I feel compelled to issue a statement.
Hell, nobody can stop me anyway mwahaha.
Unprecedented move - It’s going on all five of my blogs since there is
some relevance to each theme.
Here goes.
.
.
.
Hi there!
It’s nice to reach the Big 4-0 feeling half my age.
Thinking young helps.
Acting young also helps.
Genes definitely help too. We Asians have an unfair advantage here.
Okaaay I admit it, I love the look on people’s faces when I tell them
my age, and I was blessed with another such compliment from a handsome
young man just yesterday ;)
I love being this age. I feel more comfy saying nice things to anyone
and hugging anyone and not be regarded as a flirt or suspiciously
insincere. Sorta like the Queen Mother with a purple feather in her
hat.
To reach this milestone with all my real teeth and not a single dental
cavity is testimony to the wisdom of mum who plied me with cheese and
ikan bilis (delicious little crispy fried fishes) throughout
childhood. And the efficacy of TCM gum strengthening exercises. (TCM =
Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Let’s see, what else do I have to show for 40 years of resource depletion?
Let’s do a health check, following by a Roots, Hugs and Wings
inventory. And seal it with a Birthday Week snapshot.
Health Check = Basic Wealth Check
1. No major illnesses or surgery.
2. Uncoloured hair, tame hair, lots of hair ;) Again, thanks to mum
cos I was apparently born as bald as a baby chimp and mum used to rub
my head with brandy after every baby bath. For two years.
3. 100% original teeth as mentioned, 100% dental-cavity free. Worst
dental experience - front teeth chipped at age ten when I was doing
somersaults in a 3ft pool instead of listening to the swimming
instructor at Farrer Park Swimming Complex.
4. Almost succumbed to tattooing eyebrows last year but didn’t. Came
dangerously close!
5. BMI could be lower but, ah well, I am a foodie after all. And 40.
Wow that looks like a really large number. Nah, don’t feel it yet ;)
6. Myopia has gone down a bit. Haven’t reached bifocals stage yet, phew.
Roots
1. My proudest achievement – son K xo.
2. Major enabler and life shaper – husband D with the heart (phew not
gut) of a buddha, and the smile of the Cheshire cat :D xoxo I would
never have had the guts to migrate by myself.
3. Mum’s vision, sacrifice, and pragmatic audacity. You could write a
book or three on this dynamic woman’s life xoxo. Plus her really rich
food legacy, with many gourmet moments and culinary advice like, “Ah
girl, if you know how to eat, you must know how to cook, hor!” My
kitchen experiments don’t always work but I know I will never starve.
4. Dad’s quirky creativity and artistry. Not everyone can claim to be
the daughter of a classically trained Chinese finger painting artist
who created his own nudes and primitive art series, had one of his
paintings made into a stamp in Switzerland, was seemingly addicted to
peanuts, and worked in the immigration department all his life as a
dutiful dad.
5. Extended family, a living treasure stretching from Singapore to
Malaysia to Perth to Sydney to Hong Kong. Character grandpas and
grandmas, 19 champion aunts and uncles, at least 50 awesome cousins,
and heaps more beautiful nieces and nephews. Plus delightful inlaws
(parents, 2 SILs, 2 BILs, nephews and nieces including the latest
addition, Bond Girl Amelie). And blood bro TKD (hahaha!) who is quietly and
tirelessly a mover and shaker in mega progressive Singapore.
6. Du Wensian, Chinese teacher at VJ who got me a D7 in GCE AO level
Chinese Language which got me into NUS without having to attend
Chinese concentration camp. (NUS = National University of Singapore,
only the most prestigious institution of higher learning in Singapore.
And yay for Eusoff Hall!)
Hugs
1. Plenty! Yay! Love affectionate Aussie culture.
2. If I were President I would impose this as a compulsory and
unlimited daily activity.
Wings
1. Starting to honour my creative core a lot more than I used to.
Though “Imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling,
dawdling and puttering.” [Brenda Ueland] I hope to have more to show
for it that’s proprietary, as opposed to mercenary, like copywriting
hehehehe.
2. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE copywriting, turning words into gold to
help others shine.What’s exciting is that I am starting to get
opportunities to do other creative stuff like I never have before.
Can’t say too much till it all comes true ;)
3. Incredible peri-menopausal (no, it doesn’t have to be a dirty word)
natural hormonal boost to soul searching and nurturing the instinctual
self. See C P Estes’ book “Women Who Run with the Wolves” and Dr C
Northrup’s book The Wisdom of Menopause. Highly recommended to women
of all ages, and men who want to understand and support their women.
4. The incredible array of kind, smart, funny, and talented people I
connect with, mostly from Perth and Singapore. Chances are, if you are
reading this, you’re in my life and you’re counted ;) xo
4. Apparently Facebook really loves me and is not shy to tell me
several times a week. It’s a really nice platform for connection and
expression. And, Cec would add, my verbal diarrhoea.
5. You know I love words. Am learning new words all the time. Like
“shite” from PJ and “my bad” from Alicia. The most disgusting new
Aussie term I learnt is “camel toe” from D!! OK to counter that, the
most impressive word I learnt from D is
“Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” the longest word in
the English dictionary . . . the amazing thing is he can recite it by
heart!! Another significant word milestone after he beat me at
Scrabble in 1992, the year we got togethah.
6. Trivia – Curiously, the most popular food request for 40th birthday
party bashes last year was my Houdini Chicken Wings (thus named cos
they disappear like magic hhehe). No big parties and chicken wings
today, just a really small nuclear family gig after all the mega
feasting with relies and friends during Chinese New Year last week.
Will be the first time my boys and I are dining at award winning
Aquarium Seafood Restaurant, officially Australia’s finest Chinese
restaurant. You can find out more about them after they upload my copy
on their new website
Other stuff happening birthday week:
Getting K from school and chauffering him here and there. Looking for
houses with D. New creative projects, completing another copywriting
project and planning for the next ones, first time as evaluator at
Toastmasters; first time catamaran sailing, attending World Internet
Summit for free woohoo!
OK, I’m done.
In case you were wondering, of course bad, sad, and mad stuff happens
in my life, too. I just don’t stay with it for too long, or I find a
way to fix it. Life’s too short to be stagnant/negative.
Thanks for reading my ramblings, and for being a blessing in my life xo
Gosh! 40 years. As a new friend said, I’ve gone 40 laps around the
sun. Still can’t believe it!
