A Quick Escape

from the routines of everyday life can be priceless. At times, I'm thankful that the laziness in me gets the better of me, before i'm left with no weekends to spare. Lost times are almost impossible to redeem.

So, i managed to steal more than a couple of days off work; no laptop, no outlook, no thoughts whatsoever of what's outstanding... just simply eat, visit, gamble and sleep. What an absolute bliss! I could do with a few more weeks of this, whilst the payroll continue rolling in. I'm a dreamer =)

This Chinese New Year is indeed different. I was home, instead of somewhere else under the sea. I have not visited so many houses since ... I cant even remember when. There definitely is an essence of CNY that i thought i've long lost to feel. It felt good, even just for a moment.

Here are some gorgeous shots of fireworks by Jo-Lim. The 12am synchronisation of firecrackers and fireworks around the kampong was downright amazing and exciting! We were a lucky bunch to be entertained with 50 minutes worth of fireworks in Kebangsaan Lama.

When all this ends, I'm dreaming of a holiday far far away. =)

*Gong Xi Fa Cai!*

I'm back

Things has slowed down a fair bit after all the clicky clackers of Chinese New Year.. down comes the red lanterns, the lion heads stacked back to their dusty shelf, emptied angpows, and back to slogging days. With workload piling up by the day, i've almost forgotten how it feels to be busy, the days of 6 msn windows, surfing and reading blogs are near gone.. Sobs.

Here are some snippets from CNY.

.The rummy fanatics.

.Feeling nostalgic.Cheongsam Night.
.'Yu Sang' (CNY salad) with the sweetest divers.

For some reason, during CNY this year, i actually miss CNY. Everytime i light up a sparkler, i get overwhelmed with emotions, emotions from those days... I miss being a kid, miss the excitement of choosing lanterns, miss sitting behind my mum for hours watching her play mahjong, miss playing cards till sunrise with my brother and cousin, those were the days.

Another wonderful moment for me this year is my birthday. If it was left to me, it would have been a quiet day, but i had an amazing week. Much love to you, my friends.

Scrapaholics, each talented in their own way.

L-R: My favourite colour from Jess, and digital scrap from Tina. Notice in all photos i was fiddling with my camera. Yes, i love my camera.

Besides being busy at work, i've also been "working out" Hehehe. My evenings are spent playing a minimum of 5-10 rounds of bowling.. on the Wii. I swear, my butt cheeks ached for a few days, my arms and shoulder blades are so friggin' sore it's not funny. After a game of boxing, i plopped back on the couch catching my breath like i had just hiked up a hill and sweating a up a storm. It's just madness. So for those of you lazy buggers that cant leave the comfort of your own home, maybe the Wii can trim some love-handle off. And someone is INSANE enough to prove it.

If i could draw up my thoughts right now, this is exactly what i'm dreaming of .

a thumb for comfort

What do you do when you're bored and tired, or merely seeking comfort? Shania, Lucas and all babies alike think you can try popping your thumb in your mouth and start *smacking-slurping-smacking* away. And if that's not enough, you can always add a finger or two. It's amazing how soothing and calming it is to a baby.

My cheeky godson

Thumb-sucking has always been a debatable question of good or bad. A lead author from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry says "Sucking is a natural reflex, which comforts infants and young children. Any recommendation to stop thumb, finger or pacifier sucking before a child is two years old would be unrealistic, potentially detrimental and unnecessary from a dental standpoint"

Pacifier or thumb?

You dont exactly want to pull over in the middle of a highway or bend over a zillion times whenever your child spits or tosses his dummy ,-1. He will always find his finger, +1.
However when teeth starts emerging, when the time has come to wean them off the delight, you can jolly well toss the pacifier in the bin +1, but you cant exactly hide or break his fingers -1.

So how do you break the habit then smarty-pants? Some how-tos here.

Anyways, here's a short story of Shania's and Lucas' 1st Chinese New Year.

Well , judging from the smiles and giggles, i reckon it has been a pretty good experience for both of them.

Gong Hei Fatt Choi

Down with flu, plagued by an incessant cough from all the late nights, i continue to brace myself for more open-house.. in search for the yummiest kueh-mo, and that 3-king table.

At this moment, i miss diving quite terribly.