Saturday, June 14th, 2008
10. Don’t need to buy hair products such as clips, hair ties, headbands, etc.
9. Saves on resources such as water, shampoo/conditioner/soap
8. Also saves money
7. Saves time getting ready in the morning
6. Less chance of having Bad Hair Day
5. Less hair on the floor to vacuum / weave rugs with
4. No long strands for infants/babies to pull
3. Great for summer weather
2. Can wash hair daily even if you have very little time
1. Hair will dry very very quickly
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
Hi! Remember me? I’ve missed you.
I’d tell you that it’s been a fun couple of weeks in the Greek Islands, or Hawaii, or somewhere WARM, but truth is, I’ve been here in Iowa all along. Haven’t gone anywhere and nobody is gravely ill so thank goodness for that. But I’ve had it with this weather. I know I complained every winter when we lived in Minnesota but this feels just like Minnesota winter / fickle spring. WTH. Did it follow me here?!
In any case, things are rolling along here. Very busy with work, the kids, and not folding our washed laundry.
Today I heard from a long lost friend (HI!) and she’s going to move here in a few months! Her work is going to be literally within walking distance to our house! Well, 15 minutes is walking distance right? I think we mid-westerners are really spoiled with driving everywhere, but I can’t seem to bring myself to walk anywhere when (a) it takes a while to walk anywhere (b) it’s so darn cold (c) no one else do it around here so we’d look like lost souls strolling the sidewalks. It was good to hear from her and even better that she’s moving here soon. Very excited! She’s one of the few people I know who can out-talk me, when I’m in the talkative mode. I think we’ll have a great time! Oh yes, she has never met our kids yet. We did see each other when I was pregnant with our now 4.5 yr old son; that’s how long I haven’t seen her.
Did I also mention my in-laws are coming this summer? All the way from Malaysia? I can’t wait for summer, in more ways than one. Seriously, I have a great set of in-laws and we get along fabulously, most of the time.
If this is not the most disjointed post EVER, I don’t know what is.
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
but look! It’s above 40F!!! In fact, it’s in the 60’s. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee.
Current weather: sunny & windy, 67F. Hallelujah!
Current time: 4:30p.m.
Mood: perplexed.
Times I’ve second guessed myself today: more than a handful.
Hours slept last night: ~3.5
Taxes: sent.
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
In 5th grade, my brother and I moved to the city to live with our grandmother, so we could attend a better school (I was still living in China). This was where I met M, who was also in my class among 60 some other kids. I do understand that smaller class size would allow the teachers to give more attention students - but that’s unheard of in the city we lived. Class sizes were generally 50-70. Can you imagine 60+ some kids in one class, with one teacher???
M lived about 5 sky rises away from my grandmother’s and she was everything I wanted to be. Her parents were artists, quite sophisticated people who lived sophisticated and luxurious lives. Both her and her brother were also rather artistic and had entered in drawing competitions etc. Their house was at the top floor, knocking down the wall in-between and joining 2 flats into one extremely large one.
Coming from the countryside having lived peasant-style lives, M’s house was a castle to me. There were leather sofa and chairs, big screen TV (in color!), nice decorations, gorgeous rugs!, big refrigerator with loads of goodies, and very comfortable cushion-y mattresses. I’ve never slept on a mattress before - my bed was a giant piece of hard wood plank topped with bamboo liner in the summer and an old thick blanket in the winter. She even had her own desk, with nice posters hanging all around her room.
Despite our vast different material backgrounds, M and I got along rather nicely. My personality and M’s were very similar. We both liked to wear shorts more than skirts and didn’t take to the girly frilly things that some of our peers did. Since her house was on the way to school, I usually stopped by and wait for her, and we’d walk to school together. She would show me all the places along the way - this store’s ice cream was really good, or that bookstore had some great books but they’ll scold you if you go in to read and not buy, etc. Some days we would take the long route, skipping along the rice paddies to admire the birds and bugs. Other days there were other girls joining us to walk to school. M and I were very good friends, she knew my secrets and which boys I liked. I knew who she dreamed about and would go give them lots of “hints.” We had loads of fun together, doing homework at her house, watching TV and or bouncing on the bed.
She never once looked down on me because of my poor background.
After I moved to the US 1.5 years later, we kept in touch via letters. (This was pre-internet days). It was lovely and I missed her and my other friends dearly. We kept in touch for a very very very long time, until we both graduated college. We visited each other both times I went back to China (in a total of 19 years..) We just seemed to pick up where we left off and continue right on. She’s forever a giving soul and my heart always has a place for her. She’s now married as well, with a one-year old son. We don’t talk very much - but I know she’s doing fine and are busy with her adult life and parenthood. I haven’t seen her in nearly 9 years. I miss her and think of her from time to time.
She’s the sister I never had but wish I did. I am so fortunate to have her in my life, albeit how infrequent we get to talk with or see each other.
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008
This is one of my lists for March’s theme of “Lists” for nablopomo, which I am miserably failing at keeping up and or writing lists at least once a day. April’s theme is “Letters.” Go here if you want the details.
Chemo sessions I had: 12
Duration of each chemo session: 3-5 hours via IV
Frequency of chemo: Once every 14 days
Days I was bedridden from chemo: ~72 days
Times I puked from having chemo: 432 - 864 (that figures about 6-12 times each of the 72 days)
Hair lost: every strand on head & body except eyebrows
Neupogen shots I received to boost my system so chemo wouldn’t be delayed: 48
Radiation therapy sessions: 10
Duration of radiation: 45 seconds front & 45 seconds back (kind of like roasting or grilling) I think it was 45 seconds.. can’t remember now.
Preparation time before radiation: 15 minutes
Lives we’ve been gifted as a result of all the above: 3 (my very own, and our 2 children)
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
And here’s the proof, in a quiz!
* * *
Your quiz score makes you: Smarty Pants Mom
Smart parents like you have smart kids. They need plenty of intellectual stimulation and you provide them with all they need, plus lots of love. You know how to help them with algebra homework, and you are superior at kissing boo-boos.
* * *
How about you, what’s your ranking?
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
This came from Marla, and Average Jane and Neena, and.. I think that’s about it. Better late than never! So here goes,
Basically I write 7 things about myself. And tag you guys to do it too. Feel free to be tagged and make your own list.
1. I must be the one driving, otherwise I get carsick easily.
2. I usually prefer silence to music (unless I’m in the car - see above - I’m the driver, especially long distance). Hubby is the exact opposite and wants music anywhere and everywhere.
3. When my hair is long, I’ll want to chop it off. When it’s short, I’ll want it long. Right now. I drive myself silly.
4. On my left hand, my head line (or brain line) and heart line intersects and makes a straight fold. In another words, if I put my hand faced up and pull all 4 fingers towards me, there’s a nice straight trench across the entirety of my palm. I’m not into palm reading, but find this interesting and I have a few family members who have the same thing.
5. I am the same weight as I was before any pregnancies and babies (+/- 2 lbs), but my shirt and pant sizes both have gone up at least 2 sizes. What’s up with that???!!!
6. Food is my good friend. Good food is my BFF.
7. I’m not as articulate in person as I would like to be. Oh I can talk, (boy can I talk, my friend Laura is about the only one who can out-talk me) just not as articulate as I would like.
Saturday, March 8th, 2008
I saw this a while ago at Just Chicken Feed, and thought I would do it too just to verify that yes, indeed, I don’t lead a very exciting life.
Items in BOLD are things that I have done, with commentary in parentheses.
* * *
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain. (Yep, nearly summited on Mount Kinabalu. Went half way and stopped because I felt a little sick..)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper (Alrighty then)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity (Still doing it now and will continue to do so)
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can (This is a rather healthy form of release IMO)
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love - with that person!
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day (Did this for 6 out of every 14 days while having chemo, for 6 months. Does that count?)
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (If you’re new to my blog, this is the business)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (What’s D&D?? Ahh OK. The answer is no. But I have done other things for far longer than that)
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch (This is one of many favorite activities at our house)
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (If the Vegas version counts, then yes)
80. Gotten a tattoo (tattoo DOTS my friend. 3 tiny dots, for radiation therapy alignment purposes)
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently (2 languages, 3.5 dialects)
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold (Twice. Once in church, and once while soaking in the bathtub)
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (Need at least both hands to count)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray (Ate one too, at a restaurant, here in the US!)
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild (Morel mushrooms, but I can’t remember what they taste like or where I had them)
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (Hubby did, before we met)
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period (now I wish!)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (One of my favorite foods)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (Need two hands to count these. You know it’s all for good stuff, right?)
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
l131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (More than once)
137. Skipped all your school reunions (Missed both times so far, not intentional though)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (Um, Well, it was inescapable. See the two previous posts here and here, and the “about me” page and.. )
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (Hubby did this many times before)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head (Not on purpose. Had to after 2 chemo sessions.)
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life (does a bird count?)
* * *
So I counted the items. Turns out I’ve done less than 1/3 of these things (48 to be exact). See, not very exciting.
Thursday, March 6th, 2008
Things that my 12-year-old extremely-hill-billy self found to be intriguing, fascinating, scary, confusing, and or shocking. Sometimes all at once. (A little background: my family and I moved to the US from the other side of the globe when I was 12. None of us spoke English. For this and other details, go read my “about me” page).
These shocking things are in no particular order, but each proved to be comical and foreign to my-then-12yr-old-self (some are still shocking to me).
* People. I lived in a small village and never traveled further than 3 hours away from where I was born. I had only seen non-Chinese people on TV, in black&white television. When we landed in O’Hare airport, various hair colors, eye colors, and people’s sizes really shocked me and continued to for a long while.
* Food - western food. Which to me meant anything that wasn’t Chinese food.
* Language. Did not know a single word of English. No one knew my native language at my school, and not many in the community either. It was an 90degree uphill journey sprinkled with many many thorns, spikes and potholes along the way.
* Smiles / friendliness. When you smile or say Hi to a complete stranger in China, people would think you are slow, stupid, or have an ulterior motive. They just don’t do friendly over there, especially if you’re Asian. Times may have changed some, and westernized a little more since we moved away, but I think these types of views are still very strong.
* Hugs. In the US and many western countries, people hug when greeting a friend or family member. In China, you don’t even see parents hug each other. Nor do you see parents hug their children once the kids are past the Cute Age (meaning, preschoolers at the latest). Feel free to let us know if your Asian family is a huggy-lovey one, coz mine’s definitely not. This is one aspect of the culture I will NOT pass onto our own kids.
* Religion. People around me practiced the inert type of Buddhism - at the most they went to the temple once a year or something. And are/were very superstitious.
* For many months, I didn’t know what a “body shop” was. Every time the school bus drove by some building that said “body shop” I was very confused. As I was starting to learn English from scratch (ABC, colors, numbers etc), body meant, well, body, as in physical body. Your body, my body. At first I thought maybe it was similar to a red district. But then the building looks too crummy to be that. It was after many funny hand gestures and exchanges that my new friends told me what it meant.
* Moving vehicles / boats / airplanes. My parents had two bicycles to transport us around. After arriving in the US, Motion Sickness was my first name for a very long time. To this day, I must be the one driving, otherwise there’s a high chance that I would hurl.
Next I’ll talk about lotions, soft mattresses, flushing toilets, and more. Not necessarily in that order.
To Part II.
Saturday, March 1st, 2008
March Theme: Lists.
Right side: It’s March already?! Where did the time go???
Left side: Spring please come quicker! We’re so sick of winter.
While I love being a Mom to two beautiful and intelligent kids, and appreciate being older (31) and wiser (hopefully) and having my own family, I miss some aspects of the life-before. Here’s a list of a few things that I’m able to muster after a long day, in no particular order. The list is subject to change tomorrow or any time without notice.
1. That ignorance is always bliss. (SUCH a myth)
2. Wear non-mommy clothes (as in, no sweat pants, baggy shirts, stained garments).
3. The ability to buy whatever I wanted without feeling guilty or thinking something along the lines of “this money is better used on something else, like the kids’ preschool tuition.”
4. Being able to take a nice long shower, or go to the bathroom uninterrupted.
5. Can talk on the phone without 300 requests from the little ones who are holding onto my legs with the Grip of Death.
6. Able to eat my food while it’s still warm.
7. Don’t need to cook 2 very different meals because there aren’t Picky Eaters.
8. Have the energy to watch a movie at the end of the day.
9. Have the energy and desire to ahem, you know.
10. The flexibility and luxury to sleep-in on weekends. Or simply just sleep, period.
11. Better muscle tone around my belly and thighs.
12. My boobs (didn’t have that much to begin with, but after breastfeeding two kids, it’s totally gone now).
13. The lack of self doubts: Is this the right way of holding a baby? Am I short-changing our son by continuing to work outside of the home? Co-Sleep or not? Cloth or disposable diapers? Am I doing this mommy thing correctly? on and on..
14. The lack of constant worrying: Why does her weight percentile keep dropping? Didn’t meet such and such milestones, what’s wrong - what went wrong - what did we do wrong?! What’s the rash/spots/whatever mean?
15. Not having to pick up toys or things / sweep / mop / vacuum 500 times a day (not that I did that that often before, or even do that that often now). Still with me?
I love our kids dearly that sometimes it’s hard to breath. That lump in your throat when they’re sick is not really there, but it sure feels huge and can constrict air flow. I cannot imagine not having them and being their Mama. But I’d be lying if I say I don’t miss some of the above things.
Sunday, February 10th, 2008
This entry was originally posted more than three years ago, on January 20th, 2005. I must say, I sounded very angry… I had a miscarriage in October, and found out I was pregnant (with Fiona) in late December, and was having all sorts of issues. For the entire first 3 months of pregnancy, I was bleeding bright red blood. Medically it’s called a “subchorionic hemotoma.” It’s a blood clot the size of the baby, sitting right next to the sac. Those 3 months were some of the most excruciating months of my life, ranking right up there with chemo. Thankfully, it resolved itself after 3 months and Fiona turned out to be very healthy.
I’ve grown a bit and learned quite a lot since then. I need to acquire more patience though. Hopefully y’all will still love me after reading this 
* * *
1. I have a unique first name.
2. In fact, I have three first names, all unique.
3. English is not my first language.
4. I’m a carnivore. I’ve eaten many a type of meat.
5. I’m also a huge lover of veggies and fruits.
6. I rarely drink alcohol, never smoked, and never taken (street) drugs.
7. I don’t take much caffeine.
8. I’m not a Mormon nor a Jehovah Witness.
9. Some say I’m boring.
10. I say I’m just a good girl. And a cheap date.
11. I’m an atheist. (edited: I grew up in China where religion is pretty nonexistent. Husband is Catholic and children are too.)
12. I didn’t have any toys while growing up.
13. Still, I had a very happy childhood.
14. I had cancer at age 24.
15. I was never ill before that. Ever.
16. I lost a lot of friends.
17. Cynical became my middle name.
18. Anger became my last name.
19. We had just moved to a new city/neighborhood/house.
20. I had just graduated from college.
21. I had just started my first full-time job.
22. I lost every single strand of body hair, except for eyebrows and eyelashes.
23. I hate needles.
24. I will never get a tattoo, aside from the 3 dots I already have from when I had radiation therapy.
25. I don’t believe in all the crap that says adversities are our lessons in life.
26. I say there are better ways to learn those lessons than through suffering.
27. I loathe people who throw their religion at me, especially those that don’t practice what they preach.
28. I got married at 24. Two months before they told me about the cancer.
29. I knew 7 people at our wedding of 170 guests.
30. My husband and I met online.
31. It was not through personal ads.
32. We never dated online.
33. He’s tall. He’s hot. He’s GQ.
34. We have one wonderful child, a baby boy.
35. Our baby boy is tall, chubby, smart, fun, funny, and is multi-lingual.
36. We want more children.
37. I have tiny boobs.
38. I had a lot of breast milk to offer our son while breastfeeding.
39. I have a hard time finding nice clothes because I’m short and small and I don’t fancy fashion in the children section.
40. I’m usually 100 +/- 5 pounds in weight.
41. I’m not a morning person.
42. I’m an engineer.
43. I’m geeky, nerdy, and a tad anti-social.
44. I’m also anti-Bush and his gang. Make that very anti.
45. I don’t wear glasses and I don’t carry pens in my shirt pocket like Dilbert.
46. It’s very easy to get on my good side, just be nice to me.
47. It’s very easy to get on my bad side, too. Be mean once and you’re to remain there for eons.
48. Some say I’m judgmental.
49. I say I have strong opinions and a strong mind.
50. I hate smokers who smoke around children. Or around nonsmokers. Or around me.
51. I hate smokers in general. Not at the person, but at the choice of habit.
52. I had many years of second hand smoking.
53. I prefer Coke. Not Pepsi. And definitely not Root Beer.
54. I don’t understand the whole ice cream on top of soft drink thing.
55. I failed the written driver’s test 3 times, the driving test 2 times before I got my license.
56. I used to get car motion sickness.
57. I used to have road rage.
58. I had 6 speeding tickets in 6 years.
59. I’ve been involved in 2 car accidents; both times were rear-ended by someone.
60. I cannot wear high heels.
61. I don’t like to wear pantyhose.
62. When my hair is short, I want long hair. And vice versa.
63. I giggle every time I hear the name “Harry” and have visions of a man who resembles a baboon. (Sincere apologies to all Harry’s. I just cannot help it.)
64. I have great dexterity with my fingers.
65. I don’t do any knitting/crocheting/whatever needle work.
66. Someday, I want to learn how to quilt. And knit.
67. I have great dexterity with my tongue and can tie a cherry stem with it.
68. I occasionally have pimples on my temples. It drives me crazy.
69. Ignorant people also drive me crazy.
70. I usually make telemarketers hang up before I do.
71. I like to be the center of attention. Unless the group is >10.
72. I snorkeled once. I loved it.
73. When I retire, I want to travel the world with my husband.
74. We don’t have any pets.
75. My favorite color is yellow.
76. My favorite flowers are daisies. All varieties.
77. I’m allergic to mosquitoes.
78. We live in a state where the mock state bird is mosquito.
79. I don’t like the cold.
80. We live in a state where temperature can go as low as -30F.
81. Someday we will move.
82. I once built a bridge using toothpicks and glue.
83. My favorite chocolate is Rocher. I love nuts.
84. I prefer milk chocolate, not dark.
85. I’m frugal. My husband says ‘miser’ fits better.
86. I used to be lactose intolerant.
87. I’m afraid of heights.
88. Am not afraid of flying or climbing / hiking mountains.
89. I don’t like sharing living spaces with roommates/non-familly people.
90. I was not born in America.
91. I’ve never watched The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Casablanca, or any of the ‘American Classics’
92. I feel just as American as the next guy.
93. Somedays I want to move out of the US.
94. I enjoyed photography as a teenager.
95. Some friends call me Photogenic.
96. I don’t have a lot of friends. See #16. Also see #43.
97. Most of the friends that I do have live very far from us.
98. I took a lot of belly pictures when I was pregnant with our son.
99. I always jokingly say I’d like to have half dozen children.
100. Maybe I make fun of it, but it’s truly what I want?
* * *
Looks like we accomplished #81. But I’m not sure if we moved south enough to be any warmer! It’s 2F as I’m typing this, at 10:35p.m. That’s before the windchill is factored in there.
#93 - More so about frustration with the current administration than not liking living in the US, as I love living here.
#95? Hehee. Photogenic. Photojennic. Get it?
#100 - I’m not so sure. I have to get some decent sleep (i.e. not interrupted and not woken up at 5:30a.m. nearly every single day) before I can make that decision.
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
78 words
I aced Type Writing Class in junior high. No, I did not make up the class name. I remember having a sheet of paper that looked like a keyboard to practice on.
My name is Speedy.
78 words. Zero wrong.
Second attempt.
You would think with such typing skills that I would be able to post more often. It’s just I have very little coherent thoughts in my head these last few days. All the thoughts are still in there, it’s just all mushed up and not very pretty to look at or read. So instead, I hide under the shell.
Give it a try and see how fast you type.
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.
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
I consider myself pretty net-savvy and somewhat advanced technologically. I participated in online socializing before it was popular; I blogged before it was called blogging; I knew how to write (simple) webpages before every Tom, Dick, and Sally in college had one. Heck, my husband and I met via the internet (the snowstorm helped too) 10 years ago. TEN years. Gah I’m getting old.
However, when it comes to these trendy electronic gadgets (is there such a thing as non-trendy gadgets?), I’m lost. Completely, hopelessly, totally lost.
I’ve never owned an ipod or mp3 player. And what is this thing you call an iphone?
This wii thing? I’m embarrassed to say, the last real game console I played with had a game called Super Mario. I don’t even know what it was called. Nintendo, probably the first generation..
Everyone and their mother has a cell phone that has a camera, and check email with their phone, and blog with their phone. They SMS their friends, listen to music, track their stocks and twitter and whatever other uber high tech stuff that this little tiny sleek device can do. My cell phone? I can call people, and oooh I can do 3-way calling (but I haven’t needed it and have never tried it). There’s a couple of games on it, as well as a dozen or so ring tones.
Just don’t call me granny OK?
