Today, I celebrate love

Today, I celebrate love. To those who knows me deeper than the occasional "hi" and "bye" would know that I'm a sucker for sentimental moments. I have, which many do not comprehend, a moment for everything. Sometimes these moments are shared by the other party. Sometimes it holds meaning for myself only. Today is one of those days I celebrate a significant moment. Today I celebrate one year of daringly loving a friend. 

I know that in life, people come and go. Some just swing by, some lingers and only once in a while you have someone who likes to be with you and they stay longer. 

This friend of mine, we met by chance. Our path did not cross three years back even though we were among each other occasionally in school events. However within six months of knowing each other, we chose to explore further as good friends. We developed a sense of closeness and familiarity that only best friends, family shares. It was this day one year ago when it happened. I opened my heart to her, allowing her access to my everything; my goodness, my friendship, my love as well as my flaws, my weaknesses and my pain. I know fully well that when someone gets to see your vulnerability, your weaknesses, you risk being hurt. When someone gets to see your flaws, your past, you risk being judged. When someone gets to see your pain, your sufferings, your hurt, you risk losing that person. 

I did not know what got into me that night but I felt a great sense of trust in her to not judge me, or hurt me, or leave me. I have no regrets with this friendship. Everything was meant to be. It may not have happened the way I dream about or proceeded the way I desired. It may not even have lasted the way I truly wished it would. But I trust that it had happened according to His will, His way and His time. She is the chosen angel that God wants in my life. Through her, I learn to trust friendship again. Through her, I learn to give... just to see her smile. Through her, I experience the love and concern from a close friend once again. I know that God wants me to learn, to experience all over again this love, through this special angel that He sent my way. Like the saying goes "better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all". I love her and that's all she needs to know. Today, I celebrate that love. 

Happy daddy's day

We bought some durians to celebrate father's day and this is one very delicious lot. It is so good that we regret not buying more (we got three, opened and packed on the spot).

On this day, I dedicate my prayers to the well being of my man, our man, the only man in the house. I pray that he continue to enjoy good health and a sound mind. I notice that he's getting more sensitive and irritable these days. Perhaps it's the stress that he's facing at work or the discomfort he's feeling physically. He can be rather stubborn at times especially in relation to medical issues but I do hope that he will go for a detail check on the discomfort he's been feeling lately. I know that he probably feels the need to be the healthy one for the family and he probably does not want to add to the stress threshold of our family now. It's been hard on him and so I sincerely pray that nothing bad would befall upon him, the pillar of the family.  

Father's day 2010
Father's day 2009 

Unlimited play @ DE

Downtown east has a promotion for NTUC members. Kids get unlimited play on the rides in escape theme park and downtown east for S$8 and adults for S$17. The girls wanted so badly to play the last time we were at DE with jennifer and her girls but they needed to be back for dinner so we did not proceed with the plan. But we went back the next week to get our share of the fun.

Once again, feeling adventurous, I took the girls on a bus journey to DE. Not too bad as it is a direct bus from our place anyway. The initial plan was to get two kids tickets and let the girls run wild BUT I was informed that most of the rides would require an accompanying adult for a child under 1.1m which means that isabelle needs ME for every ride! So I had no choice but to get a ticket for myself and get in most of the rides with her. And this mini flyer is one ride I was forced to take. Before I got on it, I asked the attendant how many rounds will it make and he said two. I tried to negotiate to one but my girls shouted "NO" so I gave him a silly grin and got into the cabin. I reckon it would be fine as it is barely four storeys high and I can easily scream at the attendant to stop should there be a need. Well, I completed that two rounds without exposing too much fear or turning green in the face. So I guess it's not too bad. After all I survived the singapore flyer at that magnitude, what's this in comparison.  

 

In fact, this little tiny ferris wheel in escape theme park is the scariest of all wheel like thing that spins. It is small, it rocks whenever it had to stop to board or alight, it swings with the breeze when we hit the top and my girls happen to be quite a "mover" in the tiny cabin. I tell you, this is one ride I would think twice about taking again.

I managed to convince some attendants that some rides are perfectly safe for her without me, like this airplane and choo choo train.

This is our favourite ride. The mini roller coaster. We took this ride over 15 times each. Totally paid for our tickets and several others as well. They were a little overwhelmed on the first ride but I was encouraging them throughout the ride. I was just shouting at them to raise their arms in the air and scream out loud. I was talking to isabelle throughout the ride while she had this intense look on her face. But it only takes two rides for them to be as wild as the teenagers in the queue. In fact I believe this 38 year old mummy and her under 10 year old children were making more ruckus than any of the many teenagers on that ride that day. I totally forgot how fun roller coaster can be or a little excitement can get my heart a-pumping and producing so much adrenalin in my blood. I felt so good and so alive. We were at it so many times that the attendant, a young boy himself, was insisting that we take one ride after another without having to get off and queue to get on again. He was so sweet and he totally adores isabelle who is probably like the only four year old who took that ride over 15 times that day! 

 

Then they went on to be "water walkers". So cute I tell you. The entrance to this thing is a really small hole but once inside, it is this big space to run and bounce in. Isabelle did not move much in the ball. I believe she felt a little frighten so the man encourage her to just bounce and roll in the ball. Joelle on the other hand is like a hamster in the ball. You should see her move. The minute she got in, it was just running and falling and running and falling. It was such a work out for her (she did this three times!) that she was knocked out at bedtime.

Another of their favourite is this ice bumper car near the explorer kid. I had to ride with isabelle for this one but I let her control the car. I only intervene when she loses it and go into spinning mode. Boy, I can't do spins, I will puke. Daddy joined us after work and paid for this ride. He did not want to do it again. Ha! lousy! He was so surprise that I can take this ride with all the spinning and banging and all. I don't get it too. When I first look at it, I was apprehensive about doing it with isabelle so my hands were at the control most of the time. But after the first ride, I was ready to let go of the control for isabelle to have fun. She did very well at this ride. I tell you, she controls the car well for a four year old. In fact she is the best of the lot I saw that night.

Impromptu visit to the beach

 

It's been quite a while since we get ourselves hot and sweaty at the beach. So since I had to meet a client at changi airport and happened to have spare clothes and a flip flop in my car, I changed and head out to the beach with the girls. I spread a mat on the grass next to the sand and sat under the sun reading my book and listening to music while the girls shovel and dug at the gloriously baked sand. Unfortunately the water was not very clean that day but fortunately so as we did not bring along extra sets of clothes.

Clearly we had so much fun under the sun that dragging them up by 4.45pm was not an easy task. I had to get them up because I wanted to surprise a friend by appearing at her office by 5.15pm to offer her a ride home. But I guess the word "surprise" takes many forms. I did not get to meet her unfortunately, not even for me to say "surprise!" and I had to say I was deeply disappointed. After all, I had to stop the girls from extending their fun time at the beach and I also had to pull out google map to read my way home ALONE, without my "surprise package". It did not feel good definitely but I have to accept that surprises do come with a price. Too bad, I'm never quite lucky with lottery. 

Well, will I give up on surprises then? NO way. That will be so unlike me. I guess I'll just have to be less "surprising" with this friend knowing now that surprises probably isn't her cup of tea. Oh... but I love surprises. SURPRISE ME anytime and you'll be pleasantly reciprocated. I promise. 

Hit by a flying metal on PIE

 

Freedom was hit by a piece of flying metal on the PIE while on the way to my grandma's place. I was driving at about 95km/h on the right lane when a car on the center lane just ahead drove over a piece of metal. That caused the metal to come spinning into my lane right into my car. I saw it coming at full speed and I had no time to react. Anyway I could do nothing at that speed on that lane. So "BANG!" and the girls screamed. It was very loud, it sounded like a very hard hit. I managed to maintain full control of the car even though that hit caused a slight impact and I swerved a little. When I found composure and filter myself to the shoulder lane, I stopped to check on the damage. I knew it would be bad even before I take a look. It was bad alright. My right fog light dropped out from the impact and the bumper has this really deep puncture and many deep scratches. I was heartbroken. Freedom is a four year old car and besides some curb scratches on the rims, she is almost as good as new. Now there's this scar on her "face". :(

But of course I have to be thankful that the metal piece did not fly in five inches higher because if that happen, it would have hit my windscreen, break it and hit me, causing me to lose control of the car and sent it spinning with my girls inside. That would have been a much more horrifying end to this terrible accident. So here I am, upset that this had happen to me yet thankful that nothing else had happen. I can live with the scars on my car than losing any one of them that's in my car that afternoon. 

I shall take this accident as another reminder for us to be careful on the road and be mindful that life is indeed unpredictable. I thank God for this timely reminder and for keeping us safe and protecting us from anything more than just shock. This is another opportunity for me to scream out loud to people I cared about. "I love you"!

STCRC open house

 

The singapore turf club riding centre had their open house on monday and since it's the holidays, I decide to bring the girls for a visit. It is in woodlands and a rather nice place to be. It looks brighter, cleaner and more welcoming than the horsecity venue at turf city. Anyway I paid S$10 each for the girls to ride a horse around the ground. The area is huge but the ride seemed rather short especially the smaller horse which isabelle rode. It just walked half the "ring" whereas joelle's taller horse did almost the full "ring". The shorter horse tat isabelle rode is called queenie and the taller horse is cristabel, according to joelle.

 

The girls enjoyed their horse ride very much and wanted to sign up for the lessons. I thought it will be a good sport for them, to learn about posture, patience, interaction and care for the animal. I checked out classes for children and found that the child have to be at least eight years old and 30kg to begin lessons. Joelle is eight years old but she is only 20kg! So she got to eat more and put on some weight first. She could not understand why she had to be heavier to be able to ride. I agree. After all if I'm the horse, I rather you be light on my back!  

Girls and dough

It's been a long time since I engaged the girls with a round of dough play. It was purely selfish reasons. I'm tired of having to clean up after them. This time however, the girls promised to clean up after themselves and I decided to trust them again. They did me proud. They managed to clean up really well after the play and I'm likely to allow them dough time anytime now.

Joelle has always been very creative when it comes to art. Check out her version of winnie the pooh and the crazy penguin. They are so cute and I like her detailing. This girl got talent in arts I tell you. What can I say... she got my genes... :P

Isabelle is not too bad herself. She did a figurine of a man on a duck. She lacks the detail but she'll get there in no time. I like the rawness of her creation actually. I like her drawings of sticks and blobs and primitive curves and lines. It's so free and easy, just like expression. Details come from the head, the understanding whereas expression comes from the heart, from feeling the moment.

Sisters at IMM

 

It's sunday and time to visit my grandma and we always make a stop at IMM to grab some food up for her. The rooftop playground is very crowded today so the girls only play for a little while at the "tree house". Grandma has many visitors today which is good for her. I would be happier if my girls can speak in hokkien so they can converse with their great grandma. Unfortunately joelle could only understand a minimal amount of hokkien vocabulary and isabelle none at all. 

I'm sure they would have love to converse with my grandpa in english.

Mission #1 - Walk

Last week, I spent a long time thinking and thinking and thinking. If you know that nothing can be done about anything, would you still worry? So I guess while waiting, I can occupy my time with what I would really like to do and perhaps also include what I really need to do. I'm happy to say that I have walked out with just three "missions" to accomplish, at least for now. But if time permits, I might include more along the way.

Mission #1 - Walk.
The stress test I took at the hospital convinced me that I need to work that fragile heart of mine gently but surely. Besides walking, I can probably do swimming and blading and cycling too. For a start, I decided on walking. So after a discussion with my man and a couple of days spent scoring the malls, I set my eyes on sketches range of walking shoes. This pair of shoes set me back by S$130 but it felt good under my feet. It is the new model that carries the same technology as their range of "boat-like rocking" shoes. I could have got one of those for about S$20 more but it did not feel as natural to me as this pair does. So now I guess I'm going to be walking more.

Po @ downtown east

We were planning on a trip to the SAM this week but since it was that horrible time of the month when I don't really feel like walking much, we decided to just do something lazy like catching po, the kungfu panda at downtown east. Moreover vera was just recovering from a stomach infection. So I guess everything just fall nicely into place that day. 

We met for lunch, walked around a little, catch the show, had tea and head home feeling good about spending a lazy afternoon together. 

Crab from the kitchen

 

Dave and I left the girls with my mum and went out together. Well, almost like dating but without the electricity! Hahaha! We were wearing rubber shoes! Anyway, he suggested we have a crab meal that night and I was like "yes! yes! yes!" so we picked out three huge crabs from the supermarket and rushed home to cook. Dave did the cooking and the washing and I did the eating and the praising. It was a great crab meal and I'm so fortunate to have a man who can cook crab for me.

Cranes in love

This is the show I wanted to catch so badly. Twice, I went on days it was on maintenance so this time round, I called the RWS to confirm that the show WILL be on that night. They confirmed, I took down the name of the person who confirmed the show and told the girls gleefully that we will be catching the cranes tonight. Show was about two mechanical cranes falling in love and it was lovely actually. The colours, the water, the movement, the combination of digital and mechanical and the size of the cranes were just fantastic. I totally enjoyed the show and would not mind catching it again.

After the show, we felt so nice and cool that we decided to take a walk back to the beach station where we parked the car. During the walk, I recalled a promise sealed by a close friend. She said if I took my medicines on time and recover, we would go catch the crane dance show together. It was a "promise sealed" by her. It had not happened. It might not even happen anymore. I learn from young that promises are not meant to be broken. My father used to promise me many things from outings to the zoo to books if I score in my examinations. I always did but I never got any of those he promised. I hated broken promises. I told myself I would never break my promise to the girls and if I'm not confident about it, I would not make them any promises. I know how it feels to look forward to a promise so confidently sealed yet broken without a tint of guilt. Ouch...