Monday, September 14, 2009
I Feel Good
This morning, just before I left for work, I had the TV on to see who's leading in the US Open. The game was tight; Roger Federer and Del Potro were playing the fifth set to decide the winner. I left the flat without waiting for the final score, but hoping for an upset. When I reached my office and logged in Bloomberg, I saw the news. Del Potro had beaten Federer, yeah!
At the same time, I received an sms from my housemate who is a Federer fan and I teased him about his `loss'. He replied that `it's only a game'. So I said, `I feel good'. Happy Birthday, MP!!
Dream of 9 9
When I walked out of the lift I felt it was a very high place, windy and cold enough that i could see my own breath. I soon developed acrophobia but looked down a few times and I got used to it. Soon I was in front of your door with a typical steel grills commonly found in asian homes. There you were in your intel clothes you got free of mom. Complete with your housemates, SawHong and LiHuey and one other unknown fella. To top it off you were a wee bit chubby....
In the dream, I already realized you shouldn't be here. So this must be a dream. But instead of asking more interesting questions, we were engaged in regular small talk as if nothing happened. Unfortunately my realization that it was a dream also caused me to wake up. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling though.
Anyway, when i woke up, my mobile showed a reminder. 9 of September, a friend is leaving UK. Due to the settings the reminder would not have appeared the night i went to bed. 9 of September another friend is coming to bunk at my place as well. Naturally i told the friend who was leaving uk about the dream. She immediately assumed she's gonna die in a plane crash. Other then friends coming and going, 9 of September was pretty uneventful.
Still trying to figure out if it means something. Perhaps you were referring to 4D numbers.....090909. 9 September 2009. All in all the significance of that date it's still a mystery to me.
Anyway happy birthday. You would have been in your mid 30s you old fart.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Bravo... tres bien
Well your brother’s done it. He’s well on his way to catching up with you. Auntie Choo2 and I attended his MSc graduation and yes you guessed right. There will be at least one more to come. Maybe 3 years from now. He’s doing well! His PhD is funded with a stipend to boot. We are all very proud of him just as we were of you. I can imagine your elation at this news as well.
This trip was another adventure for us. We took a leisure hike up the Helsby hills the first weekend I arrived. We also climbed Tryfan’s in
But lo and behold, the thin air did me in. My muscles gave up the will to take another step up the peak at 3800 meters. We were told during the climb that we were crazy to have attempted the climb without at least 3 days of acclimatization. Even though I did not finish, I was really glad to have made the attempt. Next time….I shall be more prepared and I will conquer Breithorn! Your brother did well. He finished and was rewarded with a certificate of achievement. Bravo!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Brian May
Your mom and I were there early to get the best seats to snap pictures. The convocation started promptly at 3pm followed by some VIP introductions and speeches. When the JMU Chancellor was introduced to make a speech, someone sitting next to me exclaimed excitedly: `it's Brian May'! Brian May? I must confess that I didn't know who Brian May is. But I was curious to find out, so I googled Wikipedia. Brian May studied physics at Imperial College but along the way found fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen and as a rock musician for some 30 years before he returned to complete his PhD in Astrophysics in 2007; that sums up his colorful and distinguished career path. All that, however, couldn't take away the happiness we felt when we saw Chean Shen receiving his honors in Masters, and from none other than the distinguished Brian May himself.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Strong lifts 5x5
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Life can be unfair
It made me cry but more out of helplessness. I was being selfish... Thinking if only her chance could have been given to you instead..
Sunday, May 10, 2009
When it rains, It pours
Somebody asked if it gets better over time. I suppose it does. I don't cry as much now but when the pain comes, its just as intense as it was. So yes, when it rains, it pours! I still miss you
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A great weekend
Thursday, February 19, 2009
More of your escapades
She shared with Steve some of your adventures and one that I did not know of. She told me how you used to sneak off early in the morning to cycle and returned before I was awake. I thought I knew all your antics but I don’t remember this one. You definitely opened the way for your brother and enabled him to do a lot of things I was too afraid to let you. To some extend watching you struggle in your last moments and feeling utterly helpless was one of the hardest feelings I had to endure. How silly of me, guess it’s a parent’s job to be over protective.
CS is back and he got to meet Steve who was here for about 10 days. Steve planned his trip to coincide with CNY so he got to meet the whole family in Penang and the rest in KL. He dug into whatever we put in front of him with gusto. Thought he was really brave until I found out that he had brought along a ‘tummy armor’ and was popping those before each meal. Still he did us proud. Not once but twice we went for durians and he loved the durian cakes. He also learned to play Mahjong and did pretty well. Talk about beginner’s luck. At Uncle Teik Ee’s he had the opportunity to entertain us with his singing err I think he was singing… :)
Your brother will return to Liverpool to continue with his PhD. The other good news is that he received a distinction for his Masters so we’re all very proud of his achievements. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he’ll receive enough funding so that he can fully concentrate on his research and not worry about making ends meet. I can imagine how proud you are of how far his come as well.
Love, mom
Friday, January 02, 2009
Determined that 2009 should be a good year all round
It was not a good way to start the year, I know. My good friend Kathi and I were just toasting to everything good last night at dinner and that thought managed to filter through, reminding me that I should also remember to count my lucky stars. Familiar faces raced through my mind and it dawned on me the sacred truth of having a strong network of family and friends. I could not have gone through losing you if not for their love and support. . . It struck me that I should let them know and so I did. I penned a short note to this effect.
You are not here with me but in your place, you have sent me many angels. I know we are all individuals and different and handle these emotional traumas in diverse ways. I understand and appreciate the fact that some find it uncomfortable in such situations. But each person I came into contact with helped to lit the path in front of me. Each in their unique way.
I still miss you very much…
Love, Mom
Monday, December 29, 2008
It's Grown
aunty choo choo
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
At my side
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Messages
I can’t seem to recall the events in these dreams. Just a lingering feeling that I need to understand these messages and that they are important for my well being. Occasionally a fragment of the dream may drift into my thoughts but before I could grasp its content, its gone. Like a whiff of smoke, it slips past my fingers and disappears into thin air.
It is believed that our dreams are a way for our conscious minds to process and understand what our unconscious self knows to be true. Maybe there’s a lot of uncertainty in my life right now but then again this is not new.
Last Sunday, I had an unpleasant experience that left me feeling naked, stripped of my defenses and vulnerable. I was in a state of shocked for a while and at that moment, I also felt very alone….
Monday, September 29, 2008
Never a bother
Try as I may, it still escapes my consciousness what it was you were trying to get him to do. All I know is that it has something to do with his studies. You were trying to coach or guide him in the right direction and both CS and I knew it. But somehow he is slow in responding and I may have something to do with it. You repeated it several times telling him that if he did as told, you would never bother him again.
"I will never bother you again".... was embedded in my waking thoughts. The realization that you were not here was so overwhelming that I just burst out crying. As wakefulness begun to set in, my pragmatic self took over. I searched to remember your message but without success.
Your brother's interview for his PhD application is scheduled for Oct 22 and I am thinking that you may be trying to get something across. We are very proud of him and I am sure you are too. Only 5 were short listed out of more than 30 applicants.
What could the message in my dream be? Was there one? Will you please come back tonight and tell me....?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Hope
What is giving without generosity and meaning, happiness without contentment and joy?
What is life without passion and excitement, love without sacrifice and surrender?
And so many drift aimless, stumbling blindly in search of what they know not
Theory and reality co-mingled and entwined, unraveling slowly but only for a few
The lessons in life are bitter sweet, the path is rock-strewn and the direction is uncertain
But surely for the few who perseveres, faith abound bidding farewell to despair
It is an imperfect world and by decree a flawed existence and not by choice
And so we call on Hope and Sanguinity to lend a helping hand, to shed some light at the end of the tunnel
The coming of the dawn brings sunshine or so the expectation, overcoming Anguish and Misery
But there is no guarantee, only faith and a commitment to stay the path with the hand fate has dealt
And in the end, find solace in the conviction that life is precious and to be cherished
Monday, September 15, 2008
Happy Birthday from A.Choo Choo
Work has been crazy and we've been firefighting all day but I was always thinking about you. Tried calling mum but the phone was engaged. I'll try again tomorrow.
ACC
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Happy birthday
And wished you happy birthday
You would have been thirty three
Today
How can we ever stop wondering
What it would have been like
If you were here
Eating your mother's prawn mee
By the bowls
Drinking the best Shiraz your mother could buy
Why can't we comprehend
The emptiness of your absence
Why can't we settle
Our nights into a dreamless sleep
And move through each moment, each day, each year
Seamlessly
Without hungering for your smile
Without weeping for your touch
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Looking to this Day!
As your birthday draws closer, the feeling of hollowness and facing a world without you increases in magnitude. I don't want to be sad, I don't want to grief and I know you want for me to be happy. I think I've achieved happiness to a certain extend or at least on the surface. I go through the mechanics of living. I do enjoy the company of friends and the various activities that keep me challenged and engaged. But underneath it all, the sadness remains.. Lately I've started thinking about happiness and what that means. Quite amazingly, there are quite a few definitions of happiness. One especially struck a cord with my own philosophy and that of the way you've lived your life. Here’s a toast to life, the way it should be lived… And I will do my best to live every second like it was my last one…
“Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn! Look to this Day! For it is Life, the very Life of Life. In its brief course lie all the Verities and Realities of your Existence. The Bliss of Growth, The Glory of Action, The Splendor of Beauty; For Yesterday is but a Dream, And To-morrow is only a Vision; But To-day well lived makes Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope. Look well therefore to this Day! Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!”
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Celebrating MP's life Episode2
After the 1st visit to the village, I had the opportunity to lend Reiter's OA cause a hand. I had gone to the 'Gerai' to pick up some gift ideas for my trip to the US. When I was at her stall, a customer was interested in one of the larger wood carvings which was in storage in Hartamas so I volunteered to go get it for her and did. I also ended up spending more than a 100 bucks on gifts for friends. Recently I picked up some items for myself. Guess my accessories will now be more ethnic than ever...
More recently, I donated on behalf of a friend to the chinese earthquake victims amounting to more than 1K (not sure if this counts even if I made the call). I also suggested a blood donation campaign as one of the activities for our community projects and this was realized yesterday. Happy to say the turn out was good and we hit our target and collected more than 100 bags (350 ml each). And yes, this time I had enough blood to contribute my share...:)
The next project is to see if we can create some awareness for the OA and the challenges they face. I am excited at the prospect of doing a little more for these people ...
http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=article&articleID=267
Monday, August 18, 2008
Living the moment
We took a road trip to Scotland and I was and still am pretty surprised that your brother and I did not fight even once. We drove up to Edinburgh then to Inverness (did not see any monster) and then on to the Isle of Skye before heading back to Liverpool. Edinburgh is a really beautiful city with all its old majestic looking buildings and quaint alley ways. In terms of scenery, I would have to say the Skye won hands down. Rolling hills, green green meadows and cliffs dropping into tap clear water and super clean beaches. My only regret was not having planned for a dip. However we made up for it at a little town called Mallag. We were also up close and personal with the train used in the Harry Porter movies. Your brother was so excited.
Throughout the entire trip, I kept feeling your presence. The thought of living the moment for you was always hovering in my mind. Not sure if I fully understand the rationale, just one of those things I suppose. You would have enjoyed every minute of this trip just like you did everything else that came your way.
Like Pheng says, we are not quite ready to let you go... and so we cling on to your memory.