Pray...

Thanks Wan Chik for this postcard....I love you...

B.I.T.C.H.O.L.O.G.Y.

*I got this from my friend, Julie. I do have to say, in some way I am a bitch...he he he.

When I stand up for myself and my beliefs, they call me a bitch.

When I stand up for those I love, they call me a bitch.

When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do things my own way, they call me a bitch.

Being a bitch means I won't compromise what's in my heart. It means I live my life MY way. It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I am defined as a bitch.

The same happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.

It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they thing I "should" be.

I am outspoken, opinionate and determined. I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!

So try to stomp on me, try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me. You won't succeed.

And if that makes me a bitch, so be it. I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching."

Between Friends

I came across this comic strip today. Have you ever done this? I know I have

Pet Peeve(s)

I have this little pet peeve about online chatting (instant messenging i.e. IM). I have been communicating with family and friends on yahoo messenger (definitely cheaper than calling them on the phone). Lately, I have a few chatters who would "BUZZ" me when they first get online. So, this is my pet peeve...how hard is it to say "Hello" or bagi salam when you first chat with someone? Everytime someone buzz me, I feel like I have to sit up straight and pay attention or that I am someone's maid that I have to go fetch something for his/her majesty. I am not your SERVANT, dammit!!! . It bugs me so much that I have put a few people on my ignore list just because of this.

Another pet peeve I have about internet chatting is that just because you have all the time in the world to chat, does not mean that I do. Or that when I do have time to chat but a little late in replying to their chat, they would start buzzing. HELLO??? If I could reply immediately I would.

I honestly think that some people need to take some kind of online etiqutte class before they are allowed to chat with anyone (I feel the same way about cell phones too but that is a whole different story). People are just so rude and/or don't have any manners nowadays. No wonder our society is going down the tubes...

Anyways, to all my family and friends, if you BUZZ me and I don't answer, you know the reason why....

Rose is Rose

I just love this comic strip!!!

Happy Birthday Wan Chik

HAPPY 46th BIRTHDAY WAN CHIK!!!

Love,

Jim, Yin, Sammy & Tiger

Arrrggghhhhhh...worry, worry, worry

Could I be standing in line at this office in a month or two? Maybe, but I surely hope not. There are some changes happening at my work that will definitely effect everyone. I can't tell you what the changes are just yet coz nobody else in the office knows about it except for the owners and yours truly. The owners don't want to announce it to the employees just yet until they are sure everything is in order. They don't want to cause any panic among the employees which I can understand. I truly appreciate the trust the owners have in me to keep everything in order...

I think the changes that are happening will be good for the office but I just can't stop worrying about how it would effect me. I've been with this company for a little over 2 years now after quitting a very good job at a bank. In fact, the owners were my customers at the bank. Though there are more opportunities for me to climb the corporate ladder at the bank, I was not happy there. After about 10 years working in the customer service department (at various jobs including the bank), I was getting burned out dealing with the public. I find that I don't want to hear people whine when they don't get their way or deal with rude people (customers are not always right, you know!). I am just tired of dealing with people.

At my present job, I have my own little office tucked away in the far corner of the building where it is peace and quiet (except for Tuesdays when they use my side of the building to see additional patients). As long as I have my cup of coffee or tea (depending whether it's winter or summer) and my music, I am happy clicking away on the computer looking at numbers and charts. My hours are pretty flexible, Tuesday - Friday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. Actually, the hours are not really important since the work I do doesn't require me to be in the office while the patients are there, I can actually work whenever I want. That really helps especially if I have appointments to go to, I can adjust my work hours around it. I can even go into work at midnight if I want to...

Anyways, one of the changes that will effect me is that I might be working from home a lot more. Which, by itself would be totally awesome but the compensation might be a little less than what I get right now. My hours might also be less and that is what is worrying me the most at the moment. You see, Jim has been ill since February and am not able to work full time so, currently I am the main bread winner. As I am being paid by the hour, the more hours I work, the more I make. We are doing okay at the moment but if my hours are cut down, I worry that we might not be able to fulfill our financial obligations (I am so glad that my student loan is paid off a long time ago - phew!). Of course we have our savings to fall back on but I would like to keep that for a true emergency or our old age.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to take it one day at a time. Nothing else I can do about it. In time, I am sure everything will fall into place. Everything will work out in the end...

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

Courage to change the things I can.

And the wisdom to know the difference

Tips For An Exceptional, Superb & Powerful Life

Thanks Raj, for these words of wisdom. I am trying to practice them as much as I can though some are harder to accomplish than others...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, "My purpose is to ____ today."

5. Live with the 3 E's - Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

6. Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did in 2006.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, taichi, qigong and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend more time with people over 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and planty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.

13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest you enery in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that apprear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to wate time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idead what their journey is all about.

24. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy linderie (not you guys). Don't save it for a special occassion. Today is special.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In 5 years, will this matter?"

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. What other people think of you is none of your business.

29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family & friends will. Stay in touch.

32. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

33. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

34. The best is yet to come.

35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

36. Do the right thing!

37. Call your family often.

38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: "I am thankful for ____." Today I accomplished _____.

39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

40. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so mate the most of it and enjoy the ride.

Ouch!!!

The last couple of weeks I have been having this dull pain on my lower back. I am not sure what is wrong with it. Every time I stand up, the pain shots up and down my spine that I couldn't stand up straight. I am starting to walk like I did before I had my back surgery in '92. I try to lay down as much as I can but there come a point where you can't lay anymore. At first I thought it was because I've been laying on the futon downstairs but now whatever I do I'm in pain. I've tried laying on the bed as well as the floor and it doesn't help. I wear the back brace almost all the time now coz without it, the pain is excruciating.

I guess if the pain doesn't go away soon, I should go in and see the doctor. I've been taking Advil to dull the pain but of course, I have to keep taking it every 4 hours and I feel like I'm all drugged up. Urgh, I really hate this. I feel like an old woman!!! I just hope that I'm not getting the same problem I had before I had my back surgery, that would really suck!!!

I am getting really frustrated coz if it's not one thing, it's another... I hope this will end soon coz I don't know how much more I can take.!!!

Sleepy

Here I am at about 5:05 am and wide awake.... Woke up at about 3:45 am and can't go back to sleep so I decided to play some of my games in the hopes that I would get sleepy. No such luck so far... Am yawning quite a bit but my eyes are wide open. My 3 boys are fast asleep. Tiger is sleeping on Jim's belly at the moment and Sammy is right here beside me, sleeping on the chair. Every so often Sammy would open his eyes a little just to make sure that I am still here. He must be wondering why I'm not in bed. I am sure he would rather be on the futon/bed right now. But, being my "shadow", he'll be right beside me wherever I am at the moment hence the reason why he's on the chair curled up in a ball.

Hemm, I'm having my in laws over for lunch tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon. My mother in law's birthday was yesterday (July 6th) and since I had to work and Jim not feeling well, I figured I'll have the family come over for lunch on Sunday. That way, even if Jim isn't up to it, he at least could enjoy some time with his family and still be at home. He hasn't seen little Karsen for a while now and I know that he misses her.

What am I going to make for lunch? My in laws really like it when I make Malaysian dishes when they come over. I think I'll make some popiah goreng (spring rolls) for appertizer. For the main dish I think I'll make kuey teoy goreng with seafood. Also maybe make some roti paratha with dahl, or maybe nasi ayam (chicken rice). I'm not good at making dessert so maybe I'll just get an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbin's. It is my mother in law's birthday after all...

I'm getting a little hungry now so I think I'll go raid the fridge and see what leftovers we have that I could munch on. Maybe I should just heat up some milk and see if that would help me fall back to sleep.

Catch ya guys later.... Adios

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy 61st birthday Mom...

Help! - The Beatles

Help, I need somebody

Help, not just anybody

Help, you know I need someone, help

When I was younger, so much younger than today

I never needed anybody's help in any way

But now those days are fone, I'm not so self assured

Now I feel I've changed my mind and opened up the doors

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down

And I do appreciate you being around

Help me, get my feet back on the ground

Won't you please, please help me

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways

My independence seems to vanish in the haze

But every now and then I so so insecure

I know that I just need you like I've never done before

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down

And I do appreciate you being around

Help me get my feet back on the ground

Won't you please, please help me, help me , help me...oh

4th of July with Karsen

I was over at Christine & Frank's (my sister in law) earlier today to celebrate 4th of July and took some of these pictures of my little niece Karsen. She's only about 19 months but is quite tall and very smart!

"What are you looking at?" She's a little grumpy since she just woke up from her nap

"Look Daddy, I'm playing the drums"

"Yum, this thumb sure taste good"

The pool in the backyard sure is a good place to cool off in this 116F degree weather.

Happy 4th!!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Malas!!!

Hello, hello, hello...It's me, the "lazy" bum, who is extremely bored at the moment..LOL. Well, the dental side is off today as well as all of next week for 4th of July. Everyone is off somewhere on vacation...(Melissa, I am really jealous that you are in Hawaii!!!), except for yours truly...

Actually, I could be off too but I can't afford not to work at the moment. Anyways, the software side is open today and next week except for July 4th for Independence Day. I have to "keep an eye" on the guys since our bosses are all on vacation he he he. Since I don't really have much to do at work today, and the payroll guy is already here (I've distributed everyone's paycheck), I think I will get off of work very early...like in the next half hour or so..he he he.

I have to stop at the petstore as well as the grocery store on my way home. I gave the boys their last can of food this morning so I need to get more for them before there is a riot at home. Also, need to pick up some milk and veggies for Jim & myself. Am thinking of going to Lee Lee's market coz I'm already out of the lempuk but am feeling lazy to drive that far. Maybe I'll go to Lee Lee's on Monday.

Well, I guess I'd better get to tidying up me desk if I want to get out of here soon. I'll catch ya later...Have a great weekend!!!!

Who's Diary Entry is this???

* Someone forwarded me this diary entry...I thought it was funny...

WIFE's DIARY
Sunday night.
I thought he was acting weird.
We had made plans to meet at a cafe to have coffee.
I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset that I was a bit late, but he made no comment.

Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk.
He agreed but he kept quiet and absent.
I asked him what was wrong.
He said: "Nothing."
I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset.
He said it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry.

On the way home I told him that I loved him.
He simply smiled and kept driving.
I can't explain his behavior;
I don't know why he didn't say: "I love u, too."

When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore.
He just sat there and watched TV; he seemed distant and absent.

Finally, I decided to go to bed.
About 10 minutes later he came to bed.

I could not take it anymore, so I decided to confront him with the situation but he had fallen asleep.
I started crying and cried until I too fell asleep.
I don't know what to do.
I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else.


HUSBAND's DIARY
Today, Manchester United lost the match. DAMN IT..!!

As Tagged by B.A.MZ.1.0.7 - for charity

Alhamdulillah... it's for charity..(pls refer to Idham's blog for details)The rules: If you are tagged, you need to write an entry related to the meme. At the end of your entry you just need to tag as many person as you like. You will then leave a comment in their blog to let them know they have been tagged."By doing this meme/tag Idham is contributing rm127 on YOUR BEHALF to the Darul Izzah Orphanage".The meme is about completing at least seventeen out of the following twenty seven sentences........

1. A person is only as good as ..... he/she wants to be

2. Friendship is always ..... good to have

3. To love is to..... be yourself

4. Money makes me..... want to spend more ;-)

5. I miss ..... my family

6. My way of saying I care is by ..... showing it

7. I try to spread love and happiness by..... being nice to other people & not expecting anything in return

8. Pick the flowers when..... it's in your own garden or buy it from the florist

9. To love someone is to..... accept the way they are

10. Beauty is..... only skin deep

11. When I was thirteen, what I remember the most was..... being sent off to boarding school

12. When I was twenty one, I remember..... going to college in the states

13. I am most happy when ..... I am with my honey & 2 boys

14. Nothing makes me happier than ..... time with my honey & 2 boys

15. If I can change one thing, I will change..... the prejudice people have on anyone who is different from them

16. If smiles were..... chocolates then I..... will try to eat as much as I can then distribute the rest to everyone else ;-)

17. Wouldn't it be nice if we could..... live in peace and harmony without prejudice and hatred

18. If you want to ..... be a good person, then you have to ..... be good to yourself first.

19. Money is not everything but..... it sure does help get most things

20. The most touching moments I have experienced is..... when my late mom told me that she loves me

21. I smile when.... I'm happy

22. When I am happy, I..... smile.. ;)

23. If only I don't have to ..... go to work, then..... I will be at home right now ;-P

24. The best thing I did yesterday was.... being with my honey & boys

25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title, "... Tales of Two Kitties ..."

26. One thing I must do before I die is..... do my hajj

27. Doing this meme, I feel like ..... doing a good deed indeed :-)

The originator of this tag is aiming to collect at least rm10,000 worth of meme/tags from bloggers by 26th August. Once this tag is done, please leave a comment in Idham’s blog to inform him that you have done the tag. Many thanks and hope this small tag could contribute towards making some orphans happy, insya Allah...

I herefore tag: Deen, Riz, Wan Chik, Nin, Ifrah & Mawan

Lempuk

This afternoon I drove Jim to his doctor's appointment. Since I don't feel like waiting, I dropped Jim off at his doctor's and went to Lee Lee's Asian Market not too far from his appointment.

I really love going to that store. It's a huge Asian grocery store and it sells all kind of stuff from all over the world. I get all my Asian stuff from there. You wouldn't believe all the stuff that they sell, from the normal stuff you could get from the regular grocery store to the most bizarre things.

The first time I went there, I was really amazed that they carry the stuff that I would normally get from home but not here. They have santa, roti paratha, maggi mee, kicap ABC, sauce lingam, petai, fresh cempedak, durian, belacan and even cincalok!!! They have a deli section too and I would get fresh cendol as well as tau foo fah (hard soy curd) from there. I am in heaven whenever I go there...he he he. They also carry things from Europe so I would go down the "Holland" aisle and get the mayonaisse I fell in love with when we lived in Holland.

Anyways, as I was browsing the aisles today, I came across something that I didn't think I would find here...it was durian paste (lempuk in Malay - pictured above). My oh my, I was so happy...You see durian (left pic) is my favorite fruit but unfortunately, the smell would knock Jim off his feet, so he forbids me to bring it home. Since I love durian so much and I am "forbidden" to eat it (he he he)... lempuk come in a close 2nd. I would rather have tempoyak (another kind of durian paste) but that would involve me bringing in the forbidden durian into the house...

So, since it only cost US$0.79 plus tax, I bought quite a few of them. I am actually eating one right now as I type this blog.... We'll see later if Jim get knocks off his feet when he tries to kiss me.... he he he

Go Cubbies Go!!!

Take me out to the ballgame

Take me out to the crowd

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack

I don't care if I ever get back

For we root, root, root for the CUBBIES

If they don't win it's a shame

Coz it's one, two, three strikes, you're out

At the old ballgame

GO CUBBIES GO!!!!!

My Favorite TV Shows

HEROES - NBC (Channel 12), Monday @ 8:00 pm. A drama that examines what happens when otherwise ordinary people find out they have superpowers. All strangers at first, it is slowly revealed they they are all connected somehow as a greater conspiracy unfolds as well as a global danger of a nuclear bomb that they seem predestined to stop. As the mysteries of who they are and the dangers they face as individuals and a group unfold, they band together, one at a time, to save the world and possibly each other.








LOST - ABC (Channel 15), Wednesdays @ 9:00 pm. The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 were 1,000 miles off course when they crashed on a lush, mysterious island. Each person possesses a shocking secret, but they've got nothing on the island itself, which harbors a monsterous "security system," a series of underground bunkers and a group of violent survivalists hidden in the shadows.








GREY'S ANATOMY - ABC (Channel 15), Thursdays @ 8:00 pm. A hospital drama that focuses on Meredith Grey, who's part of a group of surgical interns at a hospital in Seattle. The daughter of a famous surgeon, Meredith struggles to maintain relationships with her fellow interns while at the same time competing with them.








THE OFFICE - NBC (Channel 12), Thursdays @ 7:30 pm. An American remake of the hit British mockumentary series of the same name, set in the workplace of a paper company, that follows the daily follies of an odd group of employees and their tyrannical boss.









THE CLOSER - TNT (Channel 26), Mondays @ 8:00 pm. A female deputy chief from Atlanta, known for her ability to obtain confessions, oversees a newly-created unit of the Los Angeles Police Department that handles high-profile murder cases. As a woman and an outsider, she must fight for the respect she deserves from her old-boy network colleagues while trying to solve homicides








THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART - Comedy Central (Channel 52), daily @ 11:00pm. Nightly news series presenting an alternative and humorous perspective on trends, pop culture, current events, politics, sports and movies. Episodes feature clips, short films, debates, panel discussions, live in-studio performances, man-on-the-street interviews, and celebrity interviews








THE COLBERT REPORT - Comedy Central (Channel 52), daily @ 11:30 pm. Former "Daily Show" Senior Correspondent Stephen Colbert takes on cable-news blowhards in his own show, which each night asserts his essential rightness about the issues of the day. Colbert also promises that he will "not just read the news to viewers, but feel the news at them."








MONK - USA (Channel 28), Fridays @ 10:00pm. After the unsolved murder of his wife, Adrian Monk developed obsessive-compulsive disorder -- a terrifying and irrational fear of germs and contamination. His condition cost him his job as a prominent homicide detective on the San Francisco police force. He continues to solve crimes with the help of his new nurse, Natalie, and his former boss, Leland Stottlemeyer.








WITHOUT A TRACE - CBS (Channel 5), Sundays @ 8:00 pm. A fast-paced procedural drama about the Missing Persons Squad of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The sole responsibility of the special task force is to find missing persons by applying advanced psychological profiling techniques to the evidence and decide whether the missing people have been abducted, been murdered, committed suicide or simply run away.