Moments = Memories

We do pretty much everything together.  Only when it involves strenuous exercise, then I sit it out.

Overall, it's nice to wake up together, dress up, have a late breakfast, return home and realise that not going out is just as delicious a choice!

Often, I find my coffee already made when I wake up and it's these little things that make me cherish our private moments.  There's so much to feel blessed about and I am grateful.

Moments when we are together, when added together, make memories.  

Look! A book!

Pic from WWW

I said I wouldn't buy any books in 2014.  It's not even half a year and already I've reneged on that.  

I've tons of books in Malaysia and some more in Singapore.  Add to this, the fact that  I live near a very good library which has books in large print (for easy reading) and you can understand why I didn't really need to buy any.

But I'm like a book junkie.  I find it almost irresistible to pass a bookshop without going in to buy and/or browse.  

No hope for the book weaklings!  :( 

Marriage Wisdom

Image from Facebook

I so enjoyed reading this and it is never easy to practise all of it, all of the time. However, it is a good one especially when you can nod your head to some of the things listed there.

In my marriage, Stephen is the easy-going one and I am usually the not so easy-going person although if you asked him, he would never tell you.

But we've made a good life so far and everyday is interesting because we are different.  It's what makes life a little exciting even.  

We feed off each other's strengths and overlook the weaknesses.  I believe that one of the main things to remember in a marriage is to be able to laugh at each other. Stephen says I am funny.  Well, I think that my talent at being funny is mostly hidden while his is overflowing.  

The next point is commitment.  We are committed to the same things and, more importantly, to each other.

Often we hold hands when we walk around.  I imagine the folks around here referring to us as "that couple that always holds hands". Once or twice when we didn't, we had a neighbour telling us to hold hands.  It was so funny when she did.  We felt like teenagers.

Stuck at home, on this rainy morning, I'm just thinking out loud.

After the storm ...

Pic from FB

There's a storm upon us.  It's raining heavily outside. Not typhoon winds or anything close to catastrophic "run into the basement for shelter" kind of weather but the rain was so heavy and almost deafening.

I literally saw/heard it coming.  The dark clouds keeping the sun away and the sounds of thunder rumbling in the distance.  Just as I told Stephen that it was going to pour, the drops came.

When it first poured, the drops were so huge that they made a beautiful polka-dotted pattern on the pavement at the back.  Just as soon as they appeared, they disappeared because they joined so quickly that they just became meshed together.  At the height of the storm, I didn't dare open the window to peep outside. It's what I like to do and often I am rewarded with a spray of the cold rain on my face!

It's easing now and the winds have died down. 

It's nice to be home when it's raining.  So many times before when I was at work and there was a storm outside, I used to be mesmerised by nature's fury. I used to envision myself (in the future), at home, with a cup of coffee and a book/laptop. 

Life is a little like that.  We meet and greet the storm and then it's over.  The rain trickles and the skies clear up and everything looks better.

Here I am now, at home, and it is every bit as nice as I imagined it would be.

7 Moms

On Mother’s Day, most people only talk about their biological mother.  In my case, I’m going all out to boast that I have a mother for each day of the week.  Yup, it’s true. I have SEVEN of them!

Of course, there’s my mom.

Since my parents are divorced,  I have a step mom.

I was a widow and now remarried so I have two mothers-in-law.

Then I found out, I have a step-mother-in-law.

If all that isn’t enough, I also have 2 godmothers.

All of them have completely different personalities. The only similarity is that all of them are great cooks.  I guess in their time, it was a necessity and they honed that skill to perfection.  They look after the home and hearth, without fuss or fanfare.  They love without any expectations.  They are my moms and I am blessed.

Today being Mother’s Day, I want to highlight the best quality in each of them.

Mom Virginia - Her best quality is her quiet, gentle strength.  She takes everything in stride and gives without any reservation.  I have watched her struggle without complaining.  It has been a challenge for me to match her courage in the face of adversity.  She is an amazing woman.

Stepmom Julie - She loves with every fiber of her being.  It took me a bit of time to accept her but once I did, she became “Mama”, in every sense of the word. She has intuition and will pick up the slack if she notices you need something.  She is an amazing woman.

Mom-in-law Rose - I learnt many things from her strong sense of duty towards every member of the family.  She gave me wings to fly when I needed it. She stood by me for so many decisions I made.  She is an amazing woman.

Mom-in-law Myra – Generosity is her middle name. I don’t know of anybody kinder and more giving than her.  She will not take more than she needs.  She will give her last dollar if you ask her for it.  In this, she is selfless.  She is an amazing woman.

Stepmom-in-law Ibu – Stephen and I call her Ibu Darling.  She is soft-spoken and sweetness personified.  From the first moment that I met her, I loved her.  I know she loves us more, and without any reservations.  She is an amazing woman.

Godmother Corazon – I am the daughter she never had.  She’s the one who pampered and spoilt me.  She understood my first heartbreak.  She never asked questions when I didn't have answers.  My teenage years were easier because of her.  She is an amazing woman. She died this year and I miss her very much.

Godmother Cathy – The most elegant woman I know.  She is always prim and proper.  Though we’d not been in touch for years, when she came back to Malaysia, we just picked up where we last left off.  She is an amazing woman.

So there you have it!  7 amazing women in my life.

Amazing women become amazing mothers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Only when I became a mom, I found out that I could truly and deeply love another human being more than myself. 

Happy Mother’s Day to me and to all of them!!!!!

~~~~~
Originally posted on STEEST but the images got lost so this is a re-post for Mother's Day 2014.

She meant well

When I was 13 or 14, one of my Muslim friends asked me if I had heard or watched the Tilawah Al Quran on TV the night before.  

I don't know why but I said I did when the reality was that the TV was on and I happened to just see or hear a portion of it.  It wasn't a case of me sitting down to watch all of it.

Instantly there was excitement in her expression.  She was so pleased for me and for herself.  

She shared a bit about the beauty of the recitation.  I listened, feigning interest.

I know she meant well.  She wanted to share something that was close to her heart.  She wanted me to know it, to understand it and perhaps to embrace it. 

What I remember is that she was concerned for me because of what she believed in and that, in itself, is such a beautiful thing.

When I read the news about all the fears of proselytizing, I wonder if anyone sees beyond it to the heart of the person. 

If I share what I believe in, it is because I care. Whether you choose to believe or not is all secondary. 

Only when you can speak freely about your faith without any government intervention, then you may say you have freedom of religion.

Temptations

Perfection will never describe me.  I'm happy in my imperfection. 

I see many on the path of seeking perfection in everything.  Not me.  It's in my DNA not to be that way.  

An uncle of mine, a sort of perfectionist (I think), with 6 prawns in hand, would not put one more prawn into a dish if the ingredients stated 5 prawns.  For me, it would be no problem, dump it in.

Another person I know, uses a needle to clean dirt from the tiniest nooks and crannies.  For her, it was an essential cleaning habit.  For me, it seems like crazy behaviour.  But to each his own.  

This brings me to my "temptations".  I find that I am tempted by many things. Tempted to do, to say, to see, to touch, to experience, to know and much, much more. But as I look back on my life, I realise that I have been a bit cautious about giving in to temptation. I have been more careful than carefree. In general, I have given in to some temptations but not nearly enough for me to feel that I had actually thrown caution to the wind. Have I?  I don't know.  For if I did, I would surely remember.  No regrets though. 

Nowadays, the temptations that get to me are much, much lower down the rung of excitement.  Often I am tempted to bake a cake, make cookies, prepare a gourmet meal *wishful thinking* or even to give the house a makeover. As is the case with me, I end up not interested to bite more than I can chew.  The temptations come and go and that sums up the daily grind.  Hahahaha.

Somehow, I'm still happy holding the temptations at bay.  If I give in, well, good for me.  If I don't, no harm done either.  

Each day, I just give in to the temptation of being imperfect. 

Thinking Out Loud

Recently a friend cut me off because I didn't, couldn't meet up with her partner. At first, it was a bit distressing because it seemed like I had failed a test.  

Then I realised that we shouldn't be testing and re-testing our friends.  Once we call them 'friend', we should accept them.  

Of course, it's not that they are given carte blanche to hurt us purposefully. Because if they do that, then they are not your friend.  Real friends often hurt each other unintentionally.  That's real life.  We don't live for our friends.  We can't. Often when choices have to be made, friends take a second place to family.  At least, for me.

But having said that, there are only so many times that you can say sorry because your friend thinks you have failed them.  After a while, it gets tiresome and if they cut you off because you do not want to fall in with their ideals of you, then they've done you a favour, indirectly.

We've just got to wish them well and hope they enjoy their "perfect friends" in their "perfect world".  

Me?  I'm imperfect.  That's not going to change. :)

Excited about life

I woke up happy this morning.  Well, I wake up happy most of the time but this morning, I woke up with a feeling of having rested well.  Maybe it's the getting over a hospital appointment for my MIL that makes me feel relieved.  All is well and we are glad.

Though I am sad that we are back to just being by ourselves, the internet and HP keeps the kids close to us. Plus our group chats are always lively and entertaining.  

It is easy to be caught up with doing, doing, doing so much that on a quiet morning like today, I find my thoughts just easing along instead of having to mark off all the things that need to be done.  

When I was in KL last week, I had so much to do and although there is a sense of achievement at getting them all done, there was also the rushing around that I do not miss.  The only saving grace was having my own driver to take me everywhere.  This beats driving around on my own.  One of the skills that I have found immensely useful, apart from touch typing, is driving. Be that as it may, having a chauffeur is always a wonderful option.  

I have loads of plans for later this afternoon and as soon as Stephen is off to work, I shall begin. Excitement can move mountains, I think.  

Let's see if it pans out or I give in to temptation to sit, read and sip my coffee.  In my book, this is also multi-tasking. Mwahahahahaha.

R n R means ...

I looked forward to seeing this on my return to Singapore

Many people say that Singapore is not their ideal place to live in, because because because...  I don't care to list the reasons since I am not them.  For me, it's been home for over two years now and I have come to love it.  

We took a short trip to Batam Island again.  This time, instead of the Waterfront Resort, we chose to be in the City Centre.  Being a city girl, it was more my cup of tea. Plus we had the kids with us and they make for a very nice extra double pair of helping hands.  

It never ceases to amaze me how readily these kids rush to carry our stuff or to be attentive to our needs. A table of four makes for a livelier conversation and the food shared always taste better. It made our holiday just that much nicer. 

After the sea breeze, a little pampering and shopping, I've returned to Singapore very much R n R.  

Rested and relaxed.

Refreshed and renewed.

Ready and raring to go.