meeting with relatives

our last trip to the longhouse was really eventful ...get to catch up with relatives whom we have not met in a while ....Mom, for example, was in her element ...she relished the ideas of catching up with her old friends ...swapping stories about their lives - especially their grandchildren!

mom and her friend ...they have not seen each other for over 15 years ...spent the whole night talking and reminiscing ...they found out both of them now live in Kuching LOL

Mum and Aunty Wan ...she is mum's second cousin, and as fate have it, she married a guy from dad's longhouse who also happened to be related to us ...hehehehe ...small world huh?

these are my second cousins ...a group of them came over to our house to catch up ...we only ever see each other during festivals, or any other family functions ...in fact, it is only in the last 4 years that i am close to these girls ...i have been away too long, we never see each other while growing up ....their grandmother was my grandmother younger sister ...now that both our grandmothers are gone, my dad always make a point to ensure that we keep in touch ...to keep the family ties intact

and it is not just a reunion for us ...but for the kids as well ....hopefully they will know each other, and how they are related ...we seldom see each other (the family) but the friendships and relationships and the kinships should be nurtured ...

busy June ...

i have been away from the office for a long time ...remember that i did a posting on my upcoming gawai (which was 3 weeks ago) ...i took 2 weeks off for that, a few days in the office (but was spent outside the office as i had to do my fieldwork ....) ..and then i went for a week in penang - for a conference and a day off ...now, the reality kicks in ...i am back at the office ...

and what is disturbing (lol) is that i have a long "TO DO" list waiting for me .....

(i) still have to finish my PhD proposal ...hard to get the momentum after such a long break :-(
(ii) we are moving to our new office building in July ....so, need to pack my stuffs ...i just hate this process (so, I have yet to start on this)
(iii) need to submit claim and conference report ....this is the least of my worries LOL ....coz no (i) and no (ii) are more urgent
(iv) have to apply for visa for my Shanghai trip - luckily this can wait ...the visa, according to the website, can be done in 4 working days ....(lower priority task)
(v) call to confirm my accommodation booking for our Sabah trip next month (need to remember to do this!)
(vi) fieldwork report - an on-going process ...(don't get me wrong, it is fun ....i am only lazy when i comes to report writing)

all in all, a really packed schedule for me ....and i am anticipating a busy July as well ......

aunty's home ...

My sister always try to find time to come and visit us ...the main reason is coz she misses us ...hehehehe especially my parents and these two cheeky monkeys ....

She had babysat Al numerous time when Al was in KL ...and they were very close, till Al moved to Kuching ...Adik, on the other hand, only stayed in KL for a few months ....but that did not make them any less closer ..

their favourite pastime together: playing games on my sister's iPhone ..especially slingshot cowboys game ...both boys are iPhone-savvy :-)

full of concentration!