The eve of my birthday...

As I write this, it is the eve of my birthday.

Like many others, I tend to take "life stock" every now and then. This, I have learned, can go either way. It either leaves me feeling empty and worthless or fulfilled and appreciative.

Hmmmm!

Glass: Half empty or half full?

Perspective!

While taking inventory of my life, I have noted that:
I am not living in Canada or America as I so wished since I was a teen.

I am not married to a 'desi' north American, living in a home with a white picket fence with two children playing in the garden. I do not have a social calendar filled with cocktail evenings or play dates for my children. I am also not the editor of a glossy magazine with an office on the 20th floor overlooking the concrete jungle of Toronto or New York. 

HOWEVER...

I have also noted that:
I am living in a country of my birth, colourful as a box of Smarties! Without ignoring our own share of hardships, I recognize that I live in relative peace. I enjoy electricity and the use of technology, internet which brings the world to my fingertips, clean water, wholesome food, plumbing with flushing toilets and being able to take hot showers - at any time of the day.

I am proud of my long list of mistakes, failures and heartaches. Looking back, when it seemed like it was Me vs The World, I now know, understand and appreciate that all those potholes of life were only preparing me to be the strong, independent woman my high school teachers were sure I'd become.

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger?

But, what I hold the closest to my heart are my parents.

Two people of whom I am honoured to be a product of. A few weeks ago, I was filled with immense awe, admiration and appreciation of my parents' work, resilience and honour. Growing up, I always knew that I was fortunate, or as my friends would say, "lucky" and "spoiled". I choose to say "blessed". I've always known this but I don't know if it was perhaps maturity that made me see my parents in a different light.

From my earliest memory (and evidence from photographs), one thing is clear. My brother and I were always afforded the best of everything - education, stationery, toys, food, travel, gifts and...opportunities.

My parents were never demanding of anything. Never forcing us to take a certain path of education or career. Instead, they stood with us at the crossroads. They waited patiently for us to choose a path and watched us tread slowly into unknown territory. What I know now and I guess I've always known, is that they too, took the path with me...keeping just a step or two behind. If, for some reason, I lost my way or got lost, I knew I could turn around and there they would be! Without judgement, they would take my hand and lead me to light again.

For this, I drop to my knees and give thanks.

So...no, I am not spending my 32nd birthday the way I envisioned. I believe this is a lot more special. I am with my parents and brother. In the home I grew up in. Where I probably took my first steps, where I lost my first tooth - and put it under my bed in a shoe, only to go back and find a R2 note from the Tooth Fairy. The home where I lived my teen years, with walls plastered with my teenage heartthrob, Salman Khan. The home which had many family gatherings filled with food, love and laughter. The home I came back to for weekends and holidays from university. The home, which now in my adult life, has become my safe haven. A place I know I can always return to refresh and recuperate.

I am who I am because of my parents, brother, my uncles, aunties, cousins, relatives, friends...and who, in my opinion, is the best Godmother in the universe. I want you to know that I thank God everyday for each and every one of you.

I love you all so much.

Happy Birthday, Mum!

Happy Birthday to my dearest mum... 

Wish I was home to celebrate with her!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday to my dad :-)
Love you xxx

'The Arch' celebrates his 79th birthday & his retirement

Today, Thursday, October 6 2010 marks two milestones. Archbishop Desmond Tutu celebrates his 79th birthday and it is the day that he bows out of public life.

Happy Birthday and God Bless!

'The Arch' turns 79 today                                            From Google Images

Happy 50th Anniversary, Flintstones!

Today (September 30 2010)

The Flintstones celebrate their 50th anniversary!

Google celebrates this special milestones with a Google Doodle.

Google Doodle is when Google changes the image on their homepage to celebrate an event.

Here are the Top 10 Things you should know about The Flintstones from Mirror.uk

1. The Flintstones is set in the Stone Age and follows the lives of a working class family.

2. The first cartoon was broadcast on American TV in 1960 and the last six years later.

3. There were 166 episodes.

4. Each was set in the Stone Age town of Bedrock, also called Rockville in early episodes.

5. The theme tune was one of the most recognised kids TV theme tunes among British adults, according to one survey.

6. There are several Flintstones theme parks in the US.

7. Fred Flintstone, the main character, is an accident prone quarry worker.

8. Fred's voice was provided by Alan Reed and Jackie Gleason. Mel Blanc was responsible for Barney's. 

9. The show was originally going to be called The Flagstones.

10. The theme tune was created by Hoyt Curtin.

Happy Birthday, Blog!

Today, my blog celebrates its 5th birthday! 

I don't think I've really acknowledged its past birthdays, but I think five years is a milestone.

In my 3rd year of Journalism at university, I was having a casual chat with a friend/classmate, Carly Ritz. We were sitting at the Theater Cafe downstairs from the Journalism Department when we got onto the topic of blogging. On my way back to res, I kept thinking about our chat on blogs and thought I'd like to give it a try. So what if no one reads it? It'll motivate me to write...vent - whatever. And so this blog was born.

I wrote my first blog post on Tuesday, September 27 2005. It was just a paragraph. I'm not quite sure what happened after that, but I didn't write another entry for the rest of the year.

On Sunday, April 2 2006 I published my second blog entry titled Thinking of myself as a raced subject where I wrote about a particular assignment in my Journalism and Media Studies class.

At the time, I was a columnist for a magazine, and every month I would email it to family and friends. Then I decided that I should publish my columns on my blog so that others could read and comment on them. For a while after that, life got in the way and I neglected my blog. So it sat in cyberspace collecting dust.

I rekindled my relationship with my blog when I moved to Korea in 2007. To give you an idea of how my blog posts increased each year, the number of posts are indicated in (brackets)

2005 (1)

2006 (54)

2007 (125)

2008 (205)

2009 (514)

2010 (414) up to September 27

My blog has heard (seen?) it all from me. I blogged when every imaginable emotion filled me - happiness, sadness, anger, disgust. I wrote about movies I watched, books I read, music I was listening to, my travels and life as a teacher living in a foreign country.

I've written blogs choking back tears. When I hit Publish and sent it out there for the world to read my woes, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

One of my most popular blog posts which sparked a nerve with many people was written last year. I was at a staff dinner when something vicious roared through my body. You can read it here. That blog also opened up amazing friendships, with people emailing me commending me on how brave I was to be so open.

My blog has been a constant friend. It listens to anything and everything I have to say. Does it talk back to me? Of course it does! It talks back in the form of reader's comments and e-mails. From that, I've met people from around the world and have learned so much from them sharing their experiences with me as well.

Anyway, if you're reading this...thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday, Tweety Bird!

Got this in an e-mail from my dad...Tweety Bird turns 60!

Birthday Celebrations

July 30 2010

Tubu-kimchi

I had a birthday lunch with my friend, Joo-hyeon. We went to a nice little restaurant and had delicious tubu-kimchi!

My birthday cake!

I spent the evening with my friends, Hye-jin and her husband Hong-il. As always, I had a great time with them and only ended up going home around 3am!

2010 - The year I celebrate TWO birthdays!

With my brother in South Africa on my birthday last year (2009)

It's 6am (Korean time) on Thursday, July 29 2010. It's my birthday today! I woke up about an hour before my alarm clock went off. There were a couple of text messages on my cell phone and emails from family & friends around the world - South Africa, UK, New Zealand and Indonesia all wishing me well.

For as long as I can remember, birthdays have been a very important and special day in my family. My dad's been counting down my birthday for the past month by reminding me in emails "how many days are left" :-) Sound a bit childish? Not if you know my family!

Some people say that as one gets older, birthdays lose its novelty. Not with me. I love birthdays and why shouldn't you? I know that some people are a bit uncomfortable with all the attention and having the spotlight thrown on them for 24 hours, but to look at it from a different perspective, a birthday celebrates you. The day you were born. What could be a more special day in your life than that?

Last night I told my friend Joo-hyeon, "I want to pretend that tomorrow is a different date."
"You want to postpone your birthday?" she asked.
"Yes."

She knew the reason why. 
I was so looking forward to this day because I was going to spend it with my family, but...due to unforeseen circumstances, plans have changed. So I think I may be spending the day alone. Or, completely different to how I originally planned it. Bummer.

Last year this time, I was in South Africa. It was the first birthday in seven years that I spent at home with my family!

"You're lucky. You can have two special birthdays. One with your Korean friends and one with your family, because you're special," Joo-hyeon said.

Anyway, I do plan on having two birthdays this year.
Why? Because I said so and because I can! :-)

Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela!

Today, Nelson Mandela celebrates his 92nd birthday! Also, South Africa commemorates this legend by celebrating Mandela Day by doing a good deed for 67 minutes :-)

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.

Happy Birthday & Farewell!

After the staff dinner on Friday, July 16 2010 the 6th grade teachers went out to Bucheon. It was a little birthday / farewell party for me. They surprised me with a cake, lit candles and sang for me!

Google Doodle celebrates Pac Man's 30th birthday

I've always been a fan of Google Doodle, and this time they have not failed to impress.

The homepage has turned into an interactive game where users can play Pac Man to celebrate the game's 30th birthday.

Very cool!

 

Happy Birthday, Brother!

Today, Thursday April 8 2010 is my brother's birthday.

Happy Birthday to my one and only brother - Darmesh. He's really one of the finest human beings I know who has turned into a fine young man.

Over the years, he's not only been a sibling, but one of my best friends. He makes me angry, he irritates me, makes me laugh and gives some of the wisest advice for someone his age. I guess this is a big plus for having a sibling.

Being away from home, I miss him a hell of a lot, but luckily our time difference isn't too much of a killer and we chat on nearly a daily basis.

I wish you a long life of good health, wealth and happiness!

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today (Sunday, March 28 2010) is my dad's birthday. I wish I was at home to celebrate with him, but we will have to have a very belated celebration when I'm at home later this year.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Thank you for always teaching me the important values of life and for demonstrating numerous acts of selfless giving. I wish you good health, wealth, peace and happiness now and always. Love you lots xxx

  

Seo-joon's 1st Birthday Party

My friend, Hye-jin's baby - the gorgeous Seo-joon who I'm crazy about, had his first birthday celebration today: Sunday, March 14 2010.

A child's first birthday is a milestone in Korea. Many years ago, the country had a poor health system and many children died before their first birthday. If a baby lived past 100 days, the family would celebrate. If they lived up to their first birthday, the celebration would be even bigger. This tradition has carried on throughout the years. While the 100 day celebration may not be as big, the real party is when he/she turns one year old.

It was raining when I left home, so I took a cab to Bucheon. Traffic wasn't as bad as I thought, but it did take a bit of a long time to get there. The driver was kind enough to find the exact place I needed to be at.

This was my first time to attend a first birthday celebration. It was so fancy - it reminded me of weddings I'd been to here in Korea. Parent's go way out for this occasion. Here are some photos from the party.

There were three 1st birthday celebrations at the same venue (in different rooms) This was at the elevator so that guests knew exactly where to go.

This screen changes with photos of the different parties. It has information about the parent's names, the starting time and what room the party will be in.

The little man was having his photo taken. The venue has different backdrops for photos - really nice! He was dressed in a little black suit looking too cute!

 There's a table with a display of photos and albums where guests can write a message to the baby. Hye-jin told me to write a long message (which I did ... in English!)

These are party favours - towels in the shape of a cake!

The venue with set tables

Some of the food (buffet)

Hong-il & Hye-jin (Seo-joon's parents)

Seo-joon's grandmothers place silk over Seo-joon's neck wishing him a long and healthy life. This is his maternal grandmother.

Various objects are placed on a tray in front of the baby. Depending on what the baby picks up will be the path he/she will follow in life. Example: If he picks up a stethoscope, he'll go into the medical field. A pencil indicates an academic...and there's money which means he'll be wealthy in life.

To everyone's delight, Seo-joon picked up the cash!

With Hong-il, Hye-jin & Seo-joon

 

Happy Birthday, Mummy!

Today , March 1st is my mother's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mummy!

My brother sent me this pic just as they were about to go out. I think my mum looks stunning and I sincerely hope that I look as GOOD in the future!

     

Happy Birthday, Sean!

One of my dearest friends celebrates
his birthday today.  

Happy Birthday, Sean!!

Love you >>>THIS MUCH<<<

Big bro's birthday

Vijayan has been part of our family for over 10 years now and definitely deserves the title of big brother. We love him to bits and I was thrilled to be able to celebrate his birthday with him on Monday, August 3 2009.

Birthday midnight snack

Vijayan took my brother & I to McDonalds for dessert after dessert ;)

Oreo McFlurry

Birthday Dinner

Went out for dinner to my fave restaurant, Smokey Swallows!
With my parents

I was surprised by this dangerous choc mousse cake