Angry Bitch

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes."
Charles R. Swindoll quotes (American Writer and Clergyman, b.1934)

Among friends, I was generally known as a happy-go-lucky, cheerful, free-spirited person (or was it I'd like to think so?). And ya, I like to believe that this is true. So despite the choppy waves i had to come across in life, I tried to be as positive as I could and I can safely say that I succeeded. That kind of attitude got me through life pretty well, hence, the faith I have in the quote "Life is how you look at it and act on it", which is by me (Eherm! Haha, sempat lagi bah kan). But it's true.

Some years, more challenges, a marriage and a baby later, I'm today a much angry person. I snap like a swift swordsman at anyone (ANYONE including and especially my husband, my mom, my son, friends, turtle-slow and blur waitresses at restaurants, que-jumping drivers, criss-crossing drivers who don't signal, etc). I mean, i get REALLY angry. It started after giving birth (I think), which according to books i read is normal and would go away after the postpartum depression period is over. But two years later, I'm still an angry bitch.

At first it seemed normal and it didn't worry me. I was probably waiting for that postpartum depression to be 'over', but it never was over. I just keep being mean. And now, i'm worried.

I've always hated the way I'm always angry, but unconsciously defend myself that it's because of the hormones, surrounding, other people, etc - basically it's continuous blames on something or someone else... and that it can't be helped... And I comfort myself by thinking that someday somehow there'll be a solution. So I'll just be 'naturally' angry.

And then yesterday I came across this quote by Swindoll. And i remembered about how I used to look at life; free-spirited, carefree, happy, and simply the ability to be able to see the silver lining in every cloud, and the strength and gratitude in challenges. And I asked myself, "What happened to you?"

"... life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it." And I have faith in this because I was that person before, and it's been proven true. Because life hadn't been great for my mom, siblings and me. But we pulled through because we were able to laugh about it no matter how shitty it got. And I miss that.

And so, from today onwards, 11 August 2011 (Thursday), I challenge myself to a 30-day trial of the Attitude Towards Life test. Having said that, I'll be posting a post a day reporting on what are the shits that I'll have to go through each day and how I managed to (or not) get through them. Let's see what happens after 30 days. =D

Cheers,
The Angry Bitch

p/s: The post title is kind of funny considering everyone's into the Angry Birds nowadays, no? HAHA! No? Oh, nevermind.

Pemalas

Seriously Amy, just how hard is it to consistently update your blog??? Ugh...

This Is Home

For the past 2 years of my life, going back to my hometown KK had always been a joy that I'd immediately update my Facebook status about the excitement of it all; booked tickets, packed stuff, and embracing my beloved family members and friends in KK...

But this time, I feel the complete opposite of happy... Because this time, I'm going back for good...

Micah and I are leaving in four days time... But I haven't packed.. It's either because I don't know where to start, or I don't want to start packing...

I feel bad for saying that because I'm supposed to be excited to go home to my all-loving mother, my much-loved sister Sam and brother Elon, my supportive friends, my skinny dog Butter.. Home to where everything is or was familiar...

But by now, familiar is here, Bintulu... Home is here, Bintulu.. Family is each and every one of my in-laws; Papa, Mama, sisters Miin, Ahien, Ahui, nephew Aaron, and Micah's little cousins Icha, Hanna, Eunice, and the most recent member, baby Adam... And not forgetting our dog Lucky Oreo..

But most importantly, my bestest of friends, my bolster, my other half, my cook, my partner, my husband, my love, Joshua... who can't transfer as soon as now and we would have to be apart for some time before he could be transferred...

It's so heartbreaking to leave something that you have gotten used to for quite some time.. But more than that, it's so heartbreaking to leave people who had been treating you so well, people whom you have learned to love, people who had loved you just as much...

I love my mother with all my heart and she knows that... Coming here leaving her and my family behind 2 years ago to be with my husband was just as heartbreaking as this.. But this is my home now... And it's not like I don't have any plans to transfer back to KK for good. I do, but it's not supposed to be this soon...

I'm just settling down with everything... Work is slowly getting better and I just love working here albeit the politics of this state and country, but daily tasks wise, it's really everything anyone could ever ask for... It's fun, enlightening, hectic yet relaxing at the same time.. I have colleagues that I'm able to work well with.. The pay is not so bad.. My bosses are excellent people whom I can go out and have drinks with... It's terrific...

And then there's Micah and his surrounding... He's blending in so well; wake up in the morning and go downstairs to greet his Kung Kung (grandpa) and Akek (grandma) and cousins Icha, Hanna and Eunice (tho he calls all of them same name, Hanna, probably because that's the easiest to pronounce)... Papa will feed him and the other girls before I bathe him to get ready for schools (the nursery)..

At school he is just one happy kid.. Greeting his teachers at arrival and then he would run around playing with all the toys... I started sending him there since he was 6 months old.. It's where he learned how to walk, talk, sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, learn the ABC, learn how to say thank you, how to clean up his toys, how to be disciplined through time-outs... And he's learning so well... His teachers love him like he is their own kid...

I would pick him up at 5 and then drive around a little or go home straight, where he would continue playing with his cousins... If I have to work at night, he'd spend more time with them under the care of either Aaron, Ahui, or just about anyone at home.. And if I don't have work at night, I'd stay home with all of them, just mingle in the living room while my father-in-law prepares dinner for all of us (he's really, really good in the kitchen).. We would watch Mama's Hokkien drama series on 8TV, which we initially didn't want to but learned to follow because it's plots have become familiar and make you want to know what happens next. And then we'd have dinner, sometimes together, sometimes separately, depending on everyone's availability and appetite..

It's differently similar routine every day (does that make sense?). As family, there are days when we don't feel like talking to each other, but it is still is okay because everything goes back to normal within an hour or less... But it's the little things like Micah and girls dancing and singing, even fighting over toys, and we're all there to watch them grow and bond together, learning new things everyday, that will make me miss being a part of this family, that make me want to stay here longer... It's when we talk about the things that happen to us all in a days work.. It's when we talk about the kids.. It's when we laugh about how Aaron's sentence doesn't make sense.. It's when we all shouted, "Micah your son is on TV!" together when Just The Way You Are is aired on MTV.. It's when Mama calls out, "Amy makan!" or 'ngerepak' (complaining or something like that) about the mess at the living room. It's when Papa tells us facts about the types of fishes and how to cook them during dinner. It's when Micah sees his grandpa's shirt on the floor, picks it up and yell, "Kung Kung!" before going and had it over to Papa. It's when Icha asks me, "Aunty pegi siney?" everytime I go out for work and tells me, "Jangan lambat2 k." It's when Hanna breaks a little bit of her biscuit to give half of it to Micah. It's when Eunice cries out freaking loud and we all yell, "Udah gik!" It's when all of us make an effort to be there at home, and have a decent dinner together mainly prepared by Papa and Joshua for Chinese New Year Eve. It's when they lend me money when I need some. It's how the shampoo or the eggs run out and somebody will always buy more of them. It's every little thing that sums up FAMILY and HOME...

I miss them already... When at first I had no idea how to be a part of the Chua family, barely talking comfortably because of the slang barrier, or not knowing when to get out of my room and how to sit comfortably in the living room with all of them, I am now a full-fledged Chua family member.. Because it feels right to be home at Lucky Tower than anywhere else... It's okay to be myself and for them to be themselves around me... And tho I get to have my own space in the room if I want to, I prefer spending time with them watching TV at the living room while the kids play around..

I have no idea where does it go from here... I've been crying since I knew I'm leaving for good, everytime I get the chance to be alone, especially when driving.. I'm always thinking to myself, "Look at this place, the place that I was a little reluctant to come to, but now I find so hard to leave..."

I like to think that I'm only going away for a long-period traveling trip, and that I'll be coming back soon (that probably explains why it's so hard to pack my stuff, coz I don't wanna think I'm going for good)..

Of course I'll always be back for certain occasions like Chinese New Year, which my family here celebrates.. And I want to make it a point to come back whenever I have the chance, because I don't want to forget about this place, nor the people that I've built my world around for the past two years.. I don't want to forget how being here feels like.. I don't want to forget about what it feels like to live here, and be a full-fledged Sarawakian. And I most definitely don't want my son to forget anything he had here...

Because this once unfamiliar place is now my home... And I'll always come home... Always...

Besides, there is nothing wrong about having two homes, is there? =)

My 4th ID card

I just picked up my new MyKad today. I didnt look good as i did on my first ID card when i was 12, but i definitely look better than i did on the last two. I'm only 26 yet i've had FOUR ID cards. What does that say about me?
My mom said to me by the 3rd time i lost it, "If our genitals are detachable, u would have lost that too," adding that there'd be no way i could ever pass urine again, leaving me with gruesome detailed imagination of other ways my waste would have to exit my body.
Other than that, she also suggested that i stitch my ID card on my stomach, and just flash it to the police when they ask to see it. Though i get where she's coming from, i still don't get why she picked the tummy over the other easily accessed body parts.
The first thing that came to my mind when i lost it was how much would i be compounded for losing my ID card for the 1000th time. I was getting ready to pay 400, but thankfully it was only half of that.
If anything, i pray that my son will not grow up to be so forgetful like his mom. It pays to be clumsy and careless.

Am I A Fool Goin' Where the Wind Blows?

Here is a song that I've always been able to relate to, since I knew of it when I was 16.. especially during those low moments where I feel stuck in a rut and just wanna get out but I don't know how.. At 25, going on 26 in two months time, now a wife, a mother, and a journalist, I still have those moments... I've learned that they are necessary, in deciding where do you wanna or should go next... I haven't figure it out yet... But at the moment, this song is my source of solace, and probably answers lie around in it, only I couldn't see them yet...

"Goin' Where The Wind Blows"

Someone said life is for the taking
Here I am with my hand out waiting for a ride
I've been living on my great expectations
What good is it when I'm stranded here
And the world just passes by?
Where are the signs to help me get out of this place?

If I should stumble on my moment in time,
How will I know?
If the story's written on my face, does it show?
Am I strong enough to walk on water?
Smart enough to come in out of the rain?
Or am I a fool going where the wind blows?

Here I sit halfway to somewhere
Thinking about what's in front of me and
what I left behind
On my own, supposed to be so easy
Is this what I've been after
Or have I lost my mind?
Maybe this is my chance coming to take me away

If I should stumble on my moment in time,
How will I know?
If the story's written on my face, does it show?
Am I strong enough to walk on water?
Smart enough to come in out of the rain?
Or am I a fool going where the wind blows?

Here I am walking naked through the world
Taking up space, society's child
Make room for me, make room for me,
make room for me

Am I strong enough to walk on water?
Smart enough to come in out of the rain?
Or am I a fool
Going where the wind blows?

Down

I'm in such a low period of my life... I feel weak physically, emotionally, and spiritually.. I can't decide what should I do next... It's so intense that I can't even write properly... Ugh... Where art thou, my salvation? ='(

Numb

The other day when I was rushing to make it for the 11am mass at St. Anthony, having had to rush between the house to check on Micah and the rehearsal for an event I was emceeing for, I realized that I could not make it on time, and I screamed in frustration, before I broke down and cried...

Part of why I cried was probably because I was so exhausted juggling everything from my baby to double jobs and then church. Also, I may had been angry at my husband for not being around that particular weekend to attend a friend's wedding 4-hours drive away, especially when he knew I had an event to emcee for.

But as I was crying in the car that day, while also trying to figure out what exactly was I so sad and angry for, it hit me, and I said it out loud, "Lord I'm sorry for trying to justify every bad decision I make..." I realized I place to many blames in people and situations, and giving excuses for the things that I could've or should've done but didn't, and for the things that I couldn't have or shouldn't have done, but did...

That day for instance, I could have woken up at 5am to attend the 7am mass instead, knowing that I have a rehearsal for the rest of the day. But I didn't, simply because I wanted to have that extra 10 minutes of sleep which prolonged for another 1hour.

It's a small thing, not being able to make it to mass... But why did I cry so hard, like somebody had died?

The truth is, I died. I have been dead for a very long time now... I have a wonderful life; a job I love and pays me well; my wonderful and incredible baby son; my loving, helpful and understanding husband; my wonderful and ever understanding family and in-laws... I have great friends and companions to hang out during weekends with, or get crazy with... But truth is, there is a huge void in me, and I know exactly Who can fill in that void...

I miss being that joy-filled, 15-year-old who just found forgiveness and renewal in Christ's unconditional love, and envisioned her life to be sin-free, dedicated to serving others and God faithfully... I miss that 18-year-old who discovered that being sin-free and dedicated to God wasn't as easy as she thought it would have been. She failed and fell, but God brought her up again. And as useless as she thought the whole idea of renewal was, only to keep falling again and again, she got back up because she knew God will never give up on her, and neither should she.

I miss that 23-year-old, who found out that in order for her to grow, stepping out of the comfort-zone is inevitable... Being let go into the real world alone without her usual family and friends only mean that she has to learn to find God in other people, other situations, other circumstances, other perspectives... And as hard as it was, she tried, because she knew that nothing could go wrong coz she is spoken for...

I'm going to be 26 this year, and had not felt the presence of God in my life for a very long time... I've spoken about the absence of God many times in this blog, and how agonizing it is to wait for that renewal moment, coz it always felt so long. But this time, it's been really, really long.

By absence it doesn't necessarily mean that i stopped praying, or that God stopped answering.. I pray like I always did, and He answered like He always did. But I can't feel a thing. I'm numb. Going to church every Sunday and trying to participate in any church activities in between were just, that and nothing else. And that sucks. Coz I feel like a zombie; walking around healthily but have no soul... To me, that's death.

I've always been the kind of person who emphasized on soul-searching and self-discovery... And the only way I always do that is through spirituality... That is why when everything feels wrong when everything is in the right place (or so it seems), I know exactly which part of my life is wrong, which effects everything else...

And that's the thing, I KNOW, but I don't know what to do anymore... And every time I blog something about this, I would usually find optimism at the end of every piece... But this time, I'm just, numb... =( So help me God...