family

Life is like a roller coaster

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You know this cliched phrase right? Our time on Earth is full of ups and downs. However, it seems that my life as of late has been nothing but a series of downs.

21000 cash

I lost nearly RM 50,000 in a month on the tables when I should have used that that to pay for my condo down payment. I have to move out in October so it would take a very long time for me to get this back again.

cancer

My mother was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and had to go for a operation to remove part of her lung.

suicide

Hell, if I was a lesser man, I might have just thrown in the towel and stepped of the edge of a very tall building. 😉

family

However, I am a firm believer in family. My dad has always preached and practised agape. It’s a Greek word meaning unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love. That is what family means to me. We care for each other – we support each other in times of need, we remain strong for each other, and we celebrate our milestones in life.

young

Family is about being there for each other – I flew down to New Zealand to be with my mom during her operation and I don’t know how many times my dad and mom has been there for me during my darkest times.

Sure, we have our disagreements just like any other family but I think we’ll have a fighting chance in the Exora My Unbeatable Family that’s going to be airing soon on 8TV. smirk

come-get-some

Exora My Unbeatable Family is a reality TV series about families competing with each other using a Proton Exora.

EMUFPC_Q&A

The Proton Exora is an MPV that can easily seat 7 people and starts at a very affordable RM 57,548. Families don’t come as large as they used to so I imagine most of the challenges and obstacles in Exora My Unbeatable Family would have something to do with the flexible seating configuration that allows you to rearrange the seats into space.

EMUFPC_Group

The teams will complete challenges every week and there will be an elimination process every week until the grand final!

uncle

It looks rather promising so don’t forget to tune in to 8TV at 7 pm every Sunday. You can also catch it on Astro Channel 708. Go to 8tv.com.my for more information!

There is also a weekly contest where you can win a RM 500 cash prize. Surf over to www.protonexora.tv for details!

P/S – You can even view the episodes online! smirk

O HAI! I IZ AN UNCLE!

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o hai uncle

I love this pic taken while I was in my sister’s place in Auckland, NZ a few weeks ago. I was carrying my niece and kissing her while my dad looks on. My sister is a bit of a private person (she is my polar opposite) so I am applying mosaic on her daughter (though to what purpose I do not know since all babies look alike).

She smells nice. She has a milky scent and it still puts a smile on my face when I think about her. 🙂

My sister is pregnant!

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hb sister

My sister is pregnant and will be giving birth to a baby girl slightly after Chinese New Year 2010. That’s just a couple of months away! My parents are in town from their trip to Taiwan and went shopping for baby clothes. I went to My Babies Planet, and found the most popular baby products. They’re going to visit her in New Zealand after CNY so this is the umpteenth time we’ve not celebrated the Lunar New Year as a family.

I’m not particularly close to my sister. Despite having only one sibling, we are total opposites of each other. She’s practicing medicine in NZ (married another doctor) and we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things. I mean, we half-heartedly attempt to keep in touch (usually via birthday cards, a once a year thing) but I think that tradition died off recently. 🙂

hb family

However, blood always runs thicker and I’m happy for her and Alvin. It kinda takes the pressure off me too, ya know? I still think my dad is counting on me to produce Proper Offspring (TM) for him (defined as having the family name “POH”) but they sound so happy for my sister and her husband that I think they’re gonna let it slide for a couple of years at least. Heh!

I’m just wondering. My sister is about to give birth and I only knew last night when my dad called. I wasn’t even in the loop.

I didn’t get the memo. T_T

*weeps silently into my pillow*

Seriously though, I love babies and by the time I see my sister the year after I doubt it would be baby anymore. I think I should start planning for a trip to NZ, be a good uncle and all that.
I have doubts about my lifespan with my kidney and liver problems so this is great news to me. I don’t mean to sound morbid or fatalistic but I’m really happy the bloodline continues.

Finally, someone deserving whom I can state as my EPF (and other meager assets) recipient. 🙂

I think it’s gonna be quite complicated though since the baby is an NZ citizen.

It’s okay, I’m in a really, really good mood coz of this.

*sings*

…and what it all boils down too, is that everything’s gonna be quite alright! Coz I got one hand in my pocket and the other one is flashing the peace sign. =D

The world can be a beautiful place sometimes. 🙂

The Matriarch

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grandma photo

The Matriarch of the Poh clan celebrated her 78th birthday last night at Swansea Restaurant. The dishes on the table are the obligatory deep fried boiled egg (each person eats one) surrounding fried longevity noodles and of course, ginseng chicken soup.

grandma fish

I also like this candid photo of my sister peering at the fish (also another essential dish in Chinese dinners).

grandma group

My grandmother is an inspiration to me – she got married at the tender age of 16 (!) and fathered my dad when she was a scant 19 years old. It was an arranged marriage (as was the custom in those days) and she has more than fulfilled her duties as a loyal wife to my deceased grandfather, sticking by him through thick and thin, until he died of lung cancer 15 years ago.

It’s truly amazing to see the sheer perseverance and unquestioning diligence that she exudes, taking the cards life has dealt her without so much as a grumble, and still maintaining a cheerful disposition everyday.

I take my hat off to her, she’s much stronger than me.

I bet she’s stronger than much of the current “Where’s my slice? I want more than equal rights” generation too.

Happy Birthday, popo!

Happy Birthday Dad!

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A very happy birthday and many happy returns of the day to the man. Take
it easy Dad!

Birthday Haiku

Father the binder

Order from discordia

Irreplaceable

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