Cheers to more good times =)

Chee Wei's visit was too short for the both of us :( He was only here for the weekend, and left for Sydney on Tuesday. Too blardee short! You didn't even get to do much, or go anywhere, man!

Well, although we didn't get the quantity, we still managed to spend some quality time with him, catching up over the latest happenings in our lives, our plans for the future... the serious stuff, and of course, heaps of craps in between. Hehehehe.


Chee Wei & Mei @ Notturno // Ade & Chee Wei // Chee Wei & Ade @ Sharksfin House // Chee Wei & Mei

Chee Wei casually mentioned about transferring to Accenture Melbourne to work for abit. We know it ain't gonna be easy, but hey, if it happens, it's gonna be so much fun! We'll have a swell time mannn!!! Hehehehe... If we can take time off work to hang out and chill :) **a girl can always dream, yo?**


Here's one of the three of us!

Well, have fun in Sydney, and have a safe flight back to KL yeah??? Make sure you host us when we get back for holidays at the end of the year! Make sure you keep your promise yeah??? A bottle and a table in a club. Tee hee hee :) Get your liver ready!!! *But of course I'm not gonna be the one drinking with him* Don't worry, Ade is training already. Hahahahaha.

See ya in a couple of months~! *waves*

The greatest love, ain't always the easiest, nor the most convenient. But THAT is the reason why it's the greatest... for it stands strong, against all odds.

Chasing Rainbows

I sometimes feel like,
I'm chasing rainbows,
They're so beautiful and surreal,
They appear to colour the sky,
To brighten your day,
and take away your pain,
After the rain has fallen...

But the things with rainbows are,
They do not last,
You can see them, look at them, admire them,
But you can't touch them, hold them...
Or have them by your side eternally,
They will never truly be yours.

And the painful truth is,
You'll never really know what's at the rainbow's end.
You'll never get it truly figured out...

But is that the message that God is trying to send?
To enjoy it while it lasts...
And not to ask for more...

Welcome, Chee Wei~!

Chee Wei finally touched down in Melbourne yesterday arvo, after postponing his visit for weeks! Hmph!! Don't wanna see us, huh??

But anyways, it was good to have finally met up with him after not seeing him for ages! The last I saw him was like... for 2 minutes, back @ Zouk last summer. But seeing him was nothing close to awkward. It's as if I just saw him yesterday or something. We just picked up from where we left off. He's still as funny as before, as talkative as before...

We brought him out for dinner @ Lygon, but couldn't find a parking space... so in the end, we decided to go for Italian @ Hardware Lane instead. Sorry Chee Wei, no gelati for you this time around... maybe later tonight k??


Jon, Mei, Chee Wei // Chee Wei, Ade, Ming Yen // Jon & Mei // Mei & Chee Wei


Ade & MingYen // Mei's Linguine Calamari // Mei after some wine // Karen, JiaLian & Ade

Karen & JiaLian joined us for abit after dinner :) I haven't seen JiaLian in ages too! She's been missing in action for quite awhile... HhhMmMmM...

Catching up was good. We all sat and talked and laughed until the restaurant was closing. It's been awhile since we last sat down at mamak at talked all through the night. Hehehehe. In the end, we decided to head over to Ade's place and bum for abit since the rest of them wanted to watch the "Saw 2" DVD that Karen rented...

I watched it for abit, but didn't finish the whole movie cause Jon needed to wake up early this morning for golf (which was probably a good thing, cause I was afraid that I won't be able to sleep after finishing the movie). But then again, something else happened that sent my heart palpitating too... Hahaha. And no, it wasn't anything good.

I thought I had lost my digicam. One minute I had it in my hand, and the next minute, it was gone! And I had absolutely no idea where I left it... I rang Ade but she said there's no camera at her place. We searched the car, and still no sight of it. So then I proposed we search for it tomorrow when the sun is up.

I thought Jon was gonna crack the shits at me for being so absent minded and careless with my stuff, but instead, he went down and searched the car again... and guess where he found it in the end??? UNDER the car! I must have dropped it when I got out of the car. Phewww~! What a relief. Thank you, for being so patient with me.

And Ade, sorry for ringing you like (n) times regarding the camera. Hahahaha... I sincerely apologise if I was disturbing anything... Tee hee hee *wink wink*.

I should really be more careful with my stuff! I don't understand it myself... I've been so forgetful recently, it's not funny! I even left my folder in the hospital ward the other day. And I don't usually leave my folder around. I ALWAYS have it with me, cause it's got all my important stuff in it. *sigh* Scaryyy!!!

Could this be a sign that I'm getting oldddddd????

Love ain't all about wining and dining.

Have you ever felt so happy that you can't stop smiling to yourself?
Have you felt so happy that you just feel like picking that someone up in your dreams,
and hugging him for real???
Have you felt so happy that you just wanna let the whole world know how lucky a girl you are???

Well, I'm sure those girls out there, who are crazily in love,
will understand exactly what I'm talking about...

It's not about the all the diamonds in the world...
It's not about the money or the pearls...
It's merely a simple e-mail... an e-mail that does not cost a cent,
yet the message that it sends.... PRICELESS.

I'm all smiles now, in fact, I'm grinning.... Hehehehehe.

Thank you, my ADHD chubby Keroppi,
for that cute email,
for bouncing off walls,
for saying those funny little things,
for making random remarks,
for feeding me 'aeroplane' Pocky's,
for the playful tickles,
for the morning kisses,
for being 'self sufficient',
for everything you do,
AND everything you don't do.

For making me feel like I'm the happiest person in the world...

Thank YOU.

The Good, The Bad, and The Funny??

I decided to give my poor little feet some rest today, by leaving the hospital early. I was on a ward round from 8am till 2pm - standing and walking.. Non stop! And then, chase pathology results and run around putting in Gelco's on patients. So basically, I abused my feet badly yesterday... and today's ward round was not much better, although it was a little shorter.

So after the last tute, I left the hospital to come back and have some rest. But then I realised that I had to bank in my cheque, and run some errands... so down to the city I went, walking again.... cause the weather was too good, so I wanted to walk and get some sunlight :D So yeaps, tired feet again...

The gang decided to have dinner tonight, cause we were all too lazy to cook, and wanted to try this new place called the Rice Bar along Grattan Street. My clams char kueh teow was quite yummy! :D But Ming Yen claimed that his peking spare ribs rice was not that great. The crispy noodle that Jon had was not bad, although a tad salty... but Ade's combination horfun was a little too bland. Hahaha, I think my dish was the best :D

Jon wanted to have a drink after dinner, so we walked to Stuzzichino's on Lygon. It was meant to be a quick drink, but it ended up becoming a golf discussion, and a 'talking cock' session...



The girls :D



Jon(ny) :P acting funny.... OooHhHH... I should go become a poet :) I can rhyme dear. Hahahahaha. *hi 5, Ade*


The guys.

It was a good, relaxing session... filled with multiple bouts of laughters! Jon is funny. He cracks weird jokes that makes our stomachs curl with laughter. And even when he's not trying to be funny... he's still funny... Hhmmm... I don't know if that's a good thing. He's like an ADHD monkey. (but you're still cute :D )

But oh well, it was certainly a good way to unwind midweek. The bad thing is, my plan of doing some studying just went down the drain. :( I should really stop procrastinating. Oh well, I shall stop procrastinating tomorrow. Hehehehe.

Off to bed I go... *tata* Mei scoots off and cuddles up to....

Had a Ball @ The Med Ball

Last Friday would have been the only day for us, the final years to get together with all the medics from all year levels. Yeaps... all 6 years. :D It was for the Grand Med Ball 2006 @ The Carlton Crest. It was a themed ball, Glamour & Glitz (Spend a Night in Monaco) but obviously, not everyone adhered to the theme... but none-the-less, everyone there looked absolutely smashing!

The pre-drinks and gambling started @ 7pm, but dinner was only served around 8pm. It was only 2 course, as compared to the usual 3 course for previous years. We had chicken breast with risotto and toblerone cheesecake or something for dessert... Sorry, I can't really give the best descriptions bout the food and stuff, cause frankly, it wasn't that great... and secondly, we weren't at the table to enjoy the food most of the time!



Just a warning, that this is gonna be one photo-heavy post, with a couple of words inserted here and there.... Tee heee... :D Cause, besides drinking, the other thing we did most was snapping pics *well, for most parts of it, until something happened* (sorry! :$). But yeah, we all had a swell time! and now it's time for the pics to do the talking!



Kelly wore her glitzy dress to compliment the theme :D I wanted to turn up hot and stunning initially... Hahahahaha (wanted to, ok??) but I couldn't find myself a dress that would transform me that way *sigh*. And then I found a dress that I absolutely adore, but it was more cute than 'hot', but since I really liked it, I decided to just grab it.

And after some thought, I was gonna go the 'classy, glamourous Audrey Hepburn style'... but I guess that didn't really turn out right either... So, oh well... it'll just have to be plain Mei for now... Hahahahaa... although I did get compliments from strangers bout the dress :)



One with Mei and Jon :) ** Kel, the one on his camera turned out fine :) **



Us with Bob & Clarissa



Sweet, sweet Candice :) Looking forward to more swell time working with you next year, gal! It's gonna be so much fun with a cool bunch!



With my dearest *Powerpuff galpals in Melbourne :D Who shared lotsa ups and downs with me over the past couple of years.... We even figured out how to drive Jon's car... **albeit with some difficulty** without any help from him! **GIRL POWER!!*



Getting all set to gamble with my *boy. (Yes, Mei's holding fake money and fake chips on her hand). So sue me, I'm a gambler... bleh! I like this pic :) Very 'Monaco' casino like... *all smiles*

Someone actually said that Jon looks 21! OH MYGOSH! Just to clear the air, he's NOT. I am not a paedophile! He's older than me...



One with the group! I love you guys to bits!!! I'll so miss you guys next year *those who will not be in Melbourne anymore* sob sob.... Make sure you guys come back and visit us whenever you've got the opportunity to, ok???

Man, this is meant to be a happy post, but I can't help getting emotional and sappy... Hahahaha... I think it's just cause I realise that, these are the final few weeks of our lives as medical students *keeping fingers crossed*, and we'll be embarking in another whole new journey of life... Starting a whole new chapter...



"Chest hair" Adrian, Mei, and the happily married couple Mardiana and Kelvin :D



One with the fifth years! :D "Enjoy your student life while you can!" That's what every intern tells me...



Mei and clowny Josh! :D



Yong Shen, sweet & absolutely demure Clarissa, and Mei



Jon's favourite part of the nite, as it says on the pic :) His beaming smile, while holding two girls at once. Tee hee hee... I think he might be just a tad disappointed that it didn't go any further than that... to make his fantasy come true. Tee hee hee... *bleh*



One with the *alcoholic guys! Hehehe. Ming Yen didn't drink much, cause he was the designated driver for the night. But Jon had 11 drinks and was still standing :) and CY probably had quite a couple too! Yeaps, that's the guys getting their money's worth @ the ball! Hehehehe..



And of course, a compulsory photo with Ade. ** Ade, ade... Maybe we should have taken another one with our phones too! ** Two same phones in a row! That's something to celebrate about! Hehehehe... Don't you reckon??



The Austin girls :D



Mei was tomato-red after 2-3 drinks. I think I only had 4-5 drinks max the whole night. 1 glass of white wine, 1-2 glass(es) of beer, and 2 cocktails. What a loser! But thank God, I don't have to sleep with my puke, holding a bucket or hugging the toilet bowl :D Mei was very much sober by the end of the night.



Pics, pics and more pics!





With Gaya and Vanessa! *Gaya, here's to more fun time for us!!! To 7 years of friendship and more!*



The Austin guys and gals, all decked up, looking gorgeously divine!!! I'm gonna miss you guys heaps!



One with the guys who share Jon's passion for golf! They would have talked and drinked the whole night over golf, if the drinks didn't run out. Hehehe... Anthony and Alistair was just trying to get Jon drunk I reckon... Hahahahaha. But they all just kept drinking, and held their drinks pretty well, so no "projectile drama" there.

Al, I hope you didn't get drunk in the end, and let the "Singapore incident" happen again. Hahahahaha. :P Anthony, pronounce "Titleist" pls?? Hehehee. He's hilarious when he's high!



Not so composed people... smiling, urrr.... ok, more like grinning for the camera! :D Hehehehe.



On the dance floor with the clubbing gang. HhHmmm, come to think of it, I've been a good girl :D Have not clubbed for ages. Hehehe.. Krys, your birthday coming up huh? :D Tee hee hee...

The after party @ Depot was not-too-bad... although Jon was quite high by the end of the night. It was hilarious watching him trying to focus and play pool! Hahahaa... while he kept telling me that he's concentrating hard just to stay on his feet. Although he could still dance with me on the dancefloor, looking pretty sober. TMY created history, being joke of the month by sending the pool balls flying off the table, to the ground... The rest of us girls, urrr... we're just bad regardless whether we're drunk. Tee hee.

Anyways, I think this entry is long enough already :) Thank you all, who made the night a fantabulous one for me! I definitely had a ball at the ball! *hug hug smooch smooch* Love you guys heaps!

ps: To those whose pics are not here, I still love you guys lots!... *the pics turned out blur, due to some drunkard photographer's fault*

Mere paranoia? Or impending doom?

Have you ever been in situations where there's so much you wanna do?
But there's just nothing that you can do?
It's like you're so close, yet too far...

I went to bed feeling uneasy after reading Vicky's entry last night.
I felt somewhat restless and disturbed... but forced myself to bed...
Only to be waken in the middle of the night by *Keroppi's blood nose.
*Keroppi's been unwell for the past month or so with symptoms of cold, asthma and hay fever.
No big deal, I know... it's winter after all... Everyone gets sick. I kept telling myself that.

But the thing that kept playing at the back of my mind is,
Why one symptom after another?? And it seems like it's tonsillitis now,
with recurrent epistaxis? And one that I witnessed for myself.
HhmMmMm...

I couldn't help but wonder, is this all just a coincidence?
Or is there an underlying serious ENT condition???
I do not want to be put into Vicky's shoes.
At least not now, not just yet... NO.
I'm not quite ready to lose someone dear to me that way.

I hate not knowing exactly what's going on.
Am I just being paranoid? I dunno...
All I can do now, is to hope for the best I guess?
For I do not know what else can be done...

With All My Love, and More...

Today marks the special day, of a person dear to me in many ways.

The girl that shared almost everything with me...
My ups, and downs,
My rainbow, and storms,
My dreams and aspirations,
My endless ramblings,
My bed, my room,
My clothes, my shoes,
EVEN my parents!



Yes, she's my one and only darling sister...

Happy Birthday, Fun :D *hugz*

Sorry I couldn't be home to celebrate your special day with you...
but you know that I'll be blowing kisses and hugs,
and hoping that all your wishes come true :)
*just don't be too greedy and wish for too much k?*

May you have all the happiness in the world,
All the wealth and success you can dream of,
And most of all,
all the love you deserve.

I love you, darling... missing you dearly from miles and miles away.

Here's three cheers for ya! *hip hip, hooray!*

Confuseddd

***Ring, the alarm goes off***

He stretches his arms out, and spoons her.
She : Darl, your alarm is ringing. Shouldn't you be getting up?
He : Nope.
She : Urr, then why set the alarm for??
He : To remind me that I'm late for work.
She : (O.o) Righttt...

And all these while, I thought it was to PREVENT us from being late. Not a reminder that we're late. HhmMmMm....

On 9/11... It's been 5 years

Operation Teddy Bear

I was driving the children to school when I first heard the news. My initial thoughts were that it was a small plane that had undoubtedly caused damage, but it was early and surely there were not many people at work yet. I thought How awful, and I hoped that there were no fatalities. Then I put it out of my mind. To be honest, I was too busy wallowing in my own pity to dwell on something that happened so far away from my little world in a tiny town in Tennessee. My husband was out of work nearly a month now and still he had found nothing. We were so far behind on bills I doubted we would ever dig out of that hole. I had made an appointment to see if I could get state assistance just to put food on the table for our three children. I was missing my mother, who had passed away in 1997, and had no one to share my woes. I remember thinking that things couldn't get much worse.
I made it back home, and after tidying up the house a bit, I settled in to nurse the baby and catch a bit of television. The images that flashed across the screen on every channel horrified me. I went from shock and disbelief to absolute horror, then came the anger, and finally I just went numb. I had cried for hours and hours and couldn't sleep at all that night. All my petty thoughts of debt and self-pity were gone. True, I was in the same predicament that I had been in hours earlier, but that seemed somehow trivial in the face of such tragedy. So many lives, so much destruction and an entire nation in mourning. Who cares if the car payment is made? I sat in my bed that night and I cried. I cried for the mothers who lost their children, and for the firefighters, EMTs and police who paid the ultimate price in the name of service. I cried for the children who lost their parents. I cried for our nation, and I cried for my children. I cried because I was fortunate enough to have a home and bed to go to that night and because my children, husband and family were all safe and sound. I cried out of fear that we may go to war and my children would have to be raised during war time. I cried until no more tears came.
The next morning I went through the usual motions of getting the children ready for school. They asked very few questions about the previous day's events, but the few they did ask started me thinking.
"Why did God make bad people, Mommy?" asked my six-year-old.
"God didn't make them bad, honey," was my mumbled response. Thankfully that appeased him.
"Mom, can't we go and help them?" my eleven-year-old pleaded.
"Oh baby, I wish that we could, but it is so far away and we just don't have any money to send," came my shame-filled reply.
Once the children were in school, their questions continued to flutter in my mind. Why? Why? WHY? I didn't have any answers, only more questions of my own. I stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up diapers, and while there, I saw some red, white and blue ribbon. It was only forty-four cents for a roll, so I figured I could afford that much to show my support for those who were dealing with such horror. I made unity ribbons for the entire family and even had enough ribbon to make a few extra that I carried to the school and gave to the teachers. That night my daughter removed her ribbon and pinned it to her favorite teddy bear, I assumed for safe-keeping. Then to my surprise she brought the bear over to me and said, "Mommy, can I send this to New York to one of the people who were hurt?"
With tears in my eyes I said, "Sure, honey, I think we could do that." From there the wheels began to turn in my head. Why couldn't we do that? I thought I could collect bears and attach a unity ribbon and a handwritten message to each one to send to New York City and Washington, D.C. I can do that! So the 911 Teddy Bear Brigade (Operation Bear Hugs) was born.
I got on my computer, and I told as many people as I could. One of the online groups called "Mom writers" was especially supportive. This group of mothers is one of the most compassionate group of people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Before I knew it, I had suggestions coming in and offer to help write a press release, and within a few days, over forty bears from around the world had been delivered to my doorstep.
Once the press release and flyers were ready, things really took off. I was interviewed first by the local paper, then on television by our local public access television show, "Tullahoma Living." Then the newsleader Channel 6 had us on briefly. I e-mailed several network news channels, and a few of them mentioned our project. Girl Scout troops sent us bears with notes that would tear your heart out. With each new bear and every precious message attached, our hearts were filled to overflowing and we cried. Oh, how we cried.
By October 5, we had in our possession about three hundred bears. Some of them didn't have notes, and for those we asked local fire and police departments if they wanted to write messages, and for the others we wrote them.
We have a target date of December 11, 2001, to send the bears to New York City and Washington. We don't know how many we will end up with, but our target is five thousand.
We will be giving the bears to the volunteers. We noticed that much was being done for the victims and families, so we wanted to honor the volunteers who have worked so tirelessly, sleeping on the street and returning to work at daybreak. I cannot imagine the horror of the scene at Ground Zero, but I am so thankful for the people who are there giving so selflessly of themselves to help others. They deserve our thanks and so much more. I know you may be thinking a bear is nothing in the scheme of things, but it isn't really the bear that counts. It is the messages attached, the love and gratitude and the simple gesture that count. The volunteers are the backbone of the re scue and clean-up efforts and should not be overlooked. I think this quote says it best: "Volunteers are NOT paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless."
I just wanted to show that if I can do something to help make a difference, then anyone can. I am simply a stay-at-home mommy on a tight budget. I had no money to give, but I gave what I did have: my love and eternal gratitude.

Edit: I still remember clearly the night, when David called to tell me what happened. I didn't believe him, and laughed it off. Then he told me to switch on my tele, and tune in to CNN, insisting that he wasn't joking. I was shocked... beyond belief, that the second plane just crashed...

A Domestic Weekend...

I've had a very lazy weekend, despite all the going around, doing last minute dress hunting for the upcoming Med Ball this coming Friday night. I had a tiring week last week, having to be in the hospital at 8am everyday... and having med ward rounds that last forever, as compared to the short and straight-to-the-point surgical ward rounds.

But it's all good. I love med, much more than surg. :D So, I really enjoyed my time in the hospital, although I always come home feeling totally knackered. I decided to have a lazy weekend to recouperate instead...

Went out on Friday arvo to the city to hunt for my dress. After 3.5 hours of scouting, I was still getting nowhere. The only dres that came close to what I wanted, was $689, and I was not gonna pay that amount of money for a dress that I might end up wearing only once...

Anyways, still dressless... I met up with the rest of the gang for dinner and drinks @ The Groove Train. Sat down for hours, talking about everything to nothing... It was good though. I needed some rest after walking around for hours in heels.



Yong Shen, Siew Ung & Ming Yen



Kaz, Mei & Ade



Chee Yoong & Yong Shen, engrossed watching the footie.

Saturday was quite an eventful day for me, as I went to Smith Street, and to my surprise, I got my dress at the first shop I walked into. Actually, not really. I didn't even walk into the shop. I walked PAST it, and saw the dress on the manequin, and decided to try it on, cause it looked cute on the display window :)

And woa laa! :D First dress I tried on, and I loved it! :D And it didn't even cost $ 700 bucks! :) Oh well, Jon liked it too... so I decided to get it. It's not hot... I wanted something hot and stunning... but I guess I'd settle for cute, since I really liked the dress, and I wasn't gonna hunt around anymore. So yeaps...

Then we came back for tennis :) AND table tennis... AND gym... since it started raining halfway, so we had to seek shelter... Table tennis was good.. cause I trashed Jon that day :P *bleh* Yeap, he kinda trashed me the previous time we played.

Leny brought us out for a Korean dinner near my place. I don't know the name of the place, but food was quite yum, and the price was reasonable. We only payed 10 dollars per person, for 5 course meal. Pretty good price huh? :D



Ade, TMY & Chee Yoong



Jon, Mei, Yong Shen & Leny.

Sorry, no pics of food this time around, cause I was too stoned and didn't remember to bring my camera. Pics are courtesy of Leny :D Tee hee...

Sunday was the laziest day of all! All I did was stay in bed and watched DVD's. We even ordered pizza for dinner so that we didn't have to get out of bed and go out in the cold. Tee hee... Man, it feels good to be lazy! This is lifeeeeee.... hehehe. Having the luxury to do whatever you want.. even if it means doing nothing.

I really need to get my fat arse moving, and get some studying done. 8 more weeks to exams! and my head is still empty. Sighhh.... Man, I'm sooo lazyyy. I'm even doing my reading IN BED! I hope I don't get too fat! I still wanna be able to fit into my ball dress!

You just know...

You know it's love,
When your heart flutters whenever you think of him,
And you smile to yourself with every thought of him.

You know it's love,
When the excitement has all died down,
Yet you still wanna be with him, around him, next to him.

You know it's love,
When the silence is peaceful and comforting,
rather than awkward and disturbing...

You know it's love,
When you're the least domesticated woman in the world,
Yet you attempt to make a feast just for him.

You know it's love,
When you realise that your cooking sucks,
Yet he still praises you for it,
Slurps and gobbles everything up,
And then thank you for it.

You know it's love,
When you wake up in the morning,
and the first thing he does is,
to pull you close, and... spoons you.

You know it's love,
When he kisses your cheeks,
and tells you that your freckles are beautiful,
Those same freckles that you hate,
and have been trying to hide for years.

You know it's love,
When you've had a longggg day,
Then he returns after a day at work,
And still gives you a massage..
*no, make that two~!*

You know it's love,
When you realise that he's not flawless,
Yet you still think he's the perfect person.
For you...

You know it's love,
When he thanks you for all the things you do,
AND all the things you don't do,
When he accepts you for the person you are,
The person you're not, and the person you'll never become.

And YOU, feel the exact same way about HIM too...

That's when you know,
you just know...
that it couldn't be anything else.

My Love, My Addiction...

After several attempts, we decided that, if we really wanted to try the spanish churro's, we'd have to go there on a weekday instead of a weekend. The place is always packed with people, not only cause the chocolate's popular... but also because the place is damnnnnnn small~! A little piece of advice if you're planning to head there with a group of friends... do NOT go in a group bigger than 6. You won't ever get a place to sit.



Anyways, we finally got seats *this is our third attempt there, mind you* and still the place wasn't empty! We nearly had to sit outside in the cold! But luckily, there was still one empty table available indoor, so we sat down inside instead.... phew*



The spanish churro's - which is actually spanish donuts dipped in chocolate of your choice was really yum! :) It was gooodddd.... I finally got to try it... after like several months~! tee hee hee.... that made me one happy gal~! :D *beam beam*

Then, out of the blue, Jon did this~!



THAT, really made me one happy gal. Hahahahaha. It's amazing sometimes, how an "I'm cool" kinda guy, is willing to pull stupid faces, just to carve a smile on YOUR face. Thank you, darl... for fulfilling my chocolate addiction, and more so, for being you. *mei pulls a funny face* Tee hee.

A fortunate coincidence?

I finally had the opportunity to meet up with Gaya for dinner after MONTHS! **Yes, months girl! You've been pretty darn busy huh?** We decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner @ Docklands after she shared the great news with me, that she was going to the same hospital as I am, for internship next year! How cool is that?! Tee hee... I'm sure we'll have a swell time next year, babe! :D *keeping fingers crossed*

Meanwhile, Ade and Kaz brought Leny out for her birthday. They had dinner at Docklands as well :) After dinner, we were meant to have a little surprise cake cutting 'thingy' for Leny, at Hot Chococlate, Waterfront City. We got the cake ready, while Ade and Kaz brought Leny 'for a drink'. Leny just agreed... being very unsuspecting. :D Tee heee... I reckon she trusts us too much. Gullible girl... ehehehehe.

To her surprise, when she saw all of us, she actually asked " Aiks? Is this a coincidence??" Hahahaha. How funny indeed.



This is a must... a picture with the birthday girl :D Hehehe





Gaya came along too... Special appearance :) Leny was completely surprised! A pleasant one none-the-less :) Hehehe.



Jon & Mei *hugz*



Ade, Leny & Mei :P



One with the girls....



Ain't the cake just pweeeeettyyyy???

Happy Birthday Leny dearest~!!! :D Hope you had a great time, and may you have all that you wished for. Thanks for being a wonderful friend, and here's to many more years of unfaltering, true friendship :D *toast*

Tears and Laughter...

Through misted eyes I gazed at my little son as if for the first time - and perhaps for the last time. He lay sedated, fighting for his life, with two holes in his heart and pneumonia. Doctors questioned whether my two-month-old baby with Down's syndrome would live.
I wanted to remember what it felt like to be his mother. I wanted to savor my inability to distinguish where my flesh ended and his began. As I softly pressed my cheek against his, our connection calmed my fears. I wanted to remember the wisp of curls that twirled behind his ears, and the feeling of life fulfilled when his almond-shaped eyes drifted to look into mine. Mostly, I wanted to remember the inexplicable warmth that filled my heart when I held him.
I had dreamed of days when we might build sand castles at the beach together; when Eric would swing so high in the park that he'd feel like he was flying; when he would play catch with his daddy and cuddle with me. I begged the doctors to keep him alive. I pleaded with the nurses to feed him more. And I prayed to a God that I didn't know well to let me keep my baby.
After one special conversation with my husband, Bob, I came to realize that Eric's soul would choose whether to stay with us or let his body go. We stood on either side of his cold metal hospital crib and told him we would stay with him, love him and nurture him if he chose to stay with us. My mind trusted whatever his soul chose, but my heart ached with the hope that he would choose to stay.
Meanwhile, desperate to remember what it was like to hold my baby when it might last only these two precious months - to remember every moment - I decided to write it all down so I could never forget anything. From that moment of resolve, words flooded my thoughts. I formulated chapters in my mind between conversations; phrases appeared as I slipped off to sleep; and whole pages might appear to me upon waking, while driving or at Eric's bedside.
During his second week on life support, I strode into the hospital, past the reception desk to the bank of elevators, all the while transmuting emotions into words, mixing hopes and prayers. I stood before the elevator doors and stared up at numbers blinking all too slowly - 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . - until the soft bell rang and the doors parted to reveal smiling grandparents, nurses and orderlies from the pediatric ward. They passed within a few feet of me, but we were worlds apart. I entered and leaned against the cold wall, returning to my sanctuary of words as the elevator rose, and then I walked slowly down the long hallway to the children's ward.
Before Bob arrived, I whispered to my baby about plans for our book; it would be our secret. Then I remembered that I don't keep secrets, especially when opening up is essential, so I told my husband and some close friends as we gathered near Eric. I began writing that very evening at my kitchen table, occasionally turning to gaze upon the empty cradle in the living room, a reminder of my baby still in the hospital. It felt like a part of me had been pulled away.
Eric triumphed through those six weeks of life support, but over the next two years, he had numerous bouts of pneumonia, respiratory viruses and digestive problems. He was dependent on a breathing tank for his oxygen. We always knew where our little guy crawled to by following the fifty-foot oxygen tube that trailed from the breathing tank at the end of the hall, wound around the kitchen table and into the living room, and ended attached to Eric's face, allowing the prongs to let purified air flow into his nasal passages.
When he was seventeen months old, the doctors told us it was time for Eric to have his heart repaired. They said, "He's as healthy as he can be under such conditions. If you wait much longer, it will be too late." But they couldn't guarantee that his fragile heart and weak lungs would make it through the grueling surgery.
Forty-eight hours later, I stood by his crib and gazed past the tubes and wires to his angelic face, looked down and watched as he opened his eyes and focused on me. His smile illuminated the room. I let out a cry of relief. I knew Eric was here to stay.
Through it all, the writing has carried us through the recurring life-support crises as Eric's legs dangled again and again over death's pier. I recorded every experience, every emergency and breakthrough, every painful moment and every miracle as love carried us deeper into ourselves, peeling away our resistance, teaching us to rely on faith.
Our son needed cardiologists, pediatric nurses, therapists and specialists to repair his heart; we needed Eric to repair ours. Our lives were opened up to a degree I never knew existed. In the midst of these past years, I found myself sitting at the large table in the corner room of the Unity Center, where we held our Up with Down's meetings. I sat across from a brand-new mom and dad. She held her one-month-old, blond-haired, baby with Down's syndrome protectively against her chest, while her husband wrung his hands in his lap. "We haven't told our parents yet," she said. My eyes fixed on the young father's face as she spoke. His tears never stopped.
Then it came to me that my book should not be a secret from anyone, because we have known great pain and found miraculous healing. It comes from Eric's heart and mine. After more than four years, his valiant little heart beats stronger with each passing day we are given.
Today, we can't keep our son out of the playground. It's either monkey bars or basketball, soccer or T-ball. We've since built many a sand castle together, discovered new parks and playgrounds, have taken turns reading and rereading his books - yes, he is reading now! We have pretended to be manatees in our swimming pool and have eaten too much popcorn at the circus. We have a special boy who lives a joyful life.
Eric has his heart checked once a year, but his laughter washes away my fears. When I look into his bright eyes and feel the warmth of his bear hugs, I know his loving heart is going to be just fine. And so is mine.

======================================

Just as I finished reading that,
my phone beeped.
It was an sms saying :

No sweet thoughts to forward,
No cute graphics to send,
Just a caring heart saying,
-Love you always-

Daddy.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect. It couldn't...
I love you too, dad.

Wake me up...

It's a brand new month...
A brand new day...
And perhaps, a brand new start too...

Hopefully, things will be better from now on.

*hugz*