Thursday, January 31st, 2008
I’m forever late.
As I was trying to vote for the bloggies 2008, the thing spits up. It’s a no-go. I submitted and resubmitted, but it’s not returning an email to me at all, so it’s not getting processed. I emailed nikolai there and hope to hear from him (I assume that’s a male name) before the thing ends in 3 hours.
.
* * *
Just so you know, I’m still alive. The kids are still sick, but much better.
Will update soon with a slew of expletives and posts about how I hate the health care system (lack thereof), and how through no fault of my own, I am now responsible for a huge hefty Out-Of-Network payment because SOMEONE ELSE messed up, and how I was suppose to go to Mayo Clinic for my CT / bloodwork / Mammogram tomorrow but it’s not happening anymore because some carrier decides Mayo isn’t good enough for them. And other annoying and frustrating things that Private-Jet Executives Who Live in Million Dollar Mansions don’t give a crap.
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
We interrupt the string of short posts with another short post.
Late Monday night / early Tuesday morning while I was pounding on the keyboard fervently, inputing data for new products for KangarooBoo, I heard cries for help.
I went to Sebastian, our 4.5 yr old’s room, found him literally burning up and coughing badly, with giant tears streaming down his face. He was shaking / seizing, his limbs were kind of noodle’ish and limpy. Couple of minutes later, the thermometer revealed 103.5F. After a dose of Motrin, he started to cool a little bit. 30 minutes later he cried again. He needed Mama to sleep next to him.
At 5 a.m. Fiona woke up and joined us. She rolled in bed while Sebastian continued to sleep until nearly 7a.m. (unheard of, as he’s also a 5-6a.m. riser) and I stuck in the middle. Fortunately I had the foresight of getting a full-size bed for him.
Tuesday - he stayed home from preschool. Still feverish and still coughing.
Today - both kids have preschool today, but both are home. Sebastian doesn’t seem to be too much better, although the fever is under control with Motrin. Fiona is also having low fever and some coughing.
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
I couldn’t resist passing this along. 
brownie.wmv
Monday, January 21st, 2008
Hey y’all, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to be around and read your blogs. I have 500+ new entries in my RSS reader. Yikes. And I have meme / tags up the wazoo.
As I’m typing this, I am wearing a snow bib, (lined) indoor booties, and finger-less wool gloves.
I will soon post more insightful entries. As soon as I’m thawed out, or when I’m done with looking at 20+ catalogs while picking and choosing new inventories, whichever happens first.
Saturday, January 19th, 2008
While it is cold here, there’s something very nice and cozy going on. KangarooBoo is having a big winter sale. Find great savings of up to 60% off! Sale ends tomorrow, January 20th!!
Happy shopping!
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.
Friday, January 18th, 2008
Captured it a few minutes ago, via weather.com
Thursday, January 17th, 2008
Who wants to play a game?
HUGE Thanks to Kat at Katstuff and Jodi at My Life as Jodi Mama, I am participating in Pay it Forward - The Blog Edition. The official rule is, send homemade gifts to the first 3 people who leave a comment and say they are interested in playing.
My twist of the game is, since I’m the recipient of two Pay It Forward, SIX numbers will be randomly picked out from 50 submissions (I will use some random generator, like this one). I have never had any posts with more than 30 comments, let alone 50, so I’m fishing for comments. *wink* *wink* Yes that means all you lurkers are welcome to play! Please! If you don’t want to handmake anything, but just want to say what a cool idea, feel free to comment too! International readers are also eligible to play! Hooray!
In order to play, you must have your own blog and you MUST continue to pay it forward by promising the same thing to your readers on your own blog - and then deliver on the promise! Be sure to leave a valid email address so I can contact you for mailing info. And say BOO in your comment if you intend on joining in the fun.
I don’t know what I’ll be sending out yet, and it’s likely going to take me sometime to get things together (I have 3 full time jobs too: business owner/employee, mama, housekeeper). Also? The gifts can be anything - as long as it’s handmade - which means it could be as cheesy as a (handmade) card but I’ll try not to be very cheesy.
So, who’s on board??
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
We’re probably not in the minority. Our last family vacation was 1.5 years ago; our last sans-kids vacation was 3 years ago.
Not that we’re going on a vacation any time soon, but a girl can dream, right?
What kind of traveler are you? Please share your idea of a great vacation, and destination!
* Do you prefer to just call up a travel agency and join a tour/cruise, a one-stop shop if you will?
* Are you the kind that spends weeks and weeks scouting out deals and book things individually, the flight, the car, the hotel, to well-known places? Like Vegas or New York or…?
* How about road trips where you just take off with nary a plan and see where it takes you and your family?
* Or do you prefer to research the less-traveled places, or during off-season and do some hiking, backpacking, and generally explore nature?
Five bonus points to those who guess correctly which category we belong.
What are the points good for? I haven’t decided yet.
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Not long ago I confessed I was a big dinosaur when it comes to electronic gadgets, and that I’m not an electronic fashion junkie. Well there’s a very bright side to it, and not just for the sake of my own piggy bank either.
It is also environmentally-friendly. Don’t replace electronic gadgets based on trendiness or “look and feel” and here is a nice article. Be sure to read the comment sections; the links within them are even better.
Did you know a huge amounts of electronic waste (old electronic stuff, “recycled” stuff etc.) are dumped in other countries??? I had no idea this sort of thing takes place. Where’s our regard for their health and their children’s children’s health?
Monday, January 14th, 2008
Most of the time, I can read the little squiggle squishy slanted sideway stupid words that’s required to be typed out, just so the Internet knows I’m a real person instead of some bot.
But come on! Some of them are just plain hard to read, and hence it takes several tries because I CAN’T READ WHAT THE DAMN THING SAYS.
Earlier tonight, I was requested to type in something again on some screen, maybe it was passw0rd verification or a comment section. I can’t remember what site it was. This time I laughed and smirked a little.
The words on the screen?
men silly
p.s. This isn’t necessarily about Blogger. It’s for all sites that requires captcha.
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Annual cost for milk in this household:
$3.49/gallon x 4 gallons/wk x 52wks/year = $725.92
$725.92 per year!
.
That is, if the cost of milk stays where it is. The cost per gallon has gone up $1 whole dollar since May, just 7 short months ago.
Updated:
Melissa at Taking What is Left made a very good point, in which I’ve completely neglected to calculate, is that the cost of EGGS have also gone up tremendously in the last few months.
To wit, eggs were $2.99 for 2.5 dozen large eggs (that would be 36 eggs, or two cartons of 18) when we first moved here 7 months ago. Now it’s past $5.25
Our kids are picky eaters and eggs is on the small list of things that they will eat.
The verdict is, to buy one dozen chickens along with a strong rooster, and two cows.
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
I’m not the greatest cook, and my mother-in-law (and father-in-law) will agree with that. But I do most of the cooking in this house, whether it’s edible or great depends on what I’m cooking.
These are things that I find essential to have in my kitchen:
* rice cooker - I’m Asian. It’s true, most Asians must have rice in their meals otherwise they have the “not full” feeling. It doesn’t apply to me, but we still consume a lot of rice. I buy them in 50-lb bags.
* garlic & ginger - they are almost like one thing to me, because I put them in nearly everything I cook (usually stir-fries).
* soy sauce & other slew of seasoning stuff used in Chinese cooking
* Bar Keeper’s Friend - it’s a cleanser & polish powdery stuff that comes in a rounded container thingy. I need this because I burn stuff, often.
* steamer - steamed food are so good, and good for you.
* chopsticks - I use them as utensils and as cooking or mixing spatulas. Making scrambled eggs? I use that instead of the sophisticated whisk that sits in my drawer.
What kitchen items can’t you live without?
Friday, January 11th, 2008
BoxofBeans is an Asian American currently living in Hong Kong.
She just wrote a post depicting how tactless Asians can be during conversations.
Go over there and read it.
Now, don’t you agree that’s just a bit too much information to share? With a stranger? And a MALE stranger at that…?
Next he’s going to want to diagnose all of BoxofBean’s “issues” when really, he’s just eager to show the world his own problems.
At least the sandwiches and drinks were superb.
Thursday, January 10th, 2008
I eluded once before that we spent our honeymoon in the jungles of the tropics, with his sister and his friend. I promised to talk about that and haven’t fulfilled that promise. Since I’m usually good with keeping promises, here’s the recap of what happened 7+ years ago.
Our wedding took place in Malaysia, where Hubby was born and grew up. As with most destination weddings, not many people showed up (on my side). This was also the first time I meet my in-laws and where parents from both sides met for the first time as well.
Malaysia is right on the equator. In fact, the town that Hubby’s from sits 1 degree from the equator and has a humidity of 95% every single day. It’s ~90F everyday of the year. Did I mention there are LOTS AND LOTS of mosquitoes?! And no screened windows??? Not fun, especially when you’re super allergic to mosquitoes and swell up like a balloon when bitten.
There were exactly 170 people in our wedding, and I could count the number of guests I knew with all the fingers on exactly one hand. I don’t blame my friends; I wouldn’t be traveling 32+ hours by flight for a wedding unless (1) you’re one of my kidneys (2) I could afford to pay the hefty air ticket (3) I want to travel to that part of the world anyways and what would be cooler than to kill two birds with one stone.
The wedding ceremony was at 8 a.m. which meant I had to get up at 5 a.m. to get ready. The makeup lady came to the hotel to do my hair and makeup. I sat half asleep while she poked and prodded my hair and got me dressed. (The church was all booked up and the only time slot available was 8 a.m. 09-09 is a very popular date.)
After the ceremony, we had the Chinese-Malaysian reception with extended family members at his parents’ house. At 7p.m. the real wedding reception started and where I knew basically no one in my own wedding. After the glorious 8-course meal is over and almost everyone leaves, except for one of Hubby’s friend who he hadn’t seen for many years. He came up to our penthouse wedding suite in the hotel and chatted for hours. He finally left after I literally kicked him out. By then I had been up for 20+ hours and you know what I did on my wedding night? I fell on the bed and conked out.
What a great start to a marriage.
After all that wonderfulness, we flew to Mulu for a few days. Without blaming him again and mentioning how unhappy I was with this arrangement again, Hubby’s sister and one of his friends came along with us. Since the friend and his sister aren’t a couple, and sister felt odd sharing a room with a strange man, she stayed in our room. I’m not making this up. This sort of thing simply cannot be made up.
So over the course of the next few days, we did a lot of activities together with them. Together. We hiked trails, we swam in the pool, we had yummy meals, we went to amazing caves, we went kayaking, we watched cultural shows. Together.
It was a really fun place, honestly it was. I mean JUST LOOK AT this cave. Yes that’s a freaking ROAD in the middle there, a ROAD that can accommodate at least 3 people walking side by side. Here’s another shot of the same cave. The cavity of this cave supposedly can hold up to FOUR 747 wingless planes side by side (I think it’s 4). Wow. And this was not the only cave… The place was beyond beautiful. Aside from the breathtaking natural beauty of this place, there were NO MOSQUITOES here because of the bats living in these caves. See bat exodus images here, here, and here. Millions and millions of bats live here.
But I think it would have been way more fun if we didn’t have 2 tag-a-longs.
He’s lucky I didn’t leave, or leave him.
If you feel bad for me, and are inclined to, please email me to find out how to contribute to my Real Honeymoon Fund. Or at least give him a swift whack on the head.
Wednesday, January 9th, 2008
“You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that.”
Take this quiz, find out what flower are you.
Those of you who know me well, knows how true that last part is: and you enjoy letting people know that.
Even the Internet and the Computer says I’m a bragger. Oi.
