At The Wedding

So last Saturday, my cousin tied the knot. With that, only 3 cousins are left - after which, the 'wedding' focus will be moved to my children's generation. *shrugs*.




Our Twins
It was a wonderful wedding starting with the send-off toast by the Father of the Bride at their home before heading to Church. The wedding reception later in the evening was nothing short of amazing.

I can almost swear that I've lost some height. Is that even possible?  I feel that I'm shorter these days and that is why I wore a pair of extra high heels during the church ceremony - just to feel taller. But for the dinner, I toned it down a little as there was no way I could dream of twirling on the dance floor with heels that high.

Anyway, more shots from earlier that day:

A Kristang Tradition - the father of the bride gives a toast to the bride before she leaves for church
Liam & Tyler - Page Boys for the day. Twins and just turned 1
Sandra, Kate and Stella - them cute little flower girls and how they've grown so quickly
Kelly girl, in her green toga as one of the bridesmaids
Wedding in Progress
The Newlyweds

And that's my aunty in green with her husband, their 3 daughters, 3 son-in-laws and 3 grandchildren!

Oh, I've a story to tell. It's about a perv who was there at the wedding. Let's put it this way - he wasn't invited. But he was there. How about I save this story for another day as I'd like to keep this particular wedding post nice and clean with positively happy vibes. 


That's it then. Have a blast of a weekend, everyone!

4 Generations


That showpiece up there is an interpretation of my pride when it comes to my family.

I'm super blessed to be born into this lineage with the de Silva surname being the base and strong foundation of our Portuguese ancestry, backed up by the 3 major ethnicities of Malaysia - Malays, Chinese & Indians. On top of that, we have our English, Australians, Americans and Spaniards relatives as well.

How unique it is to be part of a multi racial, multi cultural, multi religious and multi lingual family. And we celebrate all our religious festivals together, which is pretty much every religious festival in Malaysia. The epitome of being true Malaysians!

Regardless of what our religious beliefs are, we've always respected one another and have gotten along perfectly since the beginning of time till now.

I really can't wait to update and upgrade that masterpiece of those who have joined our clan since this original artwork was done - either through marriage or birth. And that's a total of 14 new faces.

I've fondly named this portrait 'The 4 Generations', as there are 4 generations of us. But the new version will proudly feature "5 Generations" of the de Silva heritage, as I've finally managed to get hold of pictures of my Great Grandparents. It's going to be a solid piece of art with a great amount of work, I tell you. The portrait is 10 years old and it's time for a refurbishment with recent pictures of everyone. But I'll only get started on it after the newest person joins our family this October when my youngest cousin ties the knot.

There's simply no family like ours. And as we celebrate Malaysia Day this September 16th, I'm dedicating this post to all Malaysians - from a fellow Malaysian.

I know I've gone AWOL for awhile and I owe you guys an apology. So, I'm sorry. I was very unmotivated to pen down anything here the last few months. I'm not sure if I should explain why, but if I do, it will probably be in some other post. 


BitterSweet

So the cheeky little monkey is back from London to spend Aidilfitri with her family. And true to her name, the minute she arrived, the bugging started. As always.

She insisted on a sleepover, and I relented - since my sleeping hours during Ramadan is mostly mornings instead of nights.

And so she started.

It was the 27th May 2019.

She said "do you realize that today is exactly 7 years since I did the meanest thing to you and you ended up doing the most screwed up thing? 27th May 2012, remember?"

Enlighten me nyet, because you've done many mean and cruel things to me.

And so, she refreshed my memory. She is like a walking diary. Dates are at the tip of her fingers. But yeah, the memories came back to me, but in a blur.

And although she said it was the 'meanest' thing she had done to me, implying that I probably suffered? But I didn't at that time. It was sweet memories laced with bitterness here and there, throughout. Bittersweet.

Anyway, it was an interesting stayover because halfway through the nite, I got Hamed to join us (rescue me? :)),where we headed to our neighbourhood Mcd and got home in time to prepare sahur for my family. Perfect!

Moral of the story:

Whatever starts well does not necessarily ends well

&

Whatever starts roughly, may very well end up perfectly. (Our friendship, Hamed and me.)

Which One?

Hi everyone,

Samsung galaxy S10 vs Huawei p30 Pro.

Which one shall I get?

I'm so done with iPhones for now. Between my husband and I, we've used almost every model of the apple phones that has came out, and in all honesty, I cannot stand the iPhones anymore. It's always perfect at first, and then start to deteriorate.

Anyway, I've always been an iphone & Samsung user. Huawei? Never! I personally don't like electronics that are made in China. I can't even pronounced the brand properly, haha. But from what I've heard lately, many people are telling me that the Huawei cameras are dope! But the S10 camera quality is also awesome from what I've seen.

My brother uses the Note 9 and even that camera quality is super duper sick! It's as clear as it gets.

So at this point, I'm really in 2 minds over which one to get, and that is why I need your opinion.

To me, being happy with my phone goes way beyond only having good cameras. So yea, let me know which would make a better buy.

Love and Light.
xo

MARVELous

Seen this? Check it out.

And guess who's got a date with the cinema this Saturday night!


First Come, First Serve

Good afternoon, and a Good Friday everyone!

So this is only for my readers who know me and not for my international readers unfortunately. And here's what it's about - short and quick!

I'm giving away 22 + 1 packs of Mevius Menthols for anyone who's interested. The additional (1) pack has been opened and 2 sticks have been used.

It's free of charge and self collection yea? Also, it's on a 1st come 1st serve basis, so I won't be reserving it for anyone. Just drop me a text and when I'm available, you can come collect it. And yes, for those wondering if you can grab all 22 boxes, yes you can.

Let's just say that I'm feeling generous today.

That's it. Am off to the airport now to welcome the Aussie couple who chose to make Malaysia the destination to celebrate his 90th birthday in a couple of weeks.

Have a perfect week!

Gold

People never believe when I tell them my age. So here's proof. It's displayed there big, bold and in gold. As flattering as it is to be always told that I look young, I'm nevertheless very proud of achieving my 50th year on this planet.


And what's the best way to celebrate a milestone birthday? A party! So, my children threw me a small scale but awesome birthday bash which was held on Saturday night - a day before my actual birthday. Held in an enchanted location at Sunway Geo, the ambiance of the place was mesmerising, enchanting, cosy and relaxed. And the A-factor that makes a party a party, is of course, the guest list! It consisted of those who I truly wanted to be there - somehow, it worked out that way. The icing on the cake however  (and this was a real surprise that caught me off guard), was the presence of my 2 friends from when we were 12 years old. My kids somehow got hold of their numbers and kept their invitation a secret from me. Well planned!

I had a ball of a time. My children put me through some lighthearted-embarrassing moments when they called me up, to sash and crown their 'Queen'. It was pretty cringy for me, standing up there in front of all my guests wearing a tiara and the golden sash. But well, that was Kelly and Daniel's way of showing me how much I mean to them, so it's fine I guess? Then, there were the 'how well do you know Debbie' games and quizzes with more 'blushing moments' questions about me. My children also had specially done a slideshow from the time I was a baby to present. And the highlight of that were the live video messages and greetings at the end of the presentation from my family and relatives from other parts of the world.

An absolutely remarkable evening and everyone had a good time!

So,

How do I feel about turning 50?
Looking the way I do, feeling the way I am and achieving all that I have, I feel absolutely blessed and proud to attain this age and being exactly what I am today. I actually consider it to be the start of my life, because my children are now financially independent and self sufficient. So yes, this is my ticket to being able to do the things that I've put off for all these years. In fact, my kids are actually trying to persuade me to go back to studying!

My tips to feeling young?
I am always asked this question. I've no secrets or rituals that I follow. All I can say is that I'm a very positive person and always try to look at the better side of people or situations. Especially when something does not go the way we planned. Also I simply eliminate anything or anyone that gives me bad vibes, so invariably I'm always surrounded by those who bring me happiness. I think that is so important at every level.

Sure I have a temper and all, but still, that's nothing compared to when I'm on contented mode.

I also keep my life simple and uncomplicated.

Another reason I guess, is genetics. My family from Mom's side seem to age very well. None of them actually look their age. Some of them are even looking younger as they get older haha. Even my Mom at 82 always have to convince people that she's actually 82! She still enjoys buying clothes, shoes and cosmetics, and love going to Sephora with me and Kelly girl to play around with make up. And yea, Kristang people also know how to have a good time. That could very well be a contributing factor. Maybe.

My future plans?
To set a new bunch of goals and achieve it, now that I've learnt the 'secret' on how to go about doing it. I'm still a learner and am constantly gaining knowledge.

So there you go. I'm 50 and feeling fabulous. As cliche as it sounds, age is just a number. At least for me it is. Because I've always had a young soul. Internally, I'm the same exact same person I used to be in my 20s - only way more wiser.  And I'm extra excited as I've finally joined the ranks of Ariff and Hamed into the '5-series' status. My bffs, yea, both already in their 50s but don't look a day over 40 and like me, young souls as well - which explain why we get along so fekkin well.

To Kelly and Daniel, I'm so proud of you guys for organizing, planning and hosting that special day. Thank you so much for every single effort you put into it to make it so memorable. It was truly a night to remember. Both of you have come a long way from those 2 mischievous kids who drove me up and down the wall day and night. May Allah always protect and give you, my darling children, the best of everything in life. It's Mommy and Daddy's daily doa for our darlings.

And for all those who attended my birthday gala, as well as for everyone who were kind enough to wish me and sent greetings on that day, I wish you the best of everything in every aspect of your lives. And may God bless you, your families and loved ones!

I love you guys so much.

Blessed be,
Debbie







Age & Relationships

So my Tuesday chill-out made it to Wednesday's entree for this blogpost.

Was having drinks with someone from my family last night and I was randomly asked this question - "Does a difference in age matter in a relationship?"

 And before anyone attempts to attack my views, this is my opinion. Which I'm entitled to. So below, is my answer on the subject.

Older Men-Younger Women
I'm ok with this combo. I feel older men are way more dignified, dependable, respected, reliable, protective and more often than not, they are financially stable. And all those, are traits as to why the majority of girls prefer an older man.

When it comes to the age difference however, i feel that anywhere between 1-12 years of a man being older than his wife is acceptable. But if you're thinking of marrying a man who is old enough to be your father, you may wanna rethink that. Because when you hit your prime age, he may already be qualified to be in a nursing home. No pun intended, yea. Do the math and look at yourselves 20 years from now.

If you're the 'older than her father' man, how will it feel to be unable to do many things in later years while your wife is still able and capable? And if you're the very much younger wife, are you able to cope with and willing to sacrifice being tied down looking after a very senior husband in his old age while you're still enjoying the stuff that he's no longer able to?

Older Women-Younger Men
Unless the age gap between them is only about 2-3 years, my answer is nope. Because, no offence to anyone but it has been scientifically proven that a woman matures mentally faster than a man. And I couldn't agree more.

That is why these kinds of relationships hardly work, especially if you have a younger partner who thrives on childish charades, sulk when they don't get their way or make a big deal over issues that are lame and trivial. We've been there, done that  - and guess what? After a while, it gets boring.

Women! Take that and compare it to a man who makes you feel secure and can take charge and handle any given situation when glitches arise. Simply put, there's no room for child's play. And as for the younger man who is into a relationship with an older woman, for now it may be fine. But again, if you looked at the bigger picture many years from now, while you're still going to the gym or playing football, your wife or partner may be happily contended sitting in her rocking chair with hearing aids. Is that what you want?

My husband is 2 years older than me. And I personally feel, that is by far, the best age difference between a couple - from a physical and emotional point.

With that said, I asked my relative "so what made you bring up this topic - you're going out with an older or younger woman?".

Him: Younger.
Me:   How old?
Him: 24 years.
Me:  Dios Mio, send her back to her mama already. She'll give you more headaches than you ever bargained for.
Him: But she seems mature
Me : For now laa. New broom sweeps well, right.

And to conclude, he agreed with me.

Him: So I should end it with her?
Me : Yup, the right thing to do.

But then again, love is blind. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's a gamble. Life's a gamble.








Letting Go

It could be a person, a food, a drink, a hobby, a habit or anything else that you become attached or addicted to. Most times it's ok and harmless. BUT, if what we love and like so much can actually be detrimental to us in the long run, it's another story. And telling ourselves to "stop, right there!" and get rid of it, is never easy. Especially when you've been holding on to it for many years.

It's like when you truly care for someone. You love them with all your heart and they know it? But they handle you like sh*t, treats you with close to zero respect and couldn't give an ounce of f%ck about your feelings. Eventually, this kind of love makes you sick, stressed, unhappy and starts to take a toll on you. It becomes a one-sided affair. This is an example of 'attachments' that I meant in the above paragraph. 

With that being said, I've a confession to make. I'm guilty of being hooked on something that should've been thrown out of my life many years ago.

Therefore, I've made a decision. I'm planning on Letting Go.

February was a very peaceful and relaxing month for me. I had a lot of time on hand as I decided to push my heavy projects and assignments to March. Thus, I had the luxury to do a lot of thinking and reflecting. Particularly in one specific area of my life.

So, Hamed and I had a serious talk about this. An important, lengthy conversation. I needed his help with this. Because he had adviced me many times to get rid of this filth that had been present in our lives for far too long. He told me he'll be my 100% support all the way. And he said he'll do this together with me.

THAT, was enough motivation for me. To free myself of this poison that I was literally addicted to. I had contemplated doing it many times, but failed. And so I said 'Yes!'. Because somehow, it's something we both gotta do together - quit cigarettes. We are smokers! And he smokes way more than me. That is why when he said he'll do this with me, I was ecstatic.

I'm aware that it's going to be tough as hell to give up smoking. But making that decision to quit, was already a good start. And having him so willing to be by my side throughout this and being my support partner, is reason enough to give it a shot.

For the record, some years ago I tried using hypnotherapy to quit smoking. It didn't work. This time around, we will be using hypno sessions as well but we're doing it our way. We've got each other's backs. Let's hope it works.

Exposing myself to any kind of toxic that only gives me short pleasures now and then, doesn't really make sense. I'd rather have those good kind of pleasures that constantly keeps me happy - and one that doesn't burn out, especially during stress and challenging times.

Thing is, I've kicked out damaging idiots (there's more to go) from my life so easily. And if I can brush off humanoids from my life without breaking a sweat, what's a stick of cig! Right?

It'll be difficult, but I'll try, InsyaAllah.





Once A Stalker, Always A....

So hello there once again. And as promised 2 previous posts ago, here's my story about the stalker who surfaced in my life in 1998.



I won't go into extreme details and depth as reliving everything can somewhat be traumatising for me.
But here it goes.

As I mentioned in the Facebook post, this guy worked for me while studying at the University.
I employed him because he was pretty decent looking, was intelligent, very efficient and also had a strong command of  English - which was an added advantage.

Over a course of 2-3 months, he went from being my worker to what I would say, a personal maid and eventually, a nightmarish stalker - all on his own accord. He started doing things for me which I never asked and his behaviour gradually took on a new pattern.

It started with my dinners. I would normally buy dinner from any of the nearby shops and would eat in the shop. So whenever he saw me coming in with the food bundle, he would quickly set aside a space for me on the table, clean the area, get cutleries for me and place it together with my food and drink - none of which was in his job description, which I kept on reminding him.

And then before I knew, he was walking me to my car every night, making sure I belted up and drove off before he walked away. This was normally about 1am, after shutting down the outlet.

Before you continue reading the following, which I've written in point form, bear in mind that there were many instances where my husband came very close to 'silencing' this person permanently. But it never happened because of my earnest begging and pleading with hubby not to do anything to this psycho. Why? Because my children needed their father to be with them, not behind bars serving time in a prison cell.

I went through a lot. Yep, I went through A LOT.

So yea, in brief sentences:

This was the person who offered to move in to my home to be my maid for free.

This was the person who whenever repair/service men used my toilet, he went in there and scrubbed the whole toilet spotless because he knew how repelled I was about strangers/outsiders using the toilet.

This was the person who once when I felt like throwing up, he opened up his hands and told me he was willing for me to puke on it.

This was the person who was jealous of every.single.male that I spoke to, including transgenders.

This was the person who once snatched the phone from me and cut off the line while I was in conversation with one of my male regular customers who was enquiring about a CD.

This was the person who while watching my sister's wedding CD with me at the store when we were free one day, saw me dancing with the best man in the customary 'maid of honour -bestman' dance, got so mad, took out the CD from the player and scratched it because he said he hated that the man was holding me on the dance floor.

This was the person who also got jealous of the 2 "funny faced" actors from Roxbury just because I watched that movie many times, so he thought I had a crush on one them.

This was the person who always playfully said that he was gonna kidnap me someday - where his mouth smiled, but his eyes weren't.

This was the person who refused to go back to his country for his father's funeral because he didn't want me hiring any other guys while he left.

This was the person who would hypocritically call me 'Kak Rin' in front of everyone else, but when were alone in the outlet, would call me 'Mrs (his name)

This was the person whose friend from Uni would one day come and visit me to let me know that he had a strange obsession with me.

This was the person who was jealous of my brother - because he never believed we were siblings and hated whenever my bro visited me at the shop and when we leave to go for drinks

This was the person whom I spotted a couple of times outside the empty RT pondok near my previous home at 2am-3am while I was coming home from outings whenever I never answered his calls throughout the night - whether I was with my hubby, family or siblings.

This was the person who could never hide the anger on his face whenever my husband visited me at the outlet where I salam, kissed my hubby's hand and he kissed my forehead. (Dafuq right?)

And finally, this was the person who narrowly escaped being picked up by thugs, hired by one of my uncles to simply finish him off.  I never knew about this until months later when someone in my family accidentally mentioned it to me - which I was thoroughly shaken to hear.

So you see? I have legit reasons to be creeped out by this monster.

In 2002, I told him that he was a 'wanted' and 'hunted' man by certain members of my family. And that is how he disappeared.

And I was relieved and contented all those years. Until he resurfaced and messaged me on facebook in 2017.

And you know what makes my skin crawl whenever I think about him? Is that he had an extremely innocent face where no one would imagine the kinda things that went on in his head.

I've had my share of stalkers stalking me throughout my life. But this person, was by far, the worse among all those other devils!











Keep An Eye On Your Kids

This podcast was produced and presented by my darling girl which aired live yesterday under the Daily Digest segment entitled : Is You Tube Kids Really Safe?

Presenting with her, was also Tee Shiao Eek and Tina Carmilia.

It's fairly disturbing to know what's out there and how our kids or toddlers can be accidentally exposed to these filth. A wolf in a sheep's clothing perhaps?

https://www.bfm.my/dd-youtube-kids-really-safe

Good job Kells, for hitting on such an important topic!

Why I Left Facebook

Ola babes!

For the past 2 years I've received countless of messages from my FB playmates.

I guess it's time I explained myself why I'm absent from FB (for many reasons) and why I'm still present on Messenger on off (for ONE reason).

Yes, you can still find my profile, and it's only there because of Messenger. For now.

Let's start with the Facebook part first.

It was in 2008 I think, when I first joined FB. And it was to try and locate 3 of my long lost girlfriends I met when I was 12 years old. I only knew them for that one year but we became really good friends in that year alone, and then lost contacts after we split up when we went to different high schools. And happy to note that within 3 hours of me opening up an FB acc, the 4 of us were reunited again, which was goals! It's a good thing I did it when I did it because I later learned from the 3 gals, that they were trying to find me all those years and were in the midst of putting up big advertising signs with my name on it on local newspapers to bring me to them, omg haha.

Anyway yes, that was the only reason I initially had an FB. And it was enjoyable for a couple of years until the friend list grew more and more, although I was particular on keeping that list to below 100. Then I not only had my own friends and relatives, you have friends of the kids adding you, friends of relatives, friends of husband, and then friends of friends, gosh! Kinda annoying, you know what I mean? I eventually had more strangers than people I actually knew. Ok lah, at first. But as time flew by, some of them - strangers AND even people I knew became a tad too demanding on facebook.

For starters, there were these bunch of girls/women who got extremely upset when I didn't comment or like their posts. You have no idea how many private messages I received ever so often, asking me if I'm angry with them, of if they wrote something wrong, just because I failed to 'like' or 'comment' on their daily posts or whatever crap they wrote! Can you believe that, seriously? Some of these females are not 20 year olds. They're actually married with kids and they get over dramatic on a stupid social media platform! Like, get a friggin hold of yourself and do something else in the real world for god sake!

Let me explain myself first yea. Me on FB was very much like this: I'd post something, browse through for about 5 minutes, then get off it. I can't  be bothered to scroll forever and read, like or comment every damn thing there. You know why? I've got tons of things to do in the real world. It's called 'living'. 

Oh yea and when some of them commented, it's never just that ONE comment. Make the mistake of giving a courtesy reply to their complimentary comment, and it goes back and forth, back and forth forever. They never stop. They actually expect a whole conversation to take place right there on the thread. I swear I don't have time for that. I post stuff because there are people who GENUINELY like what I write or pictures of my cooking that I share and they've even told me that they always look forward to seeing the stuff I put up each day.

Next, are the groups of attention seekers and emotional wreck. These are normally the younger ones. Fight with boyfriends, post on FB. Fight with parents, post on FB. Fight with teachers, post on FB. Dog pee on their shoes, post. Constipated? Post. And then they'll gloat over how they suffer from depression, anxiety and stress thoughts all day long, all year round. These were the things that totally put me on depression mode, to be honest. Let's admit it, most, if not all of us, grab our phones and check out FB first thing in the mornings, right? And imagine seeing all these gloomy, melancholy and glum negativities the minute you open your eyes? It does my head in, you know? It's not that I'm cold hearted for being insensitive towards these people, but what good do you get from blasting all your misery on social media? Nada. Because if you genuinely have issues, the best thing was to speak to a trusted someone over it, or see a professional. By posting it publicly, you end up getting more negative comments or worse yet, when you get substandard advice from quacks that end up making the situation even more chronic.

Haih. Even writing this post is already stressing me out because it's more or less having to re-live those miserable times on facebook.

The 3rd types are the pretentious bunch of shenanigans. Those who'll post anything no matter how fake it is, just to show off.  I've personally watched how normal people turned and become slightly weirdish (is there such a word?) through facebook. They'll compete over their own peers to show who got better gifts, who ate at a better place, who's got a fatter wallet, etc. It's great to post the stuff you're proud of no doubt, but when it reeks of boasting and bragging, I'm clueless. Why the competition, or need to show off, is beyond my imagination. I feel their unhappiness and to a degree, their bitterness as well.

The 4th and final reason which led me to leave Facebook for good, is the return of the stalker. He was a foreigner, and a student at the IIU of Malaysia and used to work for me part time at my previous business. After a few months, at what I first perceived to be a decent, intelligent and trustworthy young guy, he developed a strange and over-obsessiveness towards me. I will talk about this nutjob on the next post, ok?

I can't for the life of me figure out how or why, but he found me. On Facebook.

Those are the reasons why I'm no longer on FB. And I'll admit, that I'm a much more happier person today without the dramas of FB. In fact, besides successfully locating my lost girlfriends, there's only ONE other positivity from Facebook - and I'll certainly write about that too on a follow up post.

The reason I can't delete my Facebook account is because of Messenger. Which brings us to the one and only reason why I still need that.

It's because I have my entire family chat group on Messenger and it's very active. It's our platform where we exchange family news, family infos and everything else almost daily.

I would gladly move that to a Watsapp Chat Group instead, but the problem is that some of the older Aunts and Uncles who are staying away from Malaysia do not know how to install the app on their phones. Maklumlah, senior citizens, right? Therefore, when they do get to Malaysia, it will be set up in their phones and walla, then I can gladly divorce Messenger and Facebook.

So yes, to all of you were wondering all these while, that's my explanation in detail. Try not to get offended if you are one of those who've played a part in me exiting FB for the reasons I stated, but do change yourselves to be better and more original. Life is so much better when you think positive, be positive and just dwell in positivity.

However, I do miss the others. But I had a choice of either to "Keep Facebook and Wreck The friendship, or Dismiss Facebook and Save The Friendship". '

Obviously, I chose the latter.

Adios!





Weird Thought

Actually, it's more a scary thought than a weird one.

Few days back, I was watching a movie with Hamed on netflix, when all of a sudden, an image of a certain person came to mind. And ironically, the way I got to know this person, was the same way as was portrayed in the movie.

Imagine this clip: You met a stranger through a mutual acquaintance. You became friends. You spent a lot of time hanging out alone together - and technically, this is someone you only met through another mate.

Worse case scenario? While you were alone, anything could've happened. You could've been slaughtered, stabbed or murdered. Because at the end of the day, apart from hanging out many times together and basically only having a rough idea where they're from, you know absolutely nothing else about this person. More so if you've never been introduced to any of their friends nor family. And that ain't a good sign at all. Because it can only mean 2 things: Either that person can't be trusted, or they don't trust you.

Scary right?

Just to clarify, in my case, I'm not saying that the person I encountered with was bad. In fact, this pal was nice and there was a certain degree of kindness towards me. It's just that there was never a healthy amount of trust between us as friends. That's all.

Anyway halfway through the movie, I cringed at the similarities and the familiarness of the events. I didn't watch the end, and didn't want to know how it ended either.

Also, watching that movie made me realise how much more I appreciate Hamed.

No, Hamed and I didn't meet through another friend and nope, he's definitely not the person I'm referring to above. But we did meet in a fairly unusual way, I'll admit that. And yes, at that point, he was indeed a stranger. A foreign stranger at that. But throughout these 8+ years of our friendship, I've come to a point where other than my husband and kids, I trust him and my other best mate Ariff the most in my life. His mother and children are incredible people who never fail to meet up with me whenever they come over to Msia from Alex, so yeah, we are very well acquainted with each other.

Oh yes, and a couple of years after we met, he even moved closer to my area just to be around in case I ever needed his help - which I have, many times!

Back to the story, I couldn't watch till the end because it gave me the chills. And my advice to you guys out there regardless of how old you are, male or female, just be careful who you meet or choose to become close to. Most times, the ones that seem to be the perfect 'stranger', are the exact type you gotta be careful of. Unless they're still that way after 8+ years ;)

So anyway, as I shut off the movie this is what Hamed said:

"Now you know why I always have a problem when you trust so and so?"

Yes, Papi, yes.

And later, we cooked up some Singaporean noodles with a touch of Malaysia for makan malam.

The taste? 8/10.






Chapter 1

It all began with this scrumptious, delicious, tasty slice of cake. And for my own record, I'll call it Chapter 1.

Have an unforgettable weekend my darlings!



My Love

When I first met my husband, it was the year that my parents were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. And here we are today, celebrating OUR 25 years of marriage. I can't imagine how swiftly time has flown by.

Traditionally, my husband and I always go out for a romantic dinner. But this year, since our anniversary was on Chinese New Year's Eve, our children organised a lovely dinner with the family at Jibby's. I loved every single minute of it, especially that beautiful cake which was specially ordered and we were genuinely surprised when it was presented towards the end of dinner. Such a beauty with fresh orchids. As for the colour hues of the cake - I can only say my kids know my taste too well.

Was a wonderful day indeed! Hubby was at home with me in the morning and after they left for work, we went shopping, followed by lunch and then rushed home to tune in to my daughter's going 'live' on air for a talk show and wrapped it up with a lovely afternoon nap that was sweetly complemented by the pouring of sexy rain.

How perfect is that?

And I can honestly say that the love I have for my husband is so much more than how I loved him 25 years ago.





Sandra Starts School

Hey all!

So the time has finally come for this sweet little cutie to start going to play school. Unlike the other kids, she started school a week later as soon as she got home from her Christmas holidays in Spain which was spent with her Daddy.

She's turning 4 this March, and but the way she speaks, you'll think she's at least 6 years old. Such a smart little girl. Her vocabs are excellent indeed!

While we were all slightly worried about her adapting to school life with strangers, she surprisingly enjoyed it. Aah, what a relief.

She gets prettier as she gets older. Her big round eyes, fluffy hair and ruby red lips gets her loads of admiring glances from other parents whenever she goes out. Even in Spain too, apparently.

Well, isn't she a picture of beauty!


Mini Me & I

I love both my children equally and as most mothers, would totally give up my life for them. And thankfully, both of them are share a very deep and close bond with both, my husband and I.

But my relationship with my daughter is unique. While most girls out there are 'daddy's girls', my little Kelly is clearly a 'mommy's girl'.

We spend a lot of time together when she's not producing shows and when I'm not busy doing something or the other. Those are somewhat rare moments that we treasure, and that's why whenever the opportunity comes up, we grab it. And there are many ways we spend those moments.

One of those, is binge watching our favourite sitcom, Modern Family while having our meals. We literally started off on season 1 and watched nonstop each time we had the chance to do so, till we reached season 10's current episode. And then guess what? We started watching season 1 all over again. Somehow this show resonates  with us and we love these moments, it's almost sacred ha.

Another thing we love doing is just lazying around on the carpet and talking about our goals, dreams and plans. I've always encouraged my kids to never be afraid to set goals, dream about it and then go and achieve it. And so far, they've been doing just that. So yea, these moments of vegging out on the carpet are truly magical.

Another thing we enjoy doing together at home is having our tea. I'm a tea person and so is she. And that's why we've got a whole range of teas on the kitchen shelf. I'm a tea-leaf kinda person and I don't really go for tea-bags. I miss those times prior to her starting on her current job when she was on a few months break, where we used to slip into our pyjamas in the afternoons (especially on rainy afternoons) and sip our teas while cozying up to a movie together. We still get to do this on weekends though. As for the pool picture, that's our favourite hangout place at home to enjoy our brew.

She calls my Mom twice a day every day to remind her to take her heart medications. That's exactly what I used to do to my own grandmother - call her twice a day for the same purpose.

It's such a treat actually that my daughter is all grown up because we're able to share so many similar interests. We share our make-ups, talk about fashion, have many twinsie clothings, we have the same shoe size and for me, it's like having a very young 'best friend'. Although we have different views on certain other things, but most of the time, we're on the same page.

This July, she'll be turning 24 years. I can't believe that the little girl I used to carry around is almost in her mid 20s. Makes me feel extremely ancient, you know? I love you forever, my Kelly girl.