CDs arrived fresh from Japan

And they are so cheap - the three sets on top cost JPY974 each!

Argument with Boss

I had an "argument" with my boss about our bonus this year. One of my colleagues and I contributed a lot since last year to where we are, and the other colleague just free-rid on our works and he is going to be paid his bonus at the same level as 2008. This is not fair. And when we raised this issue with our boss, who has the authority to alter the numbers, he stood quite firmly and gave us a lecture, saying that we should not be complaining and this colleague also contributed his share, blah, blah, blah. I was very unhappy after our conversation because he promised us to reward us more last year when we wholeheartedly helped him in his works. Now he asks us not to think about this and focus on what lies ahead. What a load of bullshit!

Letter to My Wife at our 13th Anniversary

My Dear,

On this day of our 13th Anniversary, I want to express my gratitude to you, something I haven't done for a long time. So here I am.

You probably know me better than myself - I am a critical, not-easy-to-please, nasty, mean and low-EQ bastard. I always complain and point to you the things that should be put right and rarely appreciate and praise. I do this in a way as if it were your responsibility to put things right and I am the one to give instruction. I even yelled at you on some occasions. Sometimes I hate myself for being like that, particularly to the ones I love (i.e. you and our sweet son). Nonetheless, you have loved me and supported me without complaints, to an extent that I start to feel ashamed of myself. Sometimes I wonder why you would sacrifice so much for me. I don't deserve this. For that, I feel really blessed having you in my life, and for the rest of my life.

Your decision to be a full-time mom was not an easy one. You had your own career, and people around considered your stepping down from your job as a waste of talents. You were not slightly affected by those people and chose to stick to your guns. I applaud you for that, for I know it was not easy to keep going despite different opinions. I am sure this would pay off in a couple of years. Our son is very blessed to have a mom like you.

You have always been pardoning to me since we got married. The best thing about you is that you practise "forgive and forget"! I am truly grateful for that, because you let me have a glimpse of what God's unconditional Love and Forgiveness are like.

We have heard so much bad news about our friends' marriages in the past few years. I am sure we all realize how hard it is to maintain a healthy marriage. It is challenging, to say the least, to maintain a good communication with each other after our son was borned. Life is tough. There is never enough time. Even when we do, we are so tired and would probably opt for some more sleep instead. Let's aim at spending more time in talking and sharing in the future. Perhaps a monthly dinner outside with a bottle of nice wine would do the trick?

In a recent wedding of our friend, the groom was being referred to as a lucky guy because he managed to find a good wife. To that extent, I think I am the luckiest guy in the world.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart! I pray that we can spend the next 40 years' anniversaries together!