The September Issue

The September Issue

September is the January for fashion. So goes the fashion dictum in the evolving iconic industry. Follow the journey of Vogue's editor in chief Anna Wintour and her team, as director R.J.Cutler takes the viewer behind the gruelling nine months preparation, for the most intriguing issue of the year-the September Issue. This is one fashion documentary not to be missed. Enjoy the following movie trailer.

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-september-issue/trailer

And the winner is...

My husband just echoed that I should compete in a local daily travel competition, since I've always had the neck for competitions and have won some and lost some. The prize at hand was a family holiday package, sounds tempting and the thought of winning one is always encouraging.

Oprah was ran a segment on people's favourite obsession and it featured an American lady who makes a living from just entering competitions! She's won a house, numerous expensive vacations, shopping sprees, cash and even a boat! Now, the closest I would ever come to winning anything would be a Barbie Doll House, forget about a lovely house in Kensington Gardens, with white picket fence, lined with splashes of roses and a panoramic view of Adelaide skyline.

I shouldn't complain considering my earliest win was a concert ticket, cum accommodation cum travel package to Singapore, to catch the bubbly Norah Jones. Whilst based in Kuala Lumpur, I remember gleaming with joy over a phone call with the reporter, after having sang a few lyrics from her album and answered three relatively simple questions.

Little did I know, I will be travelling with hubby and toddler in tow, via an express hired bus, and before embarking on our road trip, waiting in the bus for almost 1 1/2 hours, as one of the reporters in the bus had forgotten her passport. Yes, we were in the bus carrying the entire Malaysian entertainment reporters and much to my disbelief, I was wishing for a quiet comfortable 35 minutes flight to Singapore.

All in all, the trip was tiring, fun as the reporters kept playing with my son and a bit draggy due the countless times the bus driver had to manoeuvre traffic, toilet stops, food cravings pit stops and finally, after a gruelling 6 hours, the sight of brightly lited Orchard Road came into view. The hotel we stayed was fabulous and we had the best buffet and managed to catch up with some family based in Singapore.

Norah Jones delivered a smashing performance, and kept us all in the mood for romance. And we had the best seat in town! I was fortunate to have been interviewed by MTV as they were one of the participating sponsors and best of all, a couple of lucky winners and myself were given the opportunity to head backstage and take a picture with the beautiful Norah herself. I guess the bumpy nauseating bus ride made the trip worth it after all.

So, if I were to make a list of my wins and the galore of prizes which I've swept up ( drum roll please), it would be:

1. Norah Jones concert, travel and accommodation package
2. A RM1000 Ikea shopping voucher
3. A RM500 Carrefour shopping voucher
4. 50 cents CD album
5. An Australian travel bag ( although I was bagging for a trip to the Gold Coast)
6. A month supply of sanitary pads, courtesy of Kotex ( which arrived when I was pregnant!)
7. Movies tickets courtesy of the fabulous Kidspot Social and radio station SAFM.
8. Cafe vouchers
9. More restaurant vouchers

Not bad one might reckon, I may not have won the mega ones, but am certainly blest with certain wins that came my way when I least expected it. At times I think about the prizes I'd like to keep under my wings and came up with the following list.

1. A package to Europe ( to practice my rusty French)
2. Diamonds, diamonds, diamonds
3. A shop-all-you-can spree at Jimmy Choo and Ferragamo
4. A year supply of toys from Fisher-Price and LeapFrog
5. A supply of Guess watches and bags ( to add to my already growing collections)
6. A villa in Italy
7. Dinner with Bollywood's heart throb Shah Rukh Khan
8. A farm full of animals
9. A year supply of Dom Perignon
10. A 20 seater caravan to fit my family and farm animals.

So, I'm on this simple quest, and putting on my best armour to challenge any upcoming competitions and hoping I'd win some mega ones along the way. For now, I'll keep gazing at 'Tequilla Sunrise' parked handsomely at the Outer Harbour.

Flower Haven

Flowers, they are everywhere. Gracing my front yard; lining the brick layered pathway which snakes through the front lawn; at the sides of the fence, at my backyard, where I stand to gaze whilst hanging the laundry or playing a family soccer game.

Roses, in all of her might, exudes her colours. Red, white, pink, yellow; they lift up their petals, to show their purest nakedness..of beauty.

Then in a far corner, the lavenders seeks attention as they prepare to flutter their wings. Like a conductor in deep trance with his energy-driven orchestra, the lavender tilts her head sideways, then later gently springs up to reach the rainbows, bellowing above.

Shrubs of herb plants, makes a delightful home for the flight of the buzzing bumblebee, as it hovers over and draws on its nectar. More come and soon, it mimics a narrative documentary, sending out sweet nectar, enveloping the air.

Then, as a pulsating opera which tempts the hungry audience, Arum Lillies soon conceive in my Garden of Bliss. Onced shy and refusing to peel its beauty from its hidden mask, it now makes a grand entrance, hovering over the little shrubs of wild yellow spotted flowers.

I am blown away, and gaze at her gentle beauty. My Arum Lillies have arrived.

Confluence

I've often found myself crafting fabric of words, weaving them through web of emotions, observations and quite often, from the echoes of my heart.
As a result, here are some prose.

The Awakening

The blades of the freshly cut grass
The murmuring of the sparrows over the gum trees
The dancing leaves which sets the tone for the call of the evening
I am engulfed by the beauty of my surroundings and drift to a dreamy sleep
Only to be awaken by a blissful cold breeze
Wrapping me with its blanket of desire and love.

My Sister’s Keeper
Ah! The beauty and depth of love in sisters
Knows no limits and boundaries
It moves like the fallen dancing begonia; vibrant yet gentle and coy

The Twilight drive
As I drove this morning
I watched the leaves twirl and dance around me
And fall subtlety on the car window
With music bellowing from their leafy veins
It stamped its magic footprints everywhere
Whilst drifting me to a different level
Where time and day stood still forever

Black or White
The parrots hover over me
Spreading their colorful majestic wings
I watched the laughter in kids
Clothed in innocence and joy
I gazed at an old couple
Hugging closely by the beach
And witnessed their life in a flashback
And later
Saw a young couple
Giggle with love
But realised
That theirs was only a temporary love affair
Life is filled with sweet nectar
And yet has room for stings

Sliced by Silence
As I gazed in his eyes
And tasted his lips
Our hands locked in embrace
My heart skipped a beat
And sent waves of passion within us
In silence we invoked pure love
Tracing his face and his toned neck
I smiled graciously
And embraced love again
Laying side by side
Whispering sweet notes
I fall into a net of pure bliss
And never to be awaken again.

Beyond Infinity
To lay on the beach and watch the stars glitter in tandem
To picnic amongst the mountain terrains whilst basking in the sunset
To ride a bike and let the wind blow its cold arms
Whilst engulfing our spirit
To swim naked in a lake and lay by the banks
I seek you my love
Come! Come!

A day in a writer's suit

I submitted the following write-up in response to Meanjin Spike Challenge in describing one's daily routine as a writer. The Meanjin Spike Challenge was inspired by J.Robert Lennon's article in the LA Times.

Happy Reading.

A Mother’s writing log.

7am Awaken with fright as wailing toddler hovers over my buried head, warmth with four underlying blankets, shouting he can’t find his red Bakugan dragon, Drago. I murmured that I slayed the bugger last night and turned over the other side. Hit the toilet and story idea strikes me, I lean over for a nearby lipstick and scrawl some notes on sturdy scented toilet paper.

7:30am Wake older son for school and hurry him to bathroom, change, and rummage through chest to find a pair of socks that will match, finally conclude an orange and red ones will do, as his length of pants will make up for the wardrobe disaster. Toddler still screams down the hallway searching for Drago and older son ends the morning cacophony by detecting the muffled Drago under the dining table. Peace alas! A bowl of Fruit Loops entertains the boys whilst they get the morning dosage of Ben 10. I run to change and find a matching sweatshirt that will go well with today’s boot of the day.

8.30am Head to the car, with son in tow and drive like mad with enough time to wave to neighbour. At school, curse the drivers who don’t leave me enough space to park before the 'No Parking Zone' and park across school. Rush son out and tell him to sprint walk. Check school bag three times to ensure that the lunch box is intact and secured. Do I have OCD? Hmmm. Plant him with kisses and have quick chat with teacher as class students creep up to show their obsessive-filled Bakugan, oh no! it’s another Drago!

9:10am Back home to cheerful toddler and see hubby off to work. Dishes, laundry and make bed. Sit toddler with lego and playdough and head for some serious writing. Laptop on, quick glance on emails; Facebook, peer on FB chat to check any interesting friends, see a stalker and quickly leave chat room, noting hilarious attention-seeking FB status; check yahoo, gmail, hotmail, twitter and blog; finally look into writing materials with nearing competition deadlines.

11.30am Edit work and before second paragraph can take its’ flight, darling toddler sits on my lap and demands hug time. Plant him back at play spot with quick pit stop at kitchen for snack. Must resist temptation to read Facebook friend’s status flow. Must.. Hello Facebook! Oh look,17 updates. Five of them are speed dating invitations. Bugger!!

Noon Lunch and playtime. Bath toddler and sing with sea animals in tub. Facebook. Quick research on my writing subjects. Gmail chats with my sister.

3:10pm At school for pick up and sneak in the latest mummy’s gossip.

3:30pm Home sweet home with hungry boys picketing snacktime. Scribble notes on fridge, stick-on’s and when time permits, transfer ideas to laptop before the neighbour’s cat discovers a new play tool.

5pm Prepare dinner whilst making mental notes of today’s Homo sapiens observations.

6:30pm Family dinner with seated Drago near me, staring with his hooded head. Must remember to hide Drago again.

7:30pm Bath time, reading and bedtime. Goodnight my precious boys, please sleep soon as Desperate Housewives is starting soon.

9:30pm Dishes, fold laundry, read and chat with hubby before he belts an orchestra of snores.

10:30pm Silence. Should I write or contribute to the musical snores?
Lights out.

They call me Supermom

Ever since I was blest with motherhood, I’ve been able to reap the rewards, joys and contentment that comes with the role. With the perks like any job, there are the cons that supplement the vocation too. Coping with tantrums, meal time battles, arm wrestling on who gets the remote and whether the car windows should be screened up or down for the umpteenth time are one of those days where I would like to crawl in a hole and be neighbours with a curios squirrel.

In totality, it has been exhilarating breathing the drama from a distance; it’s like watching your own TV series shot live from your living room. Friends and colleagues pose the popular question, “How do you manage?” or “What’s your secret parenting tips?”. But nothing quite puts the icing on the cake with the recent exuberant title I’ve received, “You don’t know this, but you’re a Supermom!”

Call me ignorant but the last time I remember putting on a suit, was my walking gear, as I chased the boys down the rolling hills, mimicking the ducks at Elder Park, with their eyes gazing us with bewilderment.

I could be ecstatic with the new conferment but they don’t know that I have an invisible Four Arms, one of Ben 10 superhero powers, latched on my body. With my imaginary Four Arms, I tackle the daily house chores, with a vacuum in one hand and another stirring the meat for the shepherd pie. My third arm is storing dishes whilst my fourth runs a quick tab on my incoming emails.

With a 5kg laundry done over two days with the appearance of the gracing sun, I was able to iron the whole launder and organise the toy room, whilst researching and crafting new stories for my articles.

The idea in multitasking has never seen its greater potential until you wear the hat of parenthood. I’ve learnt to store extra toys in sleepy suitcases to avoid a killing fields of Lego and curvy car models. Books are kept within arms reach on the night table or stacked neatly on the floor for a breeze read. My boys like the idea of a chore or two, so I delegate simple fun tasks. Laundry is separated in 3 bags for easy wash; white, coloured and boys clothing. Meals are cooked in big batches and frozen. Huge dinners are brewed, cooked and packed for tomorrow’s lunch box. Fruits, yoghurts and snack bars are kept in the lower shelves of the fridge and pantry, so Supermom is not beckon as she eases herself on her quiet throne.

With a huge and evolving responsibility carried on our shoulder, should we Supermoms practised time out, on ourselves? Should we feel guilty about taking leave for 3 hours to catch a ladies movie night and wonder if little bub has been bottlefed, cleaned and tucked in bed with the right side of the nappy on?

Teamwork, understanding, empathy and a huge dose of laughter are excellent tips in balancing the joys of motherhood. I conclude my day by reflecting that my sons are my greatest teachers, as they impart their wide colourful imagination, dreams and daily banter with me. I can take these lessons of life with me, and scale my personal Everest in my Supermom outfit.

'An Hour of Bliss' Is Published