The Expanding Family

Today, I had the most delicious lunch I have had in recent times. After eating what seemed like a little mountain on my plate (with zero guilt) and cancelling a trip out to the mall, I settled down to enjoy some TV and blog. It was my silver lining for the day (even better than the joys of adoption...more on that later).

In life you give and get. Here's the thing with families - the giving and the getting all happens in up-sized proportions.

The past few days have been spent filling in partly for the Lady of the House. The time I usually spend on my hobbies and catching up with friends have been sacrificed to contribute to the daily operations of the House. I think we are doing pretty okay (even without the dummy's guide), seeing that the house is not falling apart yet. We have crazy moments, happy moments, homicidal moments and even funny moments but that's all part and parcel of living with the family, right? While it has come to my attention that my beloved sis is quite the talented multi-tasker who thinks and does a million things, I can now begin to understand her binge spending on clothes/shoes and her joy of going out with her girls. Got to admit, Motherhood is a very stressful job - with little compensation, little appreciation, little or no assistance and if not careful, even long term health issues. No thanks, I still prefer my current job.

[Re-enacted and slightly exaggerated scene]

Grandma: JD, here, I made cheese toast for you.
JD: (makes a face) I DON'T WANT CHEESE TOAST. I WANT FRENCH TOAST.
Grandma: We don't have French toast. I'll make French toast for you on another day. Would you like to eat something else? Some oats, cereal, a sausage or a bun??
JD: (tries to fake crying) NOOOOOOOOOOOO. I WANT FRENCH TOAST.
Grandma: Will you sit and have a bun?
JD: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Grandma: Then what else would you like to have?

(He eventually settles for a bun. *Aunt Shu quietly slips into her room and bangs her head on the wall*)


[A hypothetical dialogue that goes through Shu's mind as she witnesses the previous scene]

Aunt Shu: JD, here, I made cheese toast for you.
JD: (makes a face) I DON'T WANT CHEESE TOAST. I WANT FRENCH TOAST.
Aunt Shu: We don't have French toast, you have to eat cheese toast today. I'll make French toast for you on another day.
JD: (tries to fake crying) NOOOOOOOOOOOO. I WANT FRENCH TOAST.
Aunt Shu: No, you can't have French toast today.
JD: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Aunt Shu: Okay then. Go sit on the couch and starve. Let me know when you feel like eating your cheese toast.

(According to Shu's text book of Bringing up Little Humans, he should settle for the cheese toast eventually)


We've been talking about this for awhile. Getting Toto a friend. I decided today is the day for the mission. After a round of grocery shopping, I dropped by the pets store. It went just like any other adoption process; the parents-to-be were shown all the kids on display, and they had to make the difficult choice of picking one (over many other hopefuls) to welcome into their loving and caring home. There was a tank with several turtles, big and small. The big ones seemed unhappy and stressed with overcrowding. Sadly, we can't have a big one and we can't have more than one; even Toto's friend was brought in with no prior approval from the Head of the house! The shopkeeper was helpful with information and I picked a small one that I thought was Toto's size. He was very rough with handling the poor thing, and he twirled the fellow around in a polythene bag as he tied a knot. Ouch. The adoption cost 15 bucks, and the friendly shopkeeper threw in three stones for free. I hate to think the little guy's life was worth only 15 bucks, instead, I like to think that I bought him (or her) his freedom from the evil pet store! After getting some green vegetable pellets for Toto, who is fussy with his greens, we drove home, with the new guy sitting on the front passenger seat!

Three brothers - all wearing green

Everyone was happy to welcome the new addition, I think. Toto and the new guy have not killed each other yet. They'll bond over time. The personalities are quite different. Toto is shy, lazy and prefers to stay in the water. The new guy is full of vigor, changing between the water and land (the stone), swimming fast, climbing on and drowning Toto and probably eating most of Toto's share of food. Hopefully, Toto will watch and learn some new skills from his 'brother' and also learn to stand up and fight for his share of things in the bowl.

We need a name for the new guy (who BTW, will be a surprise for my sister when she returns). I was thinking 'Manny' after a character I like in Modern Family. But I think I'll let JD do the honours of naming his new brother. After all, my parents gave my sister the honours of giving me my middle name.

2nd In Charge

My beloved sister is away travelling for about 10 days. This is her first time away for so long and she is very concerned about the extended time away from her 4-year old. Her motherly duties have been divided among the nephew's favourite grandma, the serious aunt (that would be me) and our new flatmate. My sister is so used to being on top of her game and running the show at home that she had a difficult time letting go and delegating duties to, in her mind, less capable people. Well, it is no wonder she thinks that way because when she is around we mostly prefer to stand back and mind our own business (Shu is guilty as charged)!

She was telling a million little things on her way out of the house and at several transits she had in Sri Lanka, Bangkok and finally at the destination, China (of which only a 40-60% may have made it to my long term memory). Several times I had to tell her to just shut up and go enjoy the trip because we will be just fine!

1. If he has a cough, do this, this and this
2. Don't forget to pick him up from school ON TIME
2. Use THIS pan instead of THIS one to heat his food
3. Be nice to him (yeah, you wait and see how he's going to get un-pampered by the aunt *evil grin*)
4. Don't forget to feed the turtle and clean its bowl (great, a 4-year old AND a turtle)
5. DO NOT let him do this, this and this
6. Make sure to check his homework diary and send the things the school wants
7. Etc, etc, etc (I'm pretty sure I was supposed to remember more than that!)

And if THOSE were not enough, we have a dummy's guide to walk us through for 10 days plastered to the kitchen cupboard (isn't she extremely thoughtful??):

Why, there's online consultation on Skype and Whatsapp too!

The moment she left, my 'responsible mode' kicked in. And I have been on top of things in her absence. Of course, I have plenty of help so it's easier. And I already have my expert certification in looking after 2-4 year olds. The kid's an interesting specimen to work with and observe; trying out quicker ways of eating food, hypnotherapy watching the effects of different types of training and coaching, etc. Results of data gathered will be used to research further on how best to bring up sensible and well rounded children.

Sigh. Military style techniques in Aunt Shu's School of Reform is only effective with persistent practice. It won't help when grandmas are too nice and accommodating of all requests!

Today, while buying doughnuts for his school snack, I was shocked to see the various types of doughnuts on display. They looked SOOO SUGARY that these might as well be called sugar coated diabetes. My teeth shuddered just looking at them.

Here's the latest addition to the family - a red-eared slider, aka. Toto the turtle.

I miss my super sis.

High on Life

Cruising along the waves of life, I am sailing on happy seas these days. Surrounded by good company, having all my needs looked after, having opportunities to make others happy, having yet another holiday (home) next month, having short-term objectives to work on and hearing good news from many close friends (jobs, weddings, babies, etc). Oh, and the radio seems to be playing more good music than not these days!

Maybe it's hit me that this feeling will pass and I'll have to leave all this behind soon to build a new life from scratch once again. So I'm subconsciously enjoying the moments, being more patient and I am thankful for all the good things I have.

I sought services of a cobbler today. Just how many people take their shoes to them these days? Or rather, can you even find cobblers on the roadsides now? This elderly person seemed quite comfortable in his seat on the floor, surrounded by all his tools and raw material. He even had two small suitcases next to him, I'm guessing to pack up his stuff and leave by night. He has been on that spot for as long as I can remember and is never short of customers. Maybe he likes a mobile, rent-free office space. He charged a fair fee and did a satisfactory job. Shouldn't one commend people like him who work hard and fairly to make a living?

The other day, I went to watch The Script - a three membered alternative Irish rock band - perform live in concert. I was standing waaaay at the back on a less concentrated spot. I had very little expectations for an outdoor performance after the last Usher concert I went to. But this turned out to be the best live performance I have ever been to. The music they make is AMAZING, the lyrics are absolutely heart warming (heart breaking?) and the lead singer's vocals are divine - this added to neat visual stage effects, totally won me over. It was not one of those concerts where the crowds danced like crazy. This was one where people sang along and swayed to the emotions the music triggered (ME included). A truly talented trio and I SOOO look forward to hearing more of them.

BECAUSE I CAN'T

Oh my, feels like a lifetime ago since my last blog.

I have a long overdue post, which I shall not try to tackle today in order to be fair to it.

It's been a little over a week since I got back from my holiday. The revitalised feeling is gone. I have caught up with friends and family. Photos have been uploaded on social networking sites. Bags have been unpacked. Office work is up to date. The bad flu I brought back is gone. A few more things to get on track, but nearly there.

One more concert tomorrow and I need to take a much-needed break from social activities. I miss my weekends at home. But I must admit that these days I am overwhelmed by the love of family and so many great friends around me. That's what fuels my life force these days.

I just (semi-consciously) said 'Thank you' to a scavenger mouse for dropping me a piece of rare scrap metal on Mousehunt. A sign I need to go get some sleep!

Damn, got to LOVE this song. Can't get it out of my head, sounds awesome played loudly over the radio while on the roads (best enjoyed without the video).

The title of this blog, is to vent over the fact that I have an innate inability to say NO to people, especially in the cases where I have to make decisions on the spot, which lands me in all kinds of unnecessary trouble sometimes.

Keeping oneself busy

My mornings at work begin with a quick glance through the daily paper. In it, I look for local news in general (I hardly find anything inspiring, and most are depressing incidents), upcoming social events, letters to the editor and cricket news (to do with our team of course!). If I find anything interesting, I would either forward them to to family and friends or to myself, so that I can follow up on it at home.

Yesterday had two interesting social events lined up. One at a local reserve to release rehabilitated marine turtles to the sea and the other a volunteering event for breast cancer awareness. So early that morning, we (my guest and I) set out for a day full of fun activities.

For the turtle event, after what seemed like driving for hundreds of kilometres, we came to the area illustrated in the map mailed out by the event organisers. "7 km after gas station, take a right into security checkpoint". After passing the said gas station, there were no sign boards leading to a reservoir and seriously, who can tell how much 7km is when driving at 120km/h (heck, I can't tell 7km even otherwise). Then there came a small exit leading to a dirt road (no sign of a security checkpoint). I slowed down, unsure, because the consequence of missing an exit can be disastrous on a one-way highway leading to another state; you can't turn back for another half hour of driving. Call it a lucky guess, there came a 4WD with two women (who 'seemed' like the type to like turtles) and they cut right across us and took that exit. I immediately followed them (no time to think and miss an exit)!! Turns out, they even knew their way very well through the dirt roads leading to the reserve (again, without a single sign board). After about 5-10 mins of driving on dirt roads through the desert, we arrived. Now one might wonder, if these people were headed off somewhere else like a desert safari leading deeper into the desert dunes, what might have happended to us?? How could have we navigated back to the main road when the GPS had no coverage in this area?? Or what if they hadn't come in time and I missed the exit? Oh well, didn't have to worry about any of that!

The turnout was surprisingly huge. Nice to know there were so many enthusiasts who came to watch, along with their little ones. The weather here has take a turn for better here and the reserve was situated next to a beach, which was unpolluted. We had to fight to catch a glimpse of the turtles. I fought with the kids to get a chance to touch one, but they pushed me away when I was about two inches away from shaking hands with a little hawksbill.

All that story-telling aside, I do hope the turtles live long enough out there to make it back to the shore to breed. They are among so many amazing creatures shaped by millions of years of evolution to what they are today. Their habitats and breeding cycles have been vastly destroyed as a result of the parasitic menace, that are homo sapiens.

Event number two was more for my guest as she loves all things to do with crafts and sewing. We volunteered at an assembly line for sewing neck cushions for breast cancer patients. Now I am very skeptical if these will actually reach the patients, and if they do, would these actually make them feel better. Aren't there bigger things we can do for them than just sewing bags and cushions? But it was a good initiative to spread awareness and a good opportunity for selfish people like us to forget our lives for a bit and devote a little time for another. We weren't that useful; our line made just nine cushions and that was all the fabric the organisers had for our line. Only one thing hit my mind when I saw the pile of end products; please, let there not be as many patients as those cushions and bags imply.

My travel buddy for the day had fun and it did her a lot of good in terms of cheering her up. She even met a like minded sewing-lover. I overheard a conversation of theirs at a store for crafting items (went something like this):

The friend: OMG, LOOK at all these different colours of thread and fabric!!! [squeals]
The other person: Yes! It's amazing, they have a good collection.
The friend: I mean, it's such a turn on, seeing all this!
[Shu: o_O .... ]
The other person: People who are not into this type of thing won't get it.
[Shu: Hmmm.]

Made me think if I told someone that the sound of starting the Jeep's engine first thing in the morning and hearing its crisp and roaring sound was such a turn on, I'd get that same look (or worse). So yeah, whatever floats our boats!

Life is busy but good

Shu's a quitter! The Salsa classes failed to launch. I've missed 4 classes now, due to busy after-work travel planning work and well, lack of prolonged enthusiasm for that type of dance style.

I've missed blogging (relax Shu, it's been only 2 weeks) soooo much. Many days passed when I wanted to write so badly but did not make it before my auto-shut down time.

On a serious note, I have come to realise that I am only as good as the things I practice regularly. It applies to nearly everything in my life; skills, thoughts, habits, etc.

There's only one thing on my mind and that's the destination I'm traveling to in a week's time. My days are plagued with disturbed sleep (rare in Shu-burbia), attention deficit disorders, panic attacks and respiratory ailments. The goal is NOT to die of exhilaration in the next few days leading to the actual holiday.

Rihanna's biggest fan these days:

Say hello to bloodshot eyes

I'm going to regret this milo I had at 12 in the midnight.

Dance classes are somewhat enjoyable, although tough. I'm getting several bits of good advice from the instructor like "Relax your shoulders, don't be too stiff", "Dont look down on your feet when dancing", "Look your partner straight in the eye, be confident", "Feel the music", "Relax", etc etc. There is a Hip Hop class going on at the auditorium just before my Salsa class. Today, I was a few minutes early and happened to see the Hip Hop kids taught a robotic dance move with "locking". Pretty amazing, I thought.

Last week, I was eating this stuff at work. Finished a whole pack in a few days. Wonder if Roald Dahl gave them the permission to use that brand name on the box.

I had to invest on a Lonely Planet Traveler's Guide for my vacation overseas. Been reading it diligently at work, trying to remember all the things a traveler must. The section on social etiquette states that one must never accept food with the left hand and must always eat with one's right hand. Great. The first thought was to add "disposable spoons" to my list of things to take. On second thoughts, I'll just give them a piece of my mind; "You want me to start eating with the hand that for 20+ years I've been using for other purposes?? And you'd rather run the risk of getting a bad case of diarrea yourself than see me accept your food with my left hand?? What have you done to the lefties in your nation??"

I say, grow some common sense.

On third thoughts, that might not go down well. I can't even speak their language!