Dear pipsqueaks,
Today marks a very special day. A day to celebrate the existence of the most awesome people in the world: Moms. Unfortunately for me, I don't get to share my appreciation for her as I'm working abroad. But, of course, I gave her a rang to remind her that I miss her dearly everyday, even though I don't call every day. It's an unspoken understanding that I do.
Odd enough, I don't regret not being able to do all that now (as I'm in Malaysia and she's in Taiwan) probably because I've always managed to squeeze in a little something in our daily lives when we were still under the same roof...
["She must be thirsty"]
I remember when she used to spend hours in the kitchen like a traditional Taiwanese wife preparing the perfect meals: congee with veggies and meat for breakfast; rice with mixed veggies/meat for lunch; and a full set menu of a dish of veggies, fish, meat and a cauldron of soup for dinner. She'd always try to change the ingredients and methods of cooking so we don't eat the same dish in the same week. Now that's what I call professional chef. I can't fathom what it's like doing groceries having to map out a whole week's worth of dishes without overlapping. *I'm having a headache just thinking about it!* But yes, we had been spoiled by home-cooked food- so you can imagine, after being "drugged" for more than 22 years of my life with her secret recipes, it's painful not being able to get my dose now.
13 May 2012
10 May 2012
We Don't Know
Dear pipsqueaks,
Long time no blab, so glad to be back! Been busy trying to recover from my trip, balancing work and proper rest (for some reason, I feel that I've developed the fear of hearing the alarm ring or something like that, because I'd automatically wake up about 15~20mins before the alarm just to watch it tick away until the moment I have to get up. What an odd fear to have...) and preparing for another week-long meeting in Wuhan in about 10 days on top of the usual London 2012 Games communications. It's funny that when I look at it all in a chunk, it looks scary. But when I think about it separately, it's really not so bad. And of course, I'd prefer to be busy than bored (which by the way, I've somehow managed to let a message on a stranger's shirt change my ways. It read, "Only boring people are bored." So, not wanting to be a boring person, I can't admit boredom. Lol, which means my schedule must be packed to the max!) Except, as humans, we have limitations to our daily functional abilities, caving in to periods of necessary recharge in order to continue properly. In a way, 24 hours isn't enough but that's the way the cookie crumbles!
Long time no blab, so glad to be back! Been busy trying to recover from my trip, balancing work and proper rest (for some reason, I feel that I've developed the fear of hearing the alarm ring or something like that, because I'd automatically wake up about 15~20mins before the alarm just to watch it tick away until the moment I have to get up. What an odd fear to have...) and preparing for another week-long meeting in Wuhan in about 10 days on top of the usual London 2012 Games communications. It's funny that when I look at it all in a chunk, it looks scary. But when I think about it separately, it's really not so bad. And of course, I'd prefer to be busy than bored (which by the way, I've somehow managed to let a message on a stranger's shirt change my ways. It read, "Only boring people are bored." So, not wanting to be a boring person, I can't admit boredom. Lol, which means my schedule must be packed to the max!) Except, as humans, we have limitations to our daily functional abilities, caving in to periods of necessary recharge in order to continue properly. In a way, 24 hours isn't enough but that's the way the cookie crumbles!
06 May 2012
His [Paris] 4.2012
Dear pipsqueaks,
It's just been a little over two weeks since I came back from my "around-the-world" trip, but haven't had the chance to do the recap of my last stop: Paris- the city of Romance. Well, in my case, it wasn't the city that made it romantic, but rather a very special individual who also happens to be French- the BF (yes, the friendboy had officially been promoted as of February during our trip in Myanmar). Anyway, aside from all the lovey-dovey moments, he made sure I had another view of Paris this time around. In 2008, on a Contiki tour, we visited the city of Paris and many other must-see cities in that European area. It was amazing not only because it was Paris, but because it was winter and just full of holiday spirits. Unfortunately, the tour ended with a disappointing memory, so Paris never came back during my reminiscing moments.
Regardless of what happened before, this time couldn't have been more enjoyable. I really looked forward to reacquaint myself with this historical place filled with traditions and habits of a whole different world- at least that's what it felt like for me anyway. Even though I grew up in the western environment, there's still that feeling of authenticity being there. The narrow stoned streets, the unfamiliar language, and intermittent looks- it really had the "Midnight in Paris" scene. So what did we do to make the most out of these 5 days? I'll let the pictures do the talking...
It's just been a little over two weeks since I came back from my "around-the-world" trip, but haven't had the chance to do the recap of my last stop: Paris- the city of Romance. Well, in my case, it wasn't the city that made it romantic, but rather a very special individual who also happens to be French- the BF (yes, the friendboy had officially been promoted as of February during our trip in Myanmar). Anyway, aside from all the lovey-dovey moments, he made sure I had another view of Paris this time around. In 2008, on a Contiki tour, we visited the city of Paris and many other must-see cities in that European area. It was amazing not only because it was Paris, but because it was winter and just full of holiday spirits. Unfortunately, the tour ended with a disappointing memory, so Paris never came back during my reminiscing moments.
Regardless of what happened before, this time couldn't have been more enjoyable. I really looked forward to reacquaint myself with this historical place filled with traditions and habits of a whole different world- at least that's what it felt like for me anyway. Even though I grew up in the western environment, there's still that feeling of authenticity being there. The narrow stoned streets, the unfamiliar language, and intermittent looks- it really had the "Midnight in Paris" scene. So what did we do to make the most out of these 5 days? I'll let the pictures do the talking...