Still Alive!

Haha......I have been MIA for almost a year. It's amazing how time goes by so quickly. Much has happened since I last wrote. In chronicle order, I got laid off back in Feb. I was quite shocked at that time and kinda lost, not sure what to do coz' it means that we will have no income at all. Have you ever been in that situation where you had no income at all? It's really scary at first coz' we are so used to having a "secured" job and a constant flow of income to pay the bills. Somehow, we have survived almost 7 months now without a constant flow of income. Thanks to tax rebates, severence pay and unemployment benefits. I must admit that we are kinda running low on reserve now.
Another major event this year was Justine Yong Zhi Xin was born into this world in May. It was an easy birth which took only 20 mins. I started breastfeeding her on the first day and it went well. I was determined to be successful at breastfeeding but alas, I only managed to breastfeed her till she was 4 months old. She latched on very well, unlike Zoey which had a bit of a difficulty latching on. Breastfeedin Justine was a fulfilling experience. The only setback was of course it was difficult to breastfeed her in public and also the fact that I did not produce enough milk for her big appetite. I kinda miss breastfeeding now. Well...there is more to write but I will do it another time. It's time to go to bed now......hopefully, it won't be another year before I pen my thoughts down again. Haha....

Just Blabbing

Hi! I'm back! I know....I haven't been blogging for a while now. Even when I did, it was to fill up the posts. What nonsense about the National Christmas Tree. Who cares about the National Christmas Tree anyways, except that it's huge and nicely decorated, well at least better than my Christmas tree at home! Haha....
Anyways....have been having a bit of a mental block recently and sorting out some issues. It's difficult to write when you have something else on your mind. So, what's been going on? Nothing much....except, there was Christmas and the New Year that just passed. My brother came from some ulu town called Kalamazoo and have already left. My family and I went to Vegas for the New Year! Other than that, it's life and work as usual.
I was working during the Christmas week and it's so nice to be in the office when there's very few people around. Just feels like the whole place belongs to you. My brother even came up and sat at my cubicle while I worked! Haha...
I haven't been playing much badminton anymore.....the one thing that I really love to do and the one activity that breaks my ever so routine life. What the heck! Just a few more months and I'm back on my feet playing like a pro! I've been improving on my return serve lately. I tend to stand nearer to the service line and improve on my reaction time. Many a times I catch the front person on the other side of the net off guard. It's all about the timing. Another skill that I have managed to practice more due to my imobility was to place the shots more accurately. SInce I have been playing mostly mixed doubles, I have been placing my shots in the middle (between the front and back) of the court. This shot requires control as you have to hit it high enough past the front person but not too far to the back so that you force the person at the back to step forward to get the shot. And if executed correctly, he will have to lift for your partner to smash. Hehe....so, I'm still quite happy with my badminton skills la although cannot run much. The area which I would like to improve more but haven't managed to is to have a better net and also to do cross net. I still have not program my mind to do a cross net because at the same time, I'm trying to improve my net. I have a better feel of cutting the feather to do a tumbling shot and therefore, am always netting straight instead of cross.
Anyways....I have to lower my standards these days when choosing who to play with. Haha....especially when I am partnering Saroja, we have to choose players that are not so strong so I don't have to run so much! I wonder how's the little one feeling inside tumbling all over! Well, at least I'm still having fun. It sucks to play when you don't have fun.
I've also just finished reading this book on Justine Henin. She's my favorite athlete and I draw inspiration from her during competition. She's has the toughest mental out there in the professional circuit, men or women. To me, in sports, it's more of the mental then the skills. Of course skills matter too but when both players are of pretty much same standard, the difference between them is their mental. If I can apply my mental attitude on court to my work, I'll be enjoying every minute of it already. Unfortunately, I don't feel so confident at work as compared to when I'm on court. On court, sometimes, I feel......INVINCIBLE! Haha...just kidding la. But I feel really comfortable when I'm court as if I'm born to be there. See......since young, I aspire to be an athlete. Any kind of athlete, be it on the tennis court or on the running track or in the swimming pool, I feel most comfortable and confident there. But anyways....it's too late now. I'll just have to take this chosen path with positive attitude. In whatever you do, do your best....someone keeps reminding me that! :)
OKla....enough of blabbing la. And....it's 5 o clock! Time to go home! Till later....