Ko Olina Beach Park

We got better packing for out beach BBQ trip this week. This time, at another beach on the west coast, about half an hour from downtown. No surf today but there was still a gentle breeze and a beautiful weather for a picnic.

hassle free streamed veggies, ready to eat in 20 minutes 

Japanese miso flavored BBQ chicken and Korean beef kalbi. Mm mmm good...

our dinner minus the parts already in my belly

a perfect picnic spot

Ahh...dinner and sunset. What could be more perfect?

Goodnight sunset. Until tomorrow...

First Trimester woes

This was a very hormonal week for me. Since my pregnancy, I'm doing better on some days, some are not. It reminded me of my 6th week of pregnancy. I'd never been so hormonal in my life. I was extremely exhausted. Had to sleep often through the day. My appetite was insatiable. I couldn't seem to eat enough of anything and yet i feel nauseated almost constantly. My emotions are also all over the place. One moment I feel so happy and in love but the next moment, something really trivial could trigger the worst temper within me. Added to that, I experienced dizziness, headache, my face felt puffy and my tummy felt bloated. Also, there was this odd metallic taste on my tongue which I had to keep washing down with water and for some reason, couldn't really taste much when I ate. But the worst thing was the emotional swings. I couldn't understand what was happening to me! It didn't help that a friend confessed to me that she felt like scheming to kill her husband a couple times during her pregnancy! I know now why people say that couples should be strongly rooted in love before wanting to have kids or it can tear people apart.


I am looking forward to being in my second trimester when the female body is supposedly the most stable and all pregnancy symptoms miraculously disappear for most women.

Role models

Uncle Ben and Rainey

Since my pregnancy, I've begun pondering on the importance of setting a good example for my child and it dawned upon me how important it is to grow up being around positive role models. Somehow, life has a funny way of teaching us things. Often, the biggest lessons we  remember are not from what is directly taught to us. Rather we learn quickest quietly watching from the background when people are not consciously teaching. Parenting in my opinion, is the hardest task ever handed to any adult on their personal achievement list. I can think of ten times more adults whom I think should not have been parents than ones I think turned out to be great ones. I'm not discrediting the fact that people do try their best but I personally believe that some people naturally have the right personalities to be parents and some just don't. Nobody's ever ready to be parents. But it's worth seriously considering what it entails before deciding to become one. 


Unfortunately, I can honestly say that while growing up, positive role models were the exception rather than the rule. Somehow, all I remember seeing and hearing were a lot of male promiscuity, screaming, wives crying, messed up marriages and overbearing chinese parents who constantly measured their children's worth by pegging them against other (usually) smarter children. (Dumber kids are never used as an objective IQ assessment since it would defeat the purpose of perpetuating over-achieving attitudes in one's child). Perhaps it's a chinese thing to be over-achiever parents who liberally dish out back handed encouragement via criticisms. I cannot recount the number of times me mother yelled at me, "I do all this for you and what do you give me in return? Nothing! You're useless!" I was never praised for doing something well because there was none to compare to! Since no other kid excelled at what I did well, in her eyes I was a plain failure of a child! My mother was by no means a bad mother but believe you me, there was a lot of room for improvement especially with encouragement and fostering self esteem in a rebellious, spirited, fiercely independent child.  


Then I thought of my Uncle Ben. I have deep seated memories of conversations with him during my teens. They were few and far in between but enough for me to realize he was different.  As an executive in the music industry, he hung with some pretty colorful characters and was one helluva cool cat! He was one of those guys who I seemed to know how to play the game but had the sense to know when to draw the line. He was quick witted and always had a punch line for anything thrown his way so I found him quite intimidating but intriguing. I kept my ears peeled around him, constantly waiting for his smart one-liners. And he never disappointed. When I was 19, we had what I would like to call our first adult 'man-to-woman' talk. He looked at me straight in the eye, treating me like an adult and said, "Sandra, always remember that you can negotiate anything. In fact, you should negotiate everything, even when they say no. Never forget that." Then proceeded to enter into a 30 minute debate with me, rebutting every protest and excuse I made before finally shutting me up with a best seller to take home as reading material. It would be the last serious talk we'd ever have. He gave me homework! But I was inspired. Deep inside, he garnered authority and my respect. There was a wisdom about him that resonated with my spirit. He seems like one who walked the walk and talked the talk. I felt like he was an older figure that I could depend on to give me advice if I ever needed them in the future. Sadly, that opportunity never came. Uncle Ben succumbed to cancer a few months later. I was so devastated that I couldn't even bring myself to go his funeral. I wanted to remember him the way I last saw him - alive and kicking, the fighter that he was. A few years ago, while visiting with my Aunt Lorraine and Sally, I learnt a few more things about my Uncle Ben that made me wish I was given even more time to know him as an adult. 


Aunt Lorraine, whom I endearingly call Rainey told me how he'd been a man of character even way back as a college kid. When times were rough, he would borrow money from close friends promising to pay them back. By hook or by crook, he always kept his word and repaid every penny, even if they refused to accept it. After they were married, she told me how he would always make an effort to keep in touch with his friends no matter what. So he would call his friends up and say, "Hey you wanna hear a joke?" and proceeded to make them laugh. It tickled me to think that he knew the power of laughter and exercised it liberally. My Aunt Sally told me how he was always meddling in his sibling's business...in a way a protective elder brother would...in the way you always wanted one to. He always made it a point to call each of his seven siblings ever so often to ask how they were doing. And if she said that everything was alright, he would ask again, telling her to be truthful with him. He really really cared. If I am able to replay and apply all the memories I have of my Uncle Ben with my own child, I would have reason to be proud parent. One who knows how to be funny, humorous, ever-present, a leader by example, a strict disciplinarian yet overflowing with love.

Sympathy weight

They say there's such a thing as sympathy weight that some husbands gain in sympathy for their wives when they're pregnant. Elton is one such person. It's funny but endearing. It melts my heart seeing him grow a little bulge on his belly or break out in pimples every once in a while. Today, he made a typical Taiwanese dish for the first time - pig's feet stew. Its a signature dish in chinese cuisine even among the cantonese and is essentially pig trotters simmered for hours. At first, I was a little disgusted at the thought of eating pigs feet but he said it's apparently rich in gelatin, calcium, protein and collagen especially for pregnant and nursing mothers to maintain strength, flexibility of skin and assist in milk production. I was convinced enough to try a little. One bite and I was hooked! I couldn't stop! I was the tastiest stew I'd ever eaten. I dug in with both hands, gorging on it like a ravenous wolf. I guess he not only satisfied his own craving for meat, I did too. Sigh...the crazy things preggies do!

Ultrasound

I was more nervous than excited about the ultrasound appointment for some reason I cannot explain even to this day. Perhaps it still hadn't really settled in my head that I was pregnant. Elton was obviously excited and later confessed to me that he had secretly hoped we had twins. But nothing prepared me for the experience of meeting my baby for the very first time. As soon as it came up on screen, I squealed in delight. I couldn't stop! It was so overwhelming that my doctor had to shush me up! Elton's reaction was somewhat cuter. Once he saw the baby, he grabbed my hand like a little boy and inched his face towards me. I turned to him and the sight was endearing. His face glowed with a Cheshire cat's grin like he just got his favorite Christmas present. He continued to squeeze my finger as the doctor scanned my uterus to show that there was indeed only one child and not twins. I suppose it would have been nice to kill two birds with one stone, getting two kids instead of one since we're older and time isn't on our side but still, seeing this one kid was overwhelming. I think it was the first time I truly realized that I was going to be the mother. And I was so grateful for our child, such a beautiful miracle. I couldn't believe it was living in my belly. When we were alone, Elton stared at the printed scan of our baby and said, "It's a cutie". In my heart, I wondered how would he know? All we've seen is a scan of a tiny peanut sized fetus sitting in my belly with a heart beat of 172 beats per second! Yet he said it so confidently, flowing so naturally from him mouth without a single trace of doubt, that all I could do was wrap my arms around him and say, "He is, isn't he?". Eventhough we didn't know its sex, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that we now cannot wait to hold it in our arms. For us, it'll be the cutest baby in the world, though we both know it'll come out like all babies - a big ugly ball of wrinkles, it'll be the cutest, most gorgeous baby we'll have ever seen. Hopefully we won't be so vain but probably borderline...

Point Panic Beach Park

We started something new today in an effort to spend some quality time doing something together every weekend - BBQ at a beach. A new beach every week until we find our favorite spots. This one, close to downtown turned out to be a pretty good surf spot. Today, we forgot the mosquito repellent, Elton forgot to pack my veggies and we didn't bring quite enough liquids but we tried to look beyond it and have a great time still. Good thing I brought my new birthday present and started trying to catch some surfers in action. 

father and son watching the action 

a young boy watching out for the crashing waves 

Some body boarders. Unfortunately I missed photographing some hardcore ones who did it without a board!

 it was fun watching this body boarder spinning 360˚ on the wave

appetizers - grilled shrimp on the barbie

plane from the airport nearby flying into the sunset

Pregnant

Today, Elton and I confirmed we were going to have our very first child. The two hour long doctor's visit was comforting but one thing that echoed in my head was the doctor telling me that getting pregnant at this age was itself a miracle. Honestly, I've never craved to be a mother like many of my female friends who had craved for marriage and children since their early 20s. Actually, I had so many issues with my mother during my childhood that I was terrified of it. Worried that I would turn into my own mother with my children, it haunted me for many years. When people asked me, I'd say that I just didn't feel a personal need to contribute to the worldwide crisis of over-population. It made people laugh but more importantly, they stopped asking. Afterall, it was a valid reason. 


I'd kept the news to myself for the last two weeks, only confiding in a handful of close friends who congratulated me, telling me how blessed I am to have such an amazing miracle at my age. I am after all, almost fourty. I'm lucky to have any fertile eggs left for the past ten years! Added to that cynicism was the fact that I have been surrounded by family as well as close friends who have had a hard time conceiving for years. Some have been trying unsuccessfully for decades! I worried that I was too old to carry a child, among many other fears. It's funny that something that should bring so much joy to me, in fact, brought me the most trepidation. At least for the first two weeks. the worst thing was reading the pregnancy books I had bought to educate myself for the task at hand. Instead of the increased awareness making me celebrate my pregnancy, all they talked about were pains and discomfort I would soon feel, diseases that I should be aware of, complications that may develop, mood swings and bleeding. I might as well have watched Salem's Lot ( which gave me nightmares for years when I was 12!), then read the top 10 horror books ever published. Thankfully, I have a wonderful friend who redirected my anxiety. She sent me a book that made me thankful for this miracle. I felt humbled to be given this privilege and it filled me with immense comfort, joy, hope and gratefulness. They say miracles happen every day. For me, this was one of them.


The biggest surprise however, was sharing the news with my parents and family members. Now I finally understand the term, 'bundle of joy'. It amazes me how the news of a little one, the addition of another member to the family clan who isn't even born yet, can invoke such joy and excitement among family members. It's a simply marvelous to see other family members share and take pride in someone whom they haven't even met! It's a bond that is as thick as blood. I have a funny feeling this is just the beginning of many miracles to come. No doubt in my mind that it's just the start of a lot of big changes...and challenges. Hopefully, we'll both rise to the occasion.

Away from Home

My brother just moved to New Zealand. This is his first time living away from home. It’s also his first time being away from all things familiar – family, friends, parents. Everytime we talk, I realize how different each person’s life experiences are. Granted, my brother and I have always been polar opposites. However, even if two people are living in the same place at the same time, I think each person tend to have a different take on things. Afterall, no two people are the same. We’re all unique individuals with unique perspectives on things, outlook on life and motivations. Truth is, we each have our own journeys to walk; our own choices to make, our own destinations to arrive at. And the journey is different for each one of us. Perhaps that’s what’s most important. The journey and not the destination. That journey can make or break our spirit. Being an avid traveller and having lived in three different countries and multiple cities, I've met all kinds of people. The more interesting ones, the ones I find myself drawn to, the ones who inspire me are, ironically, not the ones who are successful; it's not the ones who've made big money; it's not the ones who think their life is over. It's the ones who know their lives are not perfect. They live very ordinary lives but are honest with themselves. Rather than be crippled by their failures, they see opportunities to improve themselves. The make me realize no matter what happens to me, all I need to do is to have the right perspective in life and to keep going. They remind me that eventhough life's not perfect, it's the little things that matter. Being able to laugh, knowing I'm learning everyday, bring able to contribute to something worthwhile, making a difference and being the best I can be for myself, life can be great, nomatter what happens. 

Chiku germinating

Chiku is a small brown tropical fruit the size of a large egg. It's also spelt Ciku in Malaysia and is widely found in South East Asian countries. It has the texture of a grainy persimmon and is extremely sweet. Sometimes, almost like a rotten sweetness. I used to enjoy eating this food growing up in Malaysia but I've never been able to find it since moving to the States so I've really missed it as an adult. It's true the saying, the more you don't have, the more you want! It's one of my must-have items everytime I visit Malaysia. So I was delirious when I found some in Chinatown here in Hawaii about 3 months ago and seeded 8 seeds, hoping some would grow out. To my utter disappointment, nothing has happened. I've read that it's a very slow growing plant so I've been very patient. But 3 months is a long time to wait. Elton's has long given up hope and taunts, "I can't believe you're still waiting for those chikus to grow!" Today, I decided to give up. But as I started digging them up, I discovered that 5 of the seeds have actually germinated! There are roots growing out! It really made my day. I suppose it pays to be patient when it comes to farming! Good things are worth waiting for. I've repotted them. I guess all there is to do now is keep my fingers crossed and hope they keep growing.

some of the chiku seeds which have germinated

Ewa Beach

I stumbled upon a beach close to the house today called Ewa beach. It's pronounced 'Eva'. Really beautiful place with powder soft sand. The neighborhood actually looks quite sketchy and perhaps a little like a ghetto area with messy homes, unkept yards and pockets of nicely kept houses in the midst of low income looking houses. The backyard however is one of the most pristine untouched beaches I've seen. I had to jump in for a dip.

the beach exit between houses leading to the beach from the street

I love this sign posted on a house by the beach