Assoc. Prof. Dr Rachel F. Mansa

Yeah I am a tax virgin. Never done my taxes since I started working in 1999. Hahahah how did I get away. I don't know. But one thing is good. I finally did it yesterday. Yahoo... Benjamin Franklin once said " Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. " Ha ha ha.. very morbid. Oh oh oh.. but I want to say how I skip the EXTREMELY long line in the tax dept. I did the naughty and said innocently "is there a special line for pregnant ladies?" which immediately helped me. I would not feel so bad if they also helped all those mothers with little ones. But I did. However I really was tired and TAXES are important. It paid for my A-levels, first and second degrees. Thanks to all Malaysian Tax Payers. I promise the investment in me would not go to waste.

Today is the end of April. My car will arrive in July. Hmmm... two months and a half... the waiting. I know if I do not watch the time, it will fly within a blink of an eye. That knowledge still does not appease me. Anyhoo what else can take my attention away from my BIG job of marking another 280 exam papers, plus another 44 exam paper which just arrived yesterday for another subject. It is exhausting but I appreciate my friend's comments and advice on the marking method. It does help. Loads. Cheers ladies. I woke up so tired this morning. I thank my Guardian Angel for getting me safely to work. I got knocked out for 2 hours in the morning after arriving in the office. Maybe I am pushing myself too hard. I have to remember that I am pregnant. I promise to do what I can and not kill myself doing what I must do.

Not to be taken literally. However my kiddo is "buncit" (a large stomach in Malay). My paediatrician cousin says "Aw,... don't worry it is normal for all small toddlers to have the belly". My kiddo at 17 months It worries everyone especially the grandparents who do not stop mentioning it to me. My Dad especially would not stop nagging. Hmmm... I would say my kiddo is an exception. He was born big, the radiologist in the UK mentioned that he had a long femur (thighbone) at 20 weeks old. From a year of breast milk he was this very very healthy looking baby. He is so cudly in bed. :) My Kiddo at 3 months My Kiddo at 5 months He was always on the heavy side of the expected baby weight. He is a solid strong kiddo. But the nagging does not stop. He has is a "buncit" boy. It worries me too. Does my kid have worms? Is he like those African children who are perpetually having large stomachs due to malnutrition and sickness?... What my cousin says reverberates i...

In continuation of what colour to choose from wed, April 23 post. Really appreciate all your comments... I am so fickle minded I wish I had a wand to change the colour as I like when I like it so I won't be in this dilemma. I would choose black. It looks sooo yeah chic, elegant and sexy. BUT I got no time to maintain that colour all the time. As Sue and Mae mentioned. I agree. Ben had a black Celica once. He wrote "Rachel, Clean me!" on it.. hahah I can happen imagine that it will happen again with black. Champagne seems like my most favourite colour. However the skirting is an awkward colour. If it would be champagne all the way I would jump on that colour. Unfortunately not. In addition to that imagine me waiting an extra 3 to 4 weeks for the car to arrive. My baby would pop out before I can drive the car, and there goes the joy of driving the car for a month. Uwaaaaaaaa.... Silver the least loved colour will be my choice. Hah. Why is it my unfavourite colour? Not be...

I dreaded this. Aimed to finish 40 papers per day. I am fooling myself. It is Friday tomorrow and I am only about to calculate the total marks for all these 40 papers. I have another 270 papers to go and only another 3 weeks to go. Maybe if I sleep in the office and never leave until I finish marking I will be able to finish the papers. "mati lar saya"...

Common, I do not understand why I am so undecided about the colour of my new car. i am normally boring and very decided about things. This time. I am confuzzed. People help me decide. Which colour suits me best? Black, champagne or silver (posted in my blog on Thursday, April 10, 2008) ???? HELPPPPP...

I heard this song yesterday and it gave me a lot of strength. Hope it will help others too. WHITNEY HOUSTON LYRICS "Greatest Love Of All" I believe the children are our are future Teach them well and let them lead the way Show them all the beauty they possess inside Give them a sense of pride to make it easier Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be Everybody searching for a hero People need someone to look up to I never found anyone to fulfill my needs A lonely place to be So I learned to depend on me [Chorus:] I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows If I fail, if I succeed At least I live as I believe No matter what they take from me They can't take away my dignity Because the greatest love of all Is happening to me I found the greatest love of all Inside of me The greatest love of all Is easy to achieve Learning to love yourself It is the greatest love of all I believe the children are our future Teach them well and let them lead t...

:) my other half gave me a pack of Kit Kat two weeks ago. Hmmm I took it as a sign that I needed a break. Where to go? What to do? Bali.. yahoooooo... cheap flight. Gorgeous beachside hunks. Get a crazy sun tan. Party and drink all night! Or sit under a shade and read a book. Snog a gorgeous fling. HAHAHHAHAH I am dreaming. Been there done that. Sigh. Instead. I chose to go for a personal retreat at Kaingaran, Tambunan called Pusat Pertapaan Karmel. Why the religious type of break? My life recently had undergone so much changes. I metamorphosised from a single, happy go lucky crazy 20 something to this settled, married, troubled 30 something mother, teacher and pregnant lady. Calls for a change. It calls for a simple spiritual rejuvenation of the spirit. I did not expect much except from my memory of Bundu Tuhan Retreat about 8 years ago. Where I found a peaceful place with a lot of beautiful views and lots of talking youths, was good for the soul. However, this place is different thou...

What is my dream car you ask? Something small, safe, sporty, a lot of space for people and a lot of fun. At first I could not see anything I wanted in the market along these lines. In my financial range at the moment I could afford the Toyota Avanza. So that was what I was aiming for initially. Now. Hmmm I would say it was love at first sight. I can not get this car out of my mind. I will now have to really work hard for it. It is miles more expensive than the Avanza but I really do not like the van look. :( What a pity because on the money view it is perfect. However I have a chance to increase my pay within the next month. There is a government exam which I can take. If I score top marks for that. I would surely be able to get an increment. That brings me well into the range of being able to afford the car. This is such a happy moment for me. Just have to work harder in getting that extra pay and maybe do more part time jobs. Hah. A little voice is warning me of the dangers of going...

I am in a dilemma. First of all my office floor tiles need to be relaid. Bummer! I love my room. I was told I have to empty it for almost a week. What is a pregnant lady to do? Someone whispered to me to move to a larger room on the level 2 of our building. Hmmm that is a thought. A bigger room. More space. For tiny me. Ponder... ponder.. ponder. However I was never a person to ponder without action. So I went to get the room lock picked. You would want to ask why? This is because the room key was lost and nobody wanted to bother getting a locksmith to open the door. So I did and I found out the room is big and has a very very nice view of the sunset. Lovely... Still I wanted to be really sure. This will be the room which will almost be like a second home. After all I will be living in it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for about 20-30 years. Hmmm. I feel like I am choosing a husband.. Ha ha ha ha ha. I wish I did this much research before I married my husband. Ha ha ha ha. Those who know...

Hey ho... baby calm down... This baby,... man is a groover.. loves to go wiggling about and giving mommy a heart attack... anyhoo.. my heart is also excited about... ;) my new humble car.. it is coming... soon.. it is nothing great.. just a nice ol family car... but it is new.. and it is gold in color and it is all mine. Woo hooo... I feel so happy... I could cry... hmmm Thank God I can cry about something happy. Recently everything seemed to succeed in getting me to feel down and crying... hah.. But I will persevere and let the shadow fall behind. Keep the sun in my face.