it takes a lot of discipline to sit down and just do it.  i actually did not go into the office today and worked from home – just so i do not have to take calls or see anyone but actually focus on what i had set myself to do.  of course, the discipline required to stay at your home office desk is a lot more.  so much more distractions and with the boys at home on summer break, it is not easy.  however, i have to say that at least i can breathe easier instead of wondering when i would have time to start on my list.  i have been so behind in some of my own work that i think i am close to being fired… ha ha…

the following fall, she blows off the fallen leaves from her maple tree all over to my side yard!

and today, she did the ultimate to really piss me off and had me yelling at her in a long tirade.  whilst washing her deck, she somehow sprayed water all over my dog, dog house (and i mean in and out of the dog house!) and entire side yard!  she said it was an accident… the garden maybe but the dog house was wet through inside and out!!!  Plus, the dog house is a good 10 feet or more from her deck!!! no amount of splashing could “accidentally” reach that far unless it was a deliberate spray of the hose!  what really incensed me was the fact that i found milo squeezed between the house wall and the back of his dog house in hiding. who terrorizes a dog like this!

some people are just born evil – with a very mean streak and no kindness in their heart.

hoover dam was so-so for me.  impressive in terms of scale but not very exciting.  the grand canyon was magnificent! i think it gives our rockies a tough fight. i love the splay of colors especially since we arrived in the later afternoon and walked about till evening. the wild beauty in the desert – simply breathtaking and amazing. god’s creation.

the children had a wild time and i think i had my heart in my mouth most of the time because there were no railings where we were walking and basically, it took a lot to get the boys to not keep trying to go over the edge! of course, whilst driving back to town through the desert, we had a flat tire… its dusk, the coyotes are howling and we are in the middle of some dirt road with a flat… my cousin who is a true blue city gal did not really enjoy it as much as our boys did… the boys thought it was an adventure!

my maternal grandfather had 7 wives – big family. as my grandmother was the 6th wife, i barely know who the children, grandchildren from wives 1 – 5 are.  However, we have kept in touch with wife no.7′s children.  my father has 7 siblings – big family when you count the children and children’s children.  as my father was never close with his own family, we grew up to be closer to my maternal kinsfolk.  between our uncles, aunts and cousins, we grew up with loads of fun – always spending weekends and holidays together.

as the eldest grandchild on my mother’s side, it has always fallen to me to be the responsible one, to set the good example, etc… oh, at times, i wish i could just say chuck it all and live 100% freely.  i am not saying that i have not had freedom but yet, the “responsibility” always beckons if it seems like i am stepping over some invisible line.  as the eldest, i have to ensure the rest of my cousins are well, to always check in with them no matter which part of the world we are, to help if i can. there are times when i wish there was someone “elder” who can take care of me. 

i think today is just one of those “exhausted” days when i feel sorry for myself ;p.

weez chose a black with brown and white paws whilst the boys chose the cream with brown markings.  derrick and i liked the tri-colored one as it looks more like a true border collie but the boys were adamant on having the cream one as they wanted one just like merlin. so, here we are  – waiting for the end of the month when we can get milo for good as we saw him at 5 weeks and not ready to leave his parents yet.

our experience has always been in seawater fishing and this time, we decided to try out freshwater fishing.  elk lake on vancouver island came highly recommended and with this free weekend, we thought, why not? it will be a great introduction to our boys as well.  actually, everett, our eldest has always been partial to fishing.  perhaps it was because i fished all the way through my pregnancy with him – imagine hiking through the bush to get to the open sea with a big belly! good ‘ol days!

everytime we cast our line, the boys would ask, have you got the fish? i suppose, their idea of fishing is much like the cartoons – you cast the line and get a fish asap! the art of patience is pretty tough to teach a 4 & 5 year old.

the best part about elk lake park is that there is enough space to spread out to do other sports and activities.  with the children bored, we had the opportunity to try out the new kite my cousin gave the boys for Christmas. what amazing fun!   a very good way to run them ragged too!

On this trip, i really felt i got a little bit of my childhood back…

i did feel a little sad seeing people with their dogs at the park and missing merlin all over again.  elliott commented in his loud way “mommy, the people are very selfish, they don’t share their dogs with me!”  he has been clamouring for us to bring merlin back from heaven. he claims merlin has been away too long already.  we started the process of looking at dogs again – trying the spca, rescue organizations, ads, etc…  yet somehow, every dog we see, we keep looking for a little bit of merlin in them and thus far, none has come up to scratch.  i have told d that we really should stop comparing and accept our new pet as he/she is. just like we had really no choice in our children either…

our rule is to always make it a point to gather and have a girl’s nite out at least once a month regardless of how busy we are.  with husbands, boyfriends, families, etc… it is always tough to find a day that works for all of us but we all try.  all girlfriends need that special time out together – it is energizing and positive. 

the must try at la bodega is the sangria (go for the jug!) and the goat cheese, fried chorizo (pan-friend just right), mussels in wine sauce and finish with the spanish custard with an expresso! i enjoy tapas as it allows for good sharing among friends and you get to really try a wide assortment  of really tasty, well-seasoned food.

stepping into la bodega also brought back many memories.  the place has not changed one bit! the old spanish brick facade, iron gates as entrance, dark brick-walled interior creating a cosy and homey atmosphere… i swear the decor has not changed in the last 12 years… yes, that is how long since i have last been here.  the last time i had dinner here was with my university sweetheart, the one man who truly broke my heart and whom i still do have a special place in my heart for. i cannot deny that i do still think of him occasionally and yes, he was that one special guy… we parted because our careers took us to different countries and our choice back then was career over love.  timing is always everything … but it worked out for me in the end because i met my wonderful husband in the country i chose to expand my career and now, 7 years later, i cannot imagine being with anyone else!

very much like how i still do enjoy my time with the weez-meister and how that bond we had as schoolmates will stay strong and true. it is awesome knowing that we still have so much fun together and i look forward to having more in the years to come…

as for auditors – my entire career, no matter how many roles i play, somehow, i always end up having to deal with them… pretty insane considering that i am not accountancy trained.  been seriously thinking of how i should really have gone for a CA instead of my BA in Econ.

homework – thought i was done with them after graduating college – so wrong! back to my abc and 123 and word sounding! lol! 

have also been worrying a fair bit this week about my cousin-in-law in singapore. he is in social work and have been counselling troubled boys for years now. he has been on call for them and i think he has burnt out. he was admitted to hospital for a week due to depression and i worry deeply for him and my cousin. my cousin and i grew up literally together – we lived next door to each other as children and apart from when we moved to vancouver in my teens, we have always been close.  we got married in the same year, had our 2 boys in the same year… except that recently, she just had another boy.  i worry about how they are coping now with her hubby going through a difficult time mentally.  as the eldest of all cousins, it is always hard and i can’t stop worrying either. in our family, the eldest in each generation looks out for the others. i do not treat it as an obligation or duty because i love my cousins and we are indeed very close.  it is tough when we are scattered all across the continents but we always keep in touch and meet up as much as we can.

been toying with the idea if derrick has to go back to singapore for a biz trip, whether i should drag the boys out of school and go with him to check on my cousin, to see if we can help somewhat…. yet, for depression, i think the person also must want to make that mental shift for things to improve?

being a satuday, it was pretty crowded with kids everywhere.  sad to say, not sure where most of their parents were.  some kids were well-mannered and lined up (like my boys) to test and play at exhibits.  others were just horrendous. they pushed into the line and snatched things from other kids having their turn and even stepping over people’s feet to get ahead! topping that off, you do not see or hear their parents teaching them to wait their turn because the parents do not seem to be around!  it would seem that some parents actually leave their kids to roam the centre on their own with no rules!  it makes you wonder what sort of future social citizens we are creating…