My relationship with my in-laws has come a long way. In a phrase, I can sum it up as “from misgiving to understanding.” 

We started out with plenty of  skepticisms and I am not at all surprised if they didn’t like me initially. But over time, especially after giving birth to my son, things took a turn for the better.

There were many instances when I didn’t see eye-to-eye with my MIL, and despite what I might have said, I knew deep in my heart she only harboured good intentions. And strangely, I could communicate quite well with my FIL on a number of topics. Sure there were awkward moments when we didn’t share the same viewpoints but let’s just say our relationship got better over trying times.

In fact, I recently told my husband that he’s lucky to have them as his parents. They may have their imperfect moments but the beautiful thing about them is that they truly care for their children and only wish the best for them.

So while I am not sure at this stage if they will move in with us at all, but if they do, things may not be as bad as I initially imagined it to be.

I believe that the key to having better relationships is to open up our hearts sincerely.  I know for sure that my life would be a lot more fulfilling if only I can learn to master this ability.

It was a weekend of pain and grief. Apart from listening and trying to make sense of the situation, we didn’t know what else to do because we know, no amount of comfort could soothe the distraught. We were equally burdened with our heavy hearts. Thank goodness we have the boy around. He brought some comfort to the family with his little quirks and funny moments.

Before becoming a mother, I’ve heard people telling me that kids can do wonders especially if you’re feeling blue. I definitely concur now. A hug from my 5-year-old always make me feel better. And for his daddy, the boy has always been his source of emotional comfort.

So even though we couldn’t do much to help, I was glad the boy brought some cheer to the otherwise miserable day. He may not be an Incredible boy, but he is certainly the family’s wonder boy!

This is a piece of welcoming news for us. Especially now that he’ll only be going to P1 in 2010. Whatever kinks they’ll have in the system when they start this should hopefully be sorted out by then. And probably he’ll benefit from the better quality teachers too. Of course, the best is beginning classes at 8am because it’ll be no different from his kindergarten now.

It’s about time they give these kids some school/life balance! Just the other day, a P5 kid in the life skill course I conducted made an argument that schools should not have rules. One of the points she spoke for was that the co-curriculum activities should be cut down because they’re already doing a lot of courses outside of school and as such, they have very little rest time! I can certainly emphatise with that but I believe parents should also help to balance that out.

Well, I’m just hoping that my boy will get a good foundation from his primary school education and that schooling life wouldn’t be so stressful for him. So yeah, delaying his P1 enrollment has become a good thing now!

To show you how versatile my Takuya Kimura can be, I’ve taken this from Asianbite.com. He’s looking gorgeous playing Carrie Bradshaw. Check out those hand poses with his manicured hands.

Anyone thinks he looks better than Sarah Jessica Parker?

I think I can finally hang up the suit for good. I can’t say enough of how much I hate wearing it. Come to think of it, the reason for the dislike is more than just because it’s a piece of stiff and boring attire. I just plain detest the association with the corporate world!

I suppose it’s all fine if you do it on an ongoing, daily basis. Maybe it isn’t particularly pleasant on somedays but for the most part of the time, you’ll just grit your teeth, drift along and find your bearing somewhat. But for me now, having already extricated myself out of that grey grim world, this occasional association has become a lot more painful, even if it isn’t exceptionally unpleasant. Putting on a different persona, smiling unnecessarily and making small talks are all too much for me now!

Sometimes we think that the tangibles can compensate for the pains we go through. Well, it’s a lot easier if the pains are just pure physical discomfort. But I just don’t see tangibles easing off my emotional pain. Nah. Not even when I simply describe it as a pain in the butt.