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Monday, June 17, 2002

My doctor daddy

Good gracious, I forgot to call my dad for Father's Day!!!!! Mom called at about 11pm and 'scolded' me! She called from the extension in their room and told me, "Call now, Dad's outside in the hall." So I did....

Monday, July 8, 2002

God makes dreams come true

Doing some cloak-and-dagger stuff in the office - avoiding 3 different bosses! Not easy to do. Luckily they're all on the 4th floor, so I popped up to 5th floor and have been "hiding" since morning. The Big Boss knows...

Tuesday, July 9, 2002

Shaken

Mom just called. I asked her whether she knew about the car and she said no, but she said Dad had discussed the possibility of getting a car for me and he was wary coz I haven't been saving any...

Wednesday, July 10, 2002

Ghosts of the past

Frustrated coz the Internet's moving soooooooooo slowly today! Can't reply all the PMs I received. Still have the last few articles to finish up before I fly off tomorrow. Feeling introspective today. Thinking about Mom and Dad, about all this...

Tuesday, August 27, 2002

It is a blessing!

So much has happened, and no updates here... I actually stopped for a while coz I kept on getting error messages when I tried to submit my entries, and I got fed-up!! In the end, Dad got me the car....

Tuesday, October 15, 2002

And she had flowers

Slept at 5am last night, or rather this morning. I really have to stop doing crazy things like that – it's time to be staid and "normal", as befits a proper grown-up. Then again... naah. How boring! *laughs* I took...

Saturday, November 16, 2002

The benevolent elder sister

I feel like Santa Claus today. I got Blink, my brother, a mobile phone and bought small gifts for three friends – not Christmas gifts; “just because” gifts. As in, when they ask, “Why are you giving me a present?”,...

Sunday, November 17, 2002

Celebrate Christmas every day!

Yesterday, I said I felt like Santa Claus, spreading joy and good cheer through gift-giving. I’m still kinda surprised no one took me to task for using the name “Santa Claus”. See, I grew up in a Christian family that...

Monday, December 9, 2002

Technology and the technologically-challenged

Slept at 7:30pm yesterday evening and woke at 10:30pm. The first thing I did was check my mobile phone, which I'd left in silent mode. 1 missed call from home. I promptly returned the call. Of course, my mom wanted...

Saturday, December 14, 2002

Life bumps

Dad got me a secondhand car in August. He paid for it in cash and told me that I was to pay him back in instalments. To me, it was sort of a miracle - not exactly the one I'd...

Friday, December 20, 2002

Away for Christmas

Tomorrow morning I'll be driving back to my hometown for Christmas. I managed to get Monday and Tuesday off, but the bummer is I have to travel back on Christmas Day coz I'm working on the 26th. It's the first...

Friday, January 10, 2003

Practicality vs. aesthetics

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. – John Keats Things of beauty have a value all their own. They might not have a great deal of practical or monetary value, but they are precious nonetheless. They fascinate me....

Wednesday, February 5, 2003

That's my mom!

Wow, I go off for almost a week, and what happens? My blog wins an award! Woohoo! This blog won the Most Introspective Blog Award in the First MereMadness Christian Blog Awards. I'm still reeling. Thanks Ganns. May I say...

Monday, February 24, 2003

Grandma ill

One of my uncles called me out of the blue tonight, asking for my dad's mobile phone number. "Grandma had a heart attack, you know. It's pretty serious, she's in hospital." I got the shock of my life. Called Mom,...

Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Updates

Thanks all for praying. My grandma is out of the critical stage and is recovering. The plans for her birthday celebration have to be cancelled, though. :( I'll be going home Thursday as scheduled, and should be able to see...

Monday, March 3, 2003

Mostly Dad

With Mom's, "Why do you need to spend so much time in the Internet cafe?" ringing in my ears, here I am :) The connection is veeeeeery slow today, the weather has been horribly hot (35C) and this place is...

Thursday, April 24, 2003

What manner of gift this be?

My dad turns 52 next month and I was wondering what to do/get for him... what can you get for a parent who has everything he'll ever need or even want - and whatever he doesn't have, I certainly can't...

Monday, June 16, 2003

Watch those words

It wasn't until I read some blogs this morning that I realised yesterday was Father's Day. *smacks forehead* Where is my BRAIN??!? So I called home tonight and gave Dad belated Father's Day wishes. Notice I didn't say I wished...

Monday, July 7, 2003

Dad strikes again

I hereby designate July the Not Much Money Month. What with one thing and another, my budget doesn't look too healthy. So yesterday I went to the supermarket and stocked up on cans of tuna - the idea is to...

Saturday, July 12, 2003

Letter from Dad

If I didn't know better, I'd swear Dad had read my blog. Especially this post. I received a letter from him in the mail yesterday. Yes, an honest-to-God snail mail letter. Dear Ping, I am writing this to help you...

Sunday, August 17, 2003

Going hoooooome

Do you think everybody should have a day off on their birthday? Is it special enough to warrant a day off? I decided to take a day off on my birthday. Mostly coz my boss asked when I would next...

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Grown-up baby brother

My baby brother took me out for lunch on Sunday, to celebrate my birthday. Wonders will never cease! hehee Well, OK, 21 can hardly be called a 'baby', but you get my drift :) He asked me to choose the...

Monday, November 17, 2003

Did I hear, or did I not?

For a moment there, I thought I'd permanently lost my sense of humour. Granted, there's nothing funny when the mechanic tells you your car repairs will cost $1,050 — if you really want to get them done. There's even less...

Monday, November 24, 2003

This time, my mother

I remember leaving for college 8 years ago. Well, I don't remember actually leaving, but I remember wanting to leave. You see, in Malaysia, you can choose to leave high school after O'levels (we call it SPM) or stay another...

Friday, December 19, 2003

Stories from my childhood

Every other blog I read is talking about Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Do you know that I haven't watched ANY of the LOTR movies? Nor the Matrix ones? Part of the reason is... I have...

Monday, January 26, 2004

Families...

"Do you have a full-length mirror in your room?" Mom asked. "Yes," I told her. "Do you look at yourself sideways?" "Mooooooooooooooooommmm!" *      *      *      *      * When parents and extended relatives get together and start focussing on me, I know I can look...

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Running home

Whom do you run to? Whom do you run to when things go wrong, when you don't know what to do, when you're in trouble and need advice? I realised recently that the instinct to run home to Daddy is...

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Being me

I was fascinated with feathers, fell in love with sweet bookmarks and coveted stickers of all kinds. Beautiful women and their gorgeous gowns enthralled me; a pile of newspaper cut-outs — waiting to be placed in a scrapbook — attested...

Monday, April 12, 2004

Being "spiritual"

When I wrote about the spooky incident at our house a few weeks ago, Joel's comment left me smiling ruefully: P.S. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to see God's hand in this. Be safe. In truth, I'm not one to...

Monday, June 14, 2004

No regrets

A friend of mine had an elder brother pass away suddenly last week. As I watched her preparing to go back to her hometown to be with her family, I imagined getting a call out of the blue, telling me...

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Happy birthday, Mom

That's a pretty recent picture of Mom. It's her birthday today :) She called me on Thursday and told me she's really looking forward to my visit home next week. I'll be going home for the entire week -- yippee!...

Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Cured of temporary insanity

I got a card from Mom a few days ago, apologising for nagging me whilst I was back home and telling me that I'm actually always welcome there. She also asked me to come back more often. I'm wondering whether...

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Sticks and stones may break my bones...

Some &$^#*%@! guy just asked me if I am PREGNANT!!!!!!! ...and it's all Bob's fault coz he dragged me along to a meeting with the fella!! While we are on the subject of insults, Dad and I had this phone...

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Operation clean-up

Mom wants to come down this weekend, and will probably stay over at my place coz there's no room at my other uncles' places. Do you know what the state of my room is like right now?!?!? Eeeeeek! *panic panic...

Monday, January 17, 2005

Chilly reception

Dad took out a life insurance policy on me some years ago, when I was still in college, and he's been paying the premiums ever since. I've never talked to him about it, mostly coz it's always easier to leave...

Friday, January 28, 2005

Pangs of the past

It's funny, the things you remember. One morning in church, years ago. I don't even know how old I was at the time. Probably somewhere in my younger teens. I was beside Mom, and she was talking to one of...

Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Filial or no?

I am in a thoroughly bad mood today but am not sure why. Certainly I've been rather easily irritated over the past few days and have let lots of things get to me -- things which I would normally just...

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Kinabalu conundrum

Mom & Dad are planning to climb Mount Kinabalu in a few months' time. Kinabalu, for the unaware, is the highest peak not only in Malaysia but also South-East Asia at 4,101m above sea level. Dad called me last night...

Thursday, June 9, 2005

My dear Mom

This so reminds me of Mom. The other day I was on the phone with her and told her about my promotion. I also told her about being put in charge of maintaining our youth website. Then, because I...

Sunday, July 10, 2005

My parents are THIS close to finding my blog

I spent much of the weekend in my uncle & aunt's place, coz my parents were in town. I ate so much durian I think I might need to diet for the next two weeks. (For the uninitiated, durian is...

Thursday, August 4, 2005

Early birthday presents and a heart-to-heart

I think I might have gotten shock absorbers from Dad as a birthday present this year. (Two years ago it was a car headlamp.) Granted, my birthday's only on the 25th, but after telling the mechanic to replace the shock...

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Dad's reaction

In the midst of all the stress, you know what? Dad has been simply wonderful. I called him on Friday afternoon to tell him about the accident, gave him the bare bones and assured him I was all right. He...

Monday, September 26, 2005

Why Blink is Blink

Several people have asked why Blink is called Blink. "Does he blink a lot?" asked Ariel, who got to meet Blink in person after church service on Saturday evening. Well you see, Blink is a guy and like most guys,...

Friday, September 30, 2005

Nail-biting time

Everybody says I don't look sick. I'm starting to feel like a fraud, despite the fact that all my joints are aching and my nose is falling off. (Yes, more melodrama! *grin*) Yesterday, after work, a friend dropped by to...

Saturday, October 1, 2005

God isn't angry?

I got my camera! I got my camera! (this explains the image on the left *grin*) A comment left by Kevin yesterday proved spot on and helped me decide between the cameras. He said both are good cameras, so the...

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Reporting in

I'm back :)  I had to come back coz I have some stuff lined up this week -- including attending a friend's wedding on Saturday, where I'll be helping out as an usher -- plus I have one last article to...

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Family is special

For all that I sometimes complain my family drives me crazy, I do love them lots. It's one of those things where, you know, I might grouse about them all I want, but if anybody else were to try to...

Friday, December 16, 2005

Close to discovery

Mom sent her first ever email last week. Now it's only a matter of time before she reads this blog (especially since I've never hidden the fact that I have a blog!). Err... uh... well, I just wonder what she'll...

Sunday, January 1, 2006

Soon, a wedding

Blink proposed to his girlfriend on Friday, and she accepted. You read that right, folks -- my BABY BROTHER is engaged to be married!!!!! *faints* Yes, okay, obviously he ain't a baby no more :D  But I mean, he's four years...

Thursday, January 12, 2006

The Restorer of relationships

A day after I wrote about my year 2005 in review, I realised I'd left out one very major thing: my family. *whacks forehead* Things have been changing within my family. Long-time readers of this blog will know how I've...

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Passing it on

I like to watch parents -- especially fathers -- interact with their young children. My heart is always warmed to see an affectionate father play with his children and patiently answer curious questions. There is just something very moving about...

Sunday, February 5, 2006

Growing pains

I'm fairly certain Mom & Dad disapprove of my lifestyle and would disapprove even more if they knew the whole of it. They don't like me going to bed too late at night, they take a poor view of me...

Thursday, February 9, 2006

Mourning

My paternal grandmother passed away last night. She loved the Lord. I will be away for a few days. We will all be driving back to my hometown for the wake & funeral, so please pray for safe journeys. Thanks....

Sunday, February 19, 2006

He's growing up!

That's Blink with his "What the heck do you think you're doing?" look. Even when his face is all scrunched up like that, he's still my hamsem (handsome) brother ;)  (Oh, the mushiness!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUDE! 24! I guess I...

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Dehydrated now. Cried too much.

Have been away the past two days attending the 'Father's Love Encounter' Conference at River of Life Sanctuary. They were teaching us about God the Father and the way He loves us, and why sometimes we have difficulty believing that...

Sunday, September 17, 2006

More chickens coming home to roost

I really think my body is rebelling against me. I've been sick so often lately that I've started to feel fragile. Like, I don't trust my body anymore, y'know? So this morning when I woke up and took mental inventory,...

Sunday, October 1, 2006

Why I moved

Welcome to WilfulSunflower.com, my new home. Thanks to Bob and Jason, things have gotten sorted out pretty fast. I'm still fiddling with the look & other stuff, trying to make it perfect; meanwhile, blogging will resume as usual :) Mom...

Sunday, October 8, 2006

Growing up

I still can't get over the fact that I'm now an adult and can relate to older adults on the same plane. I don't have to call them 'auntie' and 'uncle' all the time (unless they're really old... err, I...

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Demonstrating love

Blink and I are here to celebrate Mom's birthday, which falls on Thursday. In our family, birthdays have always been significant dates. When I was in primary school (ages 7-12), Mom used to organise small birthday parties for me. We'd...

Monday, October 16, 2006

Thank You, God

I'm grateful for:Parents who are still together after 29 years. Mom, a great cook who prepares my favourite dishes when I visit. Dad, a responsible provider who's worked hard and never complained about the sacrifices he's had to make for...

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The good and the bad

Got an email from Dad last night which made me very thankful I've moved my blog. He started off by noting that I seem to be one of the more well-known Malaysian bloggers, and ended by saying, "However, I wonder...

Saturday, December 9, 2006

Angry angry angry angry angry

Miss Bunny once said she thought my parents would be proud of me if they were to read my blog. Well, Mom read my blog, and she was by turns horrified, worried, offended and upset. I moved my blog somewhere...

Sunday, December 10, 2006

That time of year again

Christmas is coming. You can hardly escape noticing from the way shopping malls are playing Christmas songs over their PA systems and putting up huge Christmas trees and twinkling lights everywhere. My numbness towards Christmas magic has been well-documented on...

Monday, February 26, 2007

Shallow obsession

Ms Bunny got me all riled up recently when she posted about her parents going on about her weight. Hey, whaddya know? Mine do too. Not to mention my aunts and uncles, ladies in church, colleagues, and random strangers on...

Friday, March 2, 2007

Good gracious, he's getting married!

Well, then. Blink and his fiancée, Chen May, have just set the date. First it was "maybe June", then it was "probably December" and now it's "definitely May 5". What? May 5? That's like TWO MONTHS AWAY! What am I...

Monday, April 2, 2007

The place with the antiseptic smell

I find hospitals rather scary. I know this is ironic, since Dad is a doctor, but while I have no qualms about seeing doctors (except for secretly believing that most of them are not as competent and thorough as my...

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Inexplicable tears

I found myself crying after visiting my grandma in the hospital last night. It took me by surprise. After all, she's not dying or anything; her condition is stable and she's due to be discharged in two days' time. Good...

Saturday, April 21, 2007

I need fortification.

When I bought a dress to wear at my brother's wedding, I walked into a store, looked around, a dress caught my eye, I tried it on, and bought it. All within the space of 10 minutes. That's my shopping...

Monday, May 7, 2007

Holy cow! He's married!!!

 I still can't quite believe it... my baby brother is married! He looked so handsome on his wedding day... and my lovely new sis looked so happy to have snared him. Heheheh. (She told me she would not exchange...

Friday, June 8, 2007

New blog on the block

Guess what? My most awesome and very funny brother has started a blog! I swear I had nothing to do with it. I've never even hinted that he might want to start blogging... he just did it all on his...

Monday, July 30, 2007

On turning 30

"I'll be 30 next year!" I exclaim to my nearly-19-year-old cousin. "Ripe." "Like a peach?!" "Brie." "Cheese?" *nods* "Smelly!" "Rich and mellow with a creamy texture and a soft white rind." "..." "Well actually, just the 'rich and mellow' part."...

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Getting more than you prayed for

Despite Mom continually telling me I should pray for Dad, I rarely did. But when I did, I prayed for him to be healed of things of the past, that one day he would be able to shake free of...

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Family at arms' length

"I heard you have four blogs. How do I access them?" Mom asked. I narrowed my eyes at her across the table. "You can access the normal one, the one you know about." The one where I blog under my...

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

He said yes!

"You want to study full-time? Go ahead. Just let me know what you need, and it shall be done," Dad said. It was as easy as that. I restrained myself from staring at the phone, open-mouthed. Those of you who...

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Frogs! Yummy! :P

I got a text message on my phone from one of my uncles yesterday that my grandma's birthday is today and they were going to take her out for dinner. Since I have nice uncles, I was invited to come...

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!

I am really tired and there is something wrong with my Facebook account (it won't recognise my password and claims my email address is unregistered)... but I just wanted to say, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there...

Sunday, May 18, 2008

New Dad

Dad was so sweet. He texted me yesterday, something to the effect of, "Congratulations on your second day at the new job! How's it been so far?" I looked at the message and wondered, "How did he know I was...

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Recuperating

SOMEBODY (you know who you are) accused me of being a drama queen. Hey, I never said the operation was major! In fact I told a friend that it was a minor procedure, and she said that doctors always play...

About Family matters

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to The Wilful Sunflower in the Family matters category. They are listed from oldest to newest.

Bread & butter is the previous category.

Friendship is the next category.

Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.

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