Feeling hot, hot, hot!

And 2008 has strolled in, with the imminent 36 degree heat and rising temperatures.

I don't know if there really is much to celebrate in the new year, given that global warming has caused us to live with dangerously painful heat everyday. For the next few weeks, temperatures are predicted to hit the 40 degree mark more than once a week. It's going to be a scorching hot summer for me, and I'm not looking forward to it.

I doubt our littl' ones are looking forward to it too. We filled a clamshell (a plastic clamshell that's big enough for littl' kids to play in) with water and tried to get Kitt and Sam into it. Kitt is very adventurous, sporting enough to put her head underwater and blow bubbles out her nose. She needs no coaxing to go in - she follows Nike and just does it!

Sam, on the other hand, is ever so tentative and cautious about getting the slightest bit wet. She went around the clamshell, looking for a way to get to her prize without getting her paws wet. She patted the water gently and looked dubiously at me.

"Do I have to?" is what her liquid brown eyes said.

Many a time she walked away, only to come back after much persuasion. The only thing hubby and I wanted her to do was submerge one paw. ONE PAW! How hard could that be?

Well, after lots of urges and attempts, and me getting into the water, littl' Sammy put one paw in, grabbed her littl' treat and dashed into her kennel to hide away from the big bad people who were trying to get her wet.

Now how are we ever going to keep her cool?!?!!

Bye bye 2007...

Bring on 2008

2007 has been good to us. There have been many ups and downs but on the whole, I think it's been a great year. The highlight for this year was having my parents come down to visit us. My parents have not been in the greatest of health but they are getting better. Although it was a short trip, it was good to have my parents get the chance to finally spend time with us in our new home and with our littl' fur kids. That's the second high of the year - hubby and I adopted little 4-legged additions to the family. SAM (for Super Active Mutt) joined us in July and Kitt in September and the household has never been the same again. Not a day goes by when we don't find another thing destroyed. It is a great test of patience (not to mention a dent on the pocket) but I'm loving it just the same.

The other highs that we've enjoyed are the weddings that have happened this year. Hubby's sister and our close friend, Tam, got married this year and we were privileged enough to be invited to both. The weddings were beautiful and it was good to catch up with family and good friends. It also gave us an excuse to take some time off and enjoy being with each other. However, we didn't get the chance to attend our close friends Izso's and Jocelyn's wedding in KL - guys, we're sorry we couldn't be there but we offer you both our congratulations and I look forward to seeing photos. I'm sure your unions have been blessed with endless good wishes so let us add ours to the pile.

There have been other things that have brought me great joy - celebrating my dad's birthday and Chinese New Year with family, my health improving, my brother getting his own place, getting a free stay courtesy of the lovely Pugly and the road trip that came with that, winning an award at work, getting flown to Sydney and getting to have lunch with the CEO of the company, getting to send gifts to our special birthday girls, Jasmine and Amani who are growing up too quickly for the likes of your Aunty Moo, new additions for our close friends (must be the year for babies), all the littl' things that make being a couple special, spending time with close friends and catching up on things that have gone by, good books, good wine, good food...all the things that make me thank God that I have the health to enjoy this and a future to see even more good things happen.

Sadly, to appreciate the highs in this life, there must be accompanying lows. In the most tragic circumstances, we had 2 angels leave us this year. We pray that Nazri and Danny find hope once again and we pray that their lives may be blessed with new beginnings that bring joy a thousand times over. Not being as severe, I had the bad luck to change jobs into a position that I found I absolutely hated with a passion. For 8 painful months, each new day reminded me of the bad decision I made. I kept being told to persevere and just stick with it, it wasn't going to do my resume any good by moving. Luckily, Lady Luck smiled on me and my previous boss rang me up to offer me a position back in Fraud. I am back with my old team now and loving it.

Now before I end, let me just tell you what 2008 has to bring for us. I am looking forward to 3 weddings in 2008 - Mark and MaryAnn's, Andrew's and Fern's and my brother's with Shirley. We don't know if we will be in a position to attend all weddings given the timing and financial constraints but all I can say is that "It's about time!". But I will definitely be back in KL to celebrate my brother's union. Careerwise, hubby and I are looking to a more challenging year for us both. Hubby, with his new boss, and me, with my new role. Family-wise, we still think that it may be a bit premature for us to get a 'mousekateer' but who knows what God has planned for us. We can only pray that we are sufficiently equipped for the challenge and take things one day at a time.

With that, we wish you all the best for the new year. May the new year bring you new beginnings that you have wished for and the best of health so that you can enjoy these adventures. May you be surrounded with much love and happiness, and family and friends to make the journey worthwhile. You are always in our thoughts (even if you don't hear from me...) and we keep each one of you close to our hearts.

Happy 2008 all and God bless.

A song to end the new year with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PWfB4lurT4

D.I.F.K?

Double Income Fur Kids!

Hubby's colleagues call our puppies 'fur kids'. I thought that was a nicer way of saying 'child substitutes'. Granted, they may not be able to do the things little "mini me's" do...but some of the things they get up to are just like human kids!

For instance, Sam gets jealous when we play with Kitt. She tries to use her body to block Kitt from getting close to us. The both of them also can't seem to share toys. Sam's been growling at Kitt and snatching toys away from her. And Kitt's toy is always better than the toy Sam's playing with and vice versa.

Doesn't that sound just like how kids behave?

Someone said that this is good training for when we have kids. It's true! I think it's taught us a lot more patience. And it's added a responsibility that we will have for the rest of their blessed little lives. It's something that you learn to accept and work into your everyday life.

Sometimes after a long day at work, all you want to do is relax. But there's Sam to walk, both pups to train, crap to shovel, holes to fill, mouths to feed, pills to swallow, coats to comb, activity toys to prepare, pups to chase...and the list goes on.

I have renewed respect for all the parents out there. It's hard enough with 2 people caring for the 'kids', it would be so much more tiring being a single parent. And I wonder what it will be like when on top of that, we have our own kids.

Then 24 hours will definitely NOT be enough!!! Now, how do I make a duplicate of myself again?

K is for...

Kid?

Ooo...the pressure's mounting. More and more of you are convinced that we should have kids. Somehow, everyone believes that now is the right time for me to get pregnant. It seems that hubby and I are the only ones who are not sure if its the right time for me to get pregnant.

Over the weekend, we found out that my sister-in-law's sister-in-law-to-be (my sister-in-law is getting married in less than 2 weeks) is pregnant. And she's only 22 (I think???). That's just totally thrown me.

Anyway, with the pressure mounting with Sam and stuff, hubby and I had a long discussion. We debated, we talked, we looked at pros and cons. We thought about it long and hard. And finally, we came to a decision.

And so, 2 Sundays ago...we made it official.

What's official, I hear you say?

*drum roll please*

K is for Kitt.

Kitt is the new puppy we've adopted from the pet rescue. What does this have to do with getting pregnant? Well, this is the easiest way for us to add to the family without my having to suffer through childbirth. So will put up pictures of Kitt a bit later when we have good ones of our newest addition to the family.

In the meantime, stop talking about me getting pregnant. Coz' then we might think about getting yet another dog and I doubt I'd be able to handle 3.

Puppy & Parenting...

Sam & The Tooth Fairy

Sam lost a puppy tooth last nite. This was the first tooth that we had found and it was the first time I'd ever found a puppy tooth.

I was excited!

Hubby wanted to put this under her pillow. The littl' voice in my head said "Now, what would the tooth fairy give a puppy?"

Of course, before we could get to the tooth, Sam was chewing on it and playing with it. Sorta like how a kid plays with their tooth before it falls out (and then does God only knows what with it before putting it under their pillow).

I remember writing a letter to the Tooth Fairy when I lost my tooth (RM1 seemed like a lot of money back then!). Back then, when I was young and naive, how was I to know that the letter would end up in my mother's possession?

Oh how life flies by when you're not paying attention...

The following is courtesy of lil miss jaded which is a reminder to us all of growing up:

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult

I have decided i would like to accept the responsibilites of an 8-year old again

I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer day.

I want to still believe that someday my knight in shining armour will wisk me off my feet

I want to return to a time when life was simple.

When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes,

but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should

make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair.

That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible.

I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again.

I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news,

how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip,

illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams,

the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So...here's my checkbook and my car keys, my credit cards and all my responsibility.

I am officially resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, 'cause,

"Tag! You're it."