transposable element

just a bit more than two years ago, i thought we were going to end up on america’s west coast. i was already sending feelers and inquiries to friends who live there, but winds changed and the next thing i knew we were booking our flights to singapore! if that pushed through i’d probably be spending short vacations completely different as in malaysia and indonesia!

finally, i think my bro is halfway convinced to try out his luck here in singapore. with recession in full swing, he’s finding it hard to find a suitable job back home. it’s not just for lack of options. he’s got a degree in economics (the only one among us who didn’t take a science-related course) with experience in banking, but he didn’t like a job cooped up in an office. he’s gotten sales training, but didn’t really like being on the go, either. it seems that he still doesn’t really know what he wants to do, what direction he wants to take.

unfortunately, if you’re in such a state, nobody else can help you except yourself.

been browsing through our bintan photos again (these days, i never seem to be able to finish a task in one sitting), and so far this is my favorite of mia. our beach babe.

and this is my favorite of jan. joie de vivre personified.

i’ve been browsing our pics from our recent short trip to bintan and as always, out of the hundreds of photos, those that have me in them can be counted with the fingers of one hand. and, none of them are flattering, ack! i probably am a good candidate for weight loss pills, but with my current eating habits and lack of exercise, i’m certain they won’t work anyway, arrgh! so on second thoughts, maybe it’s better to stay behind the camera afterall!

these days, i almost never buy anything that’s not on sale. it’s actually not hard here as there is almost always an ongoing sale of some sort the whole year round and if you’re not money-smart, it’s so easy to end up spending more than you could/should. on the other hand, except perhaps for electronics, prices here are so inflated, one’s often better off buying overseas and having it shipped over. that’s what i do with the kids’ clothes. i’m just waiting for the spring sales (the ongoing winter sales are pretty much useless for us) before i starting my online shopping spree, yay!

ahhh, the lengths we go to stretch the dollar!

i see and feel the signs: my metabolism has gotten slower, my memory is faltering, my eyesight is blurring, my muscles are less flexible, and my bones are less willing to bear weight. it takes longer for wounds to heal, and my blood pressure is no longer as stable. last week, i spotted a couple of white hairs. and i’m not even forty yet. has my body reached its half life already?

it’s not that i have an issue with getting old. i know how old i am and i do act my age. i know i’m past the party-til-4am-bar-hopping-wearing-barely-there-attire era. i think i lasted all of 2 weeks in that stage anyway, hehe. but i’m hoping this body will last a few decades more, before old age sets in and i’d need canes, incontinence products, or someone to remind me who i am and feed me mashed food.

on the other hand, i hope i never reach that point.

it’s been more than a month since our short trip to desaru malaysia, and have not found time to upload some pics til now, aarrgh! i thought of writing a review, but then again, i don’t have time so i’ll keep it short:

the beach was fantastic, the hotel was standard, the food was forgettable. great for a short getaway , maybe a weekender, but not longer.

the kids had a fantastic time, though, and isn’t that what counts?

for the last 6+ years, i can count on one hand the number of times i went to the cinema to watch something that wasn’t kid oriented. to be honest, i really don’t feel like i’m missing much. maybe i’m just not that much of a movie-goer, and i don’t follow the hollywood who’s who, so except for a few films, i seldom get the must-watch-that feeling. i actually get pretty excited with the latest animation films though (ab durch die hecke/over the fence installation hedge is one of my favorites, second to ice age).

last weekend, jan and i went to the theatre. ok, it was a puppet piece, but it was held at the arts house, in a real theatre hall. we went there with me thinking the show was for him, but i found myself enjoying it and laughing as much as he did. after the show, we had some ice cream sandwiches and had a stroll along the singapore river.

and there it hit me. i just had a date with jan, and i truly, thoroughly enjoyed it.

either jan is growing up, or i’m regressing.

marble number… oh heck, who’s counting anyway?

there are days like yesterday when i’m convinced i’m not cut out for this job. mia wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, refuses to eat anything i offer, and whines til my nerves are as taut as violin strings. jan comes home, dumps his bag, refuses to finish the last three items on his math homework (it took him all of three minutes when he eventually did) and discovers fun in taunting and annoying his sister, who refused to nap the entire afternoon. the house is a mess, the plates in the sink rise to a teetering pile, and jan’s stained schoolshirts still need to be handwashed. arrrgh!

and then there are days like today, when mia is at her 10-month best, all smiles, chatty and playful (still not eating, though) and jan comes home cheerful from school. i’ve got the housechores under control, and was even able to prepare a hearty lunch and a big bowl of fresh fruit salad for jan. suzy homemaker personified.

which is why i keep wondering on the age old question stay-at-home mothers ask: am i doing the right thing by staying at home, personally attending to the kids’ needs, or are they better off being attended to by someone else, someone who knows what she’s doing, rather than me, who’s simply winging it and just muddling through half the time?