I cannot help but feel a little tinge of disappointment.  It seems that as far as mainstream media is concerned, now that the Beijing Olympics is over, the next BIG THING is the 2012 London Olympics.  Not once did I hear (or see) any mention of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games on television, radio or even in major newspapers!   Why is this?  Is it only like this in Australia or is it the same in other parts of the world too?

My children have been asking me many questions about the paralympics.  As most youngsters are, they are curious about the ability of athletes achieving sporting greatness while having some kind of physical disability.  As a mom, I see this as an opportunity to teach my children about human strive and  success.  I tell them that success does not only belong to the able bodied or to any one particular group of people.  I want them to understand that success belong to all who strive for ‘personal best’.  I can only pray that they will grow up appreciating this and not find themselves drowning in a world that has forgotten what “doing your best” means. 

In case you are not aware, the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games is on from 6 September to 17 September 2008.  After spending some time on Google, I discovered that in Australia the Opening Ceremony (and  games highlights) will be broadcasted on ABC TV.  Australia will be sending its largest ever paralympic team of 170 athletes, who will compete in 13 sporting events. 

If you are keen on more information about the Paralympics, please check out the official website of the  Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

I was having a great day yesterday…… right until 4pm!  When I walked into the house (after picking the boys from school), I noticed that it was ‘colder than usual’.  “Strange!”,I thought to myself as I walked to the ttemperature gauge, and was surprised to see the indoor temperature indicated at 16° Celsius.  As I usually leave it at 18° Celsius during the day - this was already below comfort level as far as my body was concerned.

Anyway, to cut a long story short - we couldn’t get a tradesman in until the next morning, so I was stressing out about having to spend the next 16 odd hours without our home heater on a cold winter’s night!  I had checked the forecast earlier in the morning and knew that it was going to drop down to  about 8° Celsius.  Following V’s tennis lesson - I did the cowardly thing of running to KMart and purchasing not one, but TWO little electric fan heaters! 

We ended up using the fan heaters only during dinner that evening.  We braved the cold night without any heating back-up (I usually set the home heater to come on if it gets really cold during the night).  I know most people do not use heating at all while they are sleeping.  What can I say, we have been spoilt and have the bills to show for it!!!

Now, we come to the important part of my story……

While I lay down in bed last night all bundled up in extra-extra layers,  an unusual thought came to me.  (I have been noticing that this has been happening quite frequently this past week….).  I thought “I should say “Thank You” for the heater breaking down”.  The thought went on….. “It is normal for us to be thankful for the good things that happen to us BUT we should also be thankful for the challenges that life throws at us.  Just say thank you to the discomfort that you are currently feeling and see how it magically changes.”  Believe me - I don’t normally think this way!  So, I tried it.  I said thank you to the heater for breaking down on a cold winter’s night.  As I said it - my mind/brain when into a little shock (I think) because it was not logical.  And then,…. I felt so, so, so much better!!!  Just like that!! 

 I don’t have any psychology training to be able to explain this but rest assured I am going to be thankful a lot more from now on. For me, it worked wonders!!  From now on, I will be thankful for the good AND I will also be thankful for the not-so-good that happens in my life 

 Thank you for listening!

I will be the first to admit that winter is not my favourite season.  I don’t mind it, but I don’t get excited about it either.  Here in Australia, the winter months are June through to August, so it isn’t even synonymous with Christmas (as it is in many parts of the world).  Winter does not really have any special significance for us apart from reminding us that we have approached the middle of the year.

However. there is something that our family looks forward to with respect to the cold months.  Our annual trip to Lake Mountain!  On Sunday just past - we made our trip for this year…. and what a fabulous day it was

Lake Mountain is 1.5 hour drive from home.  Thankfully, the drive up is a pleasant one and not painfully long and windy.  We did have to make one stop before we reached the mountain top,…. at a little town called Marysville.  Here, at a little hire shop, we obtained our last minute necessities including  hiring some waterproof and insulated clothing.  This year, we even had to hire some wheel chains!

It turned out that putting on the wheel chains were the most challenging part of our trip.  It took us almost an hour to put the chains on just two wheels! (Lesson learnt for next time  ).  Of course, we wouldn’t have needed them if it wasn’t snowing,….. but it was!!!

At the mountain village, we spent most of our time tobogganing.  In case you are wondering, I did get knocked over a couple of times and even have the bruises to show for it :)  .  It was snowing through out our time there, which didn’t bother me at all (unlike hubby who just couldn’t get used to snow hitting his face, especially on his toboggan ride down the slopes :)  )  As most kids do,  the boys loved the experience, however the -3° Celsius temperature was quite painful on their fingers.  (Yes - we were well insulated body-wise, but the snow gloves were just not good enough!!! ) Painful frozen fingers are why we decided to leave when we did,… and there were no complains from any of us.

As we drove home, we even considered taking another drive up before the warm weather hits us.  We’ll see. 

In my case, it wasn’t bump. It was more like a digital ‘ding-dong’.  It sounded three times in sequence, stirring me out of an unusually deep sleep.  At first, I thought that the sound must have been part of a dream that I was having.  I knew better when hubby asked “what was that?”.  I couldn’t believe that it woke him up too - being the sound sleeper that he was!  Still in groggy frame of mind, I mumbled “don’t know”.  I was physically still very sleepy and I knew that my body was anxious to return to slumber but my mind was racing. 

Doorbell ?… I thought.  Nope - we don’t have one!  (Can’t even figure out why I even considered that in the first place - the mind is a funny thing when it is sleepy :)  )

Could be the TV! … I thought. Our still new LCD TV was just in the living area outside our bedroom,… and yes, it has all sorts of functions that we are yet to fully figure out!  I thought that maybe the boys had inadvertently put on a timer or something and the TV was calling us!  (Again, a weird thought to have!)

Ohh..No…Someone has hacked into my computer!!!  …. That was the last thought I remember having before dozing off again! 

——————————-

Morning arrived and the mystery was put to rest.  It was hubby’s Blackberry notifying him of an incoming email.  He had changed the notification tone and on top of that …. set the volume at the highest level!  I was NOT HAPPY!!

Being the light sleeper that I am,… I get woken up many times a night for all sorts of reasons, but this was the first time I was awoken by an incoming email!!!  Sometimes I think that technology has gone too far…

What about you?  Have you ever been woken up by anything unusual before?

As promised, this is my first effort in clearing up my tag-debt!!!

A-Kay of Lemon & Chillies tagged me way back in June to reveal 10 secrets about me.  (Sorry A-Kay for taking this long!!  :)  )  I cannot pretend and say that I’m an open book - who is?  However, I have to admit that doing this tag wasn’t as easy as it may sound.  Don’t believe me - try it!

OK.  10 secrets…….

#1 - I’m a worry-wart.  I spend a lot of time worrying…….. often about nonsense! 

#2 - I like cooking.  I don’t like cooking. Confused?  So am I !

#3 - I like experimenting with new things/concepts/project and get very excited about it in the beginning.  However, sadly,… I can lose interest in it,… lightening fast!  (That is why I am so proud of myself for sticking to blogging as long as I did!!!!  :)   And in case you are wondering - I still do love taking photos! )

#4 - Growing up, I was one of those girls that got along better with boys than with girls.  No, I was never a tom-boy, but I was never a girlie-girl too!!  (Although I do remember hating to wear dresses and skirts at one point in time. )

#5 - When I was about 9, I went to a swimming pool with a couple of other girls (also about the same age), and jumped of the spring board at the deep end!!  No other adults were there at the time, and I had never swam at the deep end before that day!  That was the day I realised I COULD SWIM!!! (Incidentally, I’ve told this story to my children and insisted that they NEVER DO THIS!!!! )

# 6 - I have drank beer, but never aquired the taste for it.  My favourite alkoholic drink at the moment is sweet wine, especially  Riccadonna.

# 7 - I am a very, very light sleeper.  That’s probably why I’m always so cranky!! 

# 8 - I used to be very good at reading and writing in the Jawi script, from when I learnt it in primary school.  I really wish I still could. 

# 9 - If I could turn back the clock, I would turn it back to when I was living in a small rural town (Kuala Berang) in Malaysia.  We only lived there for about 4 years, but it was the most memorable time of my life.  I was 8 when we moved there. 

# 10  -  I love seafood.  Cook me some prawns and I’ll be your best friend for life!!! 

It’s official!  I’m in debt >>>> Blogging-Tag Debt, that is!  In the past couple of months, I’ve had various blogging friends tag me,… and well,… I still owe them what is due!  I must apologise for my ‘non-response’.  Sorry all!  What can I say - I’ve been lazy! 

So, this morning, when I saw that I’ve been tagged again - I thought I better start bucking up! 

All of you that have tagged me in recent times,… please….WATCH THIS SPACE!!!  

Is it just me or is there a buzz of excitement in the air?  I’m talking about the Olympics of course!!!  Even though I’m not the all that well versed with the sporting world, I still cannot help but feel super excited.  No doubt,  being the proud Australian that I am, I will be cheering for the Aussies ALL THE WAY!!!!! 

The family is also very pleased that the time difference between Melbourne and Beijing is just 2 hours (Beijing is behind).  This only means that we are going to be able to catch most of the events live without having to be awake at odd hours!!  (This is a big thing if you have young children who are also as excited about this event - No need to make drastic lifestyle changes :)  )

Although we do have our favourite sports - swimming, gymnastics, tennis, athletics, soccer - we will still be keeping an eye out on all!! 

What about you?

PS:  Don’t forget to check out the Official Site of the 2008 Australian Olympic Team

It happened again yesterday.  I received another ‘Friend Request’ from someone I didn’t know. …… Well, initially I was a little apprehensive, thinking “Ohh No… I must know this person, but I just cannot place them at this moment”.  (This happens too, unfortunately  ).  However, after cracking my brains for about half a day, I was convinced that I didn’t know this girl.  The name and face just wasn’t familiar at all.  Eventhough we had a ‘mutual friend’, that didn’t help. 

What I normally do in this circumstance is this - I would just ignore the request.  However, I decided to do something different yesterday.  I needed to find out for sure what the story behind this request was.  So, without approving the request, I sent a message to this person.  I wrote a polite message, apologising that I couldn’t place her and requested that if she could remind me again if and how we knew each other.  The reply came quite quickly.  This is what it said “No, we don’t know each other, i got ur contact from xxxx . Just like to have more friends from different country.”

OK.  When I read that response, I was bothered.  I know that networking is good thing, but I am very sure that this is NOT the way to do it.  It is just wrong to click “add as friend” on someone, without explaining what your intentions are and even introducing yourself!!  Or, am I old fashioned? 

To me, my Facebook profile is a personal space.  Every person on my list of friends are there because I actually know them personally one way or other.  Yes, there are friends on the list that have been introduced to me by another, but this has always been done for a purposeful reason which I am always appreciative of.  So, when a stranger suddenly appears without any message whatsoever, attempting to get on MY friends list, it bothers me.

So, tell me, what do you think?

I’m curious.  I was just wondering how much socialising people do these days?  No, I’m not questioning about the effects of the current economic condition.  Although I’m quite sure that some lifestyles may have taken a step down due the recent increase in the cost of living,  I’m  more interested in knowing what general trends are out there when it comes to people-interacting-with-people for the purpose of social wellbeing.

So, if I can just pose a few questions to you…….. (No, there is no obligation to answer any/all these question  :)   ) .  It’s all just for fun.

How often do you “go out”?  Do you often socialise with the same group of people all the time or do you have different groups of friends that you take turns socialising with?  Are they all in the same age group as you?  Are they all in the same ethnic group as you or have some similar background to you?  How do you socialise - go out for drinks?  Do sport together?  Shopping?  Meeting up for coffee?  If you are married, do you find that you usually socialise with your wife/husband tagging along or do you have your own personal socialising routine which is separate from your married life?  What about if you have children - does your socialising involve them?

When hubby and I settled down in Australia 10 years ago, we left the only life that we knew including our family, friends and every inch of social tie that we had nurtured for so long.  The rebuilding started on fresh slate.  Initially, most of our socialising then invoved “getting to know a few more people” who were also originally from Malaysia.  We hoped that it would help fill up the void that we were experiencing.  Funnily, although we made many Malaysian “friends then, we don’t interact with nearly all of them anymore.  Somehow, our lives just moved on. 

As the years past, out social temperament changed too.  When, the children came, our social life appeared to be at a stand-still for a while.  Personally, I found it a big challenge to be in a socialising frame of mind, with young children and nappy bag in tow.  Then (and even now), there was their 8pm bed time to keep in mind too.  (But I have to say, their bed times are easier to manage now then when they were babies/toddlers :)  ).   Whenever I had  chance to have a “girl’s night out”, I tended to always end up feeling guilty.  So that too naturally didn’t progress much.  Also, hubby and I were not, and still are not comfortable with the concept of leaving the children under the care of babysitters.  So, a night out for ‘just the two us’ is only ever an option when my parents visit from Malaysia (every two years or so).   

Now, my children are 7 and 8.  I must say, our family social life is slowly starting to blossom again.  It mostly has to to with our intention of wanting to enrich our children’s lifestyle and it is wonderful that we are now starting to come across other families with the same interests and intentions.  Take this morning for example.  We spent an hour with 4 other families playing badminton at a leisure centre.  Even before we left, we were already making plans for the next time.  Someone even suggested a “Men’s Cooking Session” where the ladies and children will be judge, ……. maybe not Ramsey style.   (No, heating up frozen pizza or samosa will not be accepted!).

Although I know that our social life is not as high-paced as that of many families out there, I am proud to say that it what is perfect for us at this time of our life.  I have no complains,…. but am still curious as to what the rest of you are doing…….  

Every so often, I find myself reflecting on life.  I don’t do this out of boredom or despair, but usually out of gratitude and thankfulness.  But, this thought occurred to me today : When I reflect, what always seems to be the pivoting base of my past are the emotions of the underlying events that I reflect on.  In other words, what strikes me the most is not “what happened” but “what I was feeling when it happened”. 

When I think of my life in terms of emotions, I believe that I have felt most of every kind of emotion there is to feel.  Love, joy, surprise, anger, sadness, fear and not to mention the secondary emotions such as disgust, shame, guilt, optimism, contentment, pride and so on.  Just knowing this makes me feel….. lucky.  Makes me feel ….. human! 

What I see around me in the world today is this: People feeling ashamed of their emotions.  They try to hide how they really feel, suppressing their true feelings and showing the world a false self.  Let me be the first to admit - I too am guilty of this.  It is hard work hiding our true feelings, but day in and day out, we do it.  Again and again. 

Maybe this has to do with how “fast” the world is today.  We are all expected to be “do-ers”, where getting things done is a priority.  Success is being measured by quantitative accomplishments, and where “emotional baggage” is a dirty word.  Sadly, we are even training our children to be “organised” from a young age, emphasising priority of order over emotions.  Some (yes, children) are even punished for ‘crying for no reason’! 

As comes with reflecting on one’s life, I resolve to ensure that my life and the lives of those that are important to me are enriched.  This includes accepting, appreciating and even celebrating all the ‘emotions’ that comes with being alive.

In conclusion, let me ask you this:   How are you feeling today?