5 a.m. in the morning?

"What?? Are they crazy??"

Yep, that was my exact response when Little Bkworm came back from sports practice yesterday afternoon and said that she had to be in school by 5 this morning for some last minute marching rehearsals. It is her school sports day today.

I understand that they may have to be in school a little earlier to prepare but at five in the morning??!! I asked if the school has given any official notice about this but she said it was at the team leader's instructions. Okay, mummy here contacted THAT said leader and she (a fifth former, all but only 17) told me that while there will be a guard at the school, there will be no teachers present. And if I was worried about Little Bkworm's safety, I can come watch them practice. Little Bkworm was all flustered that I was interrogating her leader but hey, with all that crime out there now, I have every right to be concerned!

Later in the night, her team leader informed Little Bkworm that the time has been changed to six instead. So this morning, at 6 am, we dropped her outside her school and saw that many other students were also sauntering into the school grounds at the same time. So, looks like this is an accepted practice. Sigh!

Maybe this is how secondary schools work nowadays, eh?

Yawn! I wish I can go back to bed but work starts in another two hours, so might as well blog about this and surf the internet a little before then.

Have a great Friday, y'all!

Brown versus White

Recently, someone gave me a small bag of brown rice.



I heard a lot of good stuff about eating brown rice. It is supposed to be more healthy with more vitamins and minerals in it compared to white rice but not as tasty, though.

Do I cook it the same way as I do with white rice?

Anyone can help me with this?

A Bagful of Figs

Lara came back over the Good Friday weekend and we had a great time, catching up, despite that she had a bad cough. I believe she benefited greatly from retail therapy, thanks to the favourable foreign exchange rates. In her favour, of course.

She went back to Singapore yesterday morning. A very, very short trip indeed. Just as we were approaching the bus terminal half an hour before departure time, I saw my dad standing near the parking lot waiting for us! It was quite shocking because Dad and Lara had already said their goodbyes the night before and it was agreed that we, Bkworms would fetch Lara to the terminal so that Dad wouldn’t have to drive all the way to the city centre. Dad’s not young anymore and at 83, he’s definitely not the adept driver that he has been the last six decades. We thought he must been missing Lara badly and wanted to send her off, if only to get to spend a few more minutes with his youngest daughter.

But he actually wanted to give some figs to Lara. Apparently these figs, when boiled as soup, have medicinal properties and would be good for her cough!

My dad is 83 going on 84 end of this year. He still goes red when we hug him and tell him we love him. He waves us away when we show him affection and he would never ask us for anything and would rather scrimp and save, so that he could give extra pocket money to his grandchildren. He loves us in his own way and he demonstrated that love yesterday morning when he handed the bag of figs to Lara, giving her precise instructions on how to make the soup! Now, how many men out there will do that? He has certainly picked up a lot of tips from my mother when she was still alive.

Isn’t it true that a parent’s love for his or her children knows no depth?

Things To Do But Didn't Do

As I blog this, it's raining heavily outside and I am savouring the last few hours of this lovely Thursday afternoon. You see, it's a public holiday today. No office work to think about. *yay!*

When I woke up early this morning, I wanted to do some housekeeping of my laptop; clean up all the old files, back up those that I want and burn all my MP3 files into CDs. I have hundreds of digital photos sitting in different folders, most of which I have not made into prints. It's too expensive an affair to print photos nowadays, though I'd much prefer viewing my photos from a real photo album instead of scrolling them on the computer! My laptop is already more than 3 years old and it's still running good except at a slower speed, probably due to the hundreds of files that I have accumulated over time.

But guess what? It's almost six in the evening and I haven't done a thing! Sitting here, reading at Borders seems to be a far more interesting thing to do. So much for all those housekeeping plans and much more, eh? You think having a "To-Do List" will help??

As the seasons change....

Friends come and go, just like the turn of the seasons.

I remember the summers when readership of this blog seemed so warm and then spring came ...... and there appeared to be that spring in the step when readers come and visit and friends drop in with their comments. A lot of hustle and bustle. A lot of good feeling there. And then the autumn winds blew and a slow silence began to slowly sweep across Bkworm's 'home'. I shiver, thinking of the complete standstill when the cold winter comes.

Simple American, I miss reading about your ups and downs of being father, husband and entrepreneur. Did I ever tell you I love those Korean stories you wrote those early days? I think I did. Yes, I believe I did.

And I wonder too, what is happening in Baine's World? And Fishtail ..... have you gone for yet another cruise or are your students keeping you busier than ever? Aargh, I miss those Ikea breakfasts.

Marita, May, Mother Superior and some. All excellent writers in their own way, telling their stories and sharing their thoughts. If you and I have been communicating regularly, you won't find your name here. I hope I never will.

This is what happens when I am up to my neck with work (just finished with some Excel spreadsheets - homework from work!) and I am quite zombied. Which explains the rambling.

I guess writing has been and will always be a form of therapy for me.

The Macarena

Man! This is so uncanny!

This idle mind was thinking of what to blog this Monday morning.........

thinking.......

thinking.......

*sips some tea for inspiration*

and finally decided to go and see if Blogthings have any interesting new quizzes.

I found this topic and went on to answer the few questions as honestly as I could remember.

And wallah! it's the Macarena.

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: Macarena by Los Del Rio

When I dance they call me macarena And the boys, they say that I'm buena They all want me, they can't have me So they all come and dance beside me

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

Let me explain.

1996 was certainly the beginning of a different tomorrow for me. I had spent years before hiding in my little 'safe' world. I lived a straight and narrow life and my entire existence centered around my family and church activities. Before some of you start to throw sticks and stones at me, let me say there is nothing wrong with that. It is what probably what the majority of women are doing today. But underneath all that calm were strong undercurrents that were slowly eroding away all the security that I have ever known in my life up till then. Only I knew the heartbreak within. I needed to freak out and break away.

I did the Macarena. Really.

I went to a local dance club with some friends (something I had never done before then) and when the DJ played the song Macarena, my friends dragged me onto the dance floor and the group of us did the Macarena together. I wasn't sure of the steps but suddenly the shy and straight-as-an-arrow Bkworm danced the night away. A lot of things happened after that night.

I really wish I could go into the details but they are just too torrid and hey, it's the past.

Why don't you go and try out the quiz and see if your answers will bring you the song that had meant something to you back in 1996?

Leaky, Leaky

The recent elections were quite draining. Which explains my temporary absence from this space. I know it sounds stupid but the results were so astounding that I am still reeling from it. The Opposition stormed into the hearts of the people and trampled all over the National Coalition. Now let's see whether all those promises made will come to pass or not.

Anyway, back to more mundane things, there was something that came to mind when I sneezed just now. I did a tag in my last entry - "Before I was a mum..." and I left out one more thought. Before I was mum, I didn't know much about incontinence. Now? I do.

Incontinence is one of the after effects of childbirth. You know when everything becomes a lot looser! Couldn't even hold it when I throw up. One sneeze and that bladder had better not be full. It can be terribly embarrassing when one is outside home.

One of the remedy for urinary incontinence is to do Kegel exercises. Imagine your pelvic muscles lifting weights! Actually, all one has to do is to just pull in or "squeeze" your pelvic muscles (as if you are trying to stop urine flow). Hold this squeeze for about 10 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Do 3 to 4 sets of 10 contractions per day. Suppose to improve bladder control and does wonders for 'other' activities as well. The good thing about Kegel exercises is you can 'exercise' and no one will know that you are doing it!

Bet you didn't know that I was 'exercising' as I was typing this, did you?

Before I Was A Mum....

Eternity tagged me with a tag on "Before I was a mum.....".

Wow, that was a VERY, VERY long time ago.




Before I was a mum;
I never thought I would be a mother at such a young age.

Before I was a mum;
I didn't have much to do with babies.

Before I was a mum;
I could never understand why my mum was so strict.

Before I was a mum;
I didn't know that being a mum means you must be ready for heartaches.

Before I was a mum;
I thought I'll have at least four kids.

Before I was a mum;
I wanted two boys and two girls.

Before I was a mum;
I didn't know I had such a high pain threshold. Try giving birth!

Before I was a mum;
I thought the statement, "Wait until you become a mother!" was overrated.

Before I was a mum;
I only spent on myself.

Before I was a mum;
I was nice and slim, weighing a LOT less than now.

The first chain of tag:
1. Lovelymummy
2. Pek Imm
3. Momisodes
4. Ling that’s me
5. Janicepa
6. AnnieQ
7. Allthingspurple
8. Montessorimum
9. clumsy mommy
10. Sandra
11. KittyCat
12. VivianZ
13. Sweetpea
14. Sasha
15. Giddy Tiger
16. Wen
17. Jo-N
18. Janice Ng
19. BlurTing
20. ViEmwk
21. Cookingmomster
22. Dancing Queen
23. Eternity
24. Bkworm

Supermums - you are now tagged. *grins*

Back to Basics
Stay-At-Home Mum
The Joy Of A Homemaker

Let's Vote!

I have voted at the elections twice and both times I was pregnant. And no, I am not pregnant this time. The polling date is just around the corner but I have yet to feel the election fever in the neighbourhood where I live. I have no idea who is the chap that is running for the Parlimentary seat for this area; whose picture is on the very few posters hanging from lamp posts along the road. All I know he is with the National Coalition, known as Barisan Nasional (BN). But that's where the internet comes in useful, eh?

Who am I going to vote? Ghostbusters! Sorry, the tune was just in my head. *wink*

Last Sunday, we prayed collectively for wisdom to choose wisely; not endorsing the Party but the principles that will be represented. I have friends and family that are staunch believers of the Opposition. On the flipside, I also know of many who are still rooting for BN despite the kind of news that we have been reading in the papers.

I have made my choice. And that choice is between God and me. Unless of course, God forbid, if they have these pin-hole cameras installed in those voting booths! And that's no laughing matter!

On a lighter note, I was amused by the sight of Teresa Kok 'hovering' low outside my father's house.

One More Move

I heard this illustration in church last Sunday.

There was a chess champion who went to an art exhibition somewhere in Europe. In that exhibition, he came upon a painting of a chessboard. Hovering on top of the chessboard and looking down at the chess pieces was the face of a man who had an evil cunning look about him; satisfied that the game is finished, obviously, to his pleasure. The painting was named 'Checkmate". Upon scrutiny, the chess champion noticed something. He quickly looked for the man in charge of the exhibition and told him that the painting has to be taken down immediately or else the name of the painting has to be changed. When asked why, he replied that the King still has one more move. The game is not over yet!

Just as God may have that one more move though our difficulties or that situation that looks so hopeless.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned,
From the Garden they were removed,
All seemed lost but wait!
The King has one more move!

Throughout the Bible, God continues to work behind the scenes, turning what had seemed impossible to possible.

• Abraham and Sarah were given a son in their old age. (Genesis 21)
• The Israelites delivered from the Egyptians. (Exodus 14)
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown into the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3)
• Elijah running from Jezebel. (1 Kings 19)
• Peter delivered from prison. (Acts 12)
• Saul's conversion. (Acts 9)

Our part is to trust in Him.

Isn't that reassuring?

Addiction

How does one cure an addiction?

These pile of books are sitting right on top of my 'New-But-Not-Read' bin. And the bin is pretty big.


Is it the smell of new books, the glossy covers, the flipping of the pages or just the 'feeling' of a book in my hands that compels me to buy each time I walk into a bookstore?? It's like a perpetual itch that starts the moment I step into the store and it won't go away until I pay for at least one book at the cashier.

There are days when I would choose the books that catch my attention and then forced myself to put the 'chosen' ones back onto the shelves. The dragging of my feet out of the store is a most excruciating feeling.

Papa Bkworm is thinking of imposing a ban to stop me from going into ALL bookstores in the near future. But what is a 'bookworm' going to do??

What if...........

While waiting for Little Bkworm to surf the internet at Borders this afternoon, I found time to read "An Hour To Live, An Hour To Love" by Richard & Kristine Carlson.

The book is basically a love letter that Richard Carlson wrote to his wife on their 18th wedding anniversary. He died three years later in his sleep, from pulmonary embolism. Life is but like the blowing of the wind, isn't it?

The title took my attention immediately. If you only had an hour to live, what would you do with that hour? Call your lawyer? Settle a score? Work out who will benefit from all that money you stashed in your bank account? Spend it with your loved ones? Food for thought there.

At the end of the book, Kristin Carlson shared a beautiful poem written by Norma Cornett Marek.

Tomorrow Never Comes

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep,

I would tuck you in more tightly, and pray the Lord your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you walk out the door,

I would give you a hug and kiss, and call you back for just one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,

I would tape each word and action, and play them back throughout my days

If I knew it would be the last time, I would spare an extra minute or two,

To stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming you know I do.

So, just in case tomorrow never comes, and today is all I get,

I'd like to say how much I love you, and I hope we never will forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike,

And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.

So, if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day

That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,

And you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today, and whisper in their ear,

That you love them very much, and you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay".

And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.

© Norma Cornett Marek 1989

Don't wait for tomorrow.