Ribbit year till now

I haven't been keeping myself too busy this year as I'm trying to keep myself stress free if possible. The only thing I have been doing more this year is reading a lot more books which I haven't been keeping up with the past few years. This year will be a memorable year for me and hubby as we are going to have a baby thus the stress free life if possible.

Really excited about the baby coming into our life and at the same time a little worry about it as well. I believe we are both prepare to welcome a little one into our lives already, probably just the first timer phobia since I'm not 100% sure we are able to cope with it. Everyone I have been talking to keep telling me that things will be ok and we will learn as we go along. I'm trying to stay positive.

I'm already at 23 weeks as of today, belly is getting bigger and rounder as well. As usual the first question I will be getting from people who know that I'm having a baby is whether the baby is a boy or girl. My baby is still playing hide and seek with me thus I haven't find out yet. All I really wish for is for a healthy and happy baby. Boy or girl does not really matter to me in fact.
So far (touch wood) everything has been going on smoothly for me, no morning sickness for me at all. When most pregnant women are busy with their morning sickness I have been busy eating. I always know that I'm a big eater, nonetheless I never realize that I can have even bigger appetite. I was always hungry in the first trimester, need to fill up every couple hours to make sure that I didn't faint in the middle of the day. My belly didn't show until around 16 weeks when people start congratulating me without me sharing the good news.

This year seems like a good year for having baby, so many friends and co-workers around me are going to welcome new baby into their lives as well. I hope all babies will be healthy.

Continuing On

I haven't been back to this space for over 2 years now. Thinking about it, I'm not sure whether I should continue or not as we always have excuses in our back pocket when we are lazy to do something. However I figure, lately my memory is getting worst, so probably it would be a good thing to start writing down bits and pieces of what happens in my life so that couple years down the road I can look back and find out what I do during a specific time and day of my life even if it is not a constant update.

So, I will continue on from here...

Caution Roadblock Ahead

Recently, my department is undergoing a re-org since we have a new VP. At this point I still don't know who I will be reporting to going forward, at least we are assured of there is not going to be any WFR for now. With all projects, deadlines and people projects, it feels so stressful all the time. In addition to that now I have the re-org to think about.

Don't get me wrong, yes I'm thankful that I still have to get up every morning to go to work considering the current economic situation out there. Not for one second I'm not thankful. However I'm feeling that I'm at my life roadblock right now as well trying to figure out what to do with my life going forward because it seems to be pathetic right now as the conversation (one that I had with a co-worker I have know for a long time) below depicts it.

co-worker: how much PTO do you have now?
me: 100 i think
co-worker: that's good. save it for september......
me: why september
i might go crazy before then though
since it is still 4 months away
co-worker: ya ya. you said that before
you're gonna be here for 9 years
just like my bitching
me: next month it will be 9 years
co-worker: bitch bitch bitch.......still stays here......
me: hehe
at least i have moved a dept
co-worker: now it's worse cause we have mortgage
that's true. i'm still doing the same freaking job
how depressing

Need something new, something fresh to prevent my mind from rotting away. Any suggestions?

Spring brings good news, happy news ...

... got woke up by a phone call on Saturday morning, granted that it was already time to get up since it was 10.30 a.m. already :P however I was so grumpy because the first thought that came to my mind was that people from work was calling me again.

My grumpy hello wasn't greeted too well by the person on the other side of the phone, my big sister. As always, the first word that blurted out from her was, 'What time is it already, and you are still in bed?' and on it goes. Oops.. I shouldn't had been that grumpy and asked for a lesson early in the morning.

Next thing you know, she became bubbly and told me that I'm going to be an 'Ah Yi' again. I paused for a minute or two and my mind just didn't catch what she was trying to tell me. So, she repeated herself. Ah... then it clicked, she is having a baby. Indeed it was a good morning, a true blessing since she has been hoping for a baby for years already. It somehow remind me never to give up hope in anything that you do even if the chance is so slim that it will ever happens.

Not sure whether it is going to be a boy or girl right now, all I know is that we will be welcoming the baby sometime in December. My heart is so happy just blogging about this.

Rising Sales Tax coming April 1st.

I have been hearing about the issue of raising sales tax in California however I didn't realize that the law was passed already until today and will be effective until either mid-year 2011 or mid-year 2012 depending on the outcome of a vote that is going to happens around May 19th this year. I always wonder where does all those taxes money that we pay every year goes to, especially when California is one of the higher tax state around the country.

With all the economic issues that we are having right now, it is as if there is not enough effect on our daily life, now we have to add on this 1% hike in sales tax. 1% doesn't seem that much however it is over 10% hike from previous sales tax rate.

Now it is time to think of more ways to make an extra buck to cover the 1% sales tax that need to be pay everytime I visit the checkout counter at every store. We just can't catch a break these days.

Go Green, Earth Hour, did you do your part?

Everyone is talking about the campaign 'Go Green' these days. Around my company I can see posters up on the board advertising everyone to go green. One of the first action is that everyone is given a mug to use in office which I really like since this reduce usage of plastic cup. However I'm not sure why some people still continue using those plastic cup, for some reason even when it is such a small effort they don't to even give it a try.

Tonight, for an hour @ 8.30 p.m. everyone around the world is suppose to have a light out as a symbolic gesture highlighting rising concerns over climate changes.
Not that I think it is might help much if we are just doing it for one day, I still believe that every little effort adds up. So, instead of participating in just the Earth Hour, maybe we should incorporate it into our daily life.

After all, we would still want our future generations to enjoy what we have today. Wouldn't you?

Season comes season goes ...

... way of life, you would say. Without me realizing it I have been capturing moments of the season this year, which I also enjoy along the way. Here are the 3 seasons in a year that I like best.


The changing of color around us to display glorious colors that changes the mood from day to day. My prefer season if we can have it all year round just because it is such a beautiful painting. Of course it will be an added bonus as well if it is sunny during this time of the year, makes the color more bold and standout.


Then all the colorful color turn brown and with time the shedding of leaves happens until all of it is gone before it conserves energy to produce new bubs next fall. With the exception of those that needs to keep it to help it goes through winter freezing. Tis is the season to gather and enjoy the companion of your love ones to warm up your tired body and soul after a long year and also the energize for the next year to come.


Then we welcome the new life of the year with blossoming flowers and growing new bubs on the trees. This season around we are surrounded by all different colors that you have in your crayon box and the fragrance smell of new life. A time to spend if you have, sipping coffee in your backyard under the sunny sky.

What will be the next season like? It is yet to be capture and I will tell you more when it is ready. All I need now is a new patio set for my backyard so I can enjoy the blossoming jasmine.

Only For You

Normally, we always see bride-to-be making their own hand bouquet for the special day. Would it make it more special if you get a hand bouquet made by your husband-to-be? Recently, a friend and husband-to-be made this hand bouquet for his bride-to-be. It is so touching that a guy would actually take time to come up with something from the heart.



Action always speak louder than words. Doesn't it just make you envious of the bride-to-be?

Have you cast your vote?

For the past couple days, I have been asked this question over and over again by different people.

Co-workers or friends : "who do you vote for?"
Me : "I can't vote yet."

I have been here for over a decade now and been through 2 previous Election Days and this will be my third. Today is the most anticipated Election Day in the US, a much talked about event. Either way, today Nov 4th 2008, it will be a historical event for the US be it the first African American President or the oldest first-term + female Vice President.

Who would I really vote for if I have the rights to vote? With everything that is going on with the economy, I probably would cast my vote for Obama I think. No matter who becomes the next President, I just hope that economy wise we would be in a better shape and middle class people will get the much needed break from the government. Everyone wants a piece of the American Dream however, it seems like that as days go by it becomes even harder to reach.

Reflection

Recently there are many things that goes on at work.

Some of them pleasant and some of them really unpleasant. It is true that with more responsibility, there will be more stress added as well.

There are times when I really doubt whether it is still the right decision to stay put at my current job or it is time to move on. However with the current situation of the economy I probably should be thankful that I still have a job instead of feeling unsatisfy most of the time. Probably reflection is what I need right now. A quiet time just for myself.

Schedule Overloading .. what do you do?

I think almost everyone of us at one time or another faces this issue -- schedule overloading. What do you do if you have schedule overloading and you still cannot say no to your boss or your peer? Maybe it is easier to say no to your peer, what about your boss? Someone who will be giving you a review during merit increase every year, do you say no to that person?

I have been reading on the topic of 'Time Management' lately and I would like to share the quote below:

" Learn to say no to your peers and boss.
Explain your key responsibilities, point out how taking on an unrelated task will jeopardize your goals, and offer a reasonable alternative. "

It is always easier said than done. I consider myself in the category label saying 'Yes' all the time. I think I should learn how to approach each situation in a more mature way and really learn to say no and stop caring about whether I will be penalize during my yearly review.

Transiting in Taiwan

Currently in transit and waiting for my connnecting flight, couple more hours before I can touch down to home. With more time on hand this transit, I walked around the airport and found the very cute waiting room, with Hello Kitty chair. Here you go, the cute waiting hall.

Off I go...

In couple more hours I will be on my way back to Malaysia. So, most likely I won't be updating this site for the next 2 weeks unless I'm bore to death (very unlikely, don't envy me too much) or internet bugs are biting too much (more likely) that I will have to go online.

If not I will be back online in 2 weeks time. Enjoy your long weekend wherever you plan on going and remember to drive safely if you are going to be on the road. Happy Labor Day, all.

Biking Around San Francisco

One of the sight that you will see everyday around the stretch of SF bay is bikers zig-zagging in the bike around town bicycles, with the black pouch hanging in front of the bike and a route map on the handle bar. Ever such a familiar sight. Is biking around SF really the best way to see SF?

So, when my friend asked me whether I wanna join him on a bike ride around SF, I'm just too excited. A big part of it is because I wanna say 'Yes, I did it', next time someone ask me whether I have bike around SF or not.

A must have group picture

Thus, on Saturday, I bike to Sunnyvale downtown Caltrain station to meet up with the gang, we took train all the way to SF. I was so surprised by the fact that the train was full (with mouth wide open) on a Saturday. At every stop, the Caltrain lady keep yelling for people not to board the train, a little annoying however can't really blame her since she is just doing her job. Never thought that so many people are really opting for public transportation these days.

We reached SF around 11.36 a.m., since it's Saturday, the farmer's market is open so we headed there for lunch. From there on we bike along the Embacacedero stretch, stopping along the way. It was definitely a very crowded Saturday. We bike all the way to the bottom of Golden Gate bridge. At first we decided to go all the way to Sausalito however, we think too great of ourselves. Most of us are tired by the time we reached the bottom of Golden Gate bridge. What do you do when you are tired? What else other than food and a place to rest (smirk on face), to ease the growling stomach and numb legs. It was a long ride to dinner. We went to Crab House at Pier 39 for some seafood. Something I have been craving for lately and I was a satisfied camper after dinner. The 'Crab Chowder' is just awesome, remember to try it next time you are there.

After dinner is time to go home. I reached home close to 10.30 p.m. What a day!!! The first time ever I bike for such a long period of time, the last time I remember biking for a long time (not even longer than this time) was at Anchorage, Alaska. I hit a new record this time. Today with my sore butt, I faintly remember I sweared after the Alaska bike ride not to do it again and somehow I forgot about it. Now back to the question, is that really the best way to see SF? Would I recommend it? Hmmm... other than a sore butt, I guess I would recommend it. It was a fun trip and I also get to exercise. If you know how to bike, try it out.

08082008 -- One World One Dream

This is a date that every Chinese should be very proud of since it is the first time China ever host the Olympic Games, a moment in history, something to tell for many more generations to come.

I was fortunate enough that this time during my one day stop over in Hong Kong, there was an opening ceremony of some sort for the Olympic Games. They have the 'Fuwa' mascots for people to take picture with them. I will post some later after I sort out those photos. Save me a trip to China although I think the ambiance in China would be something not to be miss as well.

As we all know, the number '8' is an auspicious number for Chinese and I had a funny episode at work today because of today's date. A co-worker of mine came by and asked me whether I am getting married today or not since he said today is 08082008 and being that I'm a Chinese. With that the rumor started to spread around office that I am be getting married today. Every now and then another co-worker would walked up and asked me whether I'm truly getting married today, some would even say it's something to toast for. Ah... it's so embarrassing. I guess being the only single person in a team with all married people, I'm kinda asking for it :P, all those non-stop teasing.

There you go, I had a memorable 08082008 as well.

Can you do without it?

For the past week I have been on spending spree which makes me kinda worry. To add to all that, when you are spending with a plastic card it is easy to lose track on how much you are charging. I'm really concerns how big will my credit balance be at the end of month. Small things can add up to be a huge bill as well especially we are talking about so many small things for a home. With all those spending, we have not even look into the list of expensive items that we have to buy yet. It's not as easy to be a homeowner after all.

There is an article today on CNN title "They cut out their credit cards". In today's world I guess almost everyone carry one if not multiple plastic cards, since it is just such a convenient as oppose to the alternative of carrying cash. Can we do without it? I for one cannot do without it. However, I try to stay within my mean so that I will be able to pay off the amount at the end of each month to not carry any credit debt. A little discipline is all we need.

Unpacking, how long does it take?

Since we did not finish cleaning up the whole house before we moved in, we decided to have everything unloaded into the garage when we moved except for those big furnitures.
4 days had elapsed and we have only unpack less than 5 boxes. I have been avoiding the garage so I don't have to look at the mountain of boxes.

Unpacking is always taking me a long time and at this rate, I think it will probably takes me months to finish unpacking :) This reminded me why I hate moving to new place. The horror of unpacking. Yuck.

Chance for a spring cleaning

Tomorrow we will be moving in to our new house, I'm so excited. After being here for over 8 years, no matter how hard I try to refrain myself from buying unnecessary things, I still have quite a bit of stuffs that I accumulate over the years. This is actually a good chance for me to do a spring cleaning of all our mess especially those couple boxes I brought with my from Iowa that is still yet to unpack since they arrived here so many many years ago. Tee hee hee...

No panic attack, however I told myself to start packing couple days earlier and I end up procrastinating until couple hours ago. I got couple boxes packed already. Time to get my butt moving and yet I'm still glue to the computer right now. I know I'm terrible.

I think I'm quite an efficient person when it comes to packing although I might not be the organize one, you know in the sense of grouping things properly. Just as long as no one touch those boxes after it is all pack up, I can find anything I want despite the poor labeling. Maybe I learned this talent from my mom. When we were young, my siblings and I always like to ask mom where things are because we know that is the most efficient way to find things.

Time to get moving, so I don't have end up staying past midnight to pack. Wish me luck.

Feeling broke or really broke?

There are so many memorable day during cycle of a home buying. Well, let me tell you not all of them good memories though as the title might have given you a hint. Today it is memorable because after living on this planet for almost 30 years, I have never spend so much many buying a single item. It made me feel so broke and a little moody. I should be happy and excited however, when I see the receipt it is actually tough to stay excited.

I'm not sure whether I just feel broke or that I'm really broke. If it is according to the definition below, maybe I'm not broke since I still have money to spend. Makes me wonder how long will it takes for me to go past this phase of feeling broke.

Definition:
1. having no money: without any money to spend
2. bankrupt: totally bankrupt

Many people say that I should look on the positive side of things. Need to train my mind to get use to spending this much of money on an item since this is only the beginning and I will have many more transactions that would require me to part with such a large sum of money to get to the stage where I want to be when I retire. Think positive, stay positive.

To Do List

Cramming everything into 2 weeks is really not a good idea. If I can turn back time, I would definitely ask for more time. For anyone out there who are looking to buy a house, make sure you allows yourself at least 3 weeks to close escrow.

Here is what I need to do in short 2 weeks:
1) Paperwork for my loan
2) Trimming of plants for fumigation process
3) Get the money ready
4) Meet up with agent to complete all the paperwork
5) House inspection
6) Paperwork to vacating the apartment
7) Taking care of utilities at old and new place
8) Find a truck for moving
9) Clean the house before moving in

It does not seem to be too many however, if you need to work as well then it is hectic juggling time.

It would be nice to do some research in advance and also planning ahead of time to save some money and time as well. I learned so many things through this process. There are still more things to learn and next time I think I would be more prepare to handle it.