All through last winter and right till today, my Nirvana Unplugged CD has been getting heavy play in the car. There's something about the familiarity of the songs, the melancholic chords of the guitars, and the raw musicality within that keeps it going on repeat. One Sunday morning a couple of months ago, feeling frustrated with everyone at home, I ( Read more... )

Because who doesn't like a little nosey around someone else's bag, right?


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J and I are not doing anything exciting for New Year's Eve beyond chilling a bottle of champagne and wondering if the fog will lift enough so that we can see the fireworks at the lake. Oh, and hoping very hard Bao will sleep peacefully tonight because for some mysterious reason she has been waking in the middle of the night to scream inconsolably ( Read more... )

It has been almost two decades since I left high school, and whenever I tell other friends about my four years there they always end up laughing with a mix of disbelief and wonder. It's not surprising, because if you compare the rules, traditions and the actual school building itself using today's standards it would seem amazing that they let any ( Read more... )

A couple of weeks ago the kids went for their first photography session together. Well, The Bun did have newborn pictures taken when he was a baby but Bao didn't, and only because the photographer I wanted was on maternity leave. Anyway, a friend of my sister works as a kids' photographer and her business is called Stickylilfingers. This friend, ( Read more... )

Yesterday was the seventh day since my grandmother's passing, and the past week has been a difficult one. The whole family is drained and subdued, but I feel like our moods are on the upturn. I keep reminding myself that Mama lived a long and fulfilled life, and her death was a very peaceful one at home, and that although feelings of sadness are ( Read more... )

Early on Monday morning, my paternal grandmother, whom we call Mama, passed away in her sleep. She was eighty-five.

It's not really a shock to the family, because she had already been ill for some time. Her health had begun deteriorating in 2008 and thankfully, the family found a good helper and a way to manage her condition at home. In the last ( Read more... )

Today my family congregated at my grandmother's home for a small popiah party. It always makes her so happy to see lots of people gathered together and eating her food happily, so she really enjoys hosting these popiah parties which usually last from lunch till dinner and everyone just pops in and out depending on their schedule for the day. My ( Read more... )

Ten years ago on this date, J and I put rings on each others' fingers and signed a simple piece of paper that declared us legally married. I was twenty-five and he was twenty-eight. I wore a silvery white shift dress from Metro that I bought for $29, and some dusty old heels. I didn't carry a flower bouquet. I wore hardly any makeup - maybe some ( Read more... )

Better late than never: that end-of-year meme that I try to complete every year, if only for posterity ( Read more... )