch his current movie. And we were never disappointed. The movie was full of special effects that were all a feast for our eyes. I like best the scene where Jack Black and Adrien Brody were running away from those dinosaurs. It really looked so real.

And I just realized that Naomi Watts is really a beautiful woman. She was captivating in all the scenes there. But Jessica Lange will forever be the best lady for King Kong as far as I am concerned. She’s a real beauty much beautiful than Naomi.

But one thing made me think. As far as I know the silver back gorilla can be found only in Africa. I could not imagine that type of gorilla living in Indonesia.



The next week, Sunday night actually which was Christmas Day, we watched The Chronicles of Narnia. I could not believe that a children’s story could be made into such a convincing movie. Yeah, I’ve read the novel when I was a child. That was why I was so happy when my youngest daughter bought the book. And for the story line, I still consider it as a children’s literature with an eye of a child. The fact that C.S. Lewis pointed out that a good deed can change one’s evil plan is something that we have to keep to heart. No matter how evil a person is, I still believe that his evil ways or plans will change once we show the goodness of our heart.

The movie was excellent for me. That lady named Tilda who also acted in The Beach was so good in the movie too. She was a convincing villain as the White Witch.

And then the next Sunday night, my daughter rented a DVD at the shop downstairs. We watched The Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson which was shown in cinemas a year ago if I am not mistaken. The movie scared me to death. And I learnt a word, a kind of magic as practiced in that part of Southern USA, called Hoo Doo. I will never for the life of me be interested to know more about it. I could not explain how I felt at the end of the movie either. It left me numb. Caroline, as played by Kate Hudson, just wanted to help but in the end, her soul was robbed from her. I mean, her own physical body was taken away from her. If this could happen in real life, this is so unfair.
But that was only a story with a chilling twist.

With all those movies we watched, I thank God for the nice things in life. I hope to watch more movies in the future and read more and more books.

Happy 2006!!

The following is a nice read from www.dailyom.com which I would like to share to everybody.For the New Year, it will be wonderful if we will keep to mind the things written here.

December 30, 2005
Reversed Perceptions
Projecting

We all have issues, as well as undesirable qualities or traits that we don't like about ourselves. Most of us realize that we are not perfect and that it is natural to have unpleasant thoughts, motivations, desires, or feelings. However, when a person does not acknowledge these, they may ascribe those characteristics to someone else, deeming other people instead as angry, jealous, or insecure. In psychological terms, such blaming and fault finding is called projection.

When we are the target of projections, it can be confusing and frustrating, not to mention maddening, particularly when we know that we are not the cause of another person's distress. Even people who are well aware of their issues may find that sensitive subjects can bring up unexpected projections. They may feel insecure about a lack of funds and thus view a friend as extravagant. Or, if they really want to get in shape, they may preach the benefits of exercise to anyone and everyone.

While we can try to avoid people we know who engage in projecting their "stuff" onto others, we can't always steer clear of such encounters. We can, however, deflect some projections through mindfulness and meditation. A useful visualization tool is to imagine wrapping ourselves in a protective light everyday. At other times, we may have to put up a protective shield when we feel a projection coming our way, reminding ourselves that someone else's issues are not ours. Although it's difficult not to react when we are the recipient of a projection, it is a good idea to try to remain calm and let the other person know if they are being unreasonable and disrespectful. We all know that it's not fun to be dumped on. Likewise, we should be mindful that we don't take our own frustrations out on others. When we take ownership of our thoughts, motivations, desires, and feelings, we are less likely to project our issues or disowned qualities onto others.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!