Grubbs n Critters

December 31, 2012

Hello another year!

Another year is about to bustle to a close in a matter of hours, and another year added on to our years living in Bangkok.

The end of the world prediction day came and went, and we all lived to see another day. Still, 2012 has been nothing short of being another eventful year – from spending the entire half a year being uncomfortably pregnant once again, to experiencing motherhood for the second time, to experiencing violent rejection from my first-born, to facing some serious challenges at work, to maintaining some sanity of being a working mother and rolling it with #2, to Spud going to some play school, to experiencing life with a reflux baby and all the everything-else-in-between.

It is also a year of many, many bouts of colds for the family; annoying colds that keep coming back and never actually go away. It is a year of troughs in highs and lows of being a working mother of two little kids. It is a year of pride and prejudices, of dejection and triumphs, of (mis)givings and contentment, and most important of all, of learning and unlearning.

My kids continue to remind me of how everything around us contains magic, and that we are perpetually surrounded by the mystery and wonder in life. My daughter taught me patience that I thought I never had and my son reminds me that there’s always something to smile about every day. My husband remains my pillar of strength in my darkest hours and together, we are still trying to make sense of things – and how we could have make sacrifices and given up so much of us and still be happier for it. My cats provides me their unconditional love when it suits them.

2012 has been quite a journey, and we’ll continue to contemplate our mysterious and exciting journey into 2013 – come what may.

To those who have been following my blog – stalkers and all, I really do hope you have thoroughly enjoyed reading my ramblings as I have enjoyed writing them. Thank you once again for coming back to this site over and over again. May we continue to learn and unlearn and to remember that whatever we do, we must never, ever stop learning.

We’ll probably be fast asleep before midnight, but here’s us in Bangkok wishing you a fabulous 2013 with a promise of many more of my ramblings to come.

Happy New Year, world!

Saying thank you

Category: Random

When I saw this article on thank you being the hardest word, I am being reminded once again how easy it is for people to forget to say such simple words to show some appreciation. The one thing that jumped up to me is in the last bit of the article – “thank yous have to be sincere”

I am, for one, a big believer of not only in the power of saying thank you sincerely, but saying it in the form of a thank-you note – be it in an email, a thank you card or even simple hand-written note on a post-it. I know how a sincere and heart-felt “thank you” being said to me can make me feel. As such, I don’t doubt for one second what those words can do when I say it as I really meant it to the people I work with, especially so to my subordinates.

“Thank you” can indeed be the hardest words, but I reckon, if you say it often enough (and as sincere), it comes as second nature to you.

So if you have forgotten to say your thank yous, it never is too late to start.

"Us" Day

Category: Being Parents

Every once in a while Silver Bullet and I always make it a point to have an “us” day. It usually is a random day within the week in which both of us would be taking a day off work just to do whatever without the kids.

Usually dressed in our most comfy attire of the day, we’ll make it out of the house at our usual time when we leave for work and leaving the kids with the Nanny. We take the day easy – starting with a nice little breakfast and followed by with no concrete plans at all. Sometimes we walk around and window shop aimlessly, then go for a much needed foot massage, or sometimes, perhaps catch a movie.

Last we had our “us” day, we started the day with a hearty breakfast, followed by a little last minute Christmas shopping (we were half an hour too early, and we had to wait outside as the mall was still closed!), caught The Hobbit at the theater (awesome movie! I remember the book being a lot better to read!), and then grabbing a cup of coffee at our favourite coffee joint.

We ended the day by doing a little grocery shopping before heading home to tuck the kids to bed.

While seeing any parents with little kids on our “us” day would trigger thoughts of our own children, somehow it was not enough to make us miss our kids right at that moment. It sounds absurd, but it is days like these that recharge us – as a couple as well as a parent.

An “us” day for us is as important as having that first meal of the day to keep us going. We are, after all, responsible adults, but we can’t deny ourselves the right to sometimes just dedicate the day just to ourselves to keep our sanity.