In one of our family’s lunch in ChopStix, the waiter gave us four fortune cookies. Perhaps as a recognition that we have been their loyal customer. Or simply to distract my boys from tearing the place apart whilst waiting for the food to be cooked. And here’s what it said:

Mine: A good laugh and a good cry both cleanse the mind.

Hmm…what a coincidence. I was in a verge of nervous breakdown and had a hard time in maintaining my sanity. Living in two worlds required nerve of steel, and sometimes I felt that I did not have it to keep the patient and common sense going. There’s always PMS lurking in every corner of the month.

Hubby’s: Happy events will take place shortly in your home.

What could it be? We have no upcoming celebration so far. I hope it’s not the fact that I went Offshore again last week. Ow, perhaps it’s the installation of water heater!

Mika’s: Keep up the good work. You will be rewarded.

He just had good score in English and other subjects, and he has been very enthused in learning. So I guess it means that he has to keep the momentum going. Atta boy!

Pascal’s: You offered the dream of a lifetime. Say yes!

Well, what could be the possibility that a 3.5 years old offered the dream of a lifetime. What would be his dream? He surely was not offered to be a truck driver! Let me see…he just did his kindergarten admission test yesterday. He did good. Showed independence, confidence and excitement. So I guess it meant that this is his dream. Tee hee.

Hopefully.

Don’t worry, this is not going to be a New Year Resolution Note kind of stuff. I have stopped making resolution as most of the time I failed to keep them. All I do now is just make plan and try to meet my plan as best as I could.

What will happen this year in my life? I mean, if God allows (Insya Allah)…let me see…

1. I will start taking night classes to obtain my Master Degree. This will mean less time with my family and other mundane things I used to do in 2008. I believe that it is worth to note that my shorter working hours apparently had created boredom and issues in other areas as in…more domestic dispute! In 2007, I was so f*cking busy, I spent 12 - 14 hours in the office excluding 1 -2 hours travel time and resulted in…less dispute! How can we have argument if we never meet? But it did not mean that the dissatisfaction was not exist, we just never had the time to bring it to the surface. ‘Fortunately’ we could do it in 2008. But after a while, it got tiring and it is cleared that I need something to keep me busy so I won’t nag in every little things and drive my kind hubby crazy. There’s tendency for me to manage everything and got frustrated if things don’t happen the way I want to. My thought, my plan and my act command. Enough about me. I have to learn to let go some of this tendencies. The urge to perfect things and drive everybody nuts in the process.

2. I will travel less due to point no 1 and economic crisis that hit the world. Hooray! As much as I like travelling, I found it very time consuming and a fast way to bankruptcy. When you travelled you tend to spend more money (than your allowance allow). So when I re-calculate everything, I lost the valuable time with my family and I lost my savings! Shoot.

3. Pascal will enter kindergarten! My baby boy will start going through a more formal education. Poor little thing! He’ll be caged for the next 20 years in so called education institution and be like me! Oh dear…

4. Mika will start taking swimming lesson. Actually he has been quite good in swimming. But I want him to improve his strokes. In the same time, probably Pascal and hubby could join the lesson. Then I’d feel more comfortable to take them sailing. It’s not really fun when you are the only one in the family who can swim and dive like dolphins. You tend to have nervous breakdown whenever you see them without their life jacket.

5. Spend more family time in non-mall situation to avoid consumerism. I have noted Kite Museum, Widayanto Ceramic House, Mekarsari Fruit Garden, Jungle Park, Waterbom and other outbound activities as 2009 venues to visit. Hopefully we can make it.

How’s that sound?