Hello, everyone,

Did anyone missed me? Ya, my last blogging was done at the beginning of the school holidays & this is the last week of the school holidays.

So imagine time flies & what have I been occupied with? Eh, looking after the monkey out from school. ha.ha.. But it was a nice two weekend breaks on different ships with the family. Hectic, short of sleep, binge on food etc made u wonder whether it's a holiday or more stressful than work. Anyway, the family gatherings were good so cannot complain la since it's not easy getting everyone together.

Well, next week, life will get back to normal when school reopens...No more staying at home..bravo! Actually, staying at home is not too bad if can make good profits daily from the markets ha..

Grace has been calling home regularly, bless her soul, for remembering she has her dear parents languishing here while she's enjoying her life, & spending all our hard earned money. Hopefully, she buys something for everyone else on her shopping spree.. She's off to Niagara Falls & should be back at work dutifully soon after this short break.

Well, hope it's good luck for all those punters out there.. Enjoy the rest of the week.

Cheers..

Finicky or What

Hi, there,

How's everyone? Enjoying yourself, no doubt with the holidays & the likes. Me, am still wondering around, pottering & doing nothing in general. That's the life.

What a nice car there? Wish it was yours, right? Well, this reminds me of my neighbour who washes his car every minute of the day. Every time we passes by, he or his maid is washing every single inch of his car (& he has two cars , one a Jaguar no less). So, is that how he passes his time. He must be fanatic about the cleanliness of his car or does he treat his car like his precious Wife that he needs to make sure she is Well groomed.

Sometimes, we see people like that. Me, when I was younger, am quite a perfectionist. Guess am still, except I am more tolerant. However, I still feel that I can be at times insisting that things happen my way, per my expectations without any hitch so I get extremely upset that it's not going as planned. Nevertheless, life is too short for that & we all know that. Today, I read again about the young girl who drowned in the Sentosa pool & witness again the agonising pain of the parents. It's sad but things happen in the blink of an eye & there is really no time for regrets. So, do u regret spending the day without achieving anything. Sleep with no regrets. Time waits for no one.

So much for the bleak news. Well, we will be having another family outing soon on a cruise so it should be fun for the children who can bond with each other once again. Grace, u miss all this since u are out there enjoying the sunny side of US. We will be going cruising two weekends without u. How sad as we all miss u. Take care.

So cheers till then.

Grace in Albany

Hi, Gals & Guys,

Can u see Grace in the photo here. She with all her room mates & those who enjoyed her so called "fantastic" dinner in US.

When u are hungry & see roti all the time, anything Chinese will taste heaven so am not surprised that they all enjoyed her food.

Ok, u can decide whether the food shown here (cooked by Grace) is palatable... Looks ok to me la. Just a pot stew of food..Ha.ha.. Better than grass & roti, I supposed.

So, it's the school holidays & GSS. Everywhere there is the Four Letter Word.. However, I think am too exhausted to benefit from the SALE of the year since it's like the same everywhere.. Maybe, I'm getting old & not too interested to shop la.. Only thing I like to shop is Shares..ha.ha.that can make money hor. The rest is out & no in.

Weather is also getting hot here so it's also time to snooze in the afternoons.. Warm & fuzzy to sleep ah.. what bliss.. Especially when both girls are not around. It will be nice to go on a short holiday but alas no such luxury since all are too tight..

Well, see, Grace is enjoying herself as usual.. Just some casual snide racial remarks occasionally from the ang mos there wont kill her.. Be tolerant & bear with it la.. Life is all about patience & tolerance...

Take care & have fun, all u out there..

Monkeys are OUT

Hi,
Why are monkeys out????

This is the school holidays, mate & I would expect all students to be let out from school..Is'nt it a relief for the children to be able to enjoy one month of freedom from the stress of school life?
Not so for the parents (I supposed) who will have to find activities to occupy these bored souls for a whole month..Ya, u will be surprised at how quickly they become bored after staying at home for a few days.

Then again, I read an article recently about how a family is having problem trying to book a holiday to fit into the schedule of their school going children due to the various school activities they have to continue to partake during the school holidays. I should know too since our holiday plans were also thrown out of the window after a few consultations on the children & their cousins holiday schedules. So, this is not a unique problem but looks like a daunting issue with most families. Is'nt it nice to go back to those days when all we have to do is to go away for leisurely family vacations during the school holidays.? But no, even the students need to apply leave from school to get away during the school holidays. That's the irony of today's stressful school life...

BTW, for those who like to know about Grace, she's adapting well in US. Spoken to her a couple of times & decided that Grace can survive in anywhere u throw her too. Too well, I should say, since she's starting to argue with her work managers & supervisors on what she should or should not do.. Grace, watch your back or u be stabbed!

Ya, one month of bliss at home for some & boredom for others. Which way it goes will depend on how u view and handle life. U can decide to do something different this time round eg. read some books to increase your knowledge, learn some new games, make some new friends, do some handiwork...Live life to the fullest during this time as u get the most freedom now.

So, all u students out there, enjoy the holidays....
Cheers for all ..

Enjoying Life Eh?

Howdy,

How's everyone? Is it like a ball? Glimmering & shimmering like this picture. Hope it's like that for everyone. Well, for those who are interested, Grace is adapting well to US now that she's been there for a few days.

However, she has no internet so u have to excuse her if she does not read mails or MSN anyone yet. Am sure in time to come, she will find her sources to do that. Trust her to be resourceful (eh, like mom) with lots of initiative. With her adaptive nature, she can survive anywhere (even if u throw her to the dogs literally). So, this begets the question "How adaptive are our youths these days?". Personally, I find that even as there are a small group of youngsters who can be adaptable to any environment, many others are still highly sheltered in their lives. What with all the pampering & spoonfeeding by the parents, it's no surprise that youngsters take things for granted.

In fact, Grace being away will hopefully teach her to be more independant & survive out of the family home where all the creature comforts are provided at her fingertips without any need to bother for her. So, sometimes, it's good to let go of your children & let them chart out their own paths for them to really grow up.

My fear is that the youngsters cannot take hardship & setbacks as well as we older folks are used to. The recent news abt NTU graduates getting snapped up for jobs & paid very attractive salaries have me thinking about our times when graduates have to "beg" for jobs or during the recent Asian Financial crisis where graduates go jobless for months on end. The good job market also mean that graduates are spoilt for choices & once they have a smooth sailing career without any setbacks, they may be ill prepared in life.

So much for such bleak views, there are still much good news & things to be thankful for.

May all of u have a good week ahead.

Did u enjoy your long flight

Hi, Grace,

Hope your trip was like the sea. Smooth as breeze tho' am sure it will be a bit uncomfortable with such a long flight. U will probably be a walking dishelveled zombie when u arrived in US. As long as u are not dressed shabbily, u should not have too much trouble with the immigration.

Dont forget to MSN mom when u are there. Most times, I put myself busy on MSN but actually around in the mornings. Guess I need to change my schedule to night when u are in US now. So, take care & be good

It's kind of funny when u realise that u want to peep into Grace's room & thought she will be sleeping there when I know that she's away. Guess it will take me a while to get used to this new schedule.

Life's the same here & I should feel blessed that all's well & healthy. The recent deaths of the mother & teacher (was it?) who died under the wrath of a fallen tree made me rethink again that life is fragile. We never know when it's time to go. It's our Maker's decision so we can all go in very unusual & sudden circumstances. So, do good & accummulate merits. Actually, being schooled in a Catholic organization in my early years, I've always believed in God. Nevertheless, I always adopt a open attitude as far as religion is concerned. Recently, I read some books on buddhism & their teachings are actually quite applicable & relevant to our daily lives. It teaches us to be tolerant to all religions & that no religious persons should threaten another that they will not find heaven if they do not adhere to a certain religion. In fact, heaven & hell is a state of mind & we develop this from our own experiences. So, it's all controlled by yourself. However, it's also very important for us to gather good karma by doing merits at all times. Small or big, merits do accummulate & it's never late to extend a helping hand, a listening ear, a small gift, a hug etc just to show your care & concern.

So, my motto is still be good to all & don't speak evil of others. Be empathic to others' situations & understand their plight or circumstances.

All u out there, will u be nice to your "enemies" today? Buy them lunch, have a nice word for them, stop backstabbing friends, enquire about their well being etc.

Have a great day to all.

Grace - Lots of luv from all here in Singapore.

Flown Away

Hello,

For those who are concerned about Grace, she has flown away this afternoon. Another 30 hrs, & she will arrive at her destined work place which is Albany. Ulu town which is supposedly 2 hrs drive from New York City. Ha.ha. am sure she will be greatly surprised by what she sees. The furthest she was away is probably limited to Asia Pacific, like New Zealand. So, this will be a great change for her to fly half the world away. Bon voyage to her & great Snoozing on the plane ride.

Well, wanted to share with u how the relatives enjoyed the BBQ & the celebration at home. See. no time to pause & eat. Must eat while continue bonding & interacting. That's the style man. No prizes for guessing the 4 kakis ah. Am sure u all can tell by the shapes & sizes ah.

It will be a long time until we have the next family gathering since Grace is away. Home is quiet for a change..nice change too. Isn't it the empty nest syndrome yet? No, just one bird has flown away, temporarily. In a flash, she will soon be back, more the wiser, I hope, with her exposure to the "Real world".

So, to all Grace's friends out there, wish her good luck & best wishes on her upcoming work.

Take care & God Bless.