Because of you

So.

I'd like to share the story of how I met my husband. Because it's weird and cute. And lately we have been fighting a lot so a friend of mine asked me to recall some old memories, the fond ones, to make me reconsider his current flaws.

To be honest, I've shared the story before. Not with you guys. But I wrote it down as a short story. The story is too long to be shared here, so never mind that.

Here goes:

I was diagnosed with 'anxiety attacks' after a while of uncontrollable hysterical situations where I could do nothing but curl up and cry until the fear had faded and my body stopped shaking. Horrible times. I went on medication for it instantly due to my job, which I didn't want to lose, but decided therapy would be nice to accompany it with so I could, in the long run, learn to control the mental disorder. Or at least learn how to live with it.

My doctor was nice enough to send me to a group therapy session at a large hospital in Copenhagen. I really didn't want to go the first night, cause I was already late and it was raining hard.

When I first stepped into the room, I was petrifried at the group of people there. Mostly old people, or, older than me at least. They each took their turn (very LONG turns) in explaining how their life sucked. I didn't pay attention.

But then I looked down and saw a sheet of paper that contained the names of the group's members. And I saw his name, Hiroshi. And only then looked up to spot him.

"You're Japanese?"
"How do you know? Only half though.."

"Heh. Cool."

And then, after the first therapy session, when I fled the room, he chased me down the hallway and out into the rain. All the way to the central station (quite far), and I don't even think I managed to speak a single word. He was talking that much. About his heritage, about Japan, about his anxiety attacks, about how he's never met a blonde girl that spoke Japanese.

After two sessions, I went on Facebook. To stalk him in return. To be honest, I didn't think much of him until I browsed his profile and the many pictures he had. Knowing I'd miss the next session, I sent him a message on Facebook instead. And on and on we went chatting through Facebook.

It was so much easier to talk on Facebook than face to face, when face to face is at the psychiatric ward where you spend the majority of your time wailing, while explaining how you can't control your tears at times and just think the world is about to end on you.

After a month or so, he asked me out on a date and we made out by the end of it.

A month later, he gave me a key to his apartment. The excuse was to 'expose my fears'.

A month later, I officially moved in.

And six months later, I was pregnant with his child.

Three months later, we got married.

And here we are!

Emma is growing every night it seems. So does our arguments. /sigh.

I think it's mainly because we're both at home now. In our small apartment. Driving each other crazy.

Anyway. I love him. Mostly because he will do everything for me. Honestly. I can disregard his childishness, disregard his stupid questions and I can deal with his yelling because he has a really bad temper - because I know he would do anything.

Like today. I didn't sleep so much because we moved Emma to her own bed in her room, so I woke up every hour, afraid I'd overheard her crying. So I was tired. And being tired usually brings a bad mood. So to cheer me up, he tried (I have to emphasize the word tried) to perform Nothing's Over dance by the cutesy teenage Korean pop-band Infinite. Trying his best to sing Korean. It was hilarious.

Then he took me and Emma out for lunch on a cozy café by the beach. Saved the day. ^_^

Emma had a good day today too. As you can see. Tee hee~

I looked at the internet today for hoodies and came across this.

I can't help but like it. Even though it comes with a tail!

Like the model's hair even more so. Stupid scandinavian hair that won't sit like that. T_T

I'ma just go sit on the sofa with my pineapple juice now that Emma is sleeping. G'nite!

So...

Sorry about the lack of update.

I received a new macbook computer and it has taken me ages to transfer all my stuff, update systems and profiles and whatnot. Haven't really had the time to do it either, so it took me much longer than anticipated. @_@
Anyway~

HERE I AM AGAIN.

I spent the past 10 days in a very luxurious beach house in the southern part of Jutland, Denmark. It was a five minute drive to the German border, so it was really like staying in Germany rather than Denmark.
The house had its own jacuzzi, sauna and indoor pool. So after Emma was put to bed each night, it was adult time for me and the husband.

Emma was a star child during the entire vacation. She would sleep in her regular patterns, and behave VERY well when in the stroller. Never had a hissy fit and slept the majority of the time we were out.

We did a ton of shopping - simply because we could.

We did a lot of restaurant and café trips - because we could.

It's funny how a child can limit your vacations. But we're still proud we went and had a really good time, despite we had a 3-month old baby with us.

I discovered a German fashion store that had very gyaru stylish items. It was kind of expensive too, for some items. But they had a ton of cheaper stuff like skirts and some tops. Couldn't help myself.

Despite the fact I still need to drop a massive weight after giving birth, I bought a lot of new clothes. Hopefully, a lot of it will fit soon.

It's just hard to lose weight when you're breastfeeding. You gotta eat to do that. T__T

Anyway~ I hardly have time to make a proper update. We need to unpack and clean the apartment from top to bottom. Hard work coming right up!

@_@

New update coming tomorrow. I promise. Enough with this slack!

Been a while..

While I've just recovered from a horrifying day of throwing up, I feel it's time for an update.

Not that anything extremely curious is going on in my life - unlike the rest of you bloggers out there!

As most of you know, I'm pregnant. I've got two months left till due date (although I was sure I'd throw her up along with the rest of my insides the other night) and it's very exciting!

It's only lately I've been enjoying pregnancy - now it's so obvious with the increased bulge in my shirts. Also, knowing that if anything should happen, I'll still be a mommy~

Anyway.

So, when I'm not busy trying to re-arrange everything at home with my scatter-brained nesting tendencies, or busy purchasing anything remotely cute that I'm sure my soon-to-be daughter will hate me for in the distant future, I'm working my butt off the remaining days until maternity leave.

After today, I only have 17 days left. Wohoo!

I know some of you like hearing about my work so I'll spill a few tidbits about what I'm currently occupying my awesome office with:

1) Trying to decide if we should turn off the ventilator of this poor, middle-aged woman. Seriously, the choice is ours since we are the ones paying the insanely high prices for her ICU ward.

2) Translating a Korean article for the scientific benefits of laser chemotherapy with drugs sensitive to photothermal energy (Yeah. I don't know, regardless of which language this article is gonna be in)

3) Suing a clinic in downtown Seattle, US for fraud and malpractice. So exciting ! (and at times very boring conference calls)

Besides that, I'm trying to decide if I should return to the same office when I get back from my maternity leave. Even though my job is at times exciting and at other times exceedingly boring, I sometimes feel I should be doing something else. Perhaps it's the fact that I can't decide if I should take a leap of faith and struggle to get the manager position or keep my place where I can keep up the pace. I'm not sure I can juggle both career and baby.

Anyyyyway.

I've been hooked on the new KBS drama 'Dream High'. It's for teens, obviously. But I love it.

Unfortunately it's also made me realize that when baby is done using my body, I have to take extreme measures to get my body back in shape. As much as I like being pregnant, it limits your body horribly and scars it! So I will definitely do something about it when Emma has reached the world.

I don't know how yet, but I know it'll happen. Because I'm determined like that.

Stupid, skinny and perfect-looking Korean tv teen girls!

(god I also wish the boys I knew could dance as well as they do in this drama! *drooool*)

I think I'll watch an episode. Just to make myself feel useless and crappy compared to these talented people.

Advice for my daughter

- Wear sunscreen (Long term benefits have long been proved by scientists)

- Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.

- You will never understand the power and the beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But in about twenty years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way that you
can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are not as fat as you imagine.

- Don't worry about the future or worry that know worrying is as affective as trying to solve
algebra by chewing bubble gum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind.
The kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

- Do one thing every day that scares you.

- Sing

- Don't be reckless with other peoples' hearts.
- Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours

- Floss

- Don't waste your time on jealousy.

- Sometimes you're ahead. Sometimes you're behind
The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

- Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults.

- Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements

- Stretch

- Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.
Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't know

- Get plenty of calcium

- Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

- Maybe you marry, maybe you won't.
Maybe you have children, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th anniversary

- Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.

- Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can.
Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it.
It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

- Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but your own living room.

- Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

- Do not read beauty magazines they will only make you feel ugly.

- Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.

- Be nice to your siblings, they are your best link to your past.
And the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

- Understand that friends come and go. But a precious few who should hold on.

- Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle.
For as the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young

- Live in the city once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in the country once, but leave before it makes you soft.

- Travel

- Accept inalienable truths
Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old.
And when you do, you'll fanaticise that when you were young, prices were reasonable,
politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

- Respect your elders.

- Don't expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse
But you never know when either one will run out.

- Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're forty, it will look eighty-five

- Be careful whose advise you buy, but be patient with those who supply it

- Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way wishing the past from the disposal, wiping it
off , painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

(Thanks to Desiderata 1927 for teaching me these values)

Wuut?

Sorry, no updates for a while.

I guess they call it.. Hiatus!

I call it.. being a mom.

See you guys later.

Another day @ my office

8:00 : Coffee and a bagel. And translation of Korean medicals.
After reviewing the first page of the medical, I realize this medical is rather perplex.
Without going into any specific and rather nasty details, let's just say that a young girl
ended up between two cars..
Girl has been admitted for seven months and counting, so go figure the amount of
medicals that we have and are in need of reviewing so that we may extend our cover
a little and save the poor girl's life. I end up discarding the bagel, no more appetite.
Who could've known that the word comatose and intracranial bleeding are so simple?

11:00 : Diet coke and edamame. Hong Kong Gossip
Working ages on finding evidence of an illegal organ transplant which will cost us a great
deal less we find some hard evidence we can hammer in the face of the surgeon. Kind of
difficult, when the surgeon seems eternally out of office.
Calling up my colleagues in our Hong Kong office. We end up chatting more about
Michael Wen's scandalous night out with the boss' secretary than the legal issues of
prosecuting a very well-renowned surgeon.
I end up transferring our conference to the local authorities. Now it's time to pretend to
be better familiar with organ transplants than the surgeons itself, talking to the Head
Director of the Medical Association and Affairs in HK. He is convinced, however.
Talked to a hospital where supposedly we had our insured admitted. They confirm that
the surgeon works there but that he did not perform transplant surgery.
He is chief surgeon there. That sucks. He is going to be tough to bring down. And I am
not going to go all the way to Hong Kong to prove that is in the wrong and should be
prosecuted for dealing with illegal organ trades.
Too bad I have his signed fraudulant medicals lying right here on my desk...

12:15 : Carrots and a water. Male bonding...
Male colleague from the Travel Claims department, approximately 45-50 years old
walks into my office and I get the impression he wishes to see me for a specific case that
was handed over to my Recovery & Fraud project. But no..
I watch as he fiddles nervously with the cup of coffee in his hands and he manages to
ask another colleague to close the door so that we may have some privacy.
He starts complaining about his work load and that he feels offended, being asked to
deal with specific types of cases, wanting to know if it is by coincidence of if I am aware..
Aware of what?
Apparently, he has a hard time distinguishing his private life from the type of claims he
works with in here. He has always told himself that he should always keep work and sex
separated.
You see, he explained, he has a fetish with women wearing casts/plaster and he finds it
extremely hard to focus on doing his job when dealing with such claims here when he is
sexually aroused at the same time.
I had a meeting subsequently with his supervisor and asked him to keep an eye out for
my poor colleague in his 'extreme conditions'.

13:30 : Ice latté and a phone conference. The US Law
Apparently, it is very difficult to throw a man in jail in the US. You wouldn't believe so,
right? Me neither. But just a phone call won't cut it.
The procedures are insane as we would be crossing borders and the papers that need to
be administered, translated and whatnot in order for us to put just one guy in prison is
a lot of pain.
In short, the guy has faked bills for more than USD 200,000 and used several known
clinics and facilities, which makes the charges even heavier.
Now here is the paradox - We must notify the man before pressing charges, that we will
press charges, and are familiar with his fraud. Imagine what happens if a man is told
that he will be sued for fraud of that caliber? He will run!
As we simply cannot send the police chasing until we have told him that we know he's
committing fraud, we are trying to find several loopholes but the Florida State Law
seemingly won't let that happen.
After an hour on the phone with one of our plaintiffs, he is more exhausted than I am
just listening to the intensity of fraud this man has comitted. He is sure that it will hit
the news - this guy is a pro tennis player after all.
We still haven't found a loophole, so our plan is simply to wait for him to call my office
again and I will let him know that his latest claim is being investigated by the authorities
and see how many seconds it takes for him to hang up.
Once he has hung up, I will have to call the police department immediately in Florida in
his area and send out an arrest form, filed and signed by our attorneys.
Hopefuly he won't flee the country.. Then it is going to be nasty.

15:00 : No carrots and no coffee. Clinical Trials
We are being sued for denying cover of a chemical only administered in trials.
So I went to court with two of our doctors who would back up any medical issues and I
would wisely announce our policy conditions and the legality behind them.
We won.


:55 : Chocholate milk and a banana.
Received phone call from plaintiff in Florida. No problem with our case.
In fact, we have to report the fraud to Attorney's General Office or they
will sue us, for not sueing the guy. What a strange world. I sign out of my
phone, no more time for phone calls.

17:10 : Chocolate candies and soda.
Visited our Emergency Department with the taskforce team, wanting to update their
procedures for faster and better service. Difficult when I am not so familiar with their
schedules. I fake many smiles and eat a lot of candy while listening to an intensely boring
associate explain the office etiquettes.
I grab my bag and enter the conference room where I can powernap in front of the tv.
They have insanely comfy sofas over there and I think I should try and have one trans-
fered to my office so I can sleep when I get tired of hearing the word 'fraud'.

18:30 : Panda Eyes
Time to go home. After I finish the Korean medical...