Left? Right? Confused!

Yesterday Chad had me driving in the Wedgewood neighbourhood. At an empty intersection, I asked Chad where I should turn. "Let's try left." After signalling, as I was supposed to, I proceeded to turn. "I meant your OTHER left." I had confused my left with my right and for as long as I can remember, I had always had a bit of a trouble with my left and right. As a child, it was one of the hardest thing for me to learn. As an adult, I really have to take a moment to really THINK before I can correctly distinguish left from right. This explains why I often misdirect the taxi driver and have difficulty learning dances as I put up the wrong arm or place the wrong leg in front.

In my training as a teacher officer in the NPCC ( National Police Cadet Corps). I remember almost steering the whole marching contingent the wrong way. The drill sergeant shouted the command "BERGERAK KE KANAN BERTIGA-TIGA, KE KANAN PUSING" (Move to the right in threes, right turn). I would, of course, move to turn left. It was definitely not a good idea to have me right at the front of the contingent but as I provided much amusement to my fellow trainees, they kept me there.


This is me- much younger and much lighter in the NPCC uniform. (Photo taken by my friend Johannah Soo in 1997)

















I learnt that left and right confusion comes from the parietal lobe of our brain. To get a feel for your own left and right confusion and see how well our parietal lobe is performing, you can take a test at the website 'Left- Right Confusion?'. According to this website, more people than you would think have some difficulty when they had to quickly identify right from left.


I am actually thankful that I never had a driving licence in Singapore or in Malaysia, where the right side is the left side of the road. The relatively poor performance of my parietal lobe would have made it more difficult and dangerous for me to drive where the right side of the road is the right side. It would have been even more confusing for me to try to unlearn driving on the left side of the road. A message to all drivers in Seattle : Worry not. I will be a safe driver even if I'll undoubtedly make more than a few wrong turns along the way.

25 Random Things About Chad

1. I consider all six "Star Wars" movie to be one movie. Someday I would love to sit at a Lucasfilm movie theatre and see the whole saga.

2. I'm so excited about doing more world traveling, especially with my wife who is originally from Malaysia.

3. I fell out of my theatre seat in "Ferris Buellors Day Off." It was at the Northgate movie theatre and laughed so hard during the scene in which Ferris was playing the sound effects on the keyboard.

4. I don't like cheese. To me, it is rotten milk. It is my wife's greatest disappointment.

5. I enjoy walking fast.

6. My job is actually a career, not just a job.

7. I loved playing the drums in school and being in the marching band.

8. I mentally thumb my nose whenever I see a picture of Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter.

9. I sing little songs to my wife. Mostly, they're about what I'm doing or thinking.

10. Salmon is my favorite food.

11. I believe the Atari 2600 was the peak of video game creativity.

12. Lewis Black's riff about Starbucks is perfectly insightful.

13. "MASH", "Cheers", "LA Law", "Wonder Years" and "Picket Fences" are my 5 favorite TV shows.

14. I liked living in Montana and am thankful that I survived 2 1/2 years of extreme hot and cold.

15. I like riding public transportation. When I first moved to Seattle when I was 12 years old, I would travel wherever the busses took me and got to know the layout of Seattle pretty well.

16. "The Good Earth" is my all-time favorite book. I read it in 8th grade at Collins Academy with Dr. Bond as my teacher. The class read it over a period of about 10 days, but it is still the only book I've ever read in one sitting. I still have never finished "Dune."

17. The political leanings of artists have rarely determined how I feel about their work. I don't care that Charlton Heston was a god for the N.R.A. I still like watching "Ben-Hur." Tom Clancy could be the rightest right-wing nutjob but his books are some of the most engrossing I've ever read. I'm not a vegetarian, but Tom Scholtz and Brad Delp put together the greatest songs in Boston.

18. "The Monster Car" is my favorite episode of "Speed Racer."

19. The Cinerama is my favorite movie theatre, but I sure do miss the UA 150.

20. There are not many things I miss from my childhood, except old friends.

21. I like living in the city and don't think I would enjoy the suburbs or small towns. I couldn't survive on a farm.

22. I worked at Dicks Drive In from 1986-1989. I also worked for two months in 1992 and six months in 1999. My favorite thing to do was making french fries, from cutting the potatoes to bagging the fries. I can't stand eating the fries now because they are rarely made properly. I miss Ted and Ed!

23. I believe Bill Mahar is usually correct.

24. Karen and I went to see "The Color Purple" at the Paramount. Now she's taking me to see "The Lion King" and I look forward to seeing more live plays and musicals.

25. M&Ms plain and peanut are the perfect candies. The Christmas Mint M&Ms are the perfectest candy.

Click HERE for '25 Random Things About Karen'

Christmas 2008

As most people know, Christmas in the Northwest was canceled or delayed due to lots of snow. So, Christmas morning, most of Karen's presents for me were still not here because she had ordered them online just before the snow hit a few days earlier. What we did have though was so much fun together. We're both still trying to figure out what kind of traditions we want. She had opened her presents from me on Christmas Eve, leaving our Christmas stockings for Christmas morning. I loved surprising her with a few small gifts. And she surprised me, too. First of all, I pulled a small bag of Fritos corn chips out! It was funny because she had so little here but she had gone to the small grocery store nearby. There were some other gifts but another one I remember was a great bar of soap she had bought in France. Over the next week or so, our gifts trickled in via UPS. Maybe this is the start of a tradition?

This is a picture from Christmas Eve. Karen had just unwrapped a book I secretly bought her while at Disney's California Adventure. It was a bit difficult to slip away from her during our honeymoon to buy her a gift for Christmas, but I was successful--but only for a very short time! The clerk was only about half-done wrapping it as Karen walked back into the store! She was surprised at Christmas, which was nice. I tried to hide things in our small home so she wouldn't find them. Hopefully next Christmas there won't be as much snow--or any snow!--and we won't have to worry about presents not showing up.

And I wanted to add that these special Christmas stockings were given to us as wedding presents from my Mom's very good and longtime friend, Claudia. I remember her from my childhood and she helped my mom through many difficult times in her life. I was so glad she could come to our wedding since it wasn't a sure thing she could make it.

Karen and Nia

Last week(January 28th), Karen and Susanne went to NIA. That's some sort of exercise/aerobic thing that Susanne has done for a long time. Karen was excited to go since she hadn't done any real exercising since moving to Seattle last September. This picture is of Susanne picking up Karen to take her. When she returned two hours later, she was feeling really exhilarated, plus a bit achy in some parts of her body. But she loved it and remembered why she enjoyed exercising in the first place. I keep telling her that she should sign up for the new gym that just opened up in December but she still hasn't. It's only four blocks away, and it's right across the street from a Starbucks.


This is one of my favorite recent pictures of Karen. I was happy that she was finally getting out of the house for a bit, so I rode down the elevator with her when Susanne came to pick her up. This look on her face is priceless! She just couldn't wait to get on the gym floor and begin, so she started on the elevator ride.

Today was her second trip to NIA with Susanne and she had another fun time with it. A happy smiley Karen makes it all worth it!

Singapore church wedding to-do list

I'm now officially a month behind on my restarting the wedding planning for the Catholic church ceremony in Singapore. After editing and packing my life up in Singapore and moving to Seattle in September, I was kept busy with a wedding shower going for trips, immigration paperwork and planning for the November wedding here in Seattle. We then got married and then was the honeymoon followed by more immigration paperwork. After Thanksgiving, I said to myself, "I'll start seriously planning for the Singapore ceremony once the new year starts." Christmas came and went and New Year's crept on by. I have not done one thing to advance those wedding plans and I am starting to panic. Take a deep breath, Karen! The following are just mudane details so you should quit reading here but I'm going to go ahead and think 'aloud' to see just how much needs to be done.

Date and Venue?
Set! 18th April at St. Francis Xavier Church. To get married in a Catholic church couples must either go for a marriage preparation course (M.P.C.) of Engaged Encounter (E.E.). Chad and I went for our E.E. when I visited him in June and have the certificate to prove it. We also have to go through a Pre-Nuptual Inquiry and fill up a form. I already did my part in Singapore but we still need to get Chad to do his part here at a local Catholic church. We have yet to do this and must do this within the next 4 weeks.
Final deadline for for completing Pre-Nuptual Inquiry : Feb 28th

Invitations and Guest List?
The invitations are printed and ready. I have already have a list of names and addresses but still incomplete. I have already invited people verbally. Yikes! The invitations are supposed to be sent 2 months before but I'm going to have to send it 5 weeks before. My mom and dad has to give me their list too.
Final deadline for complete list: Feb 28th.
Final deadline to send out invitations: March 7th.

Reception and cake?
Lunch reception at the church. Have already contacted caterers but have not confirmed. Have to do so A.S.A.P. My mom is arranging for the cake and I need to get/make cupcakes too.
Final deadline: Feb 10th.

Photographer?
Done! Need to send email to double check that he remembers. Need to also send him the photographer's list of locations and shotsDeadline: Feb 10th

Mass booklets?
I have a draft copy of the mass booklet but have not finalised it or found anything about printing themDeadline: March 14th

Bridal attire and makeup?
Both Chad and I a getting double duty of what we wore here but may need to get one of those 'double veils'. Will be able to get one in Malaysia or Singapore or do without. I've already booked make-up artist and need to send email or SMS to double confirm. I have not informed the bridal party what colours they should wear. Or maybe I shall just go with anythingDeadline: March 14th

Florists?
Nothing done about the flowers. This could possibly be arranged when I get to Singapore a good 3 weeks before the wedding.

Organist, Lectors, Choir, Mass booklets?
No organists is lined up yet. I have a draft copy of the mass booklet but have not finalised it or found anything about printing them. I have a couple of lectors in mind and a few singers but will need to delegate a few friends to help me get more people. Florence, I need your help!Deadline: March 14th

Rehearsal?
Date has not been firmed up yet. How am I going to do all this from here?Deadline: March 14th

These is just the beginning of the to-do list. Writing all these down has put a pit inside my stomach. Probably a good thing because I needed the kick-start. After the November wedding, I slipped into a willing amnesia about just how much work went into the planning and now it all starts all over again. I'm sure this list will grow. In fact, I think I'm going to start a whole new blog just for wedding planning and such. Remember to try to have fun with this, Karen.

25 Random Things About Karen

Those of you who have a Facebook account will be familiar with this viral meme going around 25 random things about me. The rules on facebook are"when you are tagged you must post a note with 25 Facts, Goals, Habits or other random things about yourself. Then tag at least 10 of your friends instructing them to post their 25 random things!" I was tagged! No rules here. I decided to do a copy and paste from my note on Facebook and publish it here. Feel free share any random thing about you or add any random thing about me in the comments section.

1. I did my Math homework only about 10-20% of the time in my entire school career. I like Math but not Math homework.

2. I want to start my Masters degree this year. I look forward to going to 'school' again. I enjoy learning and researching as long as it is not in a laboratory.

3. If I did not already know you were supposed to say the glass was half full, I would say it was half empty. Still, I would object to being branded a pessimist. My feeling is that I have a pessimistic mind but an optimistic heart.

4. "Most likely to leap first and grow wings along the way" is how one of my closest and oldest friends described me.

5. A case in point of how this is such an apt description of me is my decision to uproot myself from friends and family in Malaysia and Singapore and move to Seattle to marry a man I first met online. Even I was surprised at how quickly I knew Chad was 'the one'. I am glad for friends who provide me checks and balances and my intuition has always been on the mark (I should listen to it more often).

6. I am happy to say that my wings are growing just fine and have managed to keep me afloat. I count myself lucky to be living in an age when technology has helped make the world so much smaller. Being able to keep in constant contact with friends and family helped me make the move without breaking my heart. I am glad to be able to talk with my mom and dad once or twice a week on the phone. Email, IMs, our blogs and Facebook help us all keep in touch and connected.

7. Sushi and sashimi are my No. 1 comfort food. There must be some kind of chemical in raw salmon which does it for me. Plus they're really yummy!

8. When I was 10, my youngest brother at the time passed away suddenly. He was 4. I found it difficult to cry. For years, I wished it were me instead of him. When I was 16, I had an English Essay assignment "The Pain and Pleasures of Growing Up". I wrote about my brother's death. My teacher liked the essay so much, she made me read it out loud to the entire class. At first, I was horrified. As I read my piece, there were tears (not just mine) and it was great therapy.

9. My childhood asthma resurfaced in my 30s.

10. Jobs I've done: Cashier, Waitress, Research Assistant, Private Tutor, Teacher and Education officer at a Science Centre. Working as a cashier and a waitress in between school and university semesters taught me that I could never really be happy or succeed in the service line.

11. My all time favourite movie is "When Harry Met Sally". I watched it back to back 4 times in a row one stressfull night when I had to work all night, grading exam papers.

12. I tolerate carbonated drinks but generally dislike them.

13. When I was 4 (or 5), I went around my neighbourhood and invited the kids to my house for a party at 5pm. It was my birthday. At 3 pm I arrived home and informed my parents about the party. Only years after did I recognise that look they had: PANIC. My dad rushed out and got ice-cream and other goodies while my mom got the house ready and at 5 pm, I had my birthday party.

14. In my first 6 months as a teacher, I had some challenging classes. Those kids often frustrated me to tears. I learnt much more from them than they did from me, and I grew to become a better teacher because of them.

15. I love love love the smell of coffee but I am more of a tea person. I drink all sorts of tea but my favourite is teh si which is black tea made with evaporated milk which you can order in any coffee shop in Singapore and Malaysia.

16. When I do drink coffee, it has to be really good coffee, usually black. When I do want cream, I want lots of cream. No sugar.

17. I am able to understand the dialogue of the movie "Run Lola Run" without the subtitles. I took German lessons at the Goethe Institute for 3.5 years. I don't speak it much because I am too unforgiving with myself when I make mistakes. Other languages (besides English) are of course Malay. I understand a smattering of Indonesian, Mandarin (and some Hokkien) and Kristang (a creole language spoken by community of people of mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry, chiefly in Malacca [in Malaysia] and Singapore)

18. I enjoy and am comfortable with spending time alone at home and though I have travelled alone many times, I prefer to share experience. I went for a movie alone once and did not like it. As I come out of a movie theater, I want to be able to ask someone how they felt about the movie. Sharing the movie is as important as watching the movie.

19. My curiosity gets me into trouble sometimes. When I was 6 or 7, I wondered if a pencil sharpener could do the same job as a nail clipper. Although my younger brother was a somewhat willing participant in my experiment, my parents were less than amused when the results of my experiement (using my little brother's pinkie finger) did not support my hypothesis.

20. When I tell people I'm a teacher, people would guess that I'm an English Language or Literature teacher. I'm not sure why that is. I actually taught Science and in the last few years mainly Cell and Molecular Biology.

21. I hate filling in forms where I have to list my occupation these days. I refuse to write 'Unemployed' or 'Housewife'. I am still waiting for my Employment Authorisation Document and green card. What I am is 'Between Jobs' and soon, hopefully 'Student'. I need to be able to interact with people, learn new things, make my contribution to the world and bring home a paycheck.

22. I think I often make a poor first impression. Making a better impression is something I have to constantly work on. I need to bolster up my confidence and silence the negative self-talk.

23. I started watching 'Sesame's Street' when I was 10 months old and was still watching it well into my teens. I love the Muppets and mourned the death of Jim Henson a.k.a. Kermit the Frog.

24. What I enjoyed about being a teacher was being able to help young people. I had some success with that. Because of a smaller class size of 24 instead of my usual 40 and a more reasonable workload, I feel I was BEST able to achieve that in the last 2 years of my career.

25. More than once, I tied a length of string on a dragonfly and tried to fly it like a kite. Kids do strange things.

Bonus Random Thing:
I never respond to chain letters especially if they warn of impending death and years of bad luck. This however, I thought is a fun little meme. I am not at all interesting or a good writer, so I had a bit of a challenge coming up with 25 things. Once I got going though, I found it to be fun. I will also try to be more interesting.

Click HERE for '25 Random Things About Chad'