He twists and he arches

but his left leg got stuck

He kicks and he wriggles

then his right arm got stuck

I held his little leg firmly and led him the way

I tugged his little arm gently and showed him the way

He tries again with a sparkle in his eyes

He struggles again with a twinkle in his eyes

I know

It was fun

Then a few more kicks and a few more push

And just like that

He DID IT

He squeals with delight and flashes his biggest grin

It was so spontaneous and I bet he doesn’t even know what he just did

He FLIPPED

He was 18 weeks and 1 day old

It’s easy to neglect this space

when life is as hectic as now

And the more I neglect

the harder it is to return

It’s like losing the momentum

It’s like becoming foreign

It’s like tipping the balance

a balance I consciously hold

But days passed and weeks passed

And there were more that were left out along the way

And I do miss this space

a place where I could connect, retreat, record and reflect

yet,  I have to relinquish

If, and only if,

I could bear to peel myself off them

And for the past one week
I was heartened by the sincerity of the people around me
and touched by friends who have showed their support

Friends whom I have not met for decades
Friends from the  blogosphere
whom I only know through their blogs

I talked to them for the first time
I met them in person for the first time

I even met up a mummy who bought baby slings from me eons ago
She was the first mummy blogger I knew
Her blog about her little boy was the first mummy blog I read
Her blog inspired me
and got me started writing 4 years ago

And then there were people whom are total strangers
who came forward to contribute
unconditionally, unsuspiciously and totally giving

It has only been slightly more than a week
and I know that
even if we fail to raise the targeted amount
even if we end up paying from our own pockets
It is okay
for we’ve already gained so much

For
Life’s biggest regret
is perhaps not about failing
but rather
it’s about not trying

At least we tried

And we have already passed our initial target amount of SGD 500

Thank You

Note : the list of toys that are on sales can be found at Toys for Happy Feet

It is not a rich man’s life with abundant wealth that I strive

Neither is it a poor man’s hunger for a lavish life that I crave

Nor a poor man’s ignorance that bound him to a simple life that I envy

It is the wisdom behind a rich man’s choice of a poor man’s life that I seek

and this wraps up Inspiration from the Alps

For a long time now
the boy wears a tail
It started off when he was little
when life began in the USA

Boys wearing tails
Not quite an acceptable norm
especially for the elderly in the family

Home is a temperate place
the tail helps to warm the neck
these lame words help to fend and shield

The fact is
home is where the cacti flourished
at northeastern reaches of the Sonaran Desert

So for many years the tail remains
And a special attachment blossom
between mama and the tail

Then one day
the little boy murmured
‘Mama I want to cut my tail’

A request so plain and simple
All it took was a snip from the shears

Off goes the few inches
Off goes the tail
Off goes mama’s unrequited love

And all that remains
is mama’s tale behind tails

Note : I just gave Malcolm a new haircut a week ago and as requested by him, I snipped off his tail.

Another day has ended
Malcolm is curled up on the bed
nicely tucked under the blanket
He had specially requested for that place
right next to me
before Daddy left for his working trip

It is hard to turn him down
especially since then
each night he would jump on the bed
and squeal with delight
‘I am so happy to sleep with you’

It is a request
we know we shouldn’t concede
but yet we did
We know we shall soon pay the price
but for now
I must confess
he does help to warm the bed

It is the time of the year
where the sun doesn’t get to rest
till the clock strikes 10
a sign that summer is nearing
a season that is only here
because of him

As darkness sets in
The patch of gray
that has been threatening the sky
finally gives in

The enormous pressure
causes a downpour
that sets the winds howling
adding a tinge of loneliness to the night

As I sit here
listening to the pitter patter
the occassional stirring of Malcolm through the sheets
I thought I felt the little bulge moved
or maybe not

Perhaps I was imagining
yet one thing I am sure

We are waiting patiently
looking forward
to the return of our missing piece

Illustration from Shel Silverstein’s The Missing Piece

Happiness is kicking balls

running with arms open

wind in your face

Happiness is having a friend

holding hands

playing catch

Happiness is different types of chocolate

double scoops ice cream

tasting the rain

Happiness is 4 different types of flowers

catching a lady bug

setting him free

Happiness is showertime

soaping and scrubbing

bombing bottles

Happiness is being alone

playing LEGO

flying ace

in WWII

Happiness is waking up

snuggling up

playing you are my hotdog

I am your bun

Happiness is staying home

lunch with Mummy

and dinner with all

chatting yakking blabbering on

Happiness is morning and evening

Daytime and nighttime too

For happiness is anyone and anything at all

That let you be you

And I love the morning sun

the morning scent that is uniquely hers

perhaps from the morning dew

or perhaps from the waking greens

bearing freshness after a long night rest

rejuvenating, refreshing

liberating, tranquilizing

spreading glory

high above ground

over a blanket of frosty white

Click here for more Inspiration from the Alps

Will a painter paint when nobody appreciates ?
Will a dancer dance when she never stands on center stage ?
Will a player play when he is only good for reserve bench ?
Will a writer write when nobody reads ?

praise
recognition
fame
status
gains

these are the obvious that will spur one on
rob the memory of how it once began
a humble start from pure simple joy

Lures and temptations
Desire and wants
Tough to resist
Hard to stay true

but a truly passionate
will eventually come through

To the painter who paints without an admirer
To the dancer who never takes on center stage
To the player who never plays in the field
To the writer who writes without an audience

To the one who stays true
I salute
I thank You
I learn

An ingenious creation
born in a Harvard dorm
promised many wannabes
whom are as brainy as him
made possible by worldwide zealous fans
just like you and me

Like many
I was drawn
yet like many that came before
I lament and nick pick on its flaw

A basket of friends
whom I poke and buy drinks for
send a flower and write on walls
even rear a dream pet
I never had before

All these at my desk
All at my fingertips

a frivolous way to connect
the lamest way to care
egos fed
in an inane way

Then came this
a wake up call

To redeem myself
from this inanity
this superficiality
this vacuity meaninglessness

I renounced

Note : Thanks Regina for the link.

I have never been the athletic sort

though many may have the impression so

perhaps due to my somewhat defined calves

which I inherited from my maternal ancestry

to some they are real assets

but I have yet learned to appreciate

Perhaps it was due to my weaker physique

I was never like my 2 little sis

who bagged home medals every year

almost effortlessly I would say

It was not hard for me to conclude

that the ability to excel in sports

is somewhat like my deceiving calves

inherited and genetically so

Somewhere during my working life

I found jogging

and jogging found me

it has since became a roller coaster ride

a love hate relationship that comes a long way

The motivation to jog started off as a vanity sort

flatter tummy, slimmer thighs and toner butt

was soon superceded by the energy boost that came with it

which inevitably made me  came back for more

During the onset of my 2nd trimester

I was diagnosed what once known as the rich man’s illness

somewhat unusual for someone as petite as me

almost all the preggies in my diet class

was doubled of me when it came to size

again it was  like my deceiving calves

inherited and genetically so

Frequent little meals, 6 times a day ?

sounds impossible for a hungry cow

I need frequent meals 6 times a day

not little but BIG

how else can I eat and keep those numbers down

but to turn to jogging once again

Soon later I became a mum

I realized I needed my stamina even more

to cook, to clean and to wash

and to catch up with my little bunny’s bounce

The easiest, cheapest and quickest way

was 1/2 an hour 3 times a week

and jogging helped to cure my woes

Now that my bunny had grown up

In case you may think

after all these years

I must have turned pro

the fact is that

I am never close

Should I ?

Could I ?

Would I ?

There are 1001 reasons to say NO

but just 1 reason to say GO

and nullify the 1001 that came before

bring me to the land of exuberant goodness

that is free for all

A battle fought

A battle won

Till the next battle we’ll meet once more

Note : Believe in and Inspired by CNN Hero - Ann Mahlum’s Back On My Feet

If you do not know by now

My 4 year old is an aviation enthusiast

HE LOVES PLANES !

If you ever need to get him interested

TALK ABOUT PLANES !

His eyes light up

His ears perk up

Fighter, bomber, passenger, bi, tri

He will go ON and ON

Type, parts, engines and speed

He will blabber NON-STOP

These gravity defying machines

thrill him to no end

If you ever see a boy

doe-eyed, button nosed, dimple cheeked

And wears a tail

Clutching on to an aviation magazine

Not one from the children’s section

Perhaps not even in a language he knows

It may be him

It is funny but we can’t stop him

And the irony of it is

His love for planes didn’t start from his frequent visits to flying squadrons

Nor opportunities to see fighter planes booming above him

He hated their loud noise

Uncles clad in bulky suits

never impressed him

He probably never liked the weird looking green costumes

with zips that could jeopardize their family heirlooms

He was 2 1/2

a lovely friend

a dear auntie

a thoughtful gift

of 2 simple books

Airport and Big Book of Airplanes

was all it took

to fuel his love for flights

and set his dream air borne

Last year this time

This year this time

half way around the globe

We saw the fireworks

We relished the night skyline of Singapore

We soaked in the atmosphere

Ushering a brand new year with laughter and cheers

Thanks to modern technology

It may be another firework

It may be the same old view

and the same old people

but it is sharing these good old things

with these good old people

that makes this ordinary special day

extraordinary special.

Lady lady, what do you do ?

She is a wife, she is a mother

A domestic queen for the household

She scrubs, she washes

She cooks, she sews

like her predecessors eons ago

where home was where she was bound

for society defined her role

Child rearing was her task

and traditional homemaker was her role

equality between sexes was unknown

feminism was alien

Hundreds years from then

Qualifications no longer crippled her

Rights and opportunities lay bountiful ahead

thanks to many who fought before her

a battle to seek for justice

and the end of sexism

But to some a new battle has just begun

To seek re-affirmation

To re-find her role

To reap the rewards of the battle fought

Yet to others the reward to reap

is but the freedom of choice

Period.

the choice to seek her dream

the choice to live her being

the choice to reassume her predecessors’ role

Choices worthy of her heart and soul

Will there be love when there is no hate

Will you know friend when you have never met foe

Can you feel smart if no one is stupid

Can you appreciate sincerity when you have never seen hypocrisy

Will there be right when there is no wrong

Will you see light when you have never been in darkness

Can you define order when there is no chaos

Is there peace when there is no war

Will there be good when there is no evil

Ignorance may be the root of all evil

Yet one knowingly does evil

for free will may have its place in human nature

To err is human

Embrace and not isolate

Appreciate and not despise

For self righteousness, contemptuousness and superiority

is but, built upon others’ imperfection, insufficiency

or mere divergence

Seek within for greater truth

For that is where peace resides

Be gracious

Be kind