He Is Here

Baby Theodore Wei made his entrance on 21 March 2010. I remember it was about 3:30am when I realised that the waterbag has burst, together with "show". At that time, Mr Gui just returned from his late night work and was showering. We couldn't quite believe it, as the EDD was supposed to be early April. He was laughing "This is it!", whereas I went "Goodness, I still want two more weeks of quiet time!"

Truth was we were not quite prepared. Mr Gui nagged me to finish packing the hospital bag, and I completed it only on the 20th - phew, just in time. Our nanny from Indonesia wasn't due to arrive till March 26th.

To-date, Theodore is eight days old. Yes, I am blogging, which means slowly I am getting back to a slightly more normal schedule now. The first day home with Theodore was crazy. Gui and I had no sleep. Theodore either wanted to drink milk or be cuddled, which was normal. The only time I managed to catch an hour was when he fell asleep on my stomach. Second night, we decided to engage a nurse to handle the night duty. She would wake me up at 3am and 6am for his milk feeding. Third night on, I started to pump milk into bottles so that the nurse could feed in the night. Thats how I managed to regain a little bit more of "me" time. Despite the challenges and serious lack of sleep and help, Gui and I are grateful as we learned a lot from the nurse before Sumini arrives.

It has been an amazing experience. I never knew I could feel so much love. Looking at Theodore when I feed him, I feel that I am the most fortunate lady in the world. Seeing how Mr Gui stepped up to organise the situations, and buy baby items and an electric pump last minute by himself made me felt even more L-O-V-E...

Let the love roll!...and I shall now head to the prayer room for my first prayer session since home, and thank Buddha for the easy and quick delivery (about 5hrs); and my lovely boy.

The Busy Buzz
Originally uploaded by sparkleneely

Countdown Checklist to Welcoming Baby G

Well, well, it has been busy weekends..been tired, been weak, been weary. The exhaustion was not solely from Baby G, it was also from the meet-up of friends from overseas (my pleasure!) and David's one year old party. The warm humid weather is not helping either.

At least we are at the stage of rounding up preparations. The happy thing is Baby G has been good. He is now well-positioned and engaged, and facing the back of my spine. Good boy (for a start)!

On Friday, I went to the Takashimaya Baby Fair, and bought diapers and David's one year old present. There are a lot of educational toys in the market. So far, David has only received entertaining toys with loud music and noise, so I thought, hmm its time for brain, eyes stiumulating toys for a one-year-old.

Yesterday evening, I went to the supermarket to purchase more diapers, and a small tin of milk powder. Whoa, a small tin of milk powder costs many times of that of a large tin of milo.

Today is Sunday, we are heading to Dome for a western meal with my in-laws. I know whats going to be when I return home. I need to manage the shopping bags that have been on the floor.

In addition to that, I need to look through the documents received during the pre-admission to Gleneagles, read up on the usage of the breast pump, read up on the usage of the baby laundry detergent and softener. Quite a shame, but all these would be so new to me.

With that said, I am sure Gui and I would be able to handle. Tomorrow we have to go the to airport with the In-Principal Approval document to pick Sumini up. Oh yes, I need to learn how to manage a nanny/ helper. Did someone say, the only constant is change?

Tools and Tips for Handling Helpers?














Having a helper solves certain tasks, but it can also create a load of other problems, from language miscommunication to trying to monitor if the best cut of squid, fish or beef went into their stomach. I know this might make me sound like a miser, but it wouldn't be that funny if you knew that your cod or salmon fish became your helper's meals.

Well luckily for our household, we don't really have that problem at the moment. Mother-in-law is very experienced with managing helpers. Yes, there was once where Dahlia ate one of the expensive fish to herself. MIL explained to her that this is costly, and I guess she wouldn't help herself so freely in future. We are soon going to have two helpers in the household, so having rules would help us manage the living costs better. Yes, the government is raising the foreign worker levy! Thanks for nothing!

Today, Gui and I sorted out the baby room. Took out the steriliser and bottle warmer equipment (okay need to learn how to operate this), sorted out all clothings and beddings that would need to be washed by the baby laundry detergent, placed the nappy liners, baby nail clippers appropriately, set up the playpen in our bedroom, set up the bathtub area etc. Sumini will be arriving in the middle of March to help wash and clean all the baby stuff. She is one lucky helper who is going to have a really cosy, well-decorated and air-conditioned room to work in. I think she deserves it though. She is intelligent, put others before herself, and more importantly she has experience taking care of babies. Apparently she has done such a great job that most children end up crying when Sumini has to leave...I don't really want that situation, but I will really need her help when I return to work. I will try as much as possible to take care of our baby myself.

I don't know what I have against Dahlia though. I always seem to think that she doesn't have the intelligence to help manage a household, I doubt her reasoning ability, I think she is lazy when it comes to cooking (but really she has improved since day one). As my MIL always say, if they are so intelligent, they wouldn't be your helper - which is true. Green Tara emphasizes on the attainment of six perfections of giving, ethics, patience, effort, meditative stabilisation and wisdom, and bright with her every compassionate care for all. Somehow I can't help but feel that Dahlia is somehow sent here to be in our household so that I would be tested and pushed to develop compassionate care for all...

Its Official

Its official - David is not scared of dogs. Sunday morning, we decided to bring Bobby, whereas M brought David along to Botanic. Initially, David was looking at Bobby - very curious. It was probably David's first time seeing a dog.

After a while, David wanted to touch Bobby, but Papa M said "No". I told him, if you don't allow David to touch the dog - I have witnessed for myself kids at 4-5 years old being so scared of dogs, they scream your house roof down. Yea, we hosted a dinner once, and their two kids were screaming in our house....Having heard that incident, M tilted the stroller towards Bobby. I stroked it first, and then David followed. Stroke one, stroke two, stroke three..aha getting comfortable, he grabbed Bobby's skin and hair - ok, enough he has break through that psychological barrier, and we decided we have achieved our Sunday morning goal :) Soon after M took out a bottle of water to wash David's hand, which was the right thing to do since David is at the age where he puts his hands into his mouth often.

I know some of my friends will tell their kiddos - Dogs are our friends. So, I hope that my intentions and views are correct, and that Baby G and Bobby will get along great in time to come!

My Stay Home Workday

Thats bottle tree - a place we kinda accidentally drove to one of the weekends. M. was showing a good place to bring kiddos to in future when our kiddos are older. I was suprised to find such a location in Singapore. I thought all's developed (and lost). This was a nice suprise indeed. There were many kiddos there with their parents.

I caught a very slight cold, so have decided to stay home. Lets see, was it exciting and well-spent? Woke up, had breakfast, went on to the internet, lunch with Mr Gui at home, newspapers, and then I napped from 2:30pm - 5:30pm! Maybe I am really tired (or lazy)? Or I guess rest is the best way to recover from a cold. Frankly though, I can't wait to go back to work tomorrow. Its just me. I think I am not cut out to be a domestic goddess. Neither do I want to be the high-heeled and catty bespectacled lady climbing up the corporate ladder (and playing the political unethical game - which is unavoidable the more senior you move). So now, I am in a position I am currently thankful for. Flexibility in working hours, no long tedious hours, and more importantly a job scope I am interested in (oops Braxton Hicks as I am writing). Actually, I felt a bit lonely staying at home today even though Mr Gui was with me till noon time. Guess I need to be surrounded by a constant flow of people! My friend A. did mention that things (the mindset) might change once you have a kid - who knows!

I am still thinking about pain relief options. Epidural? My parents' generation of course objected as there are potential side effects. I however want a more peaceful delivery with Mr Gui by my side - rather than screaming hell and pulling someone's hair, or stratching Mr Gui's arms for example. Then again, should it be 100% pain-free or leaving a bit of pain to as to motivate myself to push? The other option is to go wait-and-see. But I know that a lot of ladies that opt for wait-and-see eventually end up with epidural. By that time when you really need strength to push, your energy is exhuasted during the earlier contractions - ok I still have about two months to think about this..

Mother-in-law just went to get two teeth crowning done today. She just told me that she was chanting the Medicine Buddha during the op. Apparently when the anesthesia wore off, she didn't feel pain - to the suprise of herself and the dentist. So, she told me to chant the Medicine Buddha too during the delivery. Here's a little understanding on the Medicine Buddha. Outwardly, he helps to overcome disease and the suffering caused by the disease. On a deeper inner level, he heals us by destroying the diseases of our mind. Practice to him ensures faster recovery from illnesses, the blessing of medicines, strength and clarity of the mind to bring peace into your heart. Strength, clarity and peace - isn't that what every preggy wants? Haha, interesting enough, I noticed that a number of my preggy friends turn even more religious when they are expecting. True enough, many things could be unexpected or out of one's control from a preggy to delivery process - I guess thats why many turn to one's religion for both support and blessing - and only wanting the best for their kiddo!

Bobby's Sunday Morning Trip to the Beach


Sunday morning, we decided to bring Bobby to East Cost beach - as you can see he looks pretty excited, and he knows he is heading out for some leisure fun. He is 11 years old, which equates to 77 years human age currently. Yes, he still displays child like excitment and happiness.

Yesterday morning we went to the gynae for our routine check-up. Baby G is now 32 weeks old and weighs 1.6kg. The past few weekends have been about sourcing and buying Baby G's products. We are more or less settled with the purchase of big items, and now moving on to shifting the furnitures in the baby's room. Other than that, its been peaceful reading up on labour and delivery, breastfeeding and how to soothe a crying baby. I feel rather heavy to be walking around anyway, so Mr Gui and I have found peaceful contentment in reading from our room. Surprisingly, Mr Gui is now proactive about picking up such resources to read up. Yeah!

I have not been praying daily as some days I have excessive saliva building up especially when I speak - well its supposed to be one of the symptoms some preggy ladies would get. But yesterday after my reading, I felt well enough and needed some prayers to soothe my own pockets of worry or anxiety that pop up from time to time...Yesterday I did the Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara recitation 108 times, which represents loving kindness, joy, equanimity and compassion.

Hello Baby...

Today Gui and I went for our monthly gynae check-up - our baby is now about 800g, twice the size he was a month ago. Yes, babies are weighed in grams - pretty much like packets of Famous Amos Cookies. According to my sister, thats about four packets ;)

I chose the photo below because Baby_G was pretty much in that position during the scan.

In my earlier scans, the first time Baby_G brought a smile to my face was when he was 11 weeks old. At 3cm in length, he was lying on his back and both arms and legs were cycling in the air quickly like a cyclist. We were wondering then what he was trying to do. Because of his activeness, I think thats why it caused me to have acid reflux from time to time particularly in the first trimester.

After the gynae session, I went home to rest - yeap I have not been sleeping that well. Its either due to Mr Gui returning from work at 2am, and all excited to update me on his happenings; or the baby kicking in the night...Yes I have dark eye circles.

I had a prayer session before dinner just now. According to "The Significance and Benfits of Six-Syllable Mantra Recitation", we should try to make great aspirations during recitation to purify the body, speech and mind. Somehow, for the past few sessions, I have just been very distracted. Thinking about whether I have sort out the documents properly, thinking about the credit card bills, thinking about training programs and staff retention, and I can't believe I turned down an Aston Martin dinner invitation this Thursday since I have an examination this Sat! Well, its all about prioritization isn't it? Especially when I get tired so much easier now. Need to allocate my energy efficiently. Hopefully I get another invitation - in time!

Every Parent's Dream


This was taken during the detailed ultrasound scan. This is basically to check that your baby is developing well. The emphasis of this pic is on the foot as the gynae has printed on the picture.

I remember a conversation with Gui probably a year ago. He told me that he wants to earn well for his children so that in the future, the child would be able to choose whatever career he/ she enjoys and need not be bounded by which career pays the best.

I thought it was an interesting viewpoint as every parent probably wants the best for their kiddos - including to excel in a career and earning well eventually - especially in the context of a practical and rather materialistic society.

I visited Lama Shifu last week. As he said "Nothing in this world is absolutely right or wrong." I believe he is right. Even though Gui's idea might be a little out of the norm... think about how every mum or dad is filled with joy and excitment when they first see their baby through a computer scan... why end up pressurising or stressing them to achieve when they are out of the placenta? I often hear parents say "You will understand once you have children." If parents-to-be can be excited when the baby starts kicking (ouch!) in your stomach, why shouldn't parents continue to love and respect their kiddos development pace as they grow? I hope I would not fall into the loop of pressurising my kids to excel..and would be able to use the appropriate wisdom to guide my child in future.

My Ever Changing Status and Size

I have a new support group - four of my close girlfriends are pregnant, one of whom just gave birth. Of course, my mum, and mum-in-law...errh and maybe my hubby...

It was especially a coincidence that we all are all delivering about the same time - its going to be a hectic and noisy 1Q10. Having a close support group is rather important, we could share tips and experiences on pre-natal nutrition, cramps, throwing up, how to stay happy, how sleep is now interrupted..etc, it makes you feel that you are not alone as you go through these abrupt changes in life.

First of all, lets just say I had a rather clumsy first trimester. The throwing up. Fair enough, the gynae seems to think its a good sign though because it indicates high hormone levels which feeds the baby well in the 1st trimester. I remember replying him by saying "ooh am I supposed to feel better after hearing this?" He said "Its uncomfortable for you, but its good for the baby."

There's also the saying that if you stay happy, your baby will generally have a happy disposition. Indeed one of my lady friend, who currently isn't working does seem filled with joy (hehe, better than when she was working). Another of my friend who also had a rather pukish 1st trimester commented, "how to be happy when you have to deal with the throwing up" - which is also so true...

I believe spouse support is very important at this point. Thats why in the book "What to Expect when you are expecting", it has a chapter for the dad-to-be. Both Gui and my fren's hubby gave up reading after some pages...guys.. Gui is also working very late daily. I am frequently home alone... but when he has a little bit of sane time, he will "speak" to the baby. Sometimes, he hits my stomach a bit so as to get a response from the kiddo - (??!). When he leaves for work now, he gives me a peck on my face; and one on the stomach... thats a new blessing to count indeed.

The Parents

I was reading a chapter in Rich Bro Rich Sister. As community leaders their parents were often gone for days, focusing on government and medical services to fellow citizens. The four Kiyosaki children grew up in a family environment in which there was more than merely talk about community service and civic responsibility. They grew up with parents who said very little, but who acted a lot.

My in-laws often said little, but acted a lot putting Gui & my interest first. After six years or so, I think they reached a boiling point where they felt that they are the ones who are always giving, whereas we kids are always on the receiving end. So we had a chat last weekend. Very glad that things are resolved now, but basically, without the chat, we wouldn't have otherwise realised that their actions are mainly geared towards us as priorities.

Simple acts we didnt realise, for example,

They took a trip to China recently, and when they heard a particular mushroom is particularly good for pregnant ladies, they bought three packets home. Apparently, one packet costs $100. It is high in iron and minerals. I have been drinking the soup frequently, but of course not realising that they bought the costly mushrooms on purpose.

They have even thought about how the baby's room should be re-arranged, since there are currently two super-single beds in there. Father-in-law thinks the beds should be combined, whereas Mum-in-law thinks that they should be re-arranged L-shaped to make more space for a cot right in the middle of the room.

They also bought a property in London, and mum-in-law keeps saying who knows your child might study overseas next time -- okay this might be far fetched.

Truth is, Gui and I have taken all these acts for granted. We hardly spend time with them, we never buy food for them. We were living in our own world, in their house. They are already in the 60s, but frequently think about us. They got pretty fed up - they said "we would like to be travelling more frequently, but if we leave the house for you two to manage, are you able to?" I have to say "Sorry No". I didnt even know if heating a bowl of sauce in a microwave might cause an "explosion". So now, I am taking steps to learn, and reduce my reliance. Gui and I also ensure we put them as priority whenever they asked us for meals... no more fooling around after a rather strict warning... but we deserved it..

SOME GOOD MEMORIES & Experiences

Its been more than a month since the wedding party. Some moments & special touches were especially memorable. One of which was a Oriental wedding card I received from a couple. Before I move onto the content of the card, here are some moments from the wedding party.

Thats my man, whom at that point probably had many glasses of champagne already. Thats my sister giving me a generous red packet with a card. Her angbao money was derived from a rather complex formula and she said "how come you can't guess it?!" hmm accountants. Thats of course me, the bride, grinning from ear to ear. Thats brother and sister after receiving the tea ceremony red packets from us.

The card, yes one of the cards that was the most meaningful was written by Auntie Pema and Uncle Sam. In it, there were summarised writings and teachings of the Six Paramitas, namely, Generosity, Discipline, Patience, Joyful Endeavour, Meditative Concentration and Prajna.

I got curious and researched more on the Internet. Here's more on Generosity (summarised):

The practice of generosity is to give what is helpful and good and to give without selfishness. The teachings on generosity, explain proper and improper charity. It is necessary to abandon improper giving and to know what is proper to give.

One’s motivation is very important when one is charitable. It is also important to reflect the recipient of one’s generosity. It certainly is not beneficial to pamper those persons crazed with desire and filled with greed. Proper generosity is giving whatever one possibly can and doing so with a pure motivation and enthusiasm.

Gui's seating arrangement plan

Here's the hand-drawn seating plan during our wedding party at Mezza9. Mr Gui decided to do up his own sketch as Mezza9's computerised seating plan was beautiful, but it was inflexible as we wanted to shift around some of the table arrangements to suit the groupings of our friends. They were probably impressed and we used this hand-drawn plan for our meetings & discussions henceforth.

It was fun, but hey every since the wedding party, Gui and I seldom have time together. He is just sooo busy, rushing a project at the moment. Yesterday was National Day, a public holiday, but he had to work till wee hours (ok I have to admit I have no idea what time he got home), he's just sooo busy and he told me, "please include me in your prayers!"

Indeed when I chanted yesterday, I said, "I dedicate the merits of these mantra to all sentient beings, including Mr Gui." I hope this works. In Buddhism, it is belived that the most powerful prayers are those that are made to benefit others. So always chant your mantras to benefit others; say your prayers to benefit others. This is the source of greatest happiness.

Yea! We are All Done!

We have completed the wedding celebration marathon!

Phew! Quite a relief. We completed our celebration in Kuala Lumpur (KL) on August 1 with our family and relatives. They travelled from all parts of Malaysia, and many of which we were only meeting for the first time.

This celebration was a bit more traditional than the one held in Singapore. During the tea ceremony, we even had relatives putting necklaces over us. Mr Gui had a gold necklace, oh yea, it did match his red tie.

Although it was a three-day stay in KL, i.e. kinda rush, Gui and I did have some good time alone, and we managed to find time to pray while in our room in the evening. Life starts from here!

Investigating Myself


Mr G and I celebrated our union on 18 July 2009. Now I am taking a break as I prepare for the next wedding celebration in Kuala Lumpur (KL)... so I have been home for the couple of days until we drive up this Friday.

Apart from looking and sieving through photos, I have been feeling rather lifeless at home. The weather here makes it difficult for me to wana to walk down or up the hill from my house - so I have been staying put in my place.

I have also not been exercising as I am afraid my back pain would come back and it will show on my face when I am in KL. I have not been going to the pool to relax and tan as I am afraid the tan would not go well with the more conservative relatives in KL.

Worst of all, I feel a little handicapped and even more lazy to touch things with long manicured nails. I have to change the angle I punch my keyboard with these long nails that I am afraid might break. After the KL wedding, its farewell manicure (probably for the rest of my life).

To "pep" myself a little, I resorted to reading Robert Colliers, here's an extract:

Just take stock of yourself for a moment. Are your muscles tough, springy and full of vim? Do they do all you ask of them -- and then beg for more? Can you eat a good meal -- and forget it?

If you can't, its your own fault. You can have a body alive with vitality, a skin smooth and fine of texture, muscles supple and virile. You can be the man you have always dreamed of being.

You who envy the rosy cheek and sparkling eye of youth, who awake in the morning weary and unfreshed, who go to your daily tasks with fagged brain and heavy tread - just remember that Perfect Youth or Perfect Health is largely a state of mind.

Guo Da Li aka Gift Exchange

A traditional Chinese practice of the groom's family asking for the permission from the bride's parents for the hand of the bride!



You know what I am talking about - we conducted it two weeks before the wedding party on July 4 2009 - at first I termed this Gift Exchange, but looking at the puzzled look of some of my friends, I learnt the proper term - Guo Da Li!!

This is the wedding bethrothal basket prepared by the groom's family - hmm I am quite sure this isn't the correct traditional style - thumbs up for being a creator though.

Apparently different dialects require different items. Thanks to both mums for preparing the baskets of items.

My favourite was definitely the wedding cakes!

The Extra Degree

Oh whoa... I need a breather.. its just been non-stop busy bee...work, planning for the wedding party, advising clients on the birth of their new companies, liaising with London... phew phew phew....

Both Irwin and I have been really busy with work. When certain details were not finalized with the hotel, my father-in-law gave us some nice wine & then started telling the story of The Extra Degree.

Basically, its along the lines of how the extra degree can make all the difference.

At 98°C, water is not.
At 100°C, water boils.

And with boiling water, comes steam.
And with steam, you can power a train.

With that extra 2°C --> it can produce exponential results and ignite something wonderful.

He went on to elaborate how humans typically perform up to 98% of effort required, not realizing that with that extra 2% level of effort, it would produce exponential results. Following up on the 98% already put in, and adding in that 2% can have a tremendous impact on results.

So, Irwin & I try to put in new levels of effort in everything we do now. A little more effort to produce steam, that can power a train! not exactly, but you get it.

The Smiley Man


Oh ya, thats my hubby. Hosted a dinner back last month, and received this cool gift.

His first instinct as we explored the gift was "take a pic, take a pic". Turned out pretty funny I must say. Can't complain when you have a humourous partner =)

living, enjoying & appreciating the moment

We held this party last month. Had a really good mix of guests from the champagne, and architect business.

Food was of course tops with M and Gui being the chefs. C brought along vodka and a Californian Merlot. S brought along Piper Heidsieck champagne. We finished the party with more whisky.

To think it was a Sunday evening! Close to 11:00pm, we were still dancing and singing, and of course snapping some pictures as and when I felt like. Errh, to provide more details, one went on top of the table to dance; to provide more - someone kinda stripped...oops. Caught on my camera, but not gonna flash it of course**!

Another short extract from Ajahn Brahm, although entitled "what's wrong with being sick?"... I felt has parallel to appreciating and enjoying moments!

In my public talks, I often ask the audience to raise their hand if they have ever been sick. Nearly everyone puts up their hand. (Those who don't are either asleep or probably lost in a sexual fantasy!) This proves, I argue, that it is quite normal to be sick. In fact, it would be very unusual if you didn't fall sick from time to time. So why, I ask, do you say when you visit the doctor,"There is something wrong with me, doctor? It would be wrong only if you weren't sick sometimes. Thus a rational person should say instead,"There is something right with me, doctor. I'm sick again!"

Whenever you perceive sickness as something wrong, you add unnecessary stress, even guilt, on top of the unpleasantness. In the nineteenth-century novel Erehwon, Samuel Butler envisaged a society in which illness was considered a crime and the sick were punished with a jail term. In one memorable passage, the accused man, sniffling and sneezing in the dock, was berated by the judge as a serial offender. This was not the first time he had appeared before the magistrate with a cold. Moreover, it was all his fault through eating junk food, failing to exercise adequately, and following a stressful lifestyle. He was sentenced to several years in jail.

How many of us are led to feel guity when we are sick?

A fellow monk had been sick with an unknown illness for many years. He would spend day after day, week after week, in bed all day, too weak even to walk beyond his room. The monastery spared no expense or effort arranging every kind of medical therapy, orthodox and alternative, in an attempt to help him, but nothing seemed to work. He would think he was feeling better, stagger outside for a little walk, and then relapse for weeks. Many times they thought he would die.

One day, the wise abbot of the monastery had an insight into the problem. So he went to the sick monk's room.

The bedridden monk stared up at the abbot with utter hopelessness.

"I've come here," said the abbot. "on behalf of all the monks and nuns of this monastery, and also for all the lay-people who support us. On behalf of all these people who love and care for you. I have come to give you permission to die. You don't have to get better."

At those words, the sick monk wept. He'd been trying so hard to get better. His friends had gone to so much trouble trying to heal his sick body that he couldn't bear to disappoint them. He felt such a failure, so guilty, for not getting better. On hearing the abbot's works, he now felt free to be sick, even to die. He didn't need to struggle so hard to please his friends anymore. The release he felt caused him to cry.

What do you think happened next? From that day on, he began to recover.

Inner Silence

I finally went to Mt Emily. A place where Gui & M often visit. It has a quiet charm and rather tranquil; and you feel seated in a private garden.

Read this article relating to WISDOM & INNER SILENCE by Ajahn Brahm which I would like to share in extracts:

Free Speech

I am surprised that speech is still free in our modern market-driven economies. It must only be a matter of time before some cash-strapped government regards words as another commodity and puts a tax on speech.

On reflection, it might not be such a bad idea. Slience would once again become golden. Marriage would last longer as young couples simply couldn't afford the cost of any argument. It would shift the tax burden from the hard workers onto the hard talkers. Of course, the most generous contributors to such a splendid tax scheme would be the politicians themselves. The more they argue in congress of parliment, the more $ would be raised for our hospitals and schools. How satisfying a thought...

Apart from the bright moonlight, this was our source of light during the dinner & wine.

With green tint

With slight purple tint

A traditional source of light


Crowd starts to come in at about 10~ish

We had a bottle of wine, and warm water for the pregnant lady.

Red

I PREFER NATURE

That was in Wulong - "Fairyland" if I remember correctly. It was one of the most relaxing moments of the trip - fresh air and strolling in the greens. M, Gui and I are kept walking on. The temperature was also very cool @ 15°C. There was no crowd, just lots of desirable space that urban dwellers would love. At that point, we wondered if we were in New Zealand. There were also horses strolling around.

Thats me. I am seldom photographed since I am usually the one behind the camera. Talking about photographs, this weekend I had to seek my girlfriends' opinions on wedding photography. Oh ya coz I am among one of the latest to have a customary wedding dinner now! I now know why I have been putting these preparations off until my in-laws pointed a gun at our brains. Don't ask me why, but I am just not very interested in wedding preparations. I am not sure why. I feel that Gui and I have already progressed on in our relationships - but anyways... I have to do some preparations.

This week has also been busy! We are considering relocating Bobby to London - a difficult & costly decision but we believe it is the best for him. Sumini's contract is ending in April, and my mum-in-law is thinking of getting a part-time one only, until Gui and I return from our holiday in May. I am quite worried about the housework bit - I am not going to deny it!!

Ahhh, isn't looking at this just beautiful? My girlfriends also ask me why I am so thrifty with money? What am I saving them for? I bet they wanted to use the word miser hahaha... but ya I don't throw my $ around looking for brands (only very occasionally) - the only other area I am willing to spend on are my holidays... can't do without in order to keep my sanity =)

This is Wulong crack. We had to climb many steps down to get to the bottom. Tough trip, but staring upwards make it all worthwhile =)))

A Rainbow! Seems that Gui and I tend to see a rainbow whenever we travel. I remember a really beautiful and lengthy one we saw in Chiangmai during breakfast.

As I write this, I know I am tired. Its been a bit of dashing, coordination and lunching. A very well spent weekend. But I am really sleepy. Will hit the sack at 10pm tonight!